This review is solely for vol.5
Warning: read at your own risk
So, basically this is the 5th volume full of another gruesome, gut wrenching arc where we get to see new Raymond's suffering throughout the course of his revenge. I'm telling you I don't like this arc too, my hatred towards "Leverham" and "The Club" are at the same level (well I also despise "Bluebell" but atleast Raymond executed the 1st part of his satisfying revenge well).
Getting to the point, this arc involves another gang-🍇 and you can skip that part if you really can't handle it, it's fine. The most important thing that you shouldn't skip is from the very first part of the 5th volume where Raymond started looking for his predecessors of "Bluebell", up to the part where he met Timothy and got invited to the party (The Club itself).
He started looking for traces and evidence that would link to the only remaining people who could help him to exact revenge against the top-floor boys, leading him to Dave Watson who told him about Christopher, his trump card. There goes Teddy, his ex-bf who also helped him locate Christopher, until he finally met Christopher that went by a different name "Christine" and appearance.
Meeting Christine led Raymond to finally meet Timothy Donwell who he was mistaken for Hugh since they both resemble each other (bc technically they are brothers lol). Their meeting will be the start of another nightmare for Raymond. Being invited over by Timothy at the party was the start of it, where Raymond will be reunited once more with his one and only villain, monster, and lover — Jerome White.
Them crossing paths are bound to happen, whether if Raymond paid attention to what Jerome said (that Raymond should run away from him and from getting involved once more with the Donwells) or if Raymond still pursued his revenge, Raymond will still be meeting Timothy now or never.
Even though I really hated "The club" arc, and I tried to question Raymond's life choices when he didn’t follow Jerome's advice to run away far from everything while he still can, at some point he made the right choice even if he paid the price that night.
If he hadn’t crossed paths with Timothy, he still wouldn’t have been able to live peacefully as long as the Donwell family’s influence was around. No secret stays hidden forever, Timothy would have eventually found him. He wouldn't stop seeking revenge endlessly. It was better for Raymond to face his fate and meet Timothy while he still had a chance, rather than waiting for the day when he’d be too weak to face him.
From then on, vol.6 will finally give the answers on everything we need on the Donwell family, Jerome, and Simon.
I gave it 4 stars for the well-written pacing (except for the 🍇 part ofc ew), and for finally giving me hope that Raymond will achieve his revenge after picking up some clues from "The Club". Raymond's revenge is what kept me going even if I had to endure the vile ab*se and SA. I just want to see his revenge pay off in the end.