| Title | : | The Wild (The Wild, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1974092801 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781974092802 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 250 |
| Publication | : | First published August 2, 2017 |
The plan was to make a new life that didn’t include heartache.
No people. No technology. No interference.
Just us.
A chance to piece together what was broken.
But the wilderness is untamed and harsh.
Brutal and unforgiving.
It doesn’t give a damn about your feelings.
Tragedy lives there too.
No escaping the truths that won’t let you go.
All you can do is survive where love, no matter how beastly, is the only thing you can truly count on.
Confusing. Wrong. Twisted. Beautiful. Sick.
Love is wild.
And we’re going to set it free.
Warning:
The Wild is an extremely taboo story. Most will find that the themes in this book will make you incredibly uncomfortable. This book is only for the brave, the open-minded, and the ones who crave love in even the most dismal of situations. Extreme sexual themes and violence in certain scenes, which could trigger emotional distress, are found in this story. If you are sensitive to heavy taboo themes, then this story is not for you.
The Wild (The Wild, #1) Reviews
-
Okayyyyyyyy. Whelp.
This doesn't happen very often - if ever, actually - but I don't even know what to say right now.
Seriously. I don't.
My friends always tell me that if most people's brains can be compared to a lone hamster on a wheel, then mine is analogous to three hamsters on a wheel, spastically running into each other.
Which is actually very accurate; however, right now, my hamsters are like this:
Stunned, I tell you.*
As I write this, I haven't even actually decided on a rating yet.
I'm hoping it will come to me over the course of tapping this thing out.
In fact, I feel like I should warn ya'll now:
This is going to be a SHIT show of a review.
Then again, this was quite the shit show of a book, so perhaps that's fitting.
But before I even pretend to "review" this thing, I want to make couple things clear:
I read this book in its entirety and all the thoughts here are my own.
I don't expect everyone to agree with my opinions.
I just expect people to respect them.
Cause I respect all of yours.
If you disagree, that's fine.
Feel free to say so.
I'm not going to attack you for it so long as you do it respectfully, hmmm?
That's right...
Second:
I knew there was...scuttlebutt in regards to this book - people said it involved offensive shit and they couldn't believe other people liked it - and so I, of course, absolutely wanted to know what all the buzz was about.
So being quite the oblivious ostrich that I sometimes am, I jokingly (as I tend to be) said, "A book that keeps coming up in my feed as 'offensive' and 'too taboo' and for which I might get raked over the coals for liking? Sign me up!!!"
At that time, I didn't realize that this was quite the GR drama and all over FB as well.
I mean, geez, it's just a book, I was thinking.
Even then I didn't realize the magnitude of the drama surrounding this thing until I put it on my current reading list...and had two people unfriend me solely because I decided to read it.
I hadn't even FINISHED it or rated it yet.
Then I saw all the status updates and comments with people talking about unfriending and just generally deriding other people about their values and morals and/or their supposed lack thereof.
OVER A FICTIONAL SMUT BOOK, mind you.
Now, to be clear, I'm not upset that people wanted to unfriend me over this. Truly. That's their jam and if something I say or do offends them - or ANY of you, EVER - then by all means unfriend me. Please. If unfriending me over something that you perceive as bothersome makes you sleep better at night, then I'm all for it.
You do you.
Personally, I am not one to get upset about any of this stuff.
Because at the end of the day, let's remember one thing:
It's just the internet, folks.
I just think all this drama is kind of ridiculous, though, so I had just had to say my piece on that.
But I digress.
This book.
Being that this was pulled from Amazon (which is an argument for another day) and being that the horse is out of the barn...and way the fuuuuck down the road...I see no need to shut the barn door.
Meaning: I'm just gonna go ahead and wreck the fuck out of this thing from a spoiler standpoint.
Seriously.
You've been told.
So off we go.
I think I wavered between two expression while reading this book.
This:
Coupled with this:
Or, in other words:
Not sure if funny or gross...and it tastes kinda weird...but I can't stop eating it.
But let's start at the beginning.
With the author's note, where she talks about how only people who are open-minded and BRAVE should read this book.
I mean, I guess I "get" what she was trying to say...but to suggest that people are cowards and close-minded for NOT wanting to read something they feel doesn't align with their likes and values is kind of, well, passive aggressive, no? Almost like a taunt.
Since I am a bit of a taunt master (ask my husband)...I know a taunt when I see one.
And, well...
So...not cool.
And of course we can't talk about this without discussing the big TABOO that has everyone all up in a tizzy:
The incest.
Now.
I've said it before and I'll say it again.
I am heartless and without a soul.
When Devon and her Daddy had their first...less than platonic scene (before the big cliff dive), I found myself...
Giggling like a little girl peaking through her hands during a love scene at the movie theater.
And AFTER the the cliff dive scene, when they found themselves in their next sexual foray...
I found myself more worried about the whereabouts of Buddy the dog.
Seriously.
I mean, on an intellectual level, I know that what was happening on the page was wrong and totally disgusting on so many levels, but quite frankly....I just didn't find myself caring too much.
Why not, you say?
Well, because aside from being dead inside, I am also an overly practical kinda gal.
And I found myself verra distracted by all the other BULLSHIT happening in this story.
What bullshit, you say?
What could possibly be more distracting to you than blatant incest, you say?
Well, I will tell you.
WTF #1: What fucking idiot parks an RV on a fucking cliff?
No seriously.
Being that Reed was supposedly pretty well off - he's described as a millionaire that liquidated all his shit for this big move - it's pretty safe to assume that he bought his family a pretty nice RV -AKA a Class A Recreational Vehicle, most likely with multiple slide-outs and top of the line finishes.
Meaning...HEAVY.
Meaning, that idiot parked his family ON A CLIFF in a 15-25 ton death trap.
Seriously.
I mean, it was like he was asking it to crumble.
WTF #2: Why the HELL would they not attempt to, oh I don't know, go HOME at any point?
Pretty sure if my wife just DIED, my daughter was IMPALED by a TREE, and EVERYTHING I owned WENT OVER A CLIFF, my first thought would NOT be "Gee, I should build a cabin."
How about, find some cell phone reception and CALL FOR HELP?
ATTEMPT to find a nearby town or SOMETHING.
FLY YOUR WIFE"S BODY HOME.
Maybe even just push pause on this "new life" and reassess for fucks sake.
I mean, if your sole care in life was supposedly your family and the FIRST night in your new SAFE place results in the massacre of a third of its remaining members...maybe it's time to, I don't know, NOT stay there.
WTF #3: The Suburbanite/Alaskan Survivalist Changeover
My eyes are stuck in the side eye position, I swear.
Because, I don't care how many survival manuals, guidebooks, self help pamphlets, or magic decoder rings the author insisted on mentioning these two reading.
There is NO way these two yuppie suburbanites from wealthy as fuck San Francisco turned into badass Alaskan wilderness beasts overnight like this.
Within hours of the RV debacle, Reed was supposedly giving Devon stitches.
Within days it has him "felling" trees and building a house by himself.
