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Darkroom Saga #1
Darkroom
What happens when someone steals you? Do you develop in that darkness?
Shauna is abducted by the angel of Vengeance. Using torture, he breaks her, forcing her to reform and adapt. When he frees her, she flees. Thinking she's escaped her stalker and tormentor, she lets her guard down.
Then she meets Victor. Someone who seems sympathetic to her pain. Strong, loving, she learns to trust again by falling in love with this enigmatic neighbour.
Vengeance hasn't let go. She's living with him, loving him, trusting him, never doubting him. In love, can she reform Victor, the way he reformed her?
A religious psychological horror.
Graphic: Adults Only
Contains: Sex, Nudity, Violence, Strong Language
Shauna is abducted by the angel of Vengeance. Using torture, he breaks her, forcing her to reform and adapt. When he frees her, she flees. Thinking she's escaped her stalker and tormentor, she lets her guard down.
Then she meets Victor. Someone who seems sympathetic to her pain. Strong, loving, she learns to trust again by falling in love with this enigmatic neighbour.
Vengeance hasn't let go. She's living with him, loving him, trusting him, never doubting him. In love, can she reform Victor, the way he reformed her?
A religious psychological horror.
Graphic: Adults Only
Contains: Sex, Nudity, Violence, Strong Language
366 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2010
52 people are currently reading
746 people want to read
About the author
Poppet
86 books206 followersAmazon bestselling author Poppet is currently published with Wild Wolf Publishing, Tirgearr Publishing, Eibonvale Press.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
March 26, 2017
Sick, Twisted and Mind-Boggling
Whew! This is one seriously f*@ked up story! I read a fair amount of dark stories, but make no mistake, this story is darker than most. This book contains scenes involving extreme brutality, physical abuse, rape and emotional abuse. These topics are not skimmed over or hinted at, they are described with graphic detail. Be forewarned, if these are triggers for you, choose another book.
That being said, I am one of the disturbed souls that generally enjoys stories that delve into darker subjects. In most cases, the darker the better. While I applaud the author's willingness to tackle these touchy subjects without shying away from the brutality of such acts, other elements of this story just didn't work for me.
For me, it is key that the characters have redeeming qualities - even if they are irredeemable as a whole. This is even more important when the hero, or rather antihero, is portrayed as an abusive, "bad guy". Even though you hate him, you also kind of need to love him, or at least pity him, on some level. Similarly, you need to be able to relate to and like the heroine.
Unfortunately, the main characters in this story were not particularly appealing. Victor, aka Vengeance, the male lead, was a sadistic, twisted, psychopath. He believed himself to be the son of God and thought it was his divine responsibility to cleanse the sinful women of the world. Yep, he was totally nuts!
The heroine, while eliciting some feelings of sympathy, failed to relate to me on any meaningful level. For someone that was allegedly living in fear of the psychotic man that had kidnapped her, she spent a lot of time engaging in behaviors that she had to have known would have provoked him. It was almost like she was taunting him. The promiscuous behavior also didn't ring true, given the details of the story.
At other times, I just rolled my eyes at the heroine's stupidity. Repeatedly, she missed warning signs and placed herself in dangerous situations. She was the "girl who runs upstairs in horror films" personified.
After spending the night with her "kind neighbor" Victor for the first time, she gets a message from her former kidnapper that voices his approval of her choice in men. If that isn't a red flag, then I don't know what is! Instead, she is content to continue her new relationship, happy to have her tormentor's seal of approval. WTF? Truly, this heroine might have deserved the "too stupid to live" title.
I also would have liked for the crazy religious motivations to have been fleshed out more. It was clear that Vengeance was raised to hate women in a seriously disturbing way. However, I never got a good feel for whether he was supposed to just be some nutso raised in some sort of religious cult, or if the author really intended for this to be a paranormal story where he truly was supposed to be a supernatural being. It was never really made clear and I was left with a lot of questions.
The book also had a fair amount of grammatical mistakes early on. The frequency of these errors seemed to decline the closer I got to the end. Or, perhaps I just tuned them out at a certain point. Regardless, it was mildly distracting, especially when combined with a difficult and unfamiliar dialect.
All in all, I give it 2 1/2 stars. While the dark elements may not appeal to many, it was the lack of personable characters that killed this story for me. I never felt a connection with either of the main characters and too much of this story just didn't add up for me.
Whew! This is one seriously f*@ked up story! I read a fair amount of dark stories, but make no mistake, this story is darker than most. This book contains scenes involving extreme brutality, physical abuse, rape and emotional abuse. These topics are not skimmed over or hinted at, they are described with graphic detail. Be forewarned, if these are triggers for you, choose another book.
That being said, I am one of the disturbed souls that generally enjoys stories that delve into darker subjects. In most cases, the darker the better. While I applaud the author's willingness to tackle these touchy subjects without shying away from the brutality of such acts, other elements of this story just didn't work for me.
For me, it is key that the characters have redeeming qualities - even if they are irredeemable as a whole. This is even more important when the hero, or rather antihero, is portrayed as an abusive, "bad guy". Even though you hate him, you also kind of need to love him, or at least pity him, on some level. Similarly, you need to be able to relate to and like the heroine.
Unfortunately, the main characters in this story were not particularly appealing. Victor, aka Vengeance, the male lead, was a sadistic, twisted, psychopath. He believed himself to be the son of God and thought it was his divine responsibility to cleanse the sinful women of the world. Yep, he was totally nuts!
The heroine, while eliciting some feelings of sympathy, failed to relate to me on any meaningful level. For someone that was allegedly living in fear of the psychotic man that had kidnapped her, she spent a lot of time engaging in behaviors that she had to have known would have provoked him. It was almost like she was taunting him. The promiscuous behavior also didn't ring true, given the details of the story.
