A review by bludgeoned_by_hail
Sabotage by Shantel Tessier

dark tense 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

2.5

My first read of this kind... went in out of morbid curiosity but came out surprisingly impressed with the fluid writing and vivid sex scenes. While I'm not particularly into the stuff in the book (oh me oh my🫣), I can say that, just off the strength of the descriptions, I get the appeal.
Sadly the smut is surrounded by a pretty weak plot. It starts off as an intriguing story about the incredibly toxic, but magnetic attraction between the main characters, but then it just gets sillier and sillier with the inclusion of a weird criminal cult gang thing (?) and culminates in a truly gratutious (and very graphic) rape scene. The ending also feels rushed, which is a shame, because the escalation of tension in the beginning is very well done.
Recommended if you want really dark smut, not really otherwise.
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