Pfffft.
I've seen Barnwood Builders, folks.
Those dudes have been building barns and cabins for YEARS.
Look how many of them there are FFS.
And they STILL fuck things up.
And we are supposed to believe Reed managed this alone? With no prior practice?
And that Devon supposedly skins and "harvests" an entire bear corpse?
By herself?
Based on a manual?
HA!
I call bullshit.
WTF #4: The Inbred Rapists
This reminded me of that famous X-Files episode.
I forget the title of it, but it's probably "Inbreeding Gone Bad."
For real though, that episode was so high on the WTF scale that I STILL think about it sometimes.
And it aired in the 1990's.
Funnily enough, it was actually banned from being re-aired on FOX for a while...ironic.
But anyway, I won't even get into this scene and the subsequent fallout.
This was just SO utterly unnecessary that it just screamed it was put in there for shock value.
Cause, you know, apparently this incestuously underage Alaskan wilderness fuck fest needed just one more thing to make you go hmmmm.
WTF #5: The Adoption Twist
Talk about jumping the shark.
You did all this authoring and mind massaging to try to get your reader to accept this...situation you have set up here - the one you PURPOSEFULLY made as taboo as humanly possible...
Just to try and say "Just kidding, suckers," at the end?
Pfffft.
Not gonna lie, I felt kinda duped.
Regardless, even though I already made it clear that the incest thing didn't really get to me - because quite frankly, as wrong as it is, it's just not a trigger for me - I don't think suddenly making her adopted made it "better" in anyway.
Making Devon adopted - surprise! - does not undercut the incest here.
My husband is adopted. His mother is his MOTHER. Blood or not.
And just when you think she couldn't pile anymore sauce on this soup sandwich, we find out that adopted Devon is a product of incest?
Oh, le sigh.
It's like a circus up in here folks.
But anycray.
All that said, I didn't totally hate this book.
In fact, as wrong as it may seem to some of you, I did find it moderately entertaining.
I mean, you are talking to someone here who has read alien smut, Gay Lord of the Orcs, Ravaged by the Barbarian Horde, and so much other glorious trash it's actually astounding.
I like WTF shit.
Let's leave it to GOD or [insert whatever spiritual being you prefer] be the judge of whether or not I go to hell for it, shall we?
From an entertainment standpoint, I think I will settle on an even 3 stars here.
Although I'm sure I'll get lambasted for that:
"How dare you call incest and rape and underage sex 'entertaining.'"
There, I said it for you.
Cause nothing "wrong" is EVER peddled merely for entertainment...right...?
Anyway.
I'm not going to argue the about the morality issues here, folks.
In my mind, this is a work of fiction.
And I'm not here to rate other people's morals or triggers, I'm here to rate and share my thoughts on a work of fiction.
If you can't separate certain issues from the fact that this is fiction - whether that be due to a moral, preferential, or trigger standpoint - then you should absolutely skip this book.
I applaud and respect that.
Just don't go around deriding other people who don't have those triggers and/or different moral standards for choosing to read it.
This is not meant to be some epic love story that traverses time and space.
It's just smut for smut's sake.
That said, this book is definitely not for everyone.
And it has nothing to do with bravery or open mindedness.
It's simply about preference.
I prefer not to read about certain subjects and I respect those who choose not to read this based on the same.
It's that simple.
So ya'll have a great day.
I hope you go off and read some books I wouldn't touch with a 10ft pole.
Edited to add: The author should have blatantly stated in the prologue disclaimer that the book involved incest and rape themes and that anyone triggered by these topics should avoid this book. To suggest that anyone sensitive to these themes is not "brave" or "open-minded" is insulting to those people.
*Apparently those are actually guinea pigs. Thanks to homie Kelly and her boar slut for pointing that out. My bad. I am obviously not up to speed on my rodents. Good thing Kelly is dialed in.
-
Yep, nope. There's dark, messed up and taboo, which I've read and enjoyed my fair share of. And then there's shameless and gratuitous, far from romance and way into illegal and really disturbing territory. This book is the latter. Although this is getting lots of buzz of the 5 star kind, which I guess, to each their own. This is no
Forbidden ,
Flowers in the Attic ,
All the Ugly and Wonderful Things or
Nine Minutes to name a few. This is more like an Alexa Riley book, you know, shameless smut. Or the Woody Allen story, if you catch my drift.
Yes, there's a warning, a long, yet very vague warning. One that says among other things: "However, if you’re intrigued and fearless...". Well, that's me, always intrigued, always fearless. Still doesn't justify this book. Still doesn't make this right.
So, um, I guess a few people have let the cat out of the bag about what the taboo is. And yet I've seen other people going into the reviews of said people and claim that the book needs to be read in order to understand it. So here I am, I did read the book, the entire book, with a very open mind. Still doesn't make this right.
So, I'm going to say a few things. I didn't find this to be beautiful. I didn't find this romantic. There wasn't much plot either. Other than a lot of fucking between people that had no business fucking in the first place, nothing really happens in this book. There's very little redeeming qualities between these 2 characters. Especially Reed, can't even with him. There's very little fate in here. If you would tell me there's a way to justify this, that these two characters were victims of the situation, I could perhaps look at this differently. But guess what? The author kills that notion via pretty disturbing flashbacks. So, again, they were NOT victims of the situation!
Oh, there's a twist you say? and things are not what they seem. Lol, first, the twist is hinted at a lot, if you know basic math, you figure it out pretty early on. And guess what? Still doesn't make a difference. Still doesn't make this right.
I will say that I laughed at some points about the absurdity of what I was reading. Cause some of those scenes were just plain ridiculous.
So, listen. I respect people's opinions, to each their own. If you read and loved this for what it was, good for you. But let's call a spade a spade. This is NOT romance. This is shameless, gratuitous smut and people should not go into it believing this is some sort of epic love story because it is not! On this, I will have to respectfully disagree with the author who in the end, calls this a beautiful, unconventional love story. This is far from it, sorry.
Now, I will do MY readers a favor (just like I did with my best friends) and will give you some more details under a spoiler tag. If you come at me, you'll be blocked. If you don't agree, keep your opinions out of my page.
And read at your own risk. -
Honestly, I don't see what all the fuss is about. Why does everyone have their panties in such a twist over this one? It's just a book, people! It's a dark, smutty, taboo work of fiction. It isn't like this is the first erotic story to explore kinky daddy issues and/or incest. Seriously, I just don't get it.
Obviously, given the subject matter, this isn't a story that is going to hold any appeal for many readers. So, don't read it. I can respect that. So please respect my right to be as dirty-minded as I want to be.
Personally, I love the really messed up stories. I have no problem separating fact from fiction. I can read a story and think it was great, while at the same time having absolutely no interest in having the same type of drama play out anywhere near my reality. Hey, I love serial killer movies and the occasional slasher film also. That doesn't mean that I condone senseless murder or want to wake up in the midst of a real-life Texas chainsaw massacre.
Now that I got that off my chest, let me get back to this particular story.
