THIS BOOK WAS ABSOLUTELY INSANE!!!! They were indeed rotten! I honestly dont even know where to start. The fmc was on a mission to kill the man that raped her sister and when she finally did she just kept going and got rid of other rapists until she got caught and went to prison where she met the mmc. At first i thought he was a softie in comparison to how insane she was but oh boy was i wrong!!!!! Part 2 left me speechless!! Theres no happy ending here but there couldn’t have been any redemption.
ARC Review - This was my second Hazel Black book and, of course, it was a wild ride! The story gets better the longer you read, building up to an explosive ending. I wasn’t aware it was no HEA, but honesty, i didn’t WANT a happy ending for these two, and i know they didn’t want it either. I do think the ending was a little bit rushed, the last chapter could have been a bit longer but maybe that’s just because i wanted a little bit more from Adrian in the end, but i don’t know exactly WHAT it is that i wanted.
I’m in love with the FMC! She is absolutely unhinged and I loveeeeed it! I do feel the ending was missing something but overall I LOVED THE STORY! The way I gasped at the end of part 1 and beginning of part 2! This is the kind of unhinged that feeds my soul🤣
Firstly I just want to say what an honour it is to be given an arc from Black 🥹 I am extremely grateful for this opportunity! Secondly, OH MY DAYS, this book was INSANE 😮💨🫶🏻
Penny- A beautiful whirlwind of a depraved psychopath, locked up for her multiple brutal murders on the pos men that she believed deserved every single thing that came their way. She was simply surviving, not thriving behind those bars, that is until Darling entered the building…
CO Adrian Darling- A handsome correction’s officer with a sordid past & a cruel obsession with inmate Penny. He wants to break her, he wants her for himself, his compliant play thing.
They both need each other for different reasons but will they both get the happy ending?! 😮💨
OMG 🤯 I was FLABBERGASTED at the end of part 1, I did not expect the twist on Darling but the end of part 2!!! Wow 😱😭
I couldn’t help but feel for Penny, she didn’t show remorse on the outside but you knew she felt it, she’d been through the worse & her mind had crumbled to the point she could only associate one thing with the other.
And Darling…well he clearly had crazy issues & most definitely enjoyed the taste of himself a bit more than the norm 🤢
This was brilliantly done, it was most definitely vile at times but this book was pushed to that breaking point in every direction. It was incredible 👏🏼
Thank you again to Hazel for the ARC, I shall be pre-ordering this, as should you!! Releasing on 19th May! 🤎
I knew before going into this book it would be another one that’s gonna be in my head for a while, Hazel just throws us in and we have to scrape our way out 🫣 I’m not even sure I could explain the mindf^ck this story is, you question everything; is our FMC, Penelope so deranged, a total psychopath or is there something else going on? Adrian a prison CO seems to have formed a bond with her but for whose benefit?
“𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚜𝚠𝚎𝚎𝚝 𝚊𝚗 𝚘𝚙𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚞𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚊𝚜𝚜 𝚞𝚙”
I seriously could not put this one down, the depths they both go to 🤯 Though it’s 475 pages, it really felt less than that because it’s so engaging and dark, yes, the debasement and pure evil written into this…dare I say was delectably repulsive and I thoroughly enjoyed it 😈 Do read the trigger warning ⛔️
I can say without a doubt that hazel black has done it again! I’ve never read a hazel black book and been disappointed they will blow your mind!
Penny/Penelope is my hero. really. I’m not sure she’s meant to be perceived that way but I got alieen wuornos vibes. Then you have CO darling the knight in shining polyester uniform or so you think.
Prisoner/guard trope done right!
I knew why penny did what she did I think most will and you can also understand why co darling feels what he does. But then they have this magnetic energy that from the start you can tell is really confusing for the both of them up until the end. I mean they really found someone to match their freak. They were both broken and they never wanted to heal or fix each other pure toxicity that I couldn’t take my eyes off of.
It’s hard to find a good non-hea but this one right here is a favorite I definitely recommend some of my favorite quotes
Excerpt From The Way We Rot Hazel Black This material may be protected by copyright.
“He needed to hear it before he left this earth and spent his afterlife reliving what took him to his death. His actions, and his alone.”
“Not a shit nor a shower in peace or privacy unless I was in here.”
“I reveled in it, scratched it and watched my skin redden with the drag of my nails. A red line through the sheen. Perfection. ” IYKYK
“She existed under my skin now; we were burrowing into each other free roaming and unfettered. ”
“the opposite, I guess, their deaths could have kissed in the middle,” AGAIN IYKYK
“She was evil, but her evil had infested me, made me rot, turned me into a monster like her.”
