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booksafety 's review for:
Splintered
by Tal Bauer
dark
emotional
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Book safety, content warnings, and tropes down below.
He knew this man like he knew his own soul. Maybe even better. Which was why this, this fracture, this splinter of their lives, was like something inside of him had ripped down the center.
Those were the most intense 161 pages I’ve read in a long time. It was actually scary at times (yay) and more than enough angsty. It played out in my head like a horror movie and I loved it. Tal is pretty much unmatched when it comes to writing anything romantic, but he isn’t praised enough for the way he writes horror and gore. There was a scene that actually made me go ‘eww’ which is fantastic. Rarely happens anymore.
It is — obviously — light on the romance with everything going on and it being a ‘relationship in crisis’ situation, buuuut I was disappointed by the ending. We never got any closure on what started the big conflict to begin with, because of everything that went down after. Don’t get me wrong, they get a happy ending that is as good as it gets and was realistic after all that trauma, but *I* really needed some closure, even if the situation wasn’t relevant anymore by the end. If you’re reading this review without having read the book I’m sure all the vagueness is annoying, but it would be too easy to spoil a massive part of it.
A solid book for sure, one I hadn’t heard shit about until I picked it up myself, but an ending that was really abrupt and dissatisfying.
As per usual the writing was stunning, tho.
Do you think the Devil could do that? Could the Devil trick you so well you can’t tell if someone is who you love or not?
⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Horror romance
Established couple
Semi-closeted MC
High school teacher
Paranormal
Relationship in crisis
Religious themes
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Alcohol consumption
Medical emergency and health issues
Injured MCs
Auditory hallucinations
Vomiting
Prescription drug use (anti-psychotics, anti-depressants)
MC harming himself with sex toys (bleeding, not mentally fit at the time)
MC choking, scratching and hitting other MC (not aware of his actions, not in control)
Self-inflicted cut (off page)
Forced psychiatric hospitalization of MC
MC forcibly restrained by medical personnel
MC forcibly restrained by SC and other MC
Injured SC
Threats of violence against self and other MC
Crisis of faith
Explicit sexual content
Self harm
MCs’ home burning down
Long-term psychiatric hospitalization
*none of the violence between MCs happens on purpose on the MC’s part. He is not aware of doing it.
⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, single
Genre: Horror romance, paranormal elements
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Versatile
Main characters’ age: Not specified
Series: Standalone, multi-author series
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 161
Happy ending: Yes
This slow death was the worst, the atrophy of love, the wasting away of affection.
Ben stared at the bedroom ceiling, tracing the thoughts he’d painted overhead, the imaginary lines connecting points and arguments, rants and accusations and devastations. Words he wanted to shout at Evan, pleas, cries he’d let leak from his eyes as tears fell down his temples while the sun rose.
He’d been afraid. He’d struggled. He’d gotten lost. And he’d splintered apart. The answer, then, was to love. To love Evan as hard, as deeply, as fully as he ever had, and to never, ever let that love go.
Ben caught himself looking over his shoulder in his own home. Or twisting on the stairs and staring behind him. Looking upward. Closing his eyes and holding his breath.
He knew this man like he knew his own soul. Maybe even better. Which was why this, this fracture, this splinter of their lives, was like something inside of him had ripped down the center.
Those were the most intense 161 pages I’ve read in a long time. It was actually scary at times (yay) and more than enough angsty. It played out in my head like a horror movie and I loved it. Tal is pretty much unmatched when it comes to writing anything romantic, but he isn’t praised enough for the way he writes horror and gore. There was a scene that actually made me go ‘eww’ which is fantastic. Rarely happens anymore.
It is — obviously — light on the romance with everything going on and it being a ‘relationship in crisis’ situation, buuuut I was disappointed by the ending. We never got any closure on what started the big conflict to begin with, because of everything that went down after. Don’t get me wrong, they get a happy ending that is as good as it gets and was realistic after all that trauma, but *I* really needed some closure, even if the situation wasn’t relevant anymore by the end. If you’re reading this review without having read the book I’m sure all the vagueness is annoying, but it would be too easy to spoil a massive part of it.
A solid book for sure, one I hadn’t heard shit about until I picked it up myself, but an ending that was really abrupt and dissatisfying.
As per usual the writing was stunning, tho.
Do you think the Devil could do that? Could the Devil trick you so well you can’t tell if someone is who you love or not?
⬇️ Blanket spoiler warning ⬇️
⚠️ Tropes & content tags ⚠️
Horror romance
Established couple
Semi-closeted MC
High school teacher
Paranormal
Relationship in crisis
Religious themes
⚠️ Content warning ⚠️
Alcohol consumption
Medical emergency and health issues
Injured MCs
Auditory hallucinations
Vomiting
Prescription drug use (anti-psychotics, anti-depressants)
MC harming himself with sex toys (bleeding, not mentally fit at the time)
MC choking, scratching and hitting other MC (not aware of his actions, not in control)
Self-inflicted cut (off page)
Forced psychiatric hospitalization of MC
MC forcibly restrained by medical personnel
MC forcibly restrained by SC and other MC
Injured SC
Threats of violence against self and other MC
Crisis of faith
Explicit sexual content
Self harm
MCs’ home burning down
Long-term psychiatric hospitalization
*none of the violence between MCs happens on purpose on the MC’s part. He is not aware of doing it.
⚠️Book safety ⚠️
Cheating: No
Other person drama: No
Breakup: No
POV: 3rd person, single
Genre: Horror romance, paranormal elements
Pairing: M/M
Strict roles or versatile: Versatile
Main characters’ age: Not specified
Series: Standalone, multi-author series
Kindle Unlimited: Yes
Pages: 161
Happy ending: Yes
This slow death was the worst, the atrophy of love, the wasting away of affection.
Ben stared at the bedroom ceiling, tracing the thoughts he’d painted overhead, the imaginary lines connecting points and arguments, rants and accusations and devastations. Words he wanted to shout at Evan, pleas, cries he’d let leak from his eyes as tears fell down his temples while the sun rose.
He’d been afraid. He’d struggled. He’d gotten lost. And he’d splintered apart. The answer, then, was to love. To love Evan as hard, as deeply, as fully as he ever had, and to never, ever let that love go.
Ben caught himself looking over his shoulder in his own home. Or twisting on the stairs and staring behind him. Looking upward. Closing his eyes and holding his breath.