For the most part, I found 'The Wild' to read like smutty, taboo erotica. It was entertaining, albeit pretty unrealistic. I enjoyed it.
Were there parts that were kind of shocking? Yep, mainly because your moral compass will be going nuts. This author never hesitates to push limits and I love that. I definitely spent a lot of time feeling uncomfortable, but I'm pretty sure that was the point.
Right from the start, there were some interactions between Devon and her daddy, Reed, that raised my brows. They were just a little too close for my comfort, long before the mom bit the big one. It was clear that there was an attraction between the two early on. The events that followed only served to fuel the fire that was already raging, not spark something that was never there.
There was a lot of build-up and "staging", for lack of a better word, before Devon and Reed decide to actually pursue a sexual relationship. I knew it was coming, but the anticipation was killing me. By the time they actually had sex, I was ready to pull my hair out. Get it over with already!
As the story progressed, I kind of forgot that they were father and daughter. The story focused largely on their day to day activities in the Alaskan wilderness. There were brief periods of activity, followed by long, uneventful chapters. In my opinion, much of that could have been cut out. It isn't like I really bought into their whole "survivalist" personas anyway. It just didn't add up, like many other details.
There was also another story element that I thought was wholly unnecessary. At one point, they are attacked by a group of inbred brothers. Apparently, they have lived on the land for years, undetected. After an attack on Devon, Reed single-handedly hunts and kills them.
I felt like the story was shocking enough without adding that extra craziness into the mix. Reed wasn't such a badass when Devon was being attacked, was he? Suddenly, I'm supposed to believe that he could pull that off. Was it really necessary to add rape and more incest to this particular story? A little shocking content is great. Too much just makes it ridiculous. Unfortunately, the latter was the case with this book.
Overall, I thought that this was a good and entertaining read. It was dark, taboo and pure smutty goodness. It left me feeling kind of dirty and in need of a shower. Although it was often unbelievable, and even hilarious at times, I enjoyed it as a whole. All things considered it was a 3.5 star read for me. I'm rounding up to 4 stars just to spite the Amazon morality police. LOL.
Check out more of my reviews at
www.bookaddicthaven.com -
2 stars
I love reading out of the box reads and I like taboo stories. When I saw all the buzz surrounding The Wild, I knew I had to pick it up and read it for myself. I'm going to be honest here and say… I really didn't like this book. It's not because of the subject matter, I enjoy reading taboo stories. I know a lot of people are grossed out by this one, but honestly it didn't bother me like that too much I really just didn't enjoy the actual story.
The plot was a little all over the place, and I felt like it was taboo just for the sake of being taboo. I had a lot of issues with parts of the story line. The way so much just fell into place just right, and lets be honest here… a little past 90% my nursing brain was like WTF. This is so not possible. It’s a pet-peeve of mine. If you’re going to do something medically, know what you’re writing about .
What I will say, is I read this book in one sitting. It definitely helped my attention and kept me up late reading. I wish some things would have been done differently. I think then I would’ve liked it more, but you can't win them all. I had too many issues with The Wild for me to truly enjoy it. Because of this, I’m giving it 2 stars. -
*Spoilers*
The thing is I'm not one to jump on the bandwagon nor will I willingly subjugate my rights, just so I can appease the crowd. That is groupthink at its worst, a notion I shelf under mental slavery. No thank you.
I believe I'm old enough and sufficiently intelligent to know what is morally correct, particularly as it pertains to what I choose to do or read.
That said, for this particular subject matter, I believe the context and manner in which it was written is the reason it's controversial. I could reference several books that dealt with the matter of incest but I'll limit it to these two:
Flowers in the Attic
Forbidden
In no manner are these two different from
The Wild, except, of course, in the intent and context. You see: Andrews and Suzuma respected the readers' intelligence, more than this, they built a world in which, contextually, the reader could understand the dissociative and heartbreaking situation that the characters had to endure. The ensuing incestuous relationships between the siblings weren't written for salaciousness; rather, it supported the central premise, amplifying the melancholic atmosphere.
Again, context.
Forgive me for dousing the already inflamed rhetoric but allow me to add another example:
Genesis 30 V 32-36. Lot and his daughters. The holy grail of incestuous relationships. Would we then condemn the Bible because of Lot and his daughters? Does that singular act negate its message and content?
Again, context and intent.
Which then brings me to Webster's- presumed- intent. Likewise the context. But before that let's examine the story of, Reed and Devon, our main characters.
Excuse me a minute while I laugh. Sweet dear lawd, I nearly died from laughing. Lets tag this #StupidPlotManipulationNumberOne.
It's not like there aren't 49 other states where they could have moved. No. It had to be in the WILDERNESS of Alaska otherwise the author wouldn't have the setting she needed in order to perpetuate her "taboo" romance story. Puhlease.
Moving on.
Guess who dies? #StupidPlotManipulationNumberTwo.
Did I mention there was, literally, thousands of acres? Can you understand why this book isn't even worth a tenth of the aggravation it caused? Sigh.
Again I ask. Why are we even giving this subpar story any attention? Are we seriously carrying pitchforks and unfriend buttons because of this? This?
Peace be upon you. Leave me be. I have no answers to give.
Dear sweet lawd. I can't even.
And, and, and, I can't even.
There are no words. 🙄🔫
A lot more transpires, so, if you don't mind being led and manipulated, then I suppose you might even enjoy this. As for me? It's a no, thank you. -
Okay. Here we go...
WARNING:
This review will have some spoilers.
Personal note:
Now, as a very open-minded girl, who is quite outgoing and sometimes compassionate to a fault, I went into this controversial book, already with an open heart, ready to consume it and ready to enjoy it, out of spite, because of all the haters who felt that it was okay to bash an author/a person so insultingly for a book she wrote...
And I mostly DID enjoy this book. That’s why it has a 3 stars rating from me.
And as I got further into this book, I realized that there was a lot of misconception about it on Social Media.
Talks of it got out of hand and it didn’t take long for some lies to spread like wild-fire, if you get my reference...
Like the main character being a peadophile, which, sorry for spoiling, he isn’t at all.
He is in a relationship with a seventeen-year-old girl. lol
Take it from me. Three years ago, I was 16, and I was writing full-flesh erotica and had thousands of fans online devouring my every dirty sex scenes. Lol
So, a seventeen-year-old girl is not a little kid…
Also, child abuse? Um, no.
Well, at least not between the two main characters. In the case of a side character (Eve,) and her messed up inbred family, perhaps. But no, not between the two protagonists.
Review:
Since I mostly always start my reviews telling you all the negatives first, let’s start.
We go into this book and are introduced to a very sad family of three. The parents lost one child and are now only left with their daughter Devon who asks her father, who's named Reed, why her mother seems like she loved her son more since she doesn’t talk to her anymore and Reed has to explain to the ten-year-old, selfish little Devon that her mother is just going hard times and that she loves her as equally as she loved their dead son.
As we get further, Reed takes his family away from the city and they travel into the wilderness.
