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A review by lavendar
Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton
Did not finish book. Stopped at 0%.
After a few people & book-tok had recommended this book, I went to check it out. After reading articles online, and barely glancing in store, I got stopped by the trigger page, and then proceeded to have a discussion with those that had recommended it.
On a basic book review level it’s poorly written, full of clichés and useless profanity, needlessly grotesque, explicit to the point of insanity & generally nauseating, with a middle-schoolers vocabulary in a VERY adult setting.
And while these genres have plenty of others struggling with the same things (occasionally appreciated for the ease it gives in reading comprehension & a “book-binge”), presenting similar tropes & situations in a dark twisted way that makes you think, or at least catches your interest — this one takes it too far.
People can read what they so choose. Everyone has different taste, interpretations, interests, opinions, & reasons behind a book. That’s the magic of stories, there’s something for everyone & perhaps this is your sort of romance novel; that’s okay. It doesn’t have to be mine.
I appreciate the warnings in the book; the author is very upfront from the get-go, honest, informative, and properly trigger-warning & encouraging that very sentiment; if this isn’t for you, don’t read it.
On a basic book review level it’s poorly written, full of clichés and useless profanity, needlessly grotesque, explicit to the point of insanity & generally nauseating, with a middle-schoolers vocabulary in a VERY adult setting.
And while these genres have plenty of others struggling with the same things (occasionally appreciated for the ease it gives in reading comprehension & a “book-binge”), presenting similar tropes & situations in a dark twisted way that makes you think, or at least catches your interest — this one takes it too far.
People can read what they so choose. Everyone has different taste, interpretations, interests, opinions, & reasons behind a book. That’s the magic of stories, there’s something for everyone & perhaps this is your sort of romance novel; that’s okay. It doesn’t have to be mine.
I appreciate the warnings in the book; the author is very upfront from the get-go, honest, informative, and properly trigger-warning & encouraging that very sentiment; if this isn’t for you, don’t read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug use, Hate crime, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Forced institutionalization, Excrement, Grief, and Toxic friendship
While it does address topics that are horrific and not one to turn a blind eye to, it handles them in the worst way possible. It does not represent or speak on behalf of survivors, it does not show allies or healthy support systems, it does not give any hope for a path toward healing, helping, or even teaching better.
And that is the reason I write this.
The attempts at justification & encouragement in the book itself when it comes to these matters is NOT okay. It does so without reprimand, growth, or any lesson aside from enabling.
Going so far as to paint anyone who disagrees with the abuse, assault, and murder as hurtful, judgmental, & not-supportive or “accepting”. To try to paint this as “female empowerment” and a “sexual awakening” to be embraced, to make assault “sexy”, to be a “dark” & “morally gray” plot — in reality, it is none of those things. Only one, that glorifies abuse.
Stalking & Stockholm syndrome, is not a “love story”. Pain is not love.
This is not an “anti-hero”, the blunt reality is a rapist & murder. And a woman who is raped, assaulted, abused, and attacked physically, emotionally, and mentally to the point of gaslighting over & over again.
There is no justification. No, “love heals all wounds”. This is assault, this is abuse, and this is wrong. — Selling it as anything else is a VERY dangerous & frankly hurtful message.
Because the reality is while this may be a work of fiction, and is definitely dramatized, this has been someone’s reality. Not a plot line. Not a turn-on. But something real, dangerous, and life-wrecking.
Main-stream media depicting and “selling” this ideology, book-toks full of making jokes — ships — saying “he’s so romantic” or “all I want in a man” or “a sad boy” & reacting with “OMG my heart broke” consuming “the angst & brooding”, calling it fiction & dark-twists on fairytales; a “game” only ignores reality and encourages worse ones.
The horrific truth is: Human trafficking is real. Sexual assault is real. Sexual abuse is real. Physical abuse is real. Emotional abuse is real. Gaslighting is real. Gun violence is real, and people die from it. Stalking is real. Domestic violence is real. Toxic relationships are real and too commonly occurring because people aren’t taught to see the signs, especially when books like this call red flags “enticing”. Abuse occurs to many people in many ways through many relationships; it is harmful, and very dangerous. And danger is not something to strive for. Fear should not play a role in intimacy.
And you don’t need this book to know that. This book will not teach you or give light to “truly take in the depth of horror”. Or create some fantasy that breeds anything other than harm. That is not real.
So, please heed the warning, really read that first page by the author on triggers & content, and consider it the next time you go to make a post or recommend it to a friend.
Stories and words have power, use them and your time wisely. Do the things that bring you joy and closer to safety & health.
And for me, this book was not that.