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thirdeyeangel23's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I would give this book 10 š if I could. Vicious Bonds is a dark fantasy that takes so many of our favorite themes and turns them on their heads. Imagine moving through your life lonely in a loveless relationship, steeped in grief and barely hanging on. You start hearing a voice in your head and having vivid dreams of being chased in another world and you think youāre losing itā¦ until one night you fall through a portal and land in a fantasy world where youāre found by the man whoās been living in your head for months. Heās real, and heās about to turn your life upside down. Caz and Willow are the perfect nuisance to lovers/fated mates tale. Their story is heartbreaking, violent, and incredibly spicy. I love the way Williamās bounces between the two worlds and takes us on a wild ride through Vakeeli. This does end on a serious cliffy so go ahead and get book 2 before you start š
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Sexual violence, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence
nixter's review against another edition
I wanted to enjoy this book so badly but had to DNF it at 58%. I had a lot of issues with this book, and will try and concisely share why. Firstly, the main character was supposed to be snarky, I believe, but she just came off as whiny. We are supposed to care about her and her life, but she doesnāt do a great job of making us root for her. Also, the way she speaks and thinks is natural for a 21st century Black woman. However, it does not make for a great writing style in a book, and I found myself cringing a lot. For example, the FMC at one point says āIām considered āthickā on earthā and I had to close the book for a few hours after that.Ā
On top of an insufferable FMC, the MMC is no better. I assume the authorās intention was to create a snarky, brooding man who is later revealed to be softer on the inside, but he was just an asshole with no clear motivation for why he was acting this way. There was no banter between the two. They were just dicks to each other for half the book, with no real tension or developing feelings.
The āloveā stems from a fated mates trope in which they are literally forced to fall for each other, even if they donāt want to. Neither of the characters have a desire to end up together, but the rules of the world dictate that all fated mates will eventually fall in love by sheer proximity to one another, which is not enjoyable for me to read. About halfway through, the two are fighting and then all of a sudden they are making out on a bed because their bond wants them to, but there was no genuine lead up to this moment so it was very unfulfilling.Ā
Speaking of the world building, it was almost nonexistent. I couldnāt picture a single thing: setting or characters. The descriptions of people, places, and things were so lackluster and barebones. Very disappointing, honestly. But the most upsetting part of the whole book was the inclusion of very real world racism. This Black author had the opportunity to do anything in this fantasy book, and she included very overt racism, that made me, as a Black Woman, extremely uncomfortable. The term ādarkieā is used frequently, along with the over-sexualization of the darkskinned characters. The inclusion of colorism and racism also seemed to come out of nowhere, and when mentioned, it was explained like an after school special. Extremely preachy and enough to take me out of the book completely.
Overall, I have no affinity for any of the characters. The world is not truly functional and needs to be more fleshed out. And the writing style is not my cup of tea. I rarely DNF a book, but I donāt think I can power through this one, which is unfortunate.
On top of an insufferable FMC, the MMC is no better. I assume the authorās intention was to create a snarky, brooding man who is later revealed to be softer on the inside, but he was just an asshole with no clear motivation for why he was acting this way. There was no banter between the two. They were just dicks to each other for half the book, with no real tension or developing feelings.
The āloveā stems from a fated mates trope in which they are literally forced to fall for each other, even if they donāt want to. Neither of the characters have a desire to end up together, but the rules of the world dictate that all fated mates will eventually fall in love by sheer proximity to one another, which is not enjoyable for me to read. About halfway through, the two are fighting and then all of a sudden they are making out on a bed because their bond wants them to, but there was no genuine lead up to this moment so it was very unfulfilling.Ā
Speaking of the world building, it was almost nonexistent. I couldnāt picture a single thing: setting or characters. The descriptions of people, places, and things were so lackluster and barebones. Very disappointing, honestly. But the most upsetting part of the whole book was the inclusion of very real world racism. This Black author had the opportunity to do anything in this fantasy book, and she included very overt racism, that made me, as a Black Woman, extremely uncomfortable. The term ādarkieā is used frequently, along with the over-sexualization of the darkskinned characters. The inclusion of colorism and racism also seemed to come out of nowhere, and when mentioned, it was explained like an after school special. Extremely preachy and enough to take me out of the book completely.
Overall, I have no affinity for any of the characters. The world is not truly functional and needs to be more fleshed out. And the writing style is not my cup of tea. I rarely DNF a book, but I donāt think I can power through this one, which is unfortunate.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Racism
crinkledmochi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
now why did the book just end like thatā¦.Ā
my only gripe tho is how the characters talk about sex workers there definitely couldāve been a better conversation on the subjectĀ
my only gripe tho is how the characters talk about sex workers there definitely couldāve been a better conversation on the subjectĀ
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Death, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Blood, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Gun violence, Classism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Trafficking, and Addiction
sugar07's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Murder, and Suicide attempt
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