It’s five years since the death of the son and the mother (Sabrina) still suffers from depression.
Now, let me tell you, I didn’t like that Reed wasn’t more understanding of Sabrina during her hard time. You can never understand the pain a mother goes through losing her child and I reckon it’s like nothing else you will ever experience, and when Reed tries to get her to enjoy the pleasures of life, like eating and having sex, etc, she’s not having it and I wish he were more patient and understanding.
Cause I know if I, myself were to lose the most important person in my life, my mother, it would take more than five years for me to ever recover, so I wish Reed was more patient with his wife. Especially since the poor woman has tried multiple times before and could never carry a child to full term.
And it annoys me even more, later on when we got to the now sixteen-year-old Devon's POV and read how one day, she hopes to finally “fix” her mother.
Um, bitch, you can’t just “fix” depression or someone with depression.
You can certainly help a person with depression, there are millions of ways to do so, but there is no cure for depression, really. The person has to get better when they feel they’re better and you can either help or wait. Or both.
So that part doesn't sit well with me. I feel for Sabrina and empathize with her a lot throughout this whole book, even after she kicks the bucket. And the way they never truly mourned her after, doesn't sit well with me at all.
Like, how are you going to think of anything else right away after seeing your mom’s and wife’s dead body hanging from a fucking tree?
I feel like the two protagonists only see Sabrina as a nuisance with all of her depression and stuff and are kind of relieved that she's gone. Which means now they are now free to boink like wild rabbits.
And like... that’s so messed up lol.
That makes the characters extremely unlikeable.
With the writing, I also feel as if the author just wants to get the mom out of the way so that the two protagonists can “get it on.” The author didn’t empathize with Sabrina and didn’t write her in a way for us, the readers, to have a chance to empathize with her either, but I did anyway. Lol
Haha, I’m such a rebel!!
And now that we’ve gotten this out of the way...
Let me tell y'all something.
I don’t think I’ve ever read about a more unfortunate family. lol
Let me attempt to list all of the horrible things that happen to them.
In no particular order:
-Losing a sibling, a child.
-A vehicle accident (or weather-related accident) that kills a member of their family.
-A snake attack that killed another member.
-Approximately four miscarriages
-A bear attack.
-A brutal gang rape that results in another miscarriage.
-Other things…
You’d think this would get unbelievable at some point, but no, what I do like about it is that the author makes me feel like the story could be real. Even with all the seemingly unbelievable things taking place.
I truly applaud the author's writing for that.
Now I don’t know if any family can survive that many fucking tragedies. Lol
But even with all these misfortunes, I still don't feel anything for the two main characters. The story is lacking in certain emotional areas. Areas that are supposed to make the readers feel something.
Um, gang rape is a big fucking deal, right?
So you know a character must not inspire much sympathy when they’re getting gang-raped and the reader is STILL not moved in any way.
Although I'm following the story, I don't “feel” anything for them, you know? It doesn't impact me in the “feels” if that makes any sense.
Like, things are happening without the author having the intention to have you feel anything. You are just following along.
That’s why when the “revenge” plot comes around, I find myself not particularly rooting for anybody, cause I don't empathize with these two main characters.
I really enjoy the story itself. It's constructed in a realistic way that makes you want to go on and see what else is going to happen to these two, although unlikable, still intriguing characters.
It was the first taboo story I’ve never read of its “category.”
I once started reading a step-brother/sister thing once, I think I even read a step-mother thing once, but this one was new to me.
I'm not particularly bothered by the “taboo” aspect of it but like the author warned us in the beginning, I DO indeed cringe at some parts but the story is interesting enough for me to want to continue.
And you know me, I’m a giant book-whore. If the story has sex in it, I’m fucking SOLD, and I, in fact, did like the sex scenes in this. They were fucking HOT!
I might not have cared about the two people that were having it but the scenes were still hot-as-fuck.
So there you go.
This book made a lot of waves on Facebook and other social media platforms but in reality, there wasn’t anything here that was particularly too-new to the general public.
You won’t find the book-world lacking “this type” of stories, even on Amazon, which banned this book, still has a few thousands of books like this one lol, but this one somehow got everyone’s attention.
I support the author in all of her future endeavors and can’t wait to read her next one!
After the unpleasant and unfair storm she suffered through on social media, she deserves it.
I hope I love her next book even more!!
Let me leave y'all with one of my fav quotes from this book:
“We grow up learning norms and behaviors that are deemed acceptable. Yet when all of life’s easiness is stripped from us and we’re thrust into something arduous, those norms get forgotten. They get shoved to the side as instinct guides the way. The mind is no longer needed. A useless organ. It’s the heart that grows wild. It forges the way. It makes decisions that defy reason and instead break rules that don’t exist out here.”
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The "warning" on this book didn't deter me because I've literally never read anything that took me so far outside my comfort zone that I couldn't handle it. This particular warning was deliberately vague and gave the reader no clear indication as to what this book was about anyway, but rather it served more as bait to unsuspecting readers that enjoy taboo storylines. And I took the bait. I wasn't even skeptical because I'm not a sensitive reader. I'm not bothered by most of the things other readers avoid. I don't require trigger warnings. I have zero hard limits in fiction. I like taboo. So before anyone gives me flack for not heeding the warning, let me just tell you that, aside from the fact that THE "WARNING" ON THIS BOOK GIVES ZERO INFORMATION TO POTENTIAL READERS ABOUT THE CONTENT IN THE FIRST PLACE, I'd typically be the first one in line, defending an author for not issuing a warning at all. That is simply not the case with this book. A book like this should've never made its way into the hands of readers in the first place, but if someone somewhere thought it was acceptable to sell it, it should've come with a clear and concise warning to the reader that it contains graphic depictions of sex between an underage girl and her father and that it is not marketed as a fictional account of their story but rather as an erotic love story meant to be sexually stimulating.
The warning to me is almost irrelevant at this point because this book, with a warning or not, is so over the line, so appalling to me on so many levels, I honestly don't even have words. This is not romance. This is not erotica. A more acceptable warning for this book would be "DON'T READ THIS BOOK. PERIOD."
I'm the most open minded, forgiving reader. I'm the reader that finds rightness amidst wrongness. I love taboo stories. I love finding the glimmers of good in a whole lot of ugly. I'm the girl that loves all the books that most readers won't even touch. I like my boundaries pushed. Go read some of my other reviews, there's not much that I can't get on board with. With that said, by 20% in, I was dry heaving. I was pissed off that I spent money on this. I was going to DNF right then and there because I knew... I FREAKING KNEW... That there was no plot twist under the sun that would turn my opinion of this book around. But I'm also a reader that refuses to rate or review a book I didn't finish. I also knew I was going to need to express my opinions publicly about this book and I'd need to be well informed when I did. So I forced myself through just so I could be objective, just so I'd know I got the full picture. And I was right. That twist doesn't change a damn thing. There was NOTHING that could make the dynamic in this story acceptable. If this was some Flowers in the Attic situation where two people are desperate for human interaction because they've long been isolated and have come to know no other way, I could probably get on board... that is, if the girl wasn't a child and the MAN wasn't her dad. But, truth be told, they were in the wilderness for, like, 5 minutes. And frankly, there's no time limit or situation or circumstance that would've sold me on this scenario. It's disgusting and that's that.
