Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

All He'll Ever Be by W. Winters

4 reviews

alicia_joy's review against another edition

dark tense

• 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? Yes

2.0

I wanted to like this quartet. I really did. Like many bookish girls, Beauty and the Beast is my favorite classic Disney princess tale. But to claim this is a modern retelling of any fashion is crap. The story of Carter and Aria is nothing but toxic, abusive, glorified Stockholm syndrome. As much as I wanted to like this and read it on it's entirety to really give it a fair shot, it 1000% was not my cup of tea. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Violence, Sexual harassment, Kidnapping, Murder, Cursing, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Rape, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Alcohol

audlittlebookshelf's review against another edition

I finished book 1 and a little bit of book 2. This is marketed as a dark Beauty and the Beast retelling but it’s really just a kidnapper romance with extremely dubious (at best) consent. The FMC, Aria, has an internal monologue that reads like someone in an abusive relationship. The MMC, Carter, is so unlikeable to me that the only ending I would find satisfying at the point is if Aria kills him. Aria has almost no fight or strength to her, which would be fine if we weren’t being told how strong she is.

I will typically forgive a lot of things in a romance if the romance itself is good but this feels so forced and I do not buy their chemistry. There were actually some moments where I thought this could be an interesting thriller but not a romance. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, Sexism, Confinement, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Blood, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Gore, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Torture, and Cursing

Moderate: Death of parent and Drug use

Psychological Torture

ka_ke's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

2.0

This is a dark romance. Emphasis on dark. From what I understand All He Ever Was is the author’s way of healing from her own traumas, and I understand the point. I can see some of myself in Aria, but Carter pisses me off in a way that I’m not sure I can explain. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Body horror, Blood, Grief, Mental illness, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Confinement, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Murder, Rape, Abandonment, Self harm, and War

starlily08's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Death, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail