Hunting Adeline
Ratings145
Average rating3.7
I only gave it 4 stars because the first half of this one wasn't my jam. However, I am appreciative of it because it was realistic and made the second half that much better. This one I feel is a much bigger trigger warning needed vs the first one. The crummy part is to get the full story you have to read both so if the first is tolerable to you but you do have those types of triggers the second one maybe too much for some. Then those readers don't get the full story. All in all I will be reading these again bc OMG so good.
**update I came back and changed my review to 5 stars. 24 hours after finishing the books and I can't get them off my mind. I'm completely obsessed and if I'm that hooked it deserves no less than 5stars!
This book gutted me. It was powerful and terrifying and I absolutely could not put it down. I don't think I'll stop thinking about it for a very long time. That being said, I am an avid re-reader, but I don't think I can ever read it again - Addie's suffering and PTSD took so much out of me.
3 Stars
I liked the aspects of over coming trauma. Zade being there for Adeline. ❤️
I want to know more about the side characters!!!!!! Very interesting! I will be reading the book about Molly.
Lots of triggers, rape, cutting, and sex trafficking. Which was 40 to 50 percent of the book.
Definitely a book that just fell short in comparison to the first in the series. As many mentioned, it's filled with very graphic and very disturbing scenes that aren't for the weak hearted. There were many points I wanted to DNF partly because the graphic scenes but mostly because I felt the plot was stale, hoping to find some sort of conclusion that made sense in this series and sadly I didn't find it. Another overrated book that lives more on the reaction of its readers by providing controversial scenes. Since Adeline had so many horrifying experiences I was hoping to see some sort of change in herself as a character and maybe find a deeper look into who she is. I was hoping to see her as a stronger person after that. I was just disappointed how she was written in the end because I felt she could've been so much more.
If the first one gave me stress, this one is pure trauma.
I always think about this Blake Lively speech whenever topics depicted in this book comes up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMVHz-1I1zY&t=14s
I will start by saying I was not truly prepared for this book. It is very intense. It is not a dark, spicy, smut book like Haunting Adeline. I did not expect her to be stuck in the sex trafficking ring for half of the book. It was detailed and traumatic. It was a very hard read!
That said, it was incredibly well written. I cried for Adeline. I found myself devastated and questioning how she could come back from certain scenes/experiences.
I had a hard time with the second half of the book. I cringed during a lot of the scenes with Zade saying things to her that other men said during the sex trafficking. I found it unrealistic that she could accept him forcing her, cutting her, and talking to her the way he did. I feel like I was the one experiencing the PTSD for her. Then, being surprised that she was okay with things.
This book took me forever to finish because of how dark and graphic the first half of the book was.
The author's writing had SO MUCH potential: because i was pulled into the darkness and depravity of that house and my mind-space felt similar for quite a few days. I was constantly waiting for the HEA, the rescue and felt Addie's desperation.
However, despite the decent writing, I do think it was slightly wordy and could use a few more rounds of editing at certain points.
Right up to the train scene and even how her PTSD, reclaiming her scars, etc were described felt super realistic and well done. While on the longer side, it still doesn't feel unnecessary.
However, the smut after that, just wasn't for me. The knife-play seemed contrived; especially after the Xavier debacle. (while i get that, THAT is the whole point. The difference between him and Zade i know, i know– I was just put off somehow.) Rio's character was really done well and was a highlight for me. Most of the antagonists' characters & personalities are very black and white and adding motives and grey characters are always a plus. The note from him at the end saved the third act and sort of reminded me of how much i liked the rest of the book.
Overall, a pretty good read but just somehow falls shy of being perfect¡
A better read than the first one, but darker, more sinister and violent and disturbed.
My favourite character, though, would be Sibel/Sibby. She is so unhinged, it's delightful. She's creepy and she makes nursery rhymes sound like a scary movie soundtrack.
Proceed with caution, I must warn. The book is disturbing.
If I ever have to read “yin yang eyes” one more time I'm gouging my own eyes out.
It's really dark and triggering but the part that still bothered me the most was Zade and Addie's relationship. I feel like the author tried to redeem him a little after all the hypocrisy of the first book but in the end it was still really unhinged. All the spicy scenes between them kept getting more and more disturbing and it just was not for me at all. The sweet words he said didn't erase or excuse his actions most of the time (for me personally) and I'm SO upset that I didn't get to like him more in this book. I feel like I could justify Rio's behavior more than I could justify Zade's and that's saying A LOT. I would've DNFed the book the minute Zade killed him. It also did not need to go on for so long and I didn't get a sense of revenge enough for Claire's death.
3.5 stars
The first half of this book was really fucking difficult to get through. PLEASE CHECK THE TRIGGER WARNINGS ON THIS BOOK BEFORE READING. I literally had to take a break about 40% in to read something lighthearted. It was just very intense. If you are triggered by non-con, for the love of god, do not read this book.
The second half of the book was still very intense, but in a different way. I can't say I fully understand Addie and Zane's love. Maybe because I haven't experienced something so intense like that in my life. I'm glad there was a happy ending for Addie and Zade, with loose threads for other stories to tie into this one, for Sibby and Rio.
Now to go read something easy and fun and not so goddamn dark. Phew.
The emotions this series makes you feel are so real. Something that would normally make me get the ick was written in a way that I could feel the emotions of the character instead of just being a bystander to something awful. I ended the duology with a book hangover that only mindless, smut books could cure, and that's saying something for me. It handles PTSD in such a good way to where you kinda feel like you are healing along with the character.
With that being said, the first 60% is nonstop triggers, so please keep that in mind.
If you are a delinquent like me, who seems to be fine reading all of those, I got a tattoo while rereading this