As a matter of fact, I was so repulsed by the main storyline, that the disturbing scene taken right out of The Hills Have Eyes had little to no impact on me as a reader. What should've been horrific was actually just ridiculous. There isn't any aspect of this book that I didn't find ridiculous. If the characters weren't related and she wasn't a minor, the plot of this book would still be dumb and unbelievable. The whole thing was just ridiculous and gross. I just would've DNFd it for being ridiculous and moved on instead of forcing myself to finish it just so I'd know I had all the information to back up my opinion when I got loud and vocal about the fact that this book is on another level of inappropriate. And frankly, it's offensive to me as a reader in this community. We deserve better than to be duped into buying something that's marketed to us in the same exact way every other taboo romance novel or erotica book has been.
It turns out, I have a hard limit. My hard limit is when repulsive, sickening garbage like this is marketed as erotica. There's nothing remotely arousing about it. I'm also not down with taboo for the sake of taboo. I'll happily squint my hardest to see the rightness amidst the wrong in any situation, but I'm not down with a book that's just plain wrong. -
THE WILD: Is a dark, taboo standalone novel by K. Webster.. As requested by the author this review is going to be as spoiler free as I can possibly make it.
Warning: The Wild is an extremely taboo story. Most will find that the themes in this book will make you incredibly uncomfortable. This book is only for the brave, the open-minded, and the ones who crave love in even the most dismal of situations. Extreme sexual themes and violence in certain scenes, which could trigger emotional distress, are found in this story. If you are sensitive to heavy taboo themes, then this story is not for you.
Before delving into this heed the warning the author has tagged on this book, because that shit needs to be taken seriously!! You have been warned!!
And yes you will be indulging in a lot of alcohol!! If you weren't an alcoholic before you will be after this book!!
THE WILD: When they lost their twin boy at the age of ten things slowly started to crumble down around them, their daughter was left without her twin brother and his wife was slipping deeper and deeper into a depression he couldn’t bring her out of. He had to be the glue that kept the family together but no matter how hard he tried that glue sometimes just wasn’t strong enough to hold them. Six years on and the past is still dragging them down, especially for his wife who can’t shake the dark cloud of depression hanging over her.
Liquidating a multimillion dollar company he takes the family away from the stresses that still had it’s hooks in them and moved them off the grid, no civilisation for miles, a life like the Alaskan Bush People. The area was unpopulated, no people for hundreds of miles. Secluded as all fuck.
A time to heal
❀ MY RAMBLED THOUGHTS: ❀ God I'm by bypassing heaven and going straight to fucking hell!! I will never look at this author the same way again!! She looks so innocent and lovely, all blond with big blue eyes what the fuck happened to her and what the fuck happened to me to like this book so much!! Forget therapy I need alcohol!! I can never unsee, unthink those images in my head!! If any of you thought Benny was sick he's child's play considering what the author has thrown at us with this book, some will love this (you sick fucks) and others will hate this (you guys stay as pure for as long as you can) lol
Leave your inhibitions, your morals everything at the door before you one click this, it takes you on a forbidden, taboo, unconceivable journey, this will have you questioning everything good about yourself. This will push you so out of your comfort zones, as your stomach is curling with the forbidden aspect of this story you'll also be getting hot under the collar, it will leave you feeling dirty, sick, wanting to sign up for church to cleanse yourself, no other author has gone to where K.Webster took us!! Nothing will prepare you for this sick ride!! How brave are you?? This book goes way out of the box, lines you thought you'd never cross, get crossed, an unconventional all consuming love story, once you're in, this book kind of grabs you unawares and your hooked from start to finish. I devoured this. Couldn't put it down!!
* Teasers used are off the Authors Facebook page *
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I can't breathe !! I can't Effing breathe!!! She did not go THERE !! Oh yes she did **breathe deep**
Love. Lust. Darkness. Right. Wrong. Sadness. Happiness. Anger. Everything
Reed's family is Xmas picture postcard perfect. Till a tragedy strikes tearing them apart. He decides to take the remaining fragments and move to the Wilderness , in order to patch them back together amidst Nature and Love. But The Wild is like a parellel universe where rules don't apply
we grow up learning norms and behaviour that are deemed acceptable. Yet when all of life's easiness is stripped from us and we're thrust into something arduous, those norms get forgotten. They get shoved to the side as instinct guides the way. The mind is no longer needed. A useless organ. It's the heart that grows Wild. It forges the way . It makes decisions that defy reason and instead break rules that don't exist out here.
The heart becomes a hungry, selfish beast.
It devours the mind and feeds the desires.
My heart is free.
No longer caged by the world but released by love.
There's a Forest , a cabin, a river and two souls
If you think Webster was twisted before, she's goes a push further into a deep hole. And you follow her spiralling down. She's infected me with her darkness and i'm happy to dwell there . Alone. Dark. Cold. While she eats cupcakes upstairs ;p
This book is NOT FOR THE QUEASY . If you have triggers STAY AWAY.
The subject matter is very tabboo, very dark but if you love following Our Twisted Master aka Webster , you'll love it.
I loved it & devoured it ,my heart thumping out of my chest all the time.
I am going to Hell, that's for sure
I pm bombed my bestie throughout, going from queasy to elated to horny to sickened to ecstatic to joyous to blessed, all in one book.
It's a must read but READ IT TILL THE END !!
5 Pinkie Promise stars
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Erm, no - I didn't really like this one at all. I read it because the taboo aspect intrigued me and it was on Kindle Unlimited. I almost dnf at the 20% mark but I was convinced by all the 5 star reviews that the characters would be redeemed in some way so I continued.
Taboo is an understatement, I thought it was pretty sick (a lot sick) and way too over the boundaries for me. As for the storyline, it was all very silly and OTT.
Not for me, not in the slightest! -
You know what they say about how curiosity killed the cat? Well, I was that cat.
**SPOILERS, obviously***
I won't do a full review but there are things why this book didn't work for me. Note: I won't be including the incest thing here because I feel like so many reviews already mentioned that. I won't judge anyone who wants to read it or write it.
Anyhoo, here's my list:
1. Plot contrivances. This book is full of it. From their reason for moving to the wilderness in the first place to the "plot twist" all of it felt like one big convenient plot device.
2. The age of the heroine. Sorry guys, this one I can't let go. The heroine in the book was 16-years old during their first sexual encounter. This might be the biggest reason why this book was banned on Amazon. Amazon won't ban you for incest but child pornography? Heck, yes.
3. Depiction of mental illness. This book framed incest as "well, we can't really choose who to fall in love with so we can't really judge or shame them" and yet it totally failed to frame mental illness as something that people shouldn't be judged for and shamed for. I say this because the mother was depicted as a sick, lazy person who sleeps all day who doesn't love her kids and was killed off in the worst way possible. The way the main characters treated her depression, their anger towards her was awful. If you want people to buy into the idea that these two people are not bad people but are just victims of their desires, then give them empathy for other people. But nope.