“I told her everything.Until there was nothing.And soon, I was rotting with her.”
“Penelope Karner was broken from the moment she was born.”
Excerpt From The Way We Rot Hazel Black This material may be protected by copyright.
This is the second book of Hazel Black that I have read. The first one being Darkest Descent, which I absolutely love, and omg this book definitely doesn’t disappoint. It is dark, spicy and so unhinged you’ll question your sanity on why you love it so much. Hazel Black is the queen of erotica horror.
The book is about Adrian and Penny. Penny is a convicted serial killer and doing life in prison. Adrian works as a correctional officer in the prison where Penny resides. Adrian and Penny are completely opposite, but for some reason drawn to each other. Penny tries to seduce and play with Adrian, in the hopes that he’ll help her escape. When the time comes and an opportunity presents itself. A plan is put in motion. Penny thinks she got to Adrian. But Adrian has different plans for her. Penny might have started this little game, but she has no idea how everything will unfold.
This book is everything you’re looking for if you want a darker than dark pitch black book, with lots of spice and body horror. In the beginning you might get fooled into thinking that Penny is the only crazy unhinged psychopath in this book. The second part of this book proves that Adrian also has a dark side. Both characters are rotten to the core, but for some reason I wanted them to work. I think most people will say they are unredeemable, but for me I feel like they both have their reasons for why they are, the way they are. I actually sympathized with the characters.
I give this book 5 stars because from the beginning till the end it had me hooked. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time because of how insane and twisted it got at times. I absolutely love everything about it. The second part of the book also felt like a fever dream at one point and I was hoping for a HEA. Without spoiling whether or not the book has a HEA or not, I will say that in the end both Adrian and Penny ended up where they’re supposed to be.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ☠️ No HEA ☠️ Erotic Horror ☠️ Prisoner/ Guard Relationship ☠️Unhinged FMC and MMC ☠️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Please check your triggers, NO! Seriously check them….. and then enter this completely unhinged masterpiece written by the amazing Hazel Black…. We will be waiting for you on the otherside!
This book was everything I have come to know and LOVE from Hazel Black. The way she writes is impeccable, I swear I could smell, taste and feel every inch of the prison and theatre like I was living it as the characters which IYKYK is definitely gross but helps to take the story off the pages and lets it seep into your veins and grab ahold of you while dragging down to the depths of hell where the characters are.
FMC Penny ( Penelope) is the epitome of an unhinged serial killer seeking revenge for her sister, no man is safe around her as to her every man is capable of rape. MMC CO Adrian Darling is a tortured man who is also seeking revenge for what was done to his little brother. In his pursuit for revenge and justice he became more unhinged and loses himself to the darkness. This book is not for the faint of heart, it is pitch black and will make you question your sanity, but it is absolutely worth the ride! I am so happy that it doesn’t have a Happy Ending! However, I think the characters got the ending they needed!
Favourite line from the book
“She was evil, but her evil had infested me, made me rot, turned me into a monster like her.”
The Way We Rot is releasing on May 19, 2026
I received this e-ARC from Hazel Black, the author, and I am freely leaving my honest review.
This was a genuinely gripping read. Dark, brutal, psychotic, and completely committed to what it wanted to be. Hazel Black does not pull punches here.
This is pitch-black erotic horror with no HEA, and honestly, I loved that the story never tried to soften itself. Penny and Adrian are both deeply damaged people pushing each other further and further over the edge, and the tension comes from never fully knowing how far either of them is willing to go.
The setup hooked me immediately. Penny is caught after a killing spree and thrown into a women’s prison, where she meets Correctional Officer Adrian Darling. The first half has this claustrophobic prison atmosphere full of control, manipulation, and twisted power dynamics. Then the story shifts, and what initially feels like escape slowly reveals itself to be something far darker.
One of my favourite things about this book was how unpredictable it felt. The final stretch constantly feels like it could end at any moment, but instead of dragging, it keeps escalating in ways I genuinely did not see coming. There’s this constant push and pull between wanting the nightmare to end and needing to see just how much worse it can get.
This is absolutely not a romance. It’s violent, obsessive, cruel, and intentionally uncomfortable. The content warnings exist for a reason, and Hazel Black fully commits to the horror elements alongside the eroticism.