At other times, I just rolled my eyes at the heroine's stupidity. Repeatedly, she missed warning signs and placed herself in dangerous situations. She was the "girl who runs upstairs in horror films" personified.
After spending the night with her "kind neighbor" Victor for the first time, she gets a message from her former kidnapper that voices his approval of her choice in men. If that isn't a red flag, then I don't know what is! Instead, she is content to continue her new relationship, happy to have her tormentor's seal of approval. WTF? Truly, this heroine might have deserved the "too stupid to live" title.
I also would have liked for the crazy religious motivations to have been fleshed out more. It was clear that Vengeance was raised to hate women in a seriously disturbing way. However, I never got a good feel for whether he was supposed to just be some nutso raised in some sort of religious cult, or if the author really intended for this to be a paranormal story where he truly was supposed to be a supernatural being. It was never really made clear and I was left with a lot of questions.
The book also had a fair amount of grammatical mistakes early on. The frequency of these errors seemed to decline the closer I got to the end. Or, perhaps I just tuned them out at a certain point. Regardless, it was mildly distracting, especially when combined with a difficult and unfamiliar dialect.
All in all, I give it 2 1/2 stars. While the dark elements may not appeal to many, it was the lack of personable characters that killed this story for me. I never felt a connection with either of the main characters and too much of this story just didn't add up for me.
March 21, 2016
Well, I enjoyed this jarring story more than any sane person should . . .
** Review to come.**
. . . .
. . .
. . .
. . maybe.
I'm lazy.
** Review to come.**
. . . .
. . .
. . .
. . maybe.
December 10, 2015
4.5 Stars.
Boy, oh, boy.
"Face your fear. The dark can't hurt you. It creates you. It helps you to become brilliant, full of depth like an intricate photograph."
A whole new level of fucked up darkness.
This is a psychological thriller, with very dark erotic and not so erotic themes. Beware! If I'm warning you, then make sure you take me serious. This is book one in a series. You won't get all your precious answers in the first book. <--- Just putting that out there.
Let me start out by saying, this is my first book by Poppet. And why in the hell haven't I've been reading her before this? Shaking my head. She's got a divine talent for darker urges. She definitely pushed a few of my buttons... I was shocked and slightly sick. The victim in this story was ridiculous at best, I wanted to slap her myself for being so stupid. But then I'd laugh because she was. Yes, I know, I'm demented. *Shrugs* Victor. Victor. Victor. Um, he's delusional, crazy, bred by a belief system that will shock you to the very core. I had to reread some parts to make sure I was actually reading it right. Like, OMG. WTF! This story switches from one pov to next without any warning, it may confuse some, but I thought it added to the mind-fuck. You're in one head and then Bamn... Wait, what just happened?
I loved every twisted bit. I'm not going to give you a book report, no. I'm going to ask you if you like the dark, and then you can figure out if you want to walk on the wild side.
Do you like psychopaths? Stalkers? Do you like skewed religious cults? Do you like cayenne pepper on your chicken? Because this book is spicy, deliciously dark, and completely out of box of crazy.
POPPET, you have a new fan-girl.
Boy, oh, boy.
"Face your fear. The dark can't hurt you. It creates you. It helps you to become brilliant, full of depth like an intricate photograph."
A whole new level of fucked up darkness.
This is a psychological thriller, with very dark erotic and not so erotic themes. Beware! If I'm warning you, then make sure you take me serious. This is book one in a series. You won't get all your precious answers in the first book. <--- Just putting that out there.
Let me start out by saying, this is my first book by Poppet. And why in the hell haven't I've been reading her before this? Shaking my head. She's got a divine talent for darker urges. She definitely pushed a few of my buttons... I was shocked and slightly sick. The victim in this story was ridiculous at best, I wanted to slap her myself for being so stupid. But then I'd laugh because she was. Yes, I know, I'm demented. *Shrugs* Victor. Victor. Victor. Um, he's delusional, crazy, bred by a belief system that will shock you to the very core. I had to reread some parts to make sure I was actually reading it right. Like, OMG. WTF! This story switches from one pov to next without any warning, it may confuse some, but I thought it added to the mind-fuck. You're in one head and then Bamn... Wait, what just happened?
I loved every twisted bit. I'm not going to give you a book report, no. I'm going to ask you if you like the dark, and then you can figure out if you want to walk on the wild side.
Do you like psychopaths? Stalkers? Do you like skewed religious cults? Do you like cayenne pepper on your chicken? Because this book is spicy, deliciously dark, and completely out of box of crazy.
POPPET, you have a new fan-girl.
March 19, 2022
rtc. nevermind. I'm too exhausted with this book and ready to move on.
January 3, 2016
*****4.5 Stars*****
This is not only dark. It is mind fuck and perverted sick. Twisted and disturbing.
Vengeance has been trained by "Father" to "clean" all sinned whores.
He thinks of himself as a Godsend, a kind of Messiah.
He purifies the whores and then gets rid of them.
By that, I mean all kinds of sick tortures and at the end killing them.
That is until he meets Shauna.
I don't get exactly why but Shauna fell into his graces.
He thinks she is a dirty angel.
A dirty angel that needs to be purified from her sins to become his???
Yep! HIS Dirty Angel
This is not only dark. It is mind fuck and perverted sick. Twisted and disturbing.
Vengeance has been trained by "Father" to "clean" all sinned whores.
He thinks of himself as a Godsend, a kind of Messiah.
He purifies the whores and then gets rid of them.
By that, I mean all kinds of sick tortures and at the end killing them.
That is until he meets Shauna.
I don't get exactly why but Shauna fell into his graces.
He thinks she is a dirty angel.
A dirty angel that needs to be purified from her sins to become his???
Yep! HIS Dirty Angel
January 9, 2016
I can handle a lot of things in my dark reads, but I couldn't stomach all the bible verses at the start of the chapters and during. Felt like I was in church without the benefits of a preacher for all the talks of damnation, sin, fallen angels, women tempting men and Sodom and Gomorrah. Sorry but it was too much. Secondly couldn't connect with the villain or victim, there was nothing about them that drew me in. And lastly the accents from the side characters, like police officers, witnesses was so strong the editorial and grammar mistakes made it hard to read. Maybe you'll have better luck, enjoy.
March 26, 2016
I was all hyped up for this one, I really was. The theme and plot was COMPLETELY up my alley. I live for dark shit like this, not gonna lie.
But...then...The spelling mistakes...the grammar errors ("Did that mean he was hear to?"), confusion of plot and narrators...Nope. Couldn't do it. Major turnoff. Major disappointment.
It had so much potential. Actually upset on how much it let me down.
But...then...The spelling mistakes...the grammar errors ("Did that mean he was hear to?"), confusion of plot and narrators...Nope. Couldn't do it. Major turnoff. Major disappointment.
It had so much potential. Actually upset on how much it let me down.
October 3, 2016
1.5 stars. Rounding up because despite almost DNFing like 4 times, I did finish it.
Clearly a lot of people love this one, but I found the writing sloppy and full of choppy sentences. It's harsh and cruel and dark, but it's darkness without depth or characterization to back it up. It rings very hollow.
If this is still free on Amazon go for it, I mean why the fuck not, I will 1-click virtually anything free. But thank tiny baby Jesus in the manger that I did not pay actual money for this.
Clearly a lot of people love this one, but I found the writing sloppy and full of choppy sentences. It's harsh and cruel and dark, but it's darkness without depth or characterization to back it up. It rings very hollow.
If this is still free on Amazon go for it, I mean why the fuck not, I will 1-click virtually anything free. But thank tiny baby Jesus in the manger that I did not pay actual money for this.
March 18, 2016
What... My mind is reeling...
January 16, 2016
A difficult book to write a review without giving too much away about the plot.
I love a good dark, twisted graphic edge of the seat read every once in a while and that is exactly what I got.
This sat on my kindle for a while being put of by the Bible quotes but needn't of worried they weren't that bad.
Some dark stories become unrealistic and unbelievable but not with Darkroom.
Shauna not believed by her parents about her abduction and escape thinks she is mentally unstable. So she moves to South Africa to try and get away from being stalked by Vengeance.
Moving in opposite her is Victor her knight in shining armour, coming to her rescue many times.
I could of done without the alternate ending, now I haven't a clue what's happening with Victor and Shauna.
Confused? read it and find out what Victor is up to.
Brilliantly written dark erotica.
I love a good dark, twisted graphic edge of the seat read every once in a while and that is exactly what I got.
This sat on my kindle for a while being put of by the Bible quotes but needn't of worried they weren't that bad.
Some dark stories become unrealistic and unbelievable but not with Darkroom.
Shauna not believed by her parents about her abduction and escape thinks she is mentally unstable. So she moves to South Africa to try and get away from being stalked by Vengeance.
Moving in opposite her is Victor her knight in shining armour, coming to her rescue many times.
I could of done without the alternate ending, now I haven't a clue what's happening with Victor and Shauna.
Confused? read it and find out what Victor is up to.
Brilliantly written dark erotica.
May 14, 2017
This was a dark twisted book. Victor aka Vengeance was a dark twisted psychopath who thought he was the son of God who thought it was his job to cleanse the sinful women of the world he was crazy. Shauna I thought that at times she was just being stupid for someone that was living in fear of the psychotic man that had kidnapped her she repeatedly put herself in harms way. When she spend the night with her neighbor Victor she gets a message from her stalker that he approves of her choice of man come on that was a bit much for me. This was my first time reading this author. This book had more that a few errors in grammar and spelling. I am not sure if I will read the next book maybe sometime the future.
March 21, 2015
5, well I've been wanting a dark read, stars
and holy hell did this deliver. This is no light read, my friends. Victor/Vengeance has set out to convert Shauna from the dirty whore he perceived her to be into his perfect dirty angel. There's torture, both psychological and physical, sexual abuse, and LOTS of manipulation. Again, this is no light read.
I have to give kudos to the author for the amount of research that must've gone into this book. Scripture is quoted often and "God's word" played a heavy role throughout. I was often surprised at Poppet's ability to find an appropriate verse to quote, especially during the more intense scenes, but she did and it made it all the more powerful.
There were times I was a little confused as to who was speaking... The POV switches to Victor's father, the Alpha, and is denoted by an asterisk. I tell you this as it would've been helpful for me to know beforehand but other than that, and some minor editing problems (hear/here), I really enjoyed Poppet's intellectual writing style.
I can honestly say I've never read a book like this before. Is it dark erotica? Yes, but in a most uncomfortable way. This is not a capture fantasy. Victor/Vengeance is not your average anti-hero; he is pure evil and I cannot wait to read book 2.
and holy hell did this deliver. This is no light read, my friends. Victor/Vengeance has set out to convert Shauna from the dirty whore he perceived her to be into his perfect dirty angel. There's torture, both psychological and physical, sexual abuse, and LOTS of manipulation. Again, this is no light read.
I have to give kudos to the author for the amount of research that must've gone into this book. Scripture is quoted often and "God's word" played a heavy role throughout. I was often surprised at Poppet's ability to find an appropriate verse to quote, especially during the more intense scenes, but she did and it made it all the more powerful.
There were times I was a little confused as to who was speaking... The POV switches to Victor's father, the Alpha, and is denoted by an asterisk. I tell you this as it would've been helpful for me to know beforehand but other than that, and some minor editing problems (hear/here), I really enjoyed Poppet's intellectual writing style.
I can honestly say I've never read a book like this before. Is it dark erotica? Yes, but in a most uncomfortable way. This is not a capture fantasy. Victor/Vengeance is not your average anti-hero; he is pure evil and I cannot wait to read book 2.
May 29, 2011
Darkroom is an outright tale of horror, complete with a viciously sadistic (and religiously disturbed) villain. Victor believes himself to be an instrument of divine Vengeance, living for the torture and murder of women. Something about Shauna, however, calls to him. No longer content with dominating her physically through torture, he also craves the emotional dominance that comes with being her saviour . . . from himself. Here, rather than wanting to see ourselves in Shauna's place, it's much easier to sympathise with her - from a safe distance, of course.
Like Exploits and Seithe, Darkroom deals with power relationships, but in a different way. In Exploits, it was cruel and unhealthy, but still close enough to ‘normal’ to seem realistic. In Seithe, the obsession here goes both ways (creating an artificial sense of equality), and the supernatural element makes it seem so much more acceptable. In Darkroom, we’re back to a one-sided relationship, but one that goes beyond cruel and unhealthy into sadistic and dangerous.
If you’ve yet to experience her unique style, her flair for language, and her psychological mastery, I urge you to give her a read. She’ll challenge you as much as she entertains you, and she’ll never make you feel safe within the story, but she’ll ensure you come out the other side. Whether or not you come out unscathed, unchanged, is entirely up to you.
Like Exploits and Seithe, Darkroom deals with power relationships, but in a different way. In Exploits, it was cruel and unhealthy, but still close enough to ‘normal’ to seem realistic. In Seithe, the obsession here goes both ways (creating an artificial sense of equality), and the supernatural element makes it seem so much more acceptable. In Darkroom, we’re back to a one-sided relationship, but one that goes beyond cruel and unhealthy into sadistic and dangerous.
If you’ve yet to experience her unique style, her flair for language, and her psychological mastery, I urge you to give her a read. She’ll challenge you as much as she entertains you, and she’ll never make you feel safe within the story, but she’ll ensure you come out the other side. Whether or not you come out unscathed, unchanged, is entirely up to you.
April 24, 2012
This was such a dark intense book, horror, but in a “The Girl Next Door” kind of way. I started it after dinner and ended up not going to bed until around 4 a.m. because I simply couldn’t put it down; I absolutely needed to know how it ended. It stirred up conflicted emotions and feelings about characters; in particular about the antagonist Victor. I detested him and yet at times I was intrigued by him- and that bothered me. His character is loathsome, and to empathize with someone that awful is a bit disconcerting. When an author is able to stir up such a whirlwind of emotions in response to their FICTIONAL yarn then you know they have created something special, and Poppet has done just that with “Darkroom”
So why did I give it 4 starts instead of 5…basically I did not like the last 1/3 of the book as much as the rest. In fact even with two endings I felt dissatisfied. It wasn’t that the endings were terrible; maybe just a bit weak, but they still each were a plausible conclusion to this tale. I just thought at some point this would turn into a story of retribution for Shauna, and my innate need for justice (whether fictional or otherwise) was bothered by the lack of this. Everything that happens to Shauna is so frickin’ unfair and brutal you just want her to catch a break.
So why did I give it 4 starts instead of 5…basically I did not like the last 1/3 of the book as much as the rest. In fact even with two endings I felt dissatisfied. It wasn’t that the endings were terrible; maybe just a bit weak, but they still each were a plausible conclusion to this tale. I just thought at some point this would turn into a story of retribution for Shauna, and my innate need for justice (whether fictional or otherwise) was bothered by the lack of this. Everything that happens to Shauna is so frickin’ unfair and brutal you just want her to catch a break.
October 13, 2015
This was definitely not a love story. It was dark and gritty and totally messed up. Victor, what a nutcase! Quoting biblical passages and thinking he is so brilliantly out-of-reach. Nobody's untouchable! He’s a mastermind of controlling people. But, he’s also being manipulated too by an even more disturbing individual. Sure he’s gorgeous and smart and a stallion in the bedroom, but he’s just so twisted. And, poor poor Shauna! She’s so broken, and no one believes her. Her family and friends all think she’s making everything up about her kidnapping and current stalking. Wow! I couldn’t read this fast enough! It just blew my mind! Written in alternating POV’s that kept changing constantly. It was never hard to figure out who the narrator at the time was, though. It just kept me on my toes thinking, wondering, guessing. So intriguing and thrilling it was! The author leaves the reader with alternate endings. I read both because I just couldn’t stop myself. I really don’t know which one I preferred. Both were engaging and still left so many questions unanswered. So looking forward to reading the next book in the series! I just have so many thoughts that need explanations...
own-need-to-read
January 22, 2015A very dark and highly rated kindle freebie! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004...
August 6, 2012
Poppet does something magnificent, that only she is able to accomplish, and get away with it. This was a story that grips you from the very first words on the page. Vengence is a seriously twisted off character, full of torture and in-human concepts,(some not so inhuman, but so terrifyingly real, but he's such a highly intelligent torturer and very well practiced in his skills. After Shauna is kidnapped, and put beyond the depths of her own realities, she is released. Running from Vengence, she begins an attempt to live life again, yet never forgetting what she was taught by the terrorizing Vengence. Watching her try to delve into society, and question her own moves at every turn, an angelic neighbor, the very suave, handsome and debonair Victor, steps in and shows her all about life again. Victor is an angel in hiding, understanding her pain, and helping her to realize she doesn't have to fear what happened anymore. You immediately fall in love with this character, he's not like anyone we've ever met, but he's got his own secrets to deal with. His alter ego, the sociopath Vengence, being the first. Hold on to your seats, I could not put this down, thought at times it was so hard to continue. Excellent job Poppet.
July 23, 2011
** spoiler alert ** Poppet took me on a journey into the mind of a man who truly believes that the things he does are rational and necessary. It is so easy to hate Vengeance, but I found myself liking his alter ego, and that aggravated me :/. As for the female mc, I liked her, sympathized with her, felt her fear, her pain, and wanted to scream at her about who Vengeance was! As for Victor, it didn't take long to hate him again. Towards the end he showed some redeeming qualities, but I don't think that anything could redeem him completely. Sometimes a person can just go to far. The original ending left me stunned beyond belief. As for the alternate ending, I was blown away. It gave me what I was hoping for all along, but I believe it was the most painful thing of all for Shauna to deal with.
This was a scary and uncomfortable read, though very enjoyable. What made Darkroom scary, was the fact that it or something like this can happen, and does happen. We meet people everyday, and as we all know, they are not always who they seem to be. Sometimes, when we are lucky, we find out quickly. Other times,we are not so lucky, and it takes years, or even decades.
I can't wait to read more of Poppets work. Darkroom will be in my mind for a long time to come. Well done!
This was a scary and uncomfortable read, though very enjoyable. What made Darkroom scary, was the fact that it or something like this can happen, and does happen. We meet people everyday, and as we all know, they are not always who they seem to be. Sometimes, when we are lucky, we find out quickly. Other times,we are not so lucky, and it takes years, or even decades.
I can't wait to read more of Poppets work. Darkroom will be in my mind for a long time to come. Well done!
April 27, 2011
Darkroom is an incredible rollercoaster journey of such power and intensity that it leaves you breathless. Classically it could be described as a psychological thriller, but this does not do justice to the multi-layered, complex plot that Poppet has so expertly woven. At first it appears a simple tale of good versus evil, the good being the young, carefree and spirited young woman, Shauna, and the evil, depraved, sociopath, Victor or Vengeance.
It opens with Shauna captive to the wicked Vengeance, who it appears is on a mission from God to cleanse this 'dirty angel'. The wearing of jeans is deemed a sin worthy of the most cruel and graphic violence and sexual manipulation. On her release, Shauna is shunned by all her nearest and dearest, and put down as delusional. She runs away to South Africa and soon continues her carefree lifestyle of before, only to once again suffer at the hands of Vengeance. A one-night stand is blown up outside her apartment; another supposedly commits suicide, leading to her best friend cutting her out of her life. Every aspect of her life is coloured by the hand of Vengeance, who justifies his actions as the duty from a higher authority.
When it appears Shauna can suffer no more, we are introduced to her neighbour, Victor, and at times the narrative dips into romance, but it is always laced with a good dose of horror. Of course Victor is really Vengeance and continues to manipulate every area of her life, using his Darkroom to monitor her every move. When she steps out of line, he again dons the attire of Vengeance and subjects her to such a violent abusive attack, that she comes close to death. What the author does so expertly is switch the POV and put you right in the mind of the protagonists. I found myself almost pantomime-like shouting out 'NO!' at times as we are privy to the most intimate thoughts of Shauna and Victor / Vengeance. Upon realising the severity of his attack on Shauna, I thought briefly Victor was going to change, see the error of his ways and realise he really loved her. I am sure that this was the intention of the author, before throwing you completely off with wicked twist after wicked twist.
Towards the end of the novel, you do find out more about Victor / Vengeance and this is where the constant quotations from the bible resonate most. We find out very early on that he is an avenging angel, a Jesus-like chosen one, with an omniscient Father, but it is when his disciples appear (Peter and Seth being two) that a lot of the pieces suddenly slot into place. Not since the epic Moby Dick with Captain Ahab's biblical tussle, has a novel used references to the bible so powerfully. I actually found myself digging out a copy and researching the phrases used.
As earlier reviews have warned, Darkroom is in places not an easy book to read - the violence is unwavering and the imagery is incredibly dark. But you must, you absolutely must, because it is an exhilarating ride and the pages turn effortlessly. I found myself thinking I had worked out the ending, only to be thrown off course by an ingenious twist or turn, which makes you read on. Thought provoking is not even close to what Darkroom is. It is as close to an 'unputdownable' book as I have read!
When I did the reach the end, I found myself out of breath. The adrenaline was truly flowing, I had become so engaged and involved with the characters. At times I actually rooted for Victor, as the lines between good and evil became blurred, but deep down I knew what he had done and it repulses and shocks in equal measure. The culmination of the novel leaves one last, truly wicked twist with the publication of two alternative endings. I read and enjoyed both, although without giving it all away, I chose the first. Maybe it's the romantic in me, maybe it's the belief in redemption, maybe it was simply the fact that I had lived out a couple of intense days with these remarkable characters and come to love them. Lots of maybes, but the one thing that is far from a maybe is that Poppet has crafted an incredible book, one that should be read by all. I recommend this book most highly.
It opens with Shauna captive to the wicked Vengeance, who it appears is on a mission from God to cleanse this 'dirty angel'. The wearing of jeans is deemed a sin worthy of the most cruel and graphic violence and sexual manipulation. On her release, Shauna is shunned by all her nearest and dearest, and put down as delusional. She runs away to South Africa and soon continues her carefree lifestyle of before, only to once again suffer at the hands of Vengeance. A one-night stand is blown up outside her apartment; another supposedly commits suicide, leading to her best friend cutting her out of her life. Every aspect of her life is coloured by the hand of Vengeance, who justifies his actions as the duty from a higher authority.
When it appears Shauna can suffer no more, we are introduced to her neighbour, Victor, and at times the narrative dips into romance, but it is always laced with a good dose of horror. Of course Victor is really Vengeance and continues to manipulate every area of her life, using his Darkroom to monitor her every move. When she steps out of line, he again dons the attire of Vengeance and subjects her to such a violent abusive attack, that she comes close to death. What the author does so expertly is switch the POV and put you right in the mind of the protagonists. I found myself almost pantomime-like shouting out 'NO!' at times as we are privy to the most intimate thoughts of Shauna and Victor / Vengeance. Upon realising the severity of his attack on Shauna, I thought briefly Victor was going to change, see the error of his ways and realise he really loved her. I am sure that this was the intention of the author, before throwing you completely off with wicked twist after wicked twist.
Towards the end of the novel, you do find out more about Victor / Vengeance and this is where the constant quotations from the bible resonate most. We find out very early on that he is an avenging angel, a Jesus-like chosen one, with an omniscient Father, but it is when his disciples appear (Peter and Seth being two) that a lot of the pieces suddenly slot into place. Not since the epic Moby Dick with Captain Ahab's biblical tussle, has a novel used references to the bible so powerfully. I actually found myself digging out a copy and researching the phrases used.
As earlier reviews have warned, Darkroom is in places not an easy book to read - the violence is unwavering and the imagery is incredibly dark. But you must, you absolutely must, because it is an exhilarating ride and the pages turn effortlessly. I found myself thinking I had worked out the ending, only to be thrown off course by an ingenious twist or turn, which makes you read on. Thought provoking is not even close to what Darkroom is. It is as close to an 'unputdownable' book as I have read!
When I did the reach the end, I found myself out of breath. The adrenaline was truly flowing, I had become so engaged and involved with the characters. At times I actually rooted for Victor, as the lines between good and evil became blurred, but deep down I knew what he had done and it repulses and shocks in equal measure. The culmination of the novel leaves one last, truly wicked twist with the publication of two alternative endings. I read and enjoyed both, although without giving it all away, I chose the first. Maybe it's the romantic in me, maybe it's the belief in redemption, maybe it was simply the fact that I had lived out a couple of intense days with these remarkable characters and come to love them. Lots of maybes, but the one thing that is far from a maybe is that Poppet has crafted an incredible book, one that should be read by all. I recommend this book most highly.
February 17, 2011
Darkroom
By
Poppet
I am not going to review this book in the same manner I have others. With others, I choose my words carefully with poise and precision. With Darkroom, I am just going to write down the way it made me feel while reading it, the different emotions that went through me. I feel this is the only way I can do justice to this work by Poppet. I am not going to give a lot away about the contents of the book because I want the reader to go on the roller coaster ride I took from the very beginning.
Darkroom is not for the weak hearted and is one hundred percent for adults. It is a very dark read with a villain I have never encountered in any other book I have read. While the character Victor is a vicious sadist, that 'does the will and work of God', and is called Vengeance, that results in torture and certain death for his female victims, until he comes across an 'angel' named Shauna. He becomes a nightmare in her life, popping up whenever he feels she needs to be 'disciplined' to the point of insanity. And in order to make her love him, so he can have her completely in her real life, he has to find a way to be Victor, her savor that rescues her from Vengeance.
This book only took me two days to read. I could not put it down. It stirred up a lot of different emotions in me. On one hand I wanted to hate Victor so much, and I did for the pain he inflicted on Shauna as Vengeance, but yet after the torture was over, he was Victor who nursed her back to health. I feel he truly came to love Shauna and I felt good that they were a couple.
Poppet has shown great brilliance in Darkroom. She knows how to keep the reader on the edge of their seat. She knows how to put the reader into the story, allowing him/her to feel what the characters are feeling and experiencing. She knows how to bring out the worst fears and nightmares the reader could ever have. This book is not for the squeamish because it is very violent, graphic, sexual, and just plain DARK. I feel Poppet has done what she has set out to do and that is to scare the crap out of whomever dares to pick it up to read. So, reader beware! For me, I loved it! My genre is usually paranormal/fantasy but i totally enjoyed it! It also takes the reader on a adrenaline rush, not knowing what the next page or paragraph holds. You think the story is going in one direction, and predictable, when !wham! you get smacked in the face with a turn you never seen coming. I actually found myself talking to myself while reading this book. And when I can do that, then it is a fantastic piece of work! I also feel she is giving the reader lead way to interpret what Victor/Vengeance is and why he is the way he is. And I will not reveal anything close to the end. Let it be a surprise, a disappointment, a tragedy, justice, whatever you see it to be.
Poppet, you have outdone yourself, and I look forward to more of your work. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. I recommend it one hundred percent and I can say with assurance, anyone who picks it up to read it, will not regret it!
I give Darkroom Five Stars *****
Reviewed
By
Nora Barteau
http://norachipleybarteau.blogspot.com/
By
Poppet
I am not going to review this book in the same manner I have others. With others, I choose my words carefully with poise and precision. With Darkroom, I am just going to write down the way it made me feel while reading it, the different emotions that went through me. I feel this is the only way I can do justice to this work by Poppet. I am not going to give a lot away about the contents of the book because I want the reader to go on the roller coaster ride I took from the very beginning.
Darkroom is not for the weak hearted and is one hundred percent for adults. It is a very dark read with a villain I have never encountered in any other book I have read. While the character Victor is a vicious sadist, that 'does the will and work of God', and is called Vengeance, that results in torture and certain death for his female victims, until he comes across an 'angel' named Shauna. He becomes a nightmare in her life, popping up whenever he feels she needs to be 'disciplined' to the point of insanity. And in order to make her love him, so he can have her completely in her real life, he has to find a way to be Victor, her savor that rescues her from Vengeance.
This book only took me two days to read. I could not put it down. It stirred up a lot of different emotions in me. On one hand I wanted to hate Victor so much, and I did for the pain he inflicted on Shauna as Vengeance, but yet after the torture was over, he was Victor who nursed her back to health. I feel he truly came to love Shauna and I felt good that they were a couple.
Poppet has shown great brilliance in Darkroom. She knows how to keep the reader on the edge of their seat. She knows how to put the reader into the story, allowing him/her to feel what the characters are feeling and experiencing. She knows how to bring out the worst fears and nightmares the reader could ever have. This book is not for the squeamish because it is very violent, graphic, sexual, and just plain DARK. I feel Poppet has done what she has set out to do and that is to scare the crap out of whomever dares to pick it up to read. So, reader beware! For me, I loved it! My genre is usually paranormal/fantasy but i totally enjoyed it! It also takes the reader on a adrenaline rush, not knowing what the next page or paragraph holds. You think the story is going in one direction, and predictable, when !wham! you get smacked in the face with a turn you never seen coming. I actually found myself talking to myself while reading this book. And when I can do that, then it is a fantastic piece of work! I also feel she is giving the reader lead way to interpret what Victor/Vengeance is and why he is the way he is. And I will not reveal anything close to the end. Let it be a surprise, a disappointment, a tragedy, justice, whatever you see it to be.
Poppet, you have outdone yourself, and I look forward to more of your work. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. I recommend it one hundred percent and I can say with assurance, anyone who picks it up to read it, will not regret it!
I give Darkroom Five Stars *****
Reviewed
By
Nora Barteau
http://norachipleybarteau.blogspot.com/
June 1, 2016
Unfortunately, Darkroom was just not for me. Let me preface this by saying: I love, and I do mean love, a good fucked up story. Give me grit, give me pain, give me blood and give me all the gory details. Darkroom did not deliver for me.
Sure, it was fucked up beyond repair, it had some deep and disturbing aspects and it was bloody, gritty and painful at times to read. All this being said - I could not get past the religious aspect of the book, aside from the grammatical errors and the choppy writing.
Coming from someone who is not religious, I could not stand reading through Victors mind. It seriously pissed me off and it was hard to look past the bigotry, misogyny and sexism all in the name of religion.
I really had high hopes for Darkroom but sometimes I just don't connect with a book and that is super disappointing because I have heard great things about this series.
On to the next!
Sure, it was fucked up beyond repair, it had some deep and disturbing aspects and it was bloody, gritty and painful at times to read. All this being said - I could not get past the religious aspect of the book, aside from the grammatical errors and the choppy writing.
Coming from someone who is not religious, I could not stand reading through Victors mind. It seriously pissed me off and it was hard to look past the bigotry, misogyny and sexism all in the name of religion.
I really had high hopes for Darkroom but sometimes I just don't connect with a book and that is super disappointing because I have heard great things about this series.
On to the next!
April 28, 2017
“Are you not entertained!”? Shouts Russell Crowe to the crowd in the movie Gladiator, why do we read fiction I wonder maybe it’s to answer this question did I learn something, was the story interesting, did it reveal a hidden truth, was I not entertained? I grew up reading beat generation writers Kerouac, Ginsberg, Burroughs, Bukowski, Brautigan, they wrote about characters that were vain, vulgar, prosaic, timid, charismatic, lost, downtrodden, and adventuresome, but never boring. When I read fiction in the back of my mind is the question why do I care? Why do I care about this character her life, his struggles, their problems, the situation why? Because it’s entertaining, if it’s well written it’s entertaining and enlightening in some way. In Darkroom by Poppet I’m not sure often what the heck is happening but most of all I’m not sure why I should care. The main characters are Shauna (no last name) who’s job I’m not quite sure of she seems to come from a family of money because she sure isn’t working much throughout this book and seems to also travel from country to country trying to avoid the other character Vengeance (Victor) somehow they both end up in South Africa again very vague details is not a large part of this story. The interest of the Author seems to center on the male character that is a human/(fallen?) Angel /photographer/plastic surgeon part of a group that answers to Alpha who I guess is supposed to be god. All very lightly sketched out bit by bit across 40 plus chapters. Are you not annoyed? OK so currently I’m eight chapters before the end and I’m still not sure what is going on. My best guess at this point is Victor is a sort of Jason Bourne agent but instead of Governmental wet work he is a pathological killer for an Old Testament God (Alpha) who is constantly testing his Angels testing their loyalty to him and his rules. Victor has allowed himself to get too close to Shauna and he manipulated the situation so as to get her pregnant He wants a son God wants twins Shauna doesn’t even know she is pregnant it’s all very strange Are you not confused?
October 17, 2019
for me there were times this was confusing. I had time following it. Then the 2 different endings. Why? I will NOT be continuing this series. There were no enduring characters in this book for me to follow. This is the first time reading this author and I don't think I will be reading any else.
