_jenny_k_'s review against another edition
Spoiler
He literally rapes and assaults her. Like, I like DARK books - I love the "possessive tabboo kinky" type. But in the "feminist hot guy way, not in the he genuinely doesn't respect her and her autonomy over her own body" way.And the whole giving the girl a background of trauma and rape thing really is just another big no no in muddying the waters of the plot and consent.
Plus, it wasn't a convincing chemistry between the two of them for me like they never have any actual conversations of substance that suggest they even actually like each other.
I'm really not trying to yuck other people's yums but the way this book is being passed of as a dark romance is worrying - it's a story about abuse, trauma and rape and for that reason I had to DNF
Graphic: Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexism, and Slavery
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Trafficking, and Stalking
mhairi_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
POV: Dual - Sin & Elli
Easton “Sin” Sinnett and Ellington “Elli” Asher were born into a secret society run by the Lords. They grew up together and have been raised to carry on the next generation. We follow Sin and Elli, now students at Barrington University. The host of the Lords secret society.
Successful Lord graduates go on to become the next generation of powerful, elite leaders across the country. Ladies are essentially a Lords for the taking, raised to be obedient lap dogs.
Sin as a Lord is more than happy to abide by the rules set forth by the Lords. Elli, unfortunately saw the dark side of the society. She has been trained for the wrong reasons and has had an absolutely horrific upbringing - I felt so incredible sorry and protective of her. The experiences she had growing up and the things she was made endure were abhorrent.
Sin wants Elli and he will have her, one way or another. But if he wants Elli he needs to face the consequences. Sin is possessive of Elli bordering on obsessed. He claims her as his, kills for her and quite literally brands her only to continue to break her heart time and time again. One minute he loves her and the next he’s saying they belong to other people, talk about whiplash.
This was an emotional rollercoaster!! Literally from the very beginning. I felt so many emotions. At times I was sad, others I was disgusted. I went from absolutely livid to moments where my spine tingled. I do feel as though the dark elements of this book really took away from the overall story. The romance was hidden behind Sin’s sadist tendencies and Elli’s need for degradation and humiliation.
⚠️ Content Warnings: There are genuinely too many content warnings to list.
Graphic: Sexual content, Torture, Injury/injury detail, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Stalking, Blood, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Cursing, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, and Kidnapping
rmorairty's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Medical content, Misogyny, Blood, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Injury/injury detail, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Classism, Bullying, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Sexual content, Violence, Vomit, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Gun violence, Sexism, Murder, Torture, and Toxic relationship
beccallynn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Suicide, Stalking, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Rape, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, and Emotional abuse
aylareve_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Sin does what he wants and doesn’t ask permission. Elli has had a hard life but she doesn’t let that get in the way of her living. Their relationship is volatile and exactly what they both need
I definitely like The Ritual more than this book. This book felt like like it was just smut and not a lot of plot. I wish they had been balanced a little more.
Graphic: Addiction, Death of parent, Drug use, Drug abuse, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Gun violence, Murder, Violence, Alcoholism, Blood, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
disneylovingbooknerd's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
After reading The Ritual I couldn't wait for the next book to come out. Omg the wait was worth it. This was soo good and spicy. Will definitely be buying this to put in my trophy shelf.
Graphic: Rape, Torture, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Stalking, Murder, Kidnapping, and Misogyny
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, and Drug abuse
If you've read The Ritual then you already know