If you like your dark fiction truly dark, morally rotten, and completely unhinged, this delivers exactly that.
I received a free copy from Hazel Black and am voluntarily leaving this review. All thoughts are my own.
I genuinely don’t even know how to review The Way We Rot by Hazel Black because this book is so depraved, disgusting, disturbing, brutal, and beyond unhinged that my brain is still trying to process what I actually read.
This is not “dark romance.” This is pitch black. The kind of book that leaves you staring at the wall afterwards questioning your sanity for enjoying any part of it.
Before you even start chapter one, there are THREE PAGES of trigger warnings — and for once, that is absolutely not an exaggeration. Please read them. Seriously. This is pitch-black romance with heavy themes, violence, non-consensual elements, psychological manipulation, degradation, and horror undertones woven throughout the story.
Hazel Black doesn’t just write dark romance — she drags the genre into the depths of hell and somehow makes you want to follow willingly.
Everything about this book feels rotten in the best and worst possible way. The atmosphere is suffocating, filthy, violent, obsessive, and genuinely uncomfortable at times. There were moments I physically recoiled reading it… and still couldn’t stop turning the pages.
The characters are toxic beyond repair. There’s no softening the edges here, no pretending these people are morally grey. They are chaotic, destructive, obsessive monsters and that’s exactly what makes this book so horrifyingly addictive.
This is the kind of book you recommend with concern in your voice.
If you love romance that is truly pitch black, completely unfiltered, psychologically disturbing, and pushes every possible boundary, Hazel Black absolutely delivers.
But seriously… those three pages of trigger warnings are there for a reason.
Hazel Black what the hell did I just read and did you out crack in it? Because I am addicted 🥵
Unhinged feminine rage? CHECK! FMC Serial Killer? CHECK! Unhinged MMC?CHECK! The unhinged pair coming together and creating a whateverthefkthat was?! DOUBLE CHECK!!!!!!!
Penny, MY GIRL! While Penny definitely has unchecked Antisocial Personality Disorder, it only seemed to plummet to the surface after trauma, in the form of full blown feminine rage. And let me tell you, I’ve been right there with you babes and wanted to enact such gruesome atrocities (however I am in fact checked and do not have ASPD 🤣), but I UNDERSTAND!!! And so many women understand this feeling.
And then we have Darling…. I don’t want to say too much about him to give it away…. But I was not expecting him to be how he was!! I WILL say, on the other side of the story, I can also understand why he was the way he was!! I would be too…
The more you know of two sides of the coin!
What a sick and twisted pair! 🩸🔪 The chaos they can both create… the imagination Hazel has for the macabre…
This feels to me, like the epitome of the Irresistible Force Paradox. Two implicitly indestructible forces. Does the unstoppable force move around the immovable object? Do they pass through each other? Or are they both destroyed because they cannot exist together?
🕯️Always check the trigger warnings. 🌙Thoughts, feelings & opinions are mine only.
When I say I devoured this book, I mean I inhaled it like it was oxygen and I’d been underwater for five minutes. Hazel Black served darkness, depravity, obsession, and chaos on a silver platter, and I licked that plate clean. The first half had me pacing like, Okay Hazel… where are we going? And then out of nowhere she body slammed me with a twist so wild I had to physically put the book down and stare at the wall. She didn’t ease me in. She didn’t warn me. She just grabbed me by the throat and said, “Oh, you thought you were safe?”
Adrian? That man is a walking red flag and I still found myself saluting. He’s unhinged in the most intoxicating way, the kind of character who crawls under your skin and refuses to leave. I’m not saying he’s my favorite… but he’s absolutely my favorite.
And Penny my God. I thought I’d seen unhinged FMCs before, but she is in a league of her own. She’s feral, broken, brilliant, and terrifyingly resilient. Half the time I was cheering for her, the other half I was wondering how her body hadn’t simply given up and filed a complaint.
Their dynamic is messy, violent, magnetic, and impossible to look away from. A part of me desperately wanted a HEA, but deep down I knew their story was never meant to be soft. It’s tragic, twisted, and unforgettable in the way only Hazel Black can deliver. Her writing? Top tier. Elite. Unmatched. She doesn’t just tell a story she drags you into the pits of hell, shakes you around, and leaves you breathless on the floor wondering what just happened.
I’m still recovering, and honestly, I don’t think I want to.
Rot By @SB Hazel I would like to thank Hazel Black for this whirlwind opportunity and repeat I am not okay I am crying and screaming at the loss of finishing this book!
I absolutely loved this book! This has to be one of my favourites ever! As I am a huge fan of extreme horror and dark romance this was a fantastic blend of the two. I honestly need more like this from my new firm favourite Hazel Black! I honestly tried to guess what would happen and I just couldn’t it was that good!
Penelope- with a dark a twisted mind our FMC has been twisted tormented and caught, leading her to her current hell of prison. What she did to help save her sister and give her freedom to move on with her life was the ultimate sacrifice of a sister. But that is where it should have stopped but Penelope had so much rage and lost any sense of remorse.
CO-Darling- muscle mountain with the dark smouldering presence, that can make you clench your thighs and doubt your sanity. He held all the power working in the prison,Using and abusing this, with an ever building a sense of ownership over Penelope the toxic and ever increasing mismatched messages, will this be his distraction or destruction.
This is twisted, torturous story that will leave you second guessing your own thoughts and ideas. It keeps you on a hook, dying with anticipation of what will happen next and what horror our FMC or MMC will create.
This is extreme so please check your triggers #horrorerotica #darkromancebooks #bookcommunity #BookRecommendations #extremedarkromance
Sick. Depraved. Vile. Debauched. Immoral. Blacker than pitch black. To an extent I knew what I was getting into when I got this ARC, however Hazel delivered it all and then some. Truly, a depraved and vile read. The FMC instantly sucked me in when describing her first schmurder, refusing to learn his name and consistently butchering any version when referring to him. She had her reasons made up for why she was the way she is and was ok with who she was. Then our MMC, well he is beyond redemption from the beginning. He teetered but even then, knew the reasons for his behavior and mindset. The story had a great balance between storyline, depraved scenes and character development- we really got glimpses and insight as the story evolved. We knew what was rolling through their sick minds given the dual POV. They had the love to hate “relationship” building to an ending that hit hard. While the story unfolded for each, we understood the impact of the hate, the disgust and corruption on either side. The last few chapters really showed the disgust- but the last chapter for each was just 👩🍳 🤌🏼💋and knowing their last few thoughts had me reflecting on the mindset of madness. It might’ve been a little rushed in the very end- probably could’ve extended the literally ending- but all in all, the no HEA ending was deliciously disgusting and perfectly executed for the setup of the whole story.
I’ve read several of Hazel Black’s books so I knew exactly what I was getting into reading this, I don’t think I was prepared for the emotions it pulled from me though.
Penelope Karner, victim, killer, psychopath, will spend the rest of her life in prison for the vile murders of several men. Adrian Darling, former police detective, now prison CO, was the brother of one of these men. What starts as revenge becomes an obsession between two depraved souls.
Honestly I loved this book, the way it was written, the characters, it was just brilliant. I found it really hard not to see the ‘good’ in Penny, although she’s done reprehensible things there is some part of the reader that can see why, even when she feels no remorse for her actions, I felt that’s what Adrian always saw in her. Although he was considered ‘good’ his actions said otherwise and his moral compass was shockingly similar to hers, they were very much drawn to each other’s darkness. The ending was perfection, I don’t feel anything else would have been fitting.
The Way We Rot won’t be for everyone, there is no HEA, neither of the characters have any chance of redemption, it’s got some truly horrific scenes, it’s pitch black after all, but it’s still beautiful and emotional despite being downright disgusting at times.
I’m still thinking about this book… and I don’t think it’s leaving my head anytime soon.
Hazel Black has absolutely outdone herself with The Way We Rot. This is dark in every sense of the word—unsettling, raw, and completely consuming. Not just shock value, but the kind of darkness that gets under your skin and stays there.
Penelope is not your typical FMC. She’s driven by trauma, rage, and a warped sense of justice that shouldn’t make sense… but somehow, it does. And then there’s Darling—equally obsessive, equally unhinged. The dynamic between them is intense, toxic, and impossible to look away from. Watching their power play unfold felt like witnessing something you shouldn’t be seeing—but you can’t stop.
There are no clean lines here. No redemption arcs. No comfort. Just two deeply broken people spiraling into something darker with every page—and I was completely hooked.
It’s brutal, it’s uncomfortable, and it absolutely will not be for everyone. But if you love pitch-black horror erotica that pushes boundaries and makes you feel something, this delivers in every possible way.
No easy ending. No relief. Just a story that lingers long after you finish.
Check the trigger warnings… seriously.
Thank you Hazel for the ARC .. these are my honest voluntary thoughts
Hazel Black does horror erotica so well and The Way We Rot is no exception, deliciously twisted with so many scenes that make you squirm this one is one of her best. Penelope Karner is a serial killer, any man in her mentally unstable mind is capable of rape and will carry it out. After witnessing the aftermath of her younger sisters sexual assault Penny takes matters into her own hands and deals out her special brand of justice. Her last kill however isn't planned and a spur of the moment decision which leads to her capture. Fast forward to 8 years later and Penny is serving her time with no hope of release. In comes a new CO Adrian Darling and he has his own agenda where Penny is concerned. So begins a twisted game between the pair with both thinking they have the other just where they want them But who will win ? Often brutal and sometimes heart breaking the way we rot is a wild ride and it's reveals leave you conflicted and empathetic towards Penny. I couldn't put this down.
“I plan to destroy you little killer. Will you let me?”
Infinite stars. This book was the definition of a WTF moment! This author is known for pushing your limits and forcing you out of your comfort zone. No matter how dark that zone maybe 😈 But this one was quite the push. This book was wild and full of mutually assured destruction.
Darling and Penny deserved one another in the worst way. Both of the seeking revenge and finding it hard to enact the revenge without destroying themselves and each other.
Part One with this book was the definition of watching a peach rot. You buy it with every intention of eating it. But it’s not quite ripe yet. So you wait. And you admire. You think about it. But you leave. Part Two comes along and initially you think it’s still good. Slowly softening. And you watch it until it’s too late. The bottom half is now mush completely rotten. And there is no saving it. Or maybe you eat it anyway because sometimes the very best things are rotten. Sick and Twisted.
Thank you again to the author for this ARC. It was an absolute honor.
Holy hell....this was soooo disturbing! In typical Hazel Black fashion she had me questioning my sanity again because why do I enjoy this so much 👀
In The way we rot we meet inmate Penny and CO Darling. Both of them thrive in the darkness and either of them intend to use the other to reach their respective goals. But who will get the ending they fought so hard for?
“You feel so good bending to my will.” “I’ll bend however you want me to, Darling,”
As time progresses and things get darker and more depraved along the way both of them start to lose their sanity. Penny has gotten under Darling's skin which makes him reckless and even more dangerous.
“I fucking hate you, that you’ve got under my skin like a dirty parasite.”
The dynamic between them is very toxic and the further we get into their story, the darker it gets. It's clear to both of them that there is no turning back and that the void will swallow them whole.
"We were too toxic. She was too fucking sick. There was no returning from this."
The ending of this book...wow...that shit is messed up! I don't think I've ever read anything like that before.
I did feel a little confused at what was happening in the last few chapters but I absolutely devoured this book. This review might seem a bit vague but I don't want to spoil anything, you need to go find out for yourselves 😏🖤
Thank you again to Hazel Black for getting this early! WELP, this book starts off immediately. I consider Penny (our FMC) a girls’ girl and I was here for it from the moment we meet her. I loved how unforgiving she was and still tried to hold onto a sense of normalcy even though what she does is the furthest thing from normal and lands her in jail. Which is where she meets Darling (our MMC). When Penny and Darling met I was wondering how this was going to go and Hazel Black didn’t disappoint. They’re both unhinged, no remorse, and obsessed with each other even though they don’t really think they do. I think Hazel Black has created some of my favorite characters with them. This is a non HEA BUT I don’t know if I would say that because of the ending but this made me feel so many feelings. This is a story that’s going to stay with me for a while and honestly…I kinda consider it an unconventional HEA 🖤🖤
I don’t even know where to start! This book is amazing, 100% unhinged in the very best way possible. It’s very twisted, well written with a great plot and duel POV storyline. The main characters, Penelope (Penny) and Adrian are each manipulating each other to achieve different goals. They are kindred spirits in a way, both broken and drawn to/obsessed with each other. I loved how in Part Two Penny is judging Adrian’s methods, curious the whole time. The part where he was making the real marionette doll… well that’s going to stick with me! My favorite quote is “She needed the type of death that would shock even her, that would bend and break her before her last breath withered from her lungs. And now she was mine.”
I loved it, and couldn’t get enough. The Way We Rot will be forever a book that I highly recommend to anyone who loves horror erotica novels. I can’t wait to read more of Hazel Black’s books, and I am very thankful for the opportunity to read and review this book.
The Way We Rot by Hazel Black is a horror erotica/splatterpunk novel and this book is DARK!!! Make sure you check the trigger warnings before reading as there are lots and this book is graphic!
I did not know what to expect from this book but it totally destroyed me! This book is an extreme taboo novel and it seriously delivered.
This story is set in prison and is centred around Penny, who is in prison for brutal killings of men, including one that raped her sister. Our sexy prison guard, CO Darling takes an interest in Penny and she soon becomes his “Little Killer” I thought this was going some kind of dark/messed up ‘romance’ as we have a slow burn, forbidden romance and some very hot prisoner/prison guard action BUT there are some major surprises in the story that totally shook me!!! Although this features no HEA, it ends in a hauntingly beautiful way and I would recommend this book if you like your books pitch black with both main characters being totally unhinged!!
The Way We Rot completely pulled me in. The dynamic between the FMC and the MMC is constantly shifting, part fascination, part manipulation, part obsession. It never lets you settle into feeling like you understand who has the power at any given moment. That tension is what drives the book, and it’s what made it so hard to put down. I loved how the relationship slowly corrodes both of them. Every interaction feels like a step further into chaos, and it’s unclear whether either of them is truly in control or just reacting to something they can’t escape. The ending genuinely surprised me, it turns gruesome in a way I didn’t fully see coming, and it leaves everything feeling even more unstable and hollow than before. Fabulous dark psychological horror with toxic dynamics and a great ending you don’t see coming.
Penelope is a woman seeking "revenge" completely in psychosis due to past trauma and revenge for her little sister. She is a serial killer in the most fcked up way who will kill any man who she thinks is capable of r@ping her.
Co darling looking for revenge for his baby brother n has become sick due to the obsession. He works his way up from being a police officer to a co in a high security prison.
The build up, the twists, written perfectly for a horror erotica. She pushes n gets under his skin n plays the game. He is sick n obsessed with owning her life and her death.
It's all sorts of fcked up n disgusting but so so well written. Throughly enjoyed this n it killed my slump
My first ARC read ever! Thanks, Hazel. The Way We Rot is such a dark book. The trigger warnings are there for a reason. The first part, for me, was a little slow. We're introduced to our main characters, Penny & Adrian. Through their interactions and development the reader can see how unstable they both are. I'll never look at a plastic soda bottle the same again. Part two, of the book, was some of the darkest, depraved material I've ever read and yes, I enjoyed every page of it. In chapter 30, the scene with the board, it will live permanently in my brain. Although there is not a HEA, my sick, warped brain thought the ending was satisfying and a little sweet. If you like pitch black, horror erotica don't miss out on this one.
Wow... I'm just gunna go stare at a wall for a bit after that 🤣
Ugh, this story was explosive, it was pitch black, it was everything I didn't know I needed. Erotic horror with strong feminine Rage.
Penny, my girl, she was such a fascinating character. She had so many layers and was an unreliable narrator at its best. I loved her POV throughout the entire book.
Adrian, whew, that man. I'm sure I wasn't supposed to but yeah, I couldn't help it, I liked him 😏 His feral obsession, his anger, all of it.
The yearning was top tier, yearning for acceptance, for tenderness, for pain and death, it was all of the things.
I never thought I'd obsess over a non-hea, but here we are. Bravo Hazel, you've got an amazing story here 🫦
THIS BOOK WAS PURE CHAOS IN THE BEST WAY. Seriously… rotten doesn’t even begin to cover it. I don’t even know where to start. The FMC is driven by one goal: taking out the man who destroyed her sister. But once she gets her revenge, she doesn’t stop there. She keeps going, targeting others just like him… until it finally catches up with her and lands her in prison. That’s where she meets the MMC. At first, I thought he was going to be the calm to her storm, a softer contrast to all her intensity… yeah, no. Completely wrong. Part 2? I was genuinely stunned. Just… wow. And don’t expect a neat, happy ending. There isn’t one. But honestly, with everything that happens, there was never going to be room for redemption anyway
After the first two books I read by this author — which were 2- and 1-star reads for me — I was ready to give up on her work. But then I came across the blurb for this one, found it incredibly intriguing, and I’m so glad I decided to give it a chance because this story was something else entirely.
Just when you think you have everything figured out, the second half hits you right in the face. I absolutely loved it because every character is damaged in their own way, and the story never tries to magically “fix” them by the end.
The ending was really what made the book for me. I loved that it wasn’t a traditional HEA — or maybe it was, in their own twisted way. Either way, it felt like the perfect ending for this kind of story.