Reviews

Dreadful: A Dark Retelling by Greer Rivers

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sweetnspicyreads's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This book was very heavy and emotional.

Please read the trigger warnings on this one.

Tallie- wow, what a heart breaking journey from having everything taken from her as a child, to gaining her power back one name at a time. I loved that she got her justice, and also her happy ending.
Tallie was such a strong and formidable character. Her story shook me to my core. Even amongst the hope, there was heartbreak. Yet she overcame and became a force of nature. What an absolutely thrilling fmc to watch come to life.

Sever- what a sweetheart, wrapped up in a broody shell. His story was devastating because he had felt a state of helplessness as a child, and then spend his entire adult life trying to make up for it. I loved reading his character come to terms with who he used to be vs his strength now. He just grew in confidence, and he had so much to offer beyond what he thought of himself. I was falling for him throughout.

The chemistry between Tallie and Sever was a slow burn. It wa drawn out, delicious, heartbreaking. Yet si satisfying when they finally got together.

To Tallie's nonni, they were the perfect side characters which were also the heart of the story. Their love was just beautiful to see. From their little quips, to how they were with each other.

My heart broke with that twist. I may have cried one too many tears and cried at the conclusion of the story.

I absolutely loved this book and it was so well written. Thank you, Greer. 🩷

sinfulshelves's review against another edition

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4.0

the perfect Sweeney Todd + Medusa retelling with spice & m@fia romance aspects

julesbarthe10's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

3.5

This is a mafia style reimagining of Sweeney Todd with a dark romance feature. For most of this book I really enjoyed the new configuration and the new turn of actions. My biggest issue came in when Sever captures Tallie and "interrogates" her. This book has a heavy presence of the FMC's story and her sexual assault as a child and how it has traumatized her and effected her adult life. Its the main reason behind her revenge plot. Also there is a key feature of Sever being extremely against SA style actions because of him and tallies past. But Sever captures her, ties her up, and "interrogates" her with sexual acts. I get they are implying he makes her feel comfy and they have a sexual chemistry, but your not gonna convince me this dude she is super hesitant about at the time says hey I'm gonna sexually do things to you till you give me answers and she is just mentally thinking oh this is hot. I understand everyone handles their trauma different and I know many survivors find comfort in CNC but nahhhhhhhh. She was unsure of his motives, she is extremely traumatized, and THIS is how you make their one of their beginning smut scenes together. Nah it threw me off. It goes back to being a decent book after that part though.

gabby_albers's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I very much enjoyed this book. It was gruesome from start to finish, but I especially loved that the FMC was a vengeful badass after the trauma she suffered. This book explains some pretty traumatizing scenes, and I feel like it was handled appropriately, from the PTSD years later, to how the MMC handles the FMC with care and reverence. Phantom still always hold a special place in my heart, but this book in the series came in very close second to it.

isabellac04's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

dakotahgummauthor's review against another edition

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5.0

Another single-sitting read by Greer Rivers. I was hooked from the creepy little song at the beginning to the happy ever after at the end. This is no normal dark romance; the themes of trauma recovery are woven through every page. Certain elements of the book were difficult to read, but the resolution was so cathartic. I was rooting for Tallie and Sev every step of the way.

And can I just say? The scene in the meat locker? *FIRE*. I'm still sweating.

katiebella_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

2⭐️
As a child, she was kidnapped, raped, and left for dead. As an adult, she is out for vengeance against those who hurt her and those who failed to save her.
As a boy, he was kidnapped and forced to listen to the little girl in the room next to him being hurt. He thought she had died. As a man, he has sworn to destroy those who facilitated her death.

My Thoughts

The opening chapter of this book is DARK. I don't think I was mentally prepared for just how dark. Check your triggers. The chapter is the attempted rape and murder of a child. It doesn't go into detail, but you know it is happening. You also know this isn't the first time.

The book graphics are gorgeous. I couldn't get enough of them. Every chapters first page was black overlayed with a grey picture and white words. Whoever they used as a male photo model looked like a young Chris Pratt. By the end, I was seeing his face as Sev ( the MMC POV)

The romance was underwhelming and predictable. He walks into a bakery, steadying her from falling, and surprise, she is practically drooling at his hotness! The instant attraction diminishes the build-up and angst I've come to expect from a dark romance. It was sort of a turn-off.

It's smutty. I'll give the book that. The problem is the sex scenes feel like they are written by a man who doesn't quite understand how a woman's body works. This would be bearable if it HAD been written by a man. It's written by a woman FOR women. She should know better or have at least read more spice before trying to write it. It made me uncomfortable to read. The author has a weird obsession with nipples.

You can tell the author is self-published and unpolished. It's a dark mafia romance, wrapped up in a Sweeny Todd/Hamlet/Medusa rewrite. I had such high hopes for it, but it feels like a "booktok made me buy it" regret.

The "Sweeny Todd" rewrite part is basically he's a barber who murders with a razor, and she's a baker. The "Medusa" rewrite is basically a scorned woman's vengeance. The "Hamlet" is he's after his uncle for the murder of his father. This isn't so much a rewrite as a play on themes. Easy to spot in the first few chapters.

It's not well written and way too long. It feels more like fanfiction or wattpad. The characters are fleshed out and likable, but their speech...... no one talks like that. It's the way a teen in middle school would write a story. The whole thing is disjointed. I had to constantly reread sentences to make them make sense.

The Tale had just enough plot to keep me reading, but it felt more like I hate read it just to find out what happened.

The ending was lackluster and anticlimactic. I wish I had saved my time and money on this one.

Content Warnings