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Sordid
paraphilia
Noun
a condition in which the afflicted are driven by sexual desires that are outside of societal norms.
Sean is a quiet man from a small country town. He also likes dead things.
Donald is a passionate teacher from a stiff upbringing. He also likes young women.
Ava is a disconnected mother, forced to be outside herself. She also likes pain... and lots of it.
Three lives.
Three stories.
One ending.
Noun
a condition in which the afflicted are driven by sexual desires that are outside of societal norms.
Sean is a quiet man from a small country town. He also likes dead things.
Donald is a passionate teacher from a stiff upbringing. He also likes young women.
Ava is a disconnected mother, forced to be outside herself. She also likes pain... and lots of it.
Three lives.
Three stories.
One ending.
276 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 31, 2025
1 person is currently reading
15 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 15, 2025
Ewww. But also... 💔. This is about as dark as it heartbreaking. I love that Sullivan made me feel for and see these characters as more than their fucked up afflictions.
I feel weird and conflicted AF.
I feel weird and conflicted AF.
October 31, 2025
What do a teacher who loves little girls, a man obsessed with, and aroused by dead things, and a single mother who must slice herself to feel anything at all have in common? Much more than you think. Sean was a married man, who happened to witness a tragic accident that awaken a very taboo desire in him that he would soon struggle with. After seemingly losing everything he loved, and held near and dear to him, Sean moves to the city, where he lives in a rundown roach infested apartment. He feels like he deserves to be where he is at, as some form of punishment for the things he has done. Ava, an emotionally detached girl, grows up beaten, and bullied, but, she loves it. The pain reminds her that she is alive, because, without it, she feels absolutely nothing. This leads to her growing a very strong desire to be sliced, and stabbed, much to the displeasure of her partner, Will. After the failed relationship, and feeling rejected, and dejected, Ava leaves. Ava finds out she is pregnant, and does her very best to be the best single mother she can be to her daughter, Mara. Donald, a failed writer with aspirations of becoming a teacher, lives with his roommate, Kai, while attending his studies. Donald develops a crush on Kai's underage sister, Jules, and Donald discovers that he, also, harbours some pretty sick, and dark desires. Donald eventually goes on to become a married teacher, with a baby on the way. A daughter, of all things. Sean meets Ava, at the Deli he works at, and the two really hit it off, soon forming a stronger bond than either has felt in a very, very long time. Meanwhile, Ava's daughter, Mara, who is now 16 years old, is really hitting off with one of her teachers, Donald. Little do either of them know of each other's taboo sexual proclivities, but, when the lines become blurred between validation, self acceptance, and morality, who can you trust? This was an amazing read! Very dark, and, to me, really spoke to the ideal of social norms being torn asunder by living through certain traumas, and the things that attribute to the development of what creates different sexual, and non-sexual eccentricities. The feeling of knowing what is wrong with you, but, also knowing that the feelings you evoke feel right. Battling with the morality of right, and wrong, while also seeking acceptance, and to not feel like a freak. To be happy, no matter what you are into. My favorite part of this was the growing relationship between Ava, and Sean! There are triggers in the back of the book, please check if you are not okay with themes like, necrophilia, self harm, suicide, grooming, and pedophilia. All in all, I highly recommend this!
5⭐/5⭐
5⭐/5⭐
October 31, 2025
Sordid is ultimately a tale of the human condition, following three misfits with dark and disconcerting urges as they navigate through life.
This is not a story that endorses, nor encourages, such behaviours, but gives us a window into how they struggle, how they cope, and how at the end of the day, they are merely people that we can still empathise with.
Is my favourite character a man who gets off to death? Absolutely. Do I wholly empathise with the woman who could only feel pleasure with extreme pain? Hell yes. Because regardless of their preferences, Sullivan writes them first and foremost as three dimentional beings, and that makes reading their tales all the more engrossing.
Sullivan's strength is in their imagery - throughout Sordid, it was easy to picture everything so vividly, as if watching a film within my mind. Combined with scenes that were so disconcerting and graphic, it made for a very pleasurable reading experience.
The erotica is not merely gratuitous, but is emotionally charged and written with such desperation, anguish, and pleasure, that it makes it so haunting beautiful.
(i have reservations about my deli meat now but 5/5)
This is not a story that endorses, nor encourages, such behaviours, but gives us a window into how they struggle, how they cope, and how at the end of the day, they are merely people that we can still empathise with.
Is my favourite character a man who gets off to death? Absolutely. Do I wholly empathise with the woman who could only feel pleasure with extreme pain? Hell yes. Because regardless of their preferences, Sullivan writes them first and foremost as three dimentional beings, and that makes reading their tales all the more engrossing.
Sullivan's strength is in their imagery - throughout Sordid, it was easy to picture everything so vividly, as if watching a film within my mind. Combined with scenes that were so disconcerting and graphic, it made for a very pleasurable reading experience.
The erotica is not merely gratuitous, but is emotionally charged and written with such desperation, anguish, and pleasure, that it makes it so haunting beautiful.
(i have reservations about my deli meat now but 5/5)
November 7, 2025
Shocking! Sordid follows the lives of three people: Sean, Donald, and Ava. All three have a paraphilia that they try to live with. Slowly, their lives intertwine and start to unravel.
I was confused at first, not sure how much time had passed since certain events happened in the first 3 chapters. As I kept reading, the story started to come together. I quickly got what was going on and was hooked! I really enjoyed the relationship between Sean and Ava and how comfortable they became with one another. I loved how their romance blossomed and they accepted each other without hesitation. Even that one scene, where they finally reveal their paraphilias to each other and , was romantic. I was waiting for Donald’s downfall and man, I did not expect that ending. The twist with Mara, Ava’s daughter, had my jaw on the floor!
Sullivan did a fantastic job building suspense and revealing certain plot points to advance the story. The descriptions of gore and horror were vivid and graphic, but without being gratuitous. I was able to imagine everything in my head as I read. Great introduction to Sullivan’s writing!
Thank you to Teddy Sullivan for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I was confused at first, not sure how much time had passed since certain events happened in the first 3 chapters. As I kept reading, the story started to come together. I quickly got what was going on and was hooked! I really enjoyed the relationship between Sean and Ava and how comfortable they became with one another. I loved how their romance blossomed and they accepted each other without hesitation. Even that one scene, where they finally reveal their paraphilias to each other and , was romantic. I was waiting for Donald’s downfall and man, I did not expect that ending. The twist with Mara, Ava’s daughter, had my jaw on the floor!
Sullivan did a fantastic job building suspense and revealing certain plot points to advance the story. The descriptions of gore and horror were vivid and graphic, but without being gratuitous. I was able to imagine everything in my head as I read. Great introduction to Sullivan’s writing!
Thank you to Teddy Sullivan for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
October 21, 2025
4.5**
Thank you so much for sending me this ARC this review is my full honest opinions
I thought this was amazing. At first I was kinda confused how it would all intertwine but the way it all came together was perfection
He tied in every little bit of information we got given into such a good story, even the cover has something to do with the book
I also appreciated that the triggers were at the end (as someone who has no triggers) because it didn’t spoil the second to last chapter for me which left me actually so shocked
I can see how some people would think this is too gory or too taboo but i thought it was perfect, there were some moments where i was grossed out but i was definitely supposed to be
Overall loved this and want to read everything he writes in the future
Thank you so much for sending me this ARC this review is my full honest opinions
I thought this was amazing. At first I was kinda confused how it would all intertwine but the way it all came together was perfection
He tied in every little bit of information we got given into such a good story, even the cover has something to do with the book
I also appreciated that the triggers were at the end (as someone who has no triggers) because it didn’t spoil the second to last chapter for me which left me actually so shocked
I can see how some people would think this is too gory or too taboo but i thought it was perfect, there were some moments where i was grossed out but i was definitely supposed to be
Overall loved this and want to read everything he writes in the future
October 9, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wow. Intense and fascinating! I couldn’t stop reading this book—it completely pulled me in from start to finish. Sordid is dark, bold, and deeply psychological. The intertwining stories of Sean, Donald, and Ava explore the depths of human desire, pain, and obsession in a way that’s both disturbing and mesmerizing. Each character feels raw and real, their secrets slowly unraveling until everything collides in one unforgettable ending.
Teddy Sullivan did an incredible job weaving emotion and darkness together in a way that lingers long after the last page. Definitely a book I will never forget.
October 23, 2025
Teddy did a great job with weaving multiple characters' dark stories into one with an unexpected, grotesque ending.
I was a bit confused at first, but that's because you get fully immersed, then switch characters, and a new story unfolds. As you continue to read, it all comes together beautifully.
Sordid is the type of psychological horror that lingers.
I was a bit confused at first, but that's because you get fully immersed, then switch characters, and a new story unfolds. As you continue to read, it all comes together beautifully.
Sordid is the type of psychological horror that lingers.
October 21, 2025
My first book by the author. Very well written, and the story went along at a good pace. Heartbreaking back stories, combined with complicated relationships in the present. Some elements within, that the average reader might be shocked at, with a fantastic twist at the end.
December 30, 2025
This book hooks!! The multiple (very well developed I must add) characters and viewpoints, the weaving storyline, the consistent tragedies, the hopefulness and hopelessness... and that ending! 😌
There are trigger warnings listed in the book if you care about that kind of thing (I really don't). There were definitely some gnarly scenes, but I'm here for it.
There are trigger warnings listed in the book if you care about that kind of thing (I really don't). There were definitely some gnarly scenes, but I'm here for it.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews