I remember as a teen my friend telling me about killing stalking and when i read it, I felt like soneonethign was wrong with me because i couldn't enjoy it the way she was and got really depressed. It was only as an adult that i realized I didn't get the romance in it because it wasn't a romance. It's a horror story and was INTENDED to be a psychological horror. I've also since learned that when I get horribly depressed when reading a story, no matter how much I enjoy it, its best to put it down until im in an okay headspace.
omg yes i can not imagine reading KS while going through a mental health episode. its a very manipulative story and im glad you were able to reconnect with it in the way it should be read later on in life.
@alilbitmads Thank you and definitely. Honestly as a teenage I really thought that maybe I wasn't reading or connecting with things properly like my peers were. As an adult I realized that I didn't like it because they were often romanticizing abuse and on a very fundamental level it squigged me out. Honestly most of the YA I read did the same thing just to a less graphic degree. Like I straight up couldn't finish reading the house of Nyx series because of a lot of the stuff going on around the 3rd book I think.
I haven’t heard about killing stalking in ages, but it’s actually a really good read. It’s unfortunate how romanticised the story was when it was still being published weekly.
I never understood it. I can understand not liking KS or finding its content too extreme, but I never understood the people who claimed it was a romance. I only read a few brief bits of it but never got the vibe you were supposed to want them to be together.
Dark Romance is mostly just horror- erotica (in my humble opinion). To be fair though...nowadays I feel like most books labeled as romance are erotica or "steamy relationships" and has nothing to do with "romance" which should be about feelings and affection not just sex and kinky stuff. And I say this as someone who do like some smut in my books, but it just doesn't do much for me if there is no connection between the characters besides "he is so hot, or dangerous...."
god i remember when killing stalking first got popular on tumblr and everyone was romantizing it and shit. it wasnt until years later that i watched a youtube video about it as a horror story that i understood it wasnt a romance
I always feel like a lot of datk romance authors and readers dont know what true kink is. Because the books that do get really popular are a caricature of kink...which is as you said "romanticized abuse."
I think I'm just old, but dark romance sure has changed a lot. I used to think I was edgy because I only read dark romance and thrillers, but even I won't read some of the stuff they're cranking out now.
If you thought the first book in the Cat & Mouse Duet is bad, do not read the 2nd one. I was so baffled at the amount of detailed rape scenes that I cried. A lot. I should have taken care of myself better with the TWs, but that's on me. It was truly terrifying and the way Addie reconnects with Zade sexually after what she goes through is the most eccentric and mind boggling thing I have ever read. Recover from sexual violence with more sexual violence except with a guy you're attracted to? Check. 🤮 That is the summary of Addie's healing journey.
Romance has a requirement of HEA. Otherwise it’s just erotica or whatever the secondary genre is. There is a huge difference between dark romance and horror with erotica. Also CNC is a thing, yet the amount of dark romance that forgets the C in front of NC is ridiculous. Also also the 1 woman with 20 men trope annoys me. Like guys, you should ALL be in love not just with the woman?! The way they’ll be clogging all her pipes and not once accidentally touch each other, bffr. 💀
poly romances dont necessarily require all partners to be in love but its weird when the guys are like WE'RE BROTHERS WE LOVE EACH OTHER LIKE BROTHERS while doing group sex... 👀
As a lesbian I think it's so hot if the guys love each other and the girl and she loves them too and it's non toxic I want more of it maybe also in extra queer
@@alilbitmadsThank you for saying that! In the video it kind of seemed to me like there was an implication that polyam dynamics involve everyone dating everyone. As a queer polyam woman, I can tell you it's a very common misconception I come across, so I appreciate the clarification. 🙂
The KS book coming up was like a JUMPSCARE. I think that it's a good thing to have a vicseral reaction to a horror story. But seeing Haunting Adeline and Den of Vipers makes me feel disappointment.
I read Killing Stalking because of another creator who made a video trying to break down why people would romanticize it. After reading all of it I just cannot fathom WHY people would see any aspect of it romantic. Sangwoo is abusive, violent, and incredibly mentally unwell. I would classify it more like a horror or suspense because it made me very tense and anxious the whole time. I am genuinely concerned that there are people who consider it a "dark romance". It has subject matter that is, I can't remember if it has content warnings but it SHOULD, very triggering.
I would recommend finishing Killing Stalking, I think it continues in a very satisfying way and I still really love it- especially because it never crosses the line to blatant romanticization. That was a jumpscare tho lolol
Grenades and snacks in a fanny pack...that is what makes me want to read this book. Out of everything in the video you mentioned, this was it...let's not talk about that lol.
Watched this just before reading the fanny pack scene, and now that I'm in the process of reading the fanny pack scene, oh my gosh is it so much more comedically wholesome than I expected 😂
You know, take out the romance, but leave the danger, than placed the kidnapped in a porno studio; where due to the shoots and sounds, nobody knows that she tied up somewhere, being tormented. Now that a thriller, if written correctly of course!
I think when we talk about the problems with romanticizing abuse, an important thing to consider is impact. The reason why Roxy being sold to a group of 4 mafia guys isn’t as problematic as her overstepping Garrett’s boundaries is because the reader could actually be placed in a situation like the one with Garrett. Having main characters engage in realistic abusive behaviour without an overarching message condemning that abuse is basically telling readers (who are often young and naive) that this stuff is okay. Fiction can definitely be dark when the genre or story calls for it, but when it essentially serves as a manual for how to become an abuse victim or abuser, suddenly it’s no longer just fiction. Similarly I think books about teenagers loving 1,000 year old vampires are infinitely better than books about teens loving realistic human adult characters in real world positions of power. If books like the latter took the time to explore the problematic aspects alongside the thrilling “romantic” parts, then they could be so much better. But they never do.
So when I first read Den of Vipers, I was very unintelligent in the kind of harmful content I was consuming it was merely for smut perspective but now a couple years later I can say “what the fuck was I reading”😂
well, I've never read a dark romance nor do I plan to, but I must admit that the fanny pack thing is endearing. I have one and it's so nice! Also, thank you for talking about ethical non-monogamy, I am so annoyed by these tropes that really don't have anything to do with what nonmonogamy is, urgh
It is very weird when they just refuse to be ENM when that's basically the dynamic they already have. I'm polyam so I'm probably biased but I just don't get why so many stories treat that possessive jealousy like it's vital to the sexiness
i never comment on videos and i was just like doing my little yoga and chilling to your video in the background and then heard killing stalking and omfg. never shot up so fast b4 that’s like a hidden memory you unlocked
I was disgusted by Haunting Adeline and the fact that this was a wildly popular book on TikTok. If this is considered "dark romance", jesus H C****. Women are swooning over Zade on social media and I just DON'T GET IT! he grapes her with a gun, literally! and she is terrified! This is not normal and absolutely should not be romanticized. WTF!
KS has been the only story I've EVER put down. It's so dark and so twisted, I personally could not keep pushing myself to read. And im the type of person to keep reading something even if it is a little outside my comfort zone because i want to knoe the end. I still do not know the ending to KS and im okay with that. It's amazingly written, I'll say that much. The author did a great job at making it almost too uncomfortable to read. DOV though, amazing. I know its twisted in its own way. But thats just my personal experience, would recommend, but definitely not for the faint of heart. There are some very explicit scenes.
God I remember a friend of mine in high school describing the plot of Killing Stalking to me (and shipping the main characters) and I was HORRIFIED lol
I absolutely loved this book. I devoured this book in 2 days, all I did was sleep and read (and eat in between). Kenzo and Diesel are my favorite. I liked the fact that there were not SA between the main characters. None of them forced her, nothing was non-consensual. SPOILER: the first sex scene was from Roxy's POV so we readers know that she did not object to that, in fact later she said that she liked it. It was hate-sex type of thing but she did not say no. Kenzo is a sweetheart and he would have stopped if she said no. They also did not act on their sexual urges instantly, only when they saw that Roxy was interested in them sexually. The only problem I had with book is that the transition from hate to love was too quick. the submission happened too fast. And that the last bit of the book was just sex, every scene would end up in them having sex. Personally, I would have enjoyed some fluff in between sex. With all being said, I loved this book. Dark romance is not my thing and this was the first one I read. Next on my list is Haunting Adeline. I am scared.
Killing Stalking just threw me back into tumblr when EEEEEVERRYONEEEE was romanticizing it. Man, even though i love horror stuff, im glad that i dodged a bullet with those people.
As a dark romance girly. You are valid and I like your critiques. I am the 'no shame in liking a kink or dark shit but let's acknowledged this isn't okay irl camp." Though let them be a little bi. Come on.
i definitely think that there is catharsis in reading extreme content. i enjoy extreme horror for that very reason. it's when books like haunting adeline glamorize the abuse as romantic but then try to say others "don't get it" bc its dark romance is where i get so frustrated. glad you enjoyed the video!
Sorry, teach, late for class, but totally agree an author calling their story "dark" does not equal free pass to put whatever in the book. Readers need to be careful in what they choose if cw/tw are clear for a story & those are possibly triggering for you, but the author still gets held to a standard for HOW they handle that content. As a reviewer we can critique grammar, spelling, realism & content choices. We can question, laugh at & hate certain things an author does regardless of the genre they've written. I 1 starred Haunting Adeline & DNFd it because I hated the lack of research by the author for proper architectural history with the gothic home Adeline inherited & the biological errors in Zade's 1st torture scene - cutting the "Achilles heel" & implying that the tortured person still had fingernails to remove after Zade had already pulled off 10. I'm sorry. It is the Achilles TENDON & if you're still pulling after 10 then you've moved on to TOEnails. If you want to write dark, go dark, but if you're an adult writing for other adults I'm going to need you to prove that you actually know adult things & aren't just baiting young readers with spicy spooky stories to tell in the dark. Also, we have the right to say if themes don't make sense in the story based on the author's writing. We're not saying a type of hate or violence doesn't belong in dark romance, we're saying that the author has no skill, experience or nuance to write it. If, as a reader, you can look past & excuse all of that to 5 star something like Haunting Adeline, you do you boo. I'm not envious or angry about it. We're all entitled to our own opinions & can have a conversation when opinions vary without going on the attack.
@@M.H.I.A.F.T.Thats assuming the book does everything right, with tact, and the intent was to actually show the dark reality of this type of thing instead of making some random whitebread barely teenage girl fall in love with a serial killer cause thats what the author wants
*Sigh* I'm going to have to read this damn book, aren't I? (Edited to add: Holy Hell! The audiobook for this is more than 19 hours long! How can the "plot" of the book you described take so long? How long are these people boning?)
I have a random request. As a gay man I was reading a very straight monster loving book series. I want to get some of it all this point of view on it. The first book is the morning glory milking farm. Thoughts??
I haven't read it yet, but I've heard it's good. The author does have other monster romances where the characters are at least bisexual and there are M/M scenes.
I’m only halfway through the book and although I was obsessed in the beginning, during/after the first Diesel sex scene, I snapped out of it (or the writing just got worse at that point). Could have used prolonged hate and mystery amongst the characters instead of them all suddenly being obsessed and in love with her. Or if we’re moving on into a better plot, then let’s effing go. Instead, I’m wondering why I still have over 300 pages to go with no development on the plot. Glad to see I’m not the only one with these views.
This is a very late response, but the book features a whole thing with a bunch of wealthy and powerful people who are not only p*dos but are sacrificing children as part of a satanic ritual. This is a big part of Qanon conspiracies and an accusation that people in that sphere tend to level at anyone they don't agree with. The book apparently also initially had a direct reference to many of the key players in this group being Jewish, another factor of the Qanon conspiracies, before the author took it out due to backlash. It's the kind of thing that, if you're not familiar with Qanon may just seem like hokey satanic panic nonsense, but if you have even a passing familiarity with Qanon, it's pretty obvious that's what it's rooted in.
I visibly shuddered at the mention of Killing Stalking, and I thank you for not dwelling on it. IN OTHER NEWS: I still have to finish Den of Vipers (audiobook) and now I'm even more excited to do so! The Garrett thing, yeah, very cringe and just bad. And agreed, Diesel is the best :)
Genuine, but maybe kinda stupid, question, does the author's intent matter if the fans are gonna ship the problematic couple anyway? Cuz that's what happened with killing stalking. The majority of the fans of this manhwa were shipping them, and even tho I enjoy reading horror, I stopped reading KS bc of the discourse around it, which it was mostly just shipping.
Nooope, it still does. Unless the author feeds into it, the fandom shouldn't override your perspective of the relationships between characters. It can make you just not like the shippers though, because despite all the people saying "Its fiction, its not serious" the very premise of making an abuser/abused couple unionically and liking it isn't right
I think it depends. If it's the kind of thing where it's like "oh they're not together in the source content but they have a lot of chemistry and subtext I'm kind of into it," I think shipping it even if it wasn't the author's intent is fine. Sometimes messy couples and enemies to lovers can be very fun and sexy (think shipping a superhero with their archenemy or something like that). But I think in situations where the authorial intent is dependent on the fact that they are harmful and dangerous together (and especially in something like killing stalking, where it's a horror story where the horror is derived from the destructiveness and cruelty of the relationship), then authorial intent does matter. Now there is the consideration of is the author's stated intent actually supported by the story. I've seen plenty of works where the creators claimed the intent was not to romanticize or glorify abuse or trauma, but the work didn't support that. But something like killing stalking I think is very easily understood as a horror even without knowing what the author was going for, and people seeing it as a romance are either being misled before they go into it or are seeing it through a lens colored by their own (probably unhealthy) ideas around abuse and relationships.
i've never read den of vipers (and never will) but to me it just sounds like you read a fanfic of some sort that managed to get published??? somehow?? and i dunno whether to be mad about it or not because on the one hand it's like damn how did you do that?? but on the other hand. Why Would A Loving God Allow This Type Of Thing To Get Published but obviously there are worse books out there (such as the one with the zade guy) anyways thank you for continuing to put yourself thru unfathomable anguish to make videos for all of us inturnet people 😌 edit: more vine references please 🥹
This video was a trip! All these characters sound like terrible people, but the fanny pack with grenades took me out. That's a gag that would be right at home in Deadpool or Peacemaker. Thank you for reading this book so we don't have to!
19:40 omg I really wish you hadn’t said that 😭”those might be dated and some of yall may not get that” HELLO? Have we reached an age where vine references are no longer understood? Bestie please. Please say sike
Okay, listen. I'm a 35 yo old cis woman who have read erotica since I was 18 years old, so since 2006-2007. The dark romance/erotica genre always existed but back then erotica was waaaaay more niche then it is today and 99% of them could be bought online only (today there's a whole ass area in every book shop for NA/Smut). And let me tell you. That the dark romance books back then contained of S/M, fetishes, plays and so on but it was RADICALLY consensual. Anything that wasn't consensual was strictly described as rape or a part of horror. So as someone who has a good comparison to the romance/erotica genre from the early 00s to today, I can tell you that I'm very, VERY concerned what readers today consider as "romance" or "sexy". Books like "Den of Vipers" have always existed, don't get me wrong, but it's the perception of problematic content that has nothing to do with fetish and or consent that changed drastically over the years. What is wrong with people??
Okay I paused before the spoilers for me came but I’m almost done with den of vipers and I’m not slutshaming but roxy pisses me off and this book gives me incest vibes cus there actual brothers sleeping with this girl which I find so weird😂😂😂. But diesel is definitely my favor character lol
Reverse herams are not polyamory. Reverse harem or harem even is the fantasy that multiple people are into you at the same time. Polyamory if I’m right is everyone in a relationship with everyone or just multiple people. Recerse herams often end with the lead choosing the other lead. A good genre of romance books that would do this is Mmf or mfm romances. Again reverse heram is not polyamory. The main idea of haram is multiple people being into you.
Yea.. No, the part about Haunting Adeline is just you thinking anyone that points out that pedofiles exist among the rich and powerful is somehow a qanon propagandist, even when they _had no clear intention_ to draw any parallels in the first place is so wild to me Sex traficking and selling children isn't an online conspirancy, and it deffinetly isn't only a US thing That book is wild for other reasons, but you chose the one that doesn't even exist
Den of Vipers is the worst Wattpad book I've ever skimmed. As a hard-core dark romance fan, I can say with confidence that Roxy is the worst FMC I've ever had the misfortune of reading about. I have no idea why people love this book.
When you said Killing Stalking i got Vietnam flashbacks 😢 the way people were romanticizing it, was horrific, but it was mostly teens.
my brother reacted to seeing the physical copy like it was a cursed object 🤣
@@alilbitmads honestly? I would too 🤭
killing me softly is too good to be known by tikytok as the “killing stalking song” 😒
Seriously, how do people think that's romance there was not a single dust of love/ romance in it & the name is killing stalking
@@kenmakozume4478 they’re delulu 😃
When you mentioned killing stalking I immediately knew that I have to distance myself from the other books.
completely fair tbh. i will say KS is much better written than either Den of Vipers and Haunting Adeline.
I would love if they re-done these in anime
I remember as a teen my friend telling me about killing stalking and when i read it, I felt like soneonethign was wrong with me because i couldn't enjoy it the way she was and got really depressed. It was only as an adult that i realized I didn't get the romance in it because it wasn't a romance. It's a horror story and was INTENDED to be a psychological horror. I've also since learned that when I get horribly depressed when reading a story, no matter how much I enjoy it, its best to put it down until im in an okay headspace.
Same!
omg yes i can not imagine reading KS while going through a mental health episode. its a very manipulative story and im glad you were able to reconnect with it in the way it should be read later on in life.
@alilbitmads Thank you and definitely. Honestly as a teenage I really thought that maybe I wasn't reading or connecting with things properly like my peers were. As an adult I realized that I didn't like it because they were often romanticizing abuse and on a very fundamental level it squigged me out. Honestly most of the YA I read did the same thing just to a less graphic degree. Like I straight up couldn't finish reading the house of Nyx series because of a lot of the stuff going on around the 3rd book I think.
I haven’t heard about killing stalking in ages, but it’s actually a really good read. It’s unfortunate how romanticised the story was when it was still being published weekly.
oh i found it absolutely phenomenal but i bet when it came out people didn’t realize how much of horror story it was.
Your pfp made me remember that when I was 4 I had a crush on Proteus and i will now go die with shame.
I never understood it. I can understand not liking KS or finding its content too extreme, but I never understood the people who claimed it was a romance. I only read a few brief bits of it but never got the vibe you were supposed to want them to be together.
@@bishielurfer Same, it was wild to me that people saw a romance when I clearly saw a thriller/horror.
I'll sell you my daughter!
Actual mafia: so you're a real piece of work? Makes what im about to do to you a lot easier!
THE END
Dark Romance is mostly just horror- erotica (in my humble opinion). To be fair though...nowadays I feel like most books labeled as romance are erotica or "steamy relationships" and has nothing to do with "romance" which should be about feelings and affection not just sex and kinky stuff. And I say this as someone who do like some smut in my books, but it just doesn't do much for me if there is no connection between the characters besides "he is so hot, or dangerous...."
Exactly. There's nothing romantic about any of it lmao
god i remember when killing stalking first got popular on tumblr and everyone was romantizing it and shit. it wasnt until years later that i watched a youtube video about it as a horror story that i understood it wasnt a romance
oof i haven’t been on tumblr in sometime but it does not surprise me they were all for it 🙄
I saw this and whispered, “We sure do need to talk about this.” And then I laughed manically. This is going on the list of signs I need therapy.
I always feel like a lot of datk romance authors and readers dont know what true kink is. Because the books that do get really popular are a caricature of kink...which is as you said "romanticized abuse."
it’s very strange how despite these books wanting to be kinky they actually can’t commit to being so and then end up so much worse than if they had.
Yes! It’s so frustrating and doesn’t help kink be better understood by anyone 😩
I think I'm just old, but dark romance sure has changed a lot. I used to think I was edgy because I only read dark romance and thrillers, but even I won't read some of the stuff they're cranking out now.
When I tell that the mention of Killing Stalking CLOCKED ME AND SENT ME INTO THE GREAT VOID OF SPACE LIKE A BULLET TRAIN ENCOUNTERING A BLUE JELLO
WHY DO YOU KNOW WHAT A BULLET TRAIN DOES WHEN IT ENCOUNTERS BLUE JELLO??
@@alilbitmads I DIDN’T KNOW I DID AND THEN YOU MENTIONED KILLING STALKING 😂
Nooo the part about the fanny pack with the grenades + snacks?! I 100% get your enthusiasm, this is what we need from a weird fighterguy love interest
its truly the most out of the blue snippet but it’s iconic
If you thought the first book in the Cat & Mouse Duet is bad, do not read the 2nd one. I was so baffled at the amount of detailed rape scenes that I cried. A lot. I should have taken care of myself better with the TWs, but that's on me. It was truly terrifying and the way Addie reconnects with Zade sexually after what she goes through is the most eccentric and mind boggling thing I have ever read. Recover from sexual violence with more sexual violence except with a guy you're attracted to? Check. 🤮 That is the summary of Addie's healing journey.
Imma put this here for later, cause I'm not in the right mind rn for this, but I love your vids and will watch when I can
i hope you’re doing ok! ♥️
@@alilbitmads I will soon, thanks!
I admit I don't read books like this, but your reviews are entertaining to watch.
half of the reason i make these videos tbh is for the lols 😂
@@alilbitmads And I appreciate it. 😜
Romance has a requirement of HEA. Otherwise it’s just erotica or whatever the secondary genre is. There is a huge difference between dark romance and horror with erotica.
Also CNC is a thing, yet the amount of dark romance that forgets the C in front of NC is ridiculous.
Also also the 1 woman with 20 men trope annoys me. Like guys, you should ALL be in love not just with the woman?! The way they’ll be clogging all her pipes and not once accidentally touch each other, bffr. 💀
A HEA or at least a HFN which is a happy for now
poly romances dont necessarily require all partners to be in love but its weird when the guys are like WE'RE BROTHERS WE LOVE EACH OTHER LIKE BROTHERS while doing group sex... 👀
As a lesbian I think it's so hot if the guys love each other and the girl and she loves them too and it's non toxic I want more of it maybe also in extra queer
@@alilbitmadsThank you for saying that! In the video it kind of seemed to me like there was an implication that polyam dynamics involve everyone dating everyone. As a queer polyam woman, I can tell you it's a very common misconception I come across, so I appreciate the clarification. 🙂
@@bishielurfer totally get yah! polyamory is so different for everyone but it’s wild that books like these don’t even acknowledge the concept.
10:38 I knew the 1D fanfic reference was coming and it still made me laugh
the first time i heard about it i was speechless 😂
I am terrified of this book 😂
it’s truly remarkable 🤣
The KS book coming up was like a JUMPSCARE. I think that it's a good thing to have a vicseral reaction to a horror story.
But seeing Haunting Adeline and Den of Vipers makes me feel disappointment.
i both knew and am surprised by how people are reacting to KS - kinda love it 😆😆
I read Killing Stalking because of another creator who made a video trying to break down why people would romanticize it. After reading all of it I just cannot fathom WHY people would see any aspect of it romantic. Sangwoo is abusive, violent, and incredibly mentally unwell. I would classify it more like a horror or suspense because it made me very tense and anxious the whole time. I am genuinely concerned that there are people who consider it a "dark romance". It has subject matter that is, I can't remember if it has content warnings but it SHOULD, very triggering.
Killing Stalking should be treated as a test on who has reading literacy🤣.
Diesel is the superior character in that hot mess of a book. I remember nothing about it but the fact that I enjoyed Diesel
hes truly a gem - a psychotic one but still a gem!
I would recommend finishing Killing Stalking, I think it continues in a very satisfying way and I still really love it- especially because it never crosses the line to blatant romanticization. That was a jumpscare tho lolol
The phany pack tho… 🤣💗
ive literally been manifesting this video. thank you !!!!!
Grenades and snacks in a fanny pack...that is what makes me want to read this book. Out of everything in the video you mentioned, this was it...let's not talk about that lol.
no but like that was what stuck with me and it’s so random and out of the blue that it just becomes completely endearing 😊
Watched this just before reading the fanny pack scene, and now that I'm in the process of reading the fanny pack scene, oh my gosh is it so much more comedically wholesome than I expected 😂
I'm crying at your description of the knife scene 😭😂
gotta dosiedo with those youtube guidelines yah feel me 🤣
You know, take out the romance, but leave the danger, than placed the kidnapped in a porno studio; where due to the shoots and sounds, nobody knows that she tied up somewhere, being tormented.
Now that a thriller, if written correctly of course!
I think when we talk about the problems with romanticizing abuse, an important thing to consider is impact. The reason why Roxy being sold to a group of 4 mafia guys isn’t as problematic as her overstepping Garrett’s boundaries is because the reader could actually be placed in a situation like the one with Garrett. Having main characters engage in realistic abusive behaviour without an overarching message condemning that abuse is basically telling readers (who are often young and naive) that this stuff is okay. Fiction can definitely be dark when the genre or story calls for it, but when it essentially serves as a manual for how to become an abuse victim or abuser, suddenly it’s no longer just fiction. Similarly I