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A review by multitaskingwithbecca
Craving by Helen Hardt
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I was not really sure how to rate this book. I have read HH before and enjoyed it so I am not sure what I expected with this one but it wasn't what I got.
The relationship is toxic. This is a thing some people prefer to read and I can get past it, but there were big NOPE moments for me. The consent lines here were really muddled. There is one scene that I just can't seem to stop thinking about. It is where Jade repeatedly says no and to stop yet Talon continues to try until she physically strikes him and leaves. She still has relations with him later on even after that. Not bothered in the slightest. It isn't okay. There aren't any trigger warnings that I saw anywhere that prepare you for any of these things in the book either.
Then I also spent the entire book trying to figure out if we were dealing with actual demons or just his psychological ones. HH has written paranormal romance before so that added to me being unsure. This was something that was actually taking me out of the story because it was so unclear.
It all happened so fast too. I kind of wish it had started at the actual wedding where she was left at the altar. I feel like that would have helped us understand what she was going through a lot better. We are hearing about it but I am not really "seeing it". I mean she is essentially going straight into something else without properly dealing with what happened. It is almost like it didn't bother her at all. Not to mention it is stated that weeks have gone by since she got to the ranch, but the way it is written it seems like only a few days.
Don't get me wrong, I want to find out what happens next, but I did have some big issues with this.
It actually feels and reads more like a soap to me than anything else. Everything is so dramatized, rushed, and out there that it feels exactly like that. I enjoy soaps and I know you see more of these toxic relationships and connections there. So maybe that was the goal and I just seemed to have missed it. We shall see how I feel about the next one.
The relationship is toxic. This is a thing some people prefer to read and I can get past it, but there were big NOPE moments for me. The consent lines here were really muddled. There is one scene that I just can't seem to stop thinking about. It is where Jade repeatedly says no and to stop yet Talon continues to try until she physically strikes him and leaves. She still has relations with him later on even after that. Not bothered in the slightest. It isn't okay. There aren't any trigger warnings that I saw anywhere that prepare you for any of these things in the book either.
Then I also spent the entire book trying to figure out if we were dealing with actual demons or just his psychological ones. HH has written paranormal romance before so that added to me being unsure. This was something that was actually taking me out of the story because it was so unclear.
It all happened so fast too. I kind of wish it had started at the actual wedding where she was left at the altar. I feel like that would have helped us understand what she was going through a lot better. We are hearing about it but I am not really "seeing it". I mean she is essentially going straight into something else without properly dealing with what happened. It is almost like it didn't bother her at all. Not to mention it is stated that weeks have gone by since she got to the ranch, but the way it is written it seems like only a few days.
Don't get me wrong, I want to find out what happens next, but I did have some big issues with this.
It actually feels and reads more like a soap to me than anything else. Everything is so dramatized, rushed, and out there that it feels exactly like that. I enjoy soaps and I know you see more of these toxic relationships and connections there. So maybe that was the goal and I just seemed to have missed it. We shall see how I feel about the next one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Death, Death of parent, and Abandonment