4. The writing style. This was my first K Webster book so I'm not familiar with her writing style. But judging by how this book was written, I can safely that her style doesn't work for me. -
DNF @ 40% (right after "they ate bear soup and the quilt fell away from her naked body")
I bought this book a week ago while on vacation. I had no idea what it was about except that it was taboo (which I normally love). I wasn't even aware of all the drama until today when IfinishedDNF'd the book and logged in to GR.
Anyhow, it's not just the storyline. I disliked everything about this book. I didn't like the style. The plot is ridiculous. The characters lack depth.
Please note that this is only my own personal opinion of the book. Nothing more and nothing less.
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The Wild
By K. Webster
4.5 OMG She Went There Stars!!!
If you are familiar with K. Webster books, you will do just fine reading this one. If you are NOT familiar…PLEASE PLEASE Read, the WARNING!!! This book has quite a few MAJOR triggers for people… If you have the slightest fright about anything that is not inside the box, step away from this book now… Pinky Promise me that much… I will even add the warning for you here…
Warning:
The Wild is an extremely taboo story. Most will find that the themes in this book will make you incredibly uncomfortable. This book is only for the brave, the open-minded, and the ones who crave love in even the most dismal of situations. Extreme sexual themes and violence in certain scenes, which could trigger emotional distress, are found in this story. If you are sensitive to heavy taboo themes, then this story is not for you.
It’s been awhile since I stuck my nose in a book and didn’t come up until I was finished. This book was that engrossing. It’s like a train wreck that you can’t look away from. From tragedy after tragedy…the horrible things that this family has been through is enough for anyone to throw in the towel and call it quits.
But…just like every K. Webster book, she pulls you in and tests your limits… chews you up and has you questioning your sanity… The thing you have to do is STICK WITH IT!!! That’s all I am going to say about it… Pinky Promise me this too… You Will Stick With It.
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WARNING MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD
PROCEED WITH CAUTION!!!!!!
So after receiving criticism, for saying that I didn't want to read this book. Readers who have read it stating that I was missing out all the twists and turns and being unfair! I decided to read it to see if I was 'missing out'.... going in with the hope this author could make this taboo subject work. I even knew they weren't related. SHE FAILED!
This book taboo subject is based on incest. Daughter sleeps with her dad.
There is nothing that could make this subject right. Regardless how the author tries to spin it.!!!
Daughter also gets turned on by hearing her dad have sex with her mom.
She crawls into bed one night with her mom and dad and lets her dad finger her! Him thinking it was her mom. Oh but her mom has depression and is withdrawn even though parents often have sex so I guess that makes it ok for heroine to do this.
Mom then dies but daughter still gets turned on by dad even when finding her moms dead body hanging from a tree!
Regardless with how things turn out about who is blood related or not. Daughter really thinks she is sleeping with her dad. That can't be glamourise in my opinion. This heroine is obviously mentally unstable and needs help!
I get the taboo of step father with their step daughter knowing that they aren't blood related to step dad. But to think you are sleeping with your actual dad is disturbing and in my opinion shouldn't be made into any form of romance. -
1 star is too much for this piece of shit.
The author fucking romanticizes CHILD ABUSE AND INCEST in her book.
YEAH CHILD ABUSE.
I don't give a fuck that there's a twist there about how .
Repeat after me: CHILD ABUSE IS NOT ROMANTIC. CHILD ABUSE IS NOT ROMANTIC.
SHE IS STILL A CHILD.
HE, on the other hand, IS A RAPIST.
HE IS A PEDOPHILE.
HE IS A SEX OFFENDER.
The only right way for this book to have ended would have been with him in jail for the rest of his life and her seeking help for her state.
And to all the 5-stars fan-girls of this author, DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE try to defend this steaming pile of shit. I'm convinced you all are high for even attempting to defend this, and I sincerely hope none of you have children. -
I did not like it. At all.
I don't even want to explain why I did not like it.
But not because I am sensitive to heavy taboo themes .
By the way, I find the Warning in the beginning of the book rather insulting for the readers. -
5 Pinky Promise Stars
After losing his son Reed packs his wife Sabrina, daughter Devon and their entire life up and moves them deep into the Alaskan wilderness. Just the three of them off the grid to build a new life and good memories. My heart bled for Sabrina in the beginning, I completely understood why she was the way she was. That's about all I can get into about the plot without giving anything away as this is one crazy ass ride you'll just have to read.
When I started this I quickly got the grasp of what was going to happen and my immediate thought was...........
But of course being me I continued (cautiously).
I know I should not have enjoyed this as much as I did but I just couldn't put the damn thing down. I was drawn in by the story and how well it was written, Don't get me wrong this pushed my boundaries in all sorts of ways on the sick scale and had me questioning myself throughout.
This was by far my favourite stand alone by K. Webster with all its twists and crazy plot, it was written so well. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes a taboo story line but please heed the warning by the author if you can't handle a taboo story line then DON'T even start it!!!!
For me K.Webster.........................
➳ ➳ 📚 Reviewed on behalf of the 1-Click Addict Support Group ➳ ➳ -
Great cover on this one. Perfect representation of the hero and story. Great composition and interesting title work. I do think if the photo of the man was a little lighter it would have added a bit more depth to the cover but other than that, good job.
I LOVED this book. L-O-V-E-D it! Judge me ALL you want but I ain't sorry AT ALL! *lol* So this review is going to be a little light on details because I don't want Eve to shiv me, and personally I think it's a book best gone into blindly. I will say HEED the damn warning, and if you STILL choose to read it then that is on YOU. Not other readers and for sure NOT on the author. Enter at your own risk as they say! ;D
Like I said I loved it. It was well written and fantastically paced. The plot was indeed taboo. The setting was fantastic and now "I" want to pack up my family and move to Alaska. There was action. There was adventure. There was tragedy. There were hot sex scenes. There were a couple of interesting secondary characters (do I sense a book for Atticus and Eve??). All wrapped up in a very satisfying ending. Two HUGE thumbs up from yours truly.
Side Note: I just want to give a shout out to how sweet this author is. She hooked me up within seconds after I messaged her about having some issues getting my ARC for this one.
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Fuck it...
I'm on the road to hell, anyway...
*exhales in attempt of composure*
I'll get straight to the point...
So, this book…
tsk, tsk, tsk…
is exactly what the warning says…a TABOOOOOOO….booooohooooo
nevermind the blurb, that's not the fuckin point…it should have been MORE than just a fuckin TABOO...for me, it was just that...a twisted, shocker, mocking fluke!
Now, what I want to point out, is the fact that unfortunately this book with the subject it presents missed to SHOW the MANIFESTATION of the circumstances and the surroundings that would in fact make two people act/behave OUTSIDE the BOX cause of the EXPLAINED circumstances…
See, think of, for example, the case, the real life case where the plain with the football team crashed in the Andes (mountains) and were trapped there on a high altitude in a freakin snow, and fuckin low below zero temperature, with NO food, extra clothes, or other necessities. The two of them were rescued after weeks, months, but they survived cause the NATURE of preservation instinct prevailed and they turned into canibals. (NOW, this is abso-fuckin-lutely forbidden, taboo, immoral, illegal, the fuck not, BUT the society was in fact trying to come with the terms of their actions/survival cause of the CIRCUMSTANCES. In such wild, fucked up, surroundings, the survival of the fittest is the main premise and the primal instinct is brought back to life cause the WILL to LIVE is, in fact, the most essential ticking pulse in a human being and no law, rules, priniciples can influence or control it)
Now, that being said, cause I had to say something to ease of the burning issues on my mind, and not really touching the storyline of The Wild by K Webster, so I don't spoil it for those who CAN find the EXPLANATION of the actions unraveling in the story.
Cause that obviously ain't me.
In my humble opinion, and this goes out without any judgment really - cause after the given warning, it was purely my own willing decision to read this book - the author took the shocking factor of the TABOO and just exploit it to the max. without actually giving the real psychological/emotional background explanation I needed to feel this tiny, tiny chance of tiny slight possibility this might have been considered just „messed up & unconventional“ and not merely fucked up, disgusting, frowned upon, illiegal, immoral pile of twisted, that was in fact ringed out with a sort of a "justifyable" notion.
Pffft...
Even though the author tends to pull us into the past settings and events that led to the relationship between the characters as we know them now, by giving the flashbacks of the developments, it only shows what I feared the most –
And honestly, in my case, it really has nothing to do with possibly having a closed up/narrow minded stuck up bitch mode or even smth worse, cause I don't DO labels, in anyway, BUT I do have a clear conscience and I can perfectly distinguish a „shocker taboo fluke“ from the exploring attempt of describing the „psychological/emotional“ depth of the characters stranded in the given merciless, unfavory and dangerous situation/circumstances.
NOW, if that, previously mentioned, had been handeled in the right way, this could have ended up being a masterpiece, this way, #sorryNOTsorry but it totally missed the mark for me.
I say "shocker fluke" cause NOT only that it didn't "shock" me, I've read/seen pretty awful shit, so not a lot can phase me, BUT it made me PISSED OFF, and I honestly hate that...cause me, being PISSED, ain't a pretty sight and someone's gonna get hurt LOL and it ain't gonna be me ;)
kiddin, duh?!
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EDITED: I've added a paragraph from Val's review at the end containing a "spoiler" which really shouldn't be a spoiler. I think these type of triggers should be stated in the blurb... and let's face it, by this time a lot of people already know what this book is about.
➦This book is extremely hard to review because of the fact that the author explicitly asks to not put any spoilers in the reviews that might hint at the actual nature of the taboo of this particular story. So all I can do is give you a warning - this is pretty out there.
➦I'm an open minded person and this book made me a bit uncomfortable at times, but the setting was unlike anything I've ever read before and I simply had to finish just out of curiosity alone.
➦How would it be to live in the wilderness of Alaska? What would drive people to actually do it? I can't wrap my mind around it. Living without Game of Thrones and Candy Crush?
➦So listen, there's a love story here. But it's weird, to say the least. Having read until the end I feel a bit better about it than I have initially, but this type of stuff doesn't exactly tickle my pickle, if you know what I mean. And that's ok, to each their own.
➦I liked the book - the characters and setting are unique and the writing is spectacular. I certainly wasn't bored. There was action and some events were brutal/graphic, seemed to happen very fast and kept me at the edge of my seat. If you love dark reads and feeling very adventurous then do pick this one up and give it a shot.
Edited to add: The author should have blatantly stated in the prologue disclaimer that the book involved incest and rape themes and that anyone triggered by these topics should avoid this book. To suggest that anyone sensitive to these themes is not "brave" or "open-minded" is insulting to those people.
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*****FOUR STARS*****
{ARC Generously Provided by Author}
Love, brilliant and deep and powerful, shines in his eyes. It burns me. Scalds me. Imprisons me. Suffocates me. But it also fills me. Fuels me. Frees me.
A couple of years ago, you wouldn’t catch me reading the kind of books that K. Webster writes. I was afraid of dark reads. But now I crave dark reads. I love this author and have come to expect that she will try and push her readers’ boundaries but she’ll spin things in a way that makes you feel less guilty for enjoying a story that to most will seem truly f’d up. I knew going into this, that when the author says the subject matter is extremely taboo, that she is not being overly dramatic. I had strong suspicions of what the storyline would be about and I was right. K. Webster delivers her signature panty melting smut and I did struggle with how I found myself pretty turned on throughout but then I recalled how so many of her other books turned out and I knew she would throw me a life line eventually that would make me feel a little less guilty about the effect this book had on me.
I’m not going to give away the story because I’m afraid of spoiling it for anyone who may want to read it. I will advise that you stay away from all the Facebook drama because I didn’t and that’s how the ending was spoiled for me. If you have hard limits about certain topics that you consider highly taboo, I strongly advise you to avoid this book. I know that it has offended many people in the reading community and I don’t want to waste time standing on my soap box preaching about freedom of speech. All I can say is that I am a huge fan of this author and I trust her, and I’ll read just about anything she writes. I hope that K. Webster continues to be brave and writes all the truly dark and f’d up stories that her devious mind comes up with.
The ebook version of THE WILD has been banned by AMAZON but it is available on SMASHWORDs and is also available for sale as a paperback on Amazon.
Smashwords:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view...
Paperback:
http://amzn.to/2hDolO2
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Please don't judge me but I did enjoy this book; I did feel it was well written and I fully agree this isn't for everyone! There are lines that are definitely crossed and are absolutely going to offend some people. Me; I just remember I am reading fiction and this isn't REAL!!!! This would be why I am able to take this with a grain of salt and move on.
I feel K. Webster does an amazing job of making the reader empathize with the characters to the point where the lines of rules and ethics are faded, and able to understand why under the circumstances. In saying that, I also feel it important to read this one to the end!!!
I will say that any reader who is thinking of reading this; don't take the warnings lightly. And if this is a story you can't continue to read then don't. To me it's as easy as that! -
This was indeed a fast paced, taboo-disgusting at times, twisty, and yet very entertaining read. I'm putting in print that I definitely liked the story... then ducking and hiding.
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SPOILERS AHEAD
I wasn't going to write a review for this book, to be honest.
I was going to quietly remove it from my shelves and try to forget that I ever read it.
But after sitting on it for over a week, I feel like I really can't NOT review it.
I'm an avid dark romance reader; just check out my shelves. Dark, gritty, taboo, something to take me entirely out of my comfort zone? Bring. It. On.
This book? It wasn't taboo. It wasn't dark. It wasn't gritty. At least not for me. It was gratuitous shock value. But that wasn't even a blimp on the issues that I had with it.
Yes, I can appreciate fiction for fiction sake, but I also feel that there are lines that you just don't cross. Every reader is different, so that's not to say that everyone will feel the same about it, and to each their own. But this reader? I was disgusted.
I've been sitting on my review, hoping to see that "trigger warning" be changed. Why? Because I find that trigger warning to be a slap in the face of every survivor of out there. It's not a trigger warning. It's a dare. And this survivor? I'm fucking insulted. This book is not for the brave and the open-minded and to suggest that those that may find the content in this book deplorable aren't? Well, I think that's pretty shameful. And while I can appreciate trying to keep a blurb vague for spoiler reasons, this book deserves a TRUE trigger warning. See, I'm not sensitive to taboo themes, but I do find myself wishing I never read this book.
I read fiction to escape. I like to be taken out of my comfort zone. I enjoy a book that's outside the box. But I also find that I need the underlying message to be a positive one. And while some may argue that this book was a romance, although one in the unlikeliest of situations, I'd disagree with that. But that's fiction, right? The way that we read it is entirely subjective. And when you put strong content out there, you can expect strong reactions. My review being one.
I was slightly appalled the way that depression is addressed in this book. Especially considering all the suicides that we've been hearing about on the news from severe depression. I'm not saying that you can't take a sensitive subject matter and write it as you feel fit, but be aware. Don't take a woman suffering from severe depression due to several miscarriages and brush her off as a lazy cow.
As for the taboo spoiler? That was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. I don't even want to spend time breaking it down. I hated it. HATED IT. I was disgusted with it. I found it to be a slap in the face of every adoptive parent out there and the fact that it was used to excuse something that was essentially the grooming and sexual abuse of a minor? Yeah... No.
Suffice it to say, I had some very strong feelings after finishing this book. None of them good. I feel like I was bamboozled into reading it with a warning that was more of a dare than a true trigger warning and at the end of the day, that's what I took the biggest issue with. Because if ever a book deserved a true trigger warning, this one is it.
There are people that enjoyed it, and like I mentioned, to each their own. But if you're considering reading this book, you need to be aware. I was completely blindsided and I'm not ok with that in the least. -
➳People simply just don't understand the issue at hand in this novel...
➳I finished this novel, and I believe now I can say what I think of it. And all I can say that even though I read the twists and turns, it still disgusts me to read such a taboo story. This is not ROMANCE, this is perversion at the worst level possible. My opinion, my words... Want to judge me? Go ahead!
➳You think I don't like this book because of the "incest" part of it? That's where you are wrong. I don't like this book because of that, but also because she is a minor. Why else would have amazon banned this novel? It is indeed a topic of controversy, but a topic that needs to be looked at thoroughly and thoughtfully.
➳As a blogger, I like to read synopsis to see whether I will find the book interesting or not... I read this synopsis, and no where did it say there will be what happened in the novel involved! It was deceiving and I did not appreciate that at all. Some people may like this kind of "taboo" and HEY, who am I to judge? Just a human being. But if you liked it, well, it floats your boat, just not mine...
➳ARC kindly provided by publisher, in exchange for an honest review
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While I'm passing on reading this for my own personal reasons, I 100% support this author who has the right to publish what she wants and I 100% support anyone who wants to read it.
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This is so well written that it lulls you into accepting things that should never even be considered.
It’s common to blame men when something sexual happens with a young woman. He’s a grown man, he should know better, he holds all the power. But if the case is similar to what happens here, he tried every step of the way to do the right thing. Plus the fact that not only is he an amazing father, with a wife that’s obviously clinically depressed, he’s always been the main parent.
I feel like he was painted as a monster but I don’t see it. Obviously lines have blurred but he still tries to keep the relationship intact. I think what makes him relent is when she gives him the silent treatment after he spanked her. Her behavior too similar to his wife and that scared him. I think what we need to remember, all they have is each other. I’m not saying he didn’t want her, that was mutual, but he tried for a long time to do what’s right.
What gets me is if your son dies due to a snake bite what makes moving off the grid to the middle of the wilderness sound good? I understand running from a bad reputation but hell, you could’ve moved out of the country. It just seemed like an extreme choice.
I also think it’s odd that their adaption to being trapped in the middle of nowhere is practically flawless. I’ve seen Alaskan Bush people, they had several grown men that supposedly grew up in the bush and it took them like a year or more to build a house. And this guy, a fucking real estate mogul, builds a cabin by himself with limited help from his daughter in what, four months? But for the case of fiction, I’ll accept it.
I will say that Devon is a badass survivor. She may want Reed with her but in the end, pretty sure she could do it on her own.
I’m not gonna give anything away but Reed’s logic confuses me. It’s just a personal opinion that it better to rip a bandaid off than peel it off one hair at a time.
Overall this book is no doubt my favorite she has written! -
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TABOO YOU SAY?! I CAN TOTALLY READ THAT!
Stand-alone.
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Blurb:
I brought them to the wilderness because we couldn’t cope with our reality.
The plan was to make a new life that didn’t include heartache.
No people. No technology. No interference.
Just us.
A chance to piece together what was broken.
But the wilderness is untamed and harsh.
Brutal and unforgiving.
It doesn’t give a damn about your feelings.
Tragedy lives there too.
No escaping the truths that won’t let you go.
All you can do is survive where love, no matter how beastly, is the only thing you can truly count on.
Confusing. Wrong. Twisted. Beautiful. Sick.
Love is wild.
And we’re going to set it free. -
Let me lay out my issues: SPOILERS!!!
1. The characters were not forced into some post-apocalaptic event scenario. They chose to move to the wilds of Alaska and basically camp. So, the excuse that they were in a different situation than we can imagine? No. They could have VERY easily gone back to civilization.
2. The girl was 16. If I hear one more person defend this by saying "The age of consent in Alaska is 16" I will lose it because that is SO not the issue. The issue is that he is her father. At no age is that okay.
3. He rapes her. She even calls it that. Not only is it incest, its rape. Double bad.
4. The twist that is suppose to make less taboo really doesn't make a difference. He raised her as his daughter. She is his daughter. The simple face they don't share blood doesn't make it someone okay.
5. The trigger warning that the author includes is more of a challenge. She basically says that if you are close minded you can't handle it. Now, thats pretty broad and I know a lot of people like to think they are fairly open minded. However, when you are dealing with a subject that is THIS polarizing and potentially distressing to some, an appropriate, more specific warning is responsible and necessary. I think the author was being intentionally provocative and while I support books about all kinds of topics and feel that censorship is bad because it denies discussion, I do think that the author was careless about some readers feelings. Do I think that was intentional? I hope not; but, it is careless and provocative none the less.
6. The way the characters handle the depression of the mother is appalling. Its so disheartening to see the 'hero' and 'heroine' of a story treat someone with a mental illness with such disregard. How can anyone support any character who treats those in need with such callousness? The mother had depression. Her son had died. Her husband is obviously a pedophile. Of course she is depressed! But, instead of getting her help, they revel in her death. To me, that is just tasteless and cruel.