May 17, 2013
If you are a squeemish person with delicate sensibilities this book is not for you.But if you enjoy a demented rollercoaster ride of the most twisted sort then this book is right up your alley.Right away this book throws you into the trenches of a dark and disturbed mind and with each page read you are psychologically gutted.It completely changes your perspective of what is right and what is wrong.Before you know it you are actually seeing things from Victor/Vengeance's point of view.To say the relationship between Victor and Shauna is complicated is a massive understatement.He treats her like clay to be molded into the image he thinks she should be and before she can even understand what is happening Shauna morphs into a person who is completely unlike who she thought she was.this book is a total mind screw of epic proportions and well worth the heart bursting experience.Once again Poppet has proved to be a literary sorceress who weaves her spell so brilliantly you are enthralled from start to finish.I pride myself on my ability to predict what happens next in books and am often right.But with Poppet's books,just as I think I know, I'm thrown for a loop that takes me in a completely different direction.I can't seem to stop saying this about Poppet but "she is indeed a master storyteller".
September 18, 2017
This psychotic thriller kept me on edge. I was so confused trying to figure out who was who. As depraved as it was o loved it. The story was well written and so very entertaining.
As the story unfolds you get a sense that maybe Vengeance can be redeemed. However, he is so focused on breaking and retraining. I got a little lost and couldn't figure out who was who after a while. And then there were 12 of them. Duh, how had i not guessed. Sorry for the spoiler but i am sure you don't even understand the importance of that.
As for the ending, the alternate worked better for me. It seem to go with the suspicions of Peter a lot better than everything all of a sudden being ok. Plus i spent the entire book waiting for the big reveal. I assumed he was waiting until she was newly married and pregnant, since he was waiting for her to be completely his. So many questions still. There is a lot left up in the air that makes me want to scream. What happens after they meet his Father???
As the story unfolds you get a sense that maybe Vengeance can be redeemed. However, he is so focused on breaking and retraining. I got a little lost and couldn't figure out who was who after a while. And then there were 12 of them. Duh, how had i not guessed. Sorry for the spoiler but i am sure you don't even understand the importance of that.
As for the ending, the alternate worked better for me. It seem to go with the suspicions of Peter a lot better than everything all of a sudden being ok. Plus i spent the entire book waiting for the big reveal. I assumed he was waiting until she was newly married and pregnant, since he was waiting for her to be completely his. So many questions still. There is a lot left up in the air that makes me want to scream. What happens after they meet his Father???
May 24, 2017
This was my second book by this author, so I think I can now say: this author's writing is so out-there-odd, and unique, that it's truly fascinating.
There were several times this book crossed the line from erotically dominating to out and out raw physical abuse. While not at all sexy or enticing, it was grotesquely interesting, and I was extremely curious to find out where it could all possibly lead to...
The alternate ending was not something I liked, at all. The author was telling me her story, so I want to know what *her* ending is. From the style of this book, I would venture to guess ending #2 as her preference, but don't leave it up to me to decide - that's why you're the writer, and I'm the reader; I want you to lead me along, beginning to end. ;)
I do recommend this book, but be aware there are many triggers, including rape and severe physical abuse.
There were several times this book crossed the line from erotically dominating to out and out raw physical abuse. While not at all sexy or enticing, it was grotesquely interesting, and I was extremely curious to find out where it could all possibly lead to...
The alternate ending was not something I liked, at all. The author was telling me her story, so I want to know what *her* ending is. From the style of this book, I would venture to guess ending #2 as her preference, but don't leave it up to me to decide - that's why you're the writer, and I'm the reader; I want you to lead me along, beginning to end. ;)
I do recommend this book, but be aware there are many triggers, including rape and severe physical abuse.
April 5, 2016
8% through the book and I’m a little confused. Is there two other in Shauna’s life? One who lives near and the other watches from camera? Or is this the same person? Is he unstable? Split personality perhaps?
37% Is she blind? I think she’s blind…. Can’t she feel it? argh the frustration… I’m liking the book, it keeps you guessing but at the same time I think there’s too much religious talk for me. I’m just wanting to move on with the storyline…
Whaaat???? I’m finished, and NOW he likes her? Urgh….. move it along, this book wasn’t really dark, yes dark things did happen, but did it go into detail? No.
I won’t be reading the next book.
37% Is she blind? I think she’s blind…. Can’t she feel it? argh the frustration… I’m liking the book, it keeps you guessing but at the same time I think there’s too much religious talk for me. I’m just wanting to move on with the storyline…
Whaaat???? I’m finished, and NOW he likes her? Urgh….. move it along, this book wasn’t really dark, yes dark things did happen, but did it go into detail? No.
I won’t be reading the next book.
May 28, 2015
This book is incredibly dark, not dark like usual dark erotica that disturbs you a bit but you crack on with it all the same, ACTUALLY dark. Really dark.
This was an interesting read. I was confused most of the book on who dialogue I was reading. I needed to keep reading to find out what was going to happen in the end. It stirred up emotions and feelings in me about characters in particular Victor. I Hated him but yet at times I was intrigued by him - and that really bothered me. The ending arghh I was Like NO way Can't wait to read next ones
January 7, 2016
what the what??
image:
well I can agree on this one.
image:
the what now?
image:
I mean... or what?
image:
This one was the dark of the dark reads and I loved it!! bit weird if you would ask me :)
image:
well I can agree on this one.
image:
the what now?
image:
I mean... or what?
image:
This one was the dark of the dark reads and I loved it!! bit weird if you would ask me :)
November 27, 2012
Okay then. This is one hell of a dark, psychological book. Well written, compelling, and I loved the ability to pick an ending.
Please note that this review contains some material from the book, which is somewhat graphic and tough going. If you are not keen on this type of darker read, then perhaps don't read the reiview.
An in depth review is at On Top Down Under Book Reviews -
http://bookreviewsandtherapy.blogspot...
Please note that this review contains some material from the book, which is somewhat graphic and tough going. If you are not keen on this type of darker read, then perhaps don't read the reiview.
An in depth review is at On Top Down Under Book Reviews -
http://bookreviewsandtherapy.blogspot...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews