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A review by olivialandryxo
Twisted Games by Ana Huang
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I didn’t think I’d find an Ana book that I disliked more than King of Wrath, but sadly, I did. And I really am sad about it, because through the entire first half, I was having such a blast with this book. I thought it would end up a favorite alongside King of Pride. But Rhys’ possessive temper tantrums got really old really fast, and then I was decidedly not having a blast.
It also doesn’t help that, the more I think about it, the more I realize that Bridget and Rhys have absolutely nothing to base a relationship on. All they ever do is screw around. Ana’s other couples have foundations upon which their relationships are built, but these two are just lust. Their story is just smut. Like if you took the vibes of Princess Diaries 2, combined with the vibes of Red White and Royal Blue, but replaced 90% of the plots with (rather repetitive) smut.
And damn, is it disappointing.
Extra half star for the first half, though, because it was fun while it lasted. And the teasing glimpses of future couples have made the rest (nearly) worth it.
Current series ranking:
It also doesn’t help that, the more I think about it, the more I realize that Bridget and Rhys have absolutely nothing to base a relationship on. All they ever do is screw around. Ana’s other couples have foundations upon which their relationships are built, but these two are just lust. Their story is just smut. Like if you took the vibes of Princess Diaries 2, combined with the vibes of Red White and Royal Blue, but replaced 90% of the plots with (rather repetitive) smut.
And damn, is it disappointing.
Extra half star for the first half, though, because it was fun while it lasted. And the teasing glimpses of future couples have made the rest (nearly) worth it.
Current series ranking:
- Twisted Love (I’m shocked too)
- Twisted Games (I’m sad)
Representation:
- Chinese-American side characters
- fat side character
- multiracial side character (Japanese, Black & Puerto Rican)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Gun violence and Medical content
Minor: Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Car accident, Death of parent, and War
Sexual content is frequent and explicit but always consensual. There’s one scene early on of a near mass shooting, but the shooter is stopped. There are a few scenes in a hospital due to one protagonist’s grandfather having a heart condition, but he does pull through each time. Everything tagged minor refers to past events, including one protagonist losing a parent to childbirth and a parent to a car accident, and the other protagonist losing a parent to drug overdose. There are also brief mentions of war scenes due to one protagonist being an ex-Navy SEAL.