dodibooks's review against another edition
4.0
This book was not what I expected. The main characters both don't speak. The FMC doesn't communicate at all and the MC uses sign language, but only with his found family, people he trust. So there isn't much interaction or communication in the first half of the book. I really love communication, so I found the first part a bit difficult to read at times. But building the world and describing everything made up for it.
I love Anya, she was so strong and oh so smart. After years of not talking and observing, she knows what the others think and want.
I still don't really understand the relationships between Cort, Maart and Rainer. Add Anya to that... It does make for some good spicy scenes!
The plot twist really worried me. It had me feeling all the feels. I was sick and sad and angry! I could not believe it. The ending was very good. And I'm really looking forward to Maart's story.
I love Anya, she was so strong and oh so smart. After years of not talking and observing, she knows what the others think and want.
I still don't really understand the relationships between Cort, Maart and Rainer. Add Anya to that... It does make for some good spicy scenes!
The plot twist really worried me. It had me feeling all the feels. I was sick and sad and angry! I could not believe it. The ending was very good. And I'm really looking forward to Maart's story.
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review against another edition
5.0
Sick Heart is the story of two people who grew up under very dire circumstances. And who didn't really have many choices in their life.
Anya made the choice to stop talking, completely, as she felt like that was the one thing she could control. Cort hardly ever spoke either, even if that was for slightly different reasons.
The dark underbelly of the world held both the characters hostage until they both did something very unexpected, and Cort was able to take Anya away from her keeper.
As always, Huss managed to bring compelling characters to life. They were living in darkness and surrounded by violence. However, they were also fighters. And they wanted to take the control back. They wanted to be able to simply live.
I loved this story so much! It was well-written, funny at times, and scary, sad, violent, romantic, intriguing and everything between at other times.
Anya made the choice to stop talking, completely, as she felt like that was the one thing she could control. Cort hardly ever spoke either, even if that was for slightly different reasons.
The dark underbelly of the world held both the characters hostage until they both did something very unexpected, and Cort was able to take Anya away from her keeper.
As always, Huss managed to bring compelling characters to life. They were living in darkness and surrounded by violence. However, they were also fighters. And they wanted to take the control back. They wanted to be able to simply live.
I loved this story so much! It was well-written, funny at times, and scary, sad, violent, romantic, intriguing and everything between at other times.
jessbrian4's review against another edition
5.0
So heavy
Wow, I never would have guessed from the blurb how heavy this book would get. Every trigger warning checked but even after that, just so heavy. Got some ugly tears from this one.
Wow, I never would have guessed from the blurb how heavy this book would get. Every trigger warning checked but even after that, just so heavy. Got some ugly tears from this one.
ligite's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
betterbymyshelf's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
eviemiller's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. I was absolutely not expecting what this book was. It is beautiful and crushing and surprising and traumatizing - it’s a wave, a rollercoaster ride. Now, there were some themes I hadn’t mentally prepared myself for, but that’s ok! It was a story of survival and, while enjoy feels like the wrong word, I thoroughly embraced this book’s message.
hm08's review against another edition
2.0
This was a unique dystopian story with an intriguing premise. Please check content warnings (below) before diving in.
We have Cort, a.k.a. Sick Heart, a heavily tattooed silent MMA fighter who's as damaged as they come. In the penultimate fight of his fighting career, he meets Anya, a house maid-typish slave who's father owns a portion of the shop the fight takes place in. He eventually wins the fight and she's part of prize. Off they go on a strange training rock to prepare themselves and a bunch of kids to fight to death. They win. The end.
The beginning was so full of thrill, gore and surprise. But the pace quickly falls by the 30% mark and I begun to find Anya's vow of silence thing to be more annoying than rebellious. The second part of the book was lost on me too - I didn't care for the excruciating details of Anya skipping rope and complaining about rehydrated chicken.
Anyhow, J.A. Huss is a brilliant author and never fails to deliver stories that are FRESH and DIFFERENT. I have other stories from her that I absolutely love so I guess this one just isn't for me.
Nevertheless, I would recommend this story to someone who enjoys gritty romances full of action.
CW:
Graphic depictions of violence , intoxication, SA and CSA. Please be careful going in!
We have Cort, a.k.a. Sick Heart, a heavily tattooed silent MMA fighter who's as damaged as they come. In the penultimate fight of his fighting career, he meets Anya, a house maid-typish slave who's father owns a portion of the shop the fight takes place in. He eventually wins the fight and she's part of prize. Off they go on a strange training rock to prepare themselves and a bunch of kids to fight to death. They win. The end.
The beginning was so full of thrill, gore and surprise. But the pace quickly falls by the 30% mark and I begun to find Anya's vow of silence thing to be more annoying than rebellious. The second part of the book was lost on me too - I didn't care for the excruciating details of Anya skipping rope and complaining about rehydrated chicken.
Anyhow, J.A. Huss is a brilliant author and never fails to deliver stories that are FRESH and DIFFERENT. I have other stories from her that I absolutely love so I guess this one just isn't for me.
Nevertheless, I would recommend this story to someone who enjoys gritty romances full of action.
CW:
Graphic depictions of violence , intoxication, SA and CSA. Please be careful going in!
hrstobo's review against another edition
5.0
The mind of JA Huss is as intriguing as it is scary! This story line is dark, gritty and at times uncomfortable. You are taken into a world You would never have thought existed. If you are on the fence about this book take the jump! I hung on each scene Rooting for Anya and Court to finally find their version of HEA.
powerlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
This book is not at all what I expected it to be! The worldbuilding is phenomenal, and most of the time I was 95% sure that this is a dystopian dark romance, but everything that happens is almost possible in the world we live in. Parts of it remind me of the Hunger Games, but much much darker and obviously less far fetched, if it could be set in our world. Makes me want to finally get around to reading Battle Royale!
I want to reiterate: this is an incredibly dark book. It’s not for the faint of heart. There were parts that made my heart hurt--or maybe they made my heart “sick”. There are so many characters that I genuinely cared for, and knowing that things would likely not end well for them was truly heartbreaking.
Anya and Cort are very damaged souls. I loved Cort so, so much. I went into this book expecting him to be a true anti-hero, but he isn’t. He’s hard on those around him because it’s what is needed for survival in this twisted world he grew up in.
Anya is chock full of surprises, and I loved getting the chance to peel back the layers on who she is. Both Anya and Cort are silent by choice, which makes for an interesting dynamic, especially when pesky things like communication are necessary.
All this said, there was a little bit too much repetition in the narrative. We get POV scenes from both Cort and Anya, and there are quite a few times where I felt like I was reading the same passages twice. Not just for what was happening, but for their internal monologuing--talking about why they are the way that they are or commenting on the world they live in.
I would definitely love to read more books set in this world, or other dystopian dark romances by this author in the future!
I want to reiterate: this is an incredibly dark book. It’s not for the faint of heart. There were parts that made my heart hurt--or maybe they made my heart “sick”. There are so many characters that I genuinely cared for, and knowing that things would likely not end well for them was truly heartbreaking.
Anya and Cort are very damaged souls. I loved Cort so, so much. I went into this book expecting him to be a true anti-hero, but he isn’t. He’s hard on those around him because it’s what is needed for survival in this twisted world he grew up in.
Anya is chock full of surprises, and I loved getting the chance to peel back the layers on who she is. Both Anya and Cort are silent by choice, which makes for an interesting dynamic, especially when pesky things like communication are necessary.
All this said, there was a little bit too much repetition in the narrative. We get POV scenes from both Cort and Anya, and there are quite a few times where I felt like I was reading the same passages twice. Not just for what was happening, but for their internal monologuing--talking about why they are the way that they are or commenting on the world they live in.
I would definitely love to read more books set in this world, or other dystopian dark romances by this author in the future!