Reviews with content warning for Pedophilia - What Lies Behind the Veil

Book tok critiques said it all. My top critiques were:
- the overall sexual dynamic felt forced, coercive and imbalanced. There were times I was confused why the male lead was touching the MC when she didn’t want that. Especially when she had a history of sexual abuse.
- his nickname for her was little one and that was just gross and weird
- I thought that after being in an oppressive culture her whole life, the transition out would be more complex and nuanced. There wasn’t a moment when she reveled in just being free or when she caught her conditioning still influencing her. Overall I feel like the MC could have grown so much more than she did.
- there wasn’t a ton of worldbuilding info in the book. Everyone was keeping secrets from the MC and we didn’t know a lot till the end. I kinda just pieced it together based on other fantasy worlds.
- the MC definitely gave off I’m not like other girls vibes, and I’m the context of her upbringing that didn’t really make sense. There would definitely have been other girls like her who had secret solidarity. And being as poor as she was described would play out differently in my opinion than what she described.
- this is more of a personal pet peeve, but I really dislike when books don’t deal with basic human needs like using the bathroom, smelling gross, and menstruation. It makes me not take the characters seriously

Content Warnings

kingrosereads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny medium-paced

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

3.25

Look. Was it good? Not really. Will I be reading the sequel? Absolutely. This is the kind of trash reading I really enjoy. If you like ACOTAR or FBAA, this definitely has borrowed themes and characters and plots from them, but very loosely developed. I do like the concept of the Veil and human mates. Caelum is an acquired taste for sure but I enjoy the bantering between him and Estrella. Not a fan of the “little one” nickname. “My star” is fine and very endearing but “little one” is so cringe. “Little” anything is barf. I didn’t like how he became super possessive towards the end especially since Estrella has always been at the mercy of other men and not having any choice in life. This book feels more like the base of a story that you go back and actually develop upon. It’s basically the skeleton of a good story.

Content Warnings

justreaditem's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Loved it. Saw the plot twist coming but it definitely wasn't how I expected it! Can't wait for book two. Plus it is 🌶️

Content Warnings

bunni3's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

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

3.0

The main character is SO stupid and annoying. Literally she doesn’t figure anything out ever and just goes along with everyone. Also the male lead calls her “little one” and that’s FREAKY I did not like this book

Content Warnings

kristakp's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

The main male character is full of red flags and yeah it was predictable, but I was entertained, and I look forward to reading the second book in the series. I probably wouldn't recommend the book to anyone though lmao

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