Briar And Indi's Riveting Story Is A Fantastic Dark Read About Bullying And Tragedy In A Warped World Filled With Secrets And Crime.
*This book is not recommended for anyone that requires trigger warnings.*
More than just a high school bully story, Brutal Prince takes place in a dark and very twisted world similar to other books and series by the author. Lavish is nestled against the sinister peaks of Devil's Spine, near its sister town of Mallhaven. The picturesque town suffered from a stint of violent robberies last year, leaving the wealthy residents scrambling for security cameras.
Indigo Virgo believes that love is for masochists. She used to do things like brush her hair, wear makeup, and dress nicely. She was a few months shy of her eighteenth birthday when her life was irrevocably altered. Having lost her mother to a violent home invasion, Indi is sent to Lavish in Fool's Gold County to live with a grandmother she doesn't know. Marigold is cold and rigid - and clearly not happy about her new charge. Alone and shifting from depression to anger and back again as she deals with her new reality, Indi clings to the one thing she has left of her mother - a valuable sapphire necklace given to her mother by her dad, just prior to his death from cancer five years ago.
Prince Briar - arrogant, agressive, passionate, and impulsive - is Lavish Prep's best receiver. He pushes himself to excel in order to get his name in the paper and capture the attention of his mostly absent father. His mom died in an accident when he was five, so he practically lives alone in the sprawling Briar mansion. He and his best friend Marcus have one a other's backs, though. After his birthday party ten months ago, they agreed that one of them would always stay sober at parties, but for the most part Briar just avoids them - and girls - since everything that happened with Jessica.
His life is on the line now and the rumors are pure torture. It is impossible for him to forget that he is a monster, so he no longer hides the animal inside. The whole town knows to be wary of him, so when he spots a trespasser on his property while out for his nightly jog, it hardly computes how someone would be stupid enough to venture onto his property. Because protects what is his.
After a less than welcoming greeting from her grandmother, Indi takes a walk to clear her head but soon finds she has lost her trail. She had no idea that there was a monster in the woods. When she sees the monster at school the next morning, everything goes from bad to worse.
Briar and Indi's tragic and twisted story pulls the reader into a cruel world, riveted with suspense, yet offers a bit of redemption and a very satisfying HEA. Indi's myriad of emotions following her mother's death leave her emotionally unstable, yet she maintains the strength to keep going on in spite of her grandmother's rejection and the bullying she endures. She channels her frustration into a quest for justice, but that isn't easily accomplished as the new girl in town. Briar struggles emotionally as well. He has suffered from loneliness for most of his life. More recently, he struggles to understand how he turned into an animal, and how to rein it in. Indi challenges his self-control and is therefore a threat, despite what he realizes he feels for her. Both Indi and Briar work through their struggles over the course of a suspenseful week while truths and revelations lead to them to a shocking conclusion.
Briar and Indi's riveting story is a fantastic dark read about bullying and tragedy in a warped world filled with secrets and crime. The POV alternates between Briar and Indi. The book is very well-written. The plot is complex, intricately woven to maintain keen interest. The characters are very well-defined, including the cast of supporting characters. I rate this book five stars.
I received a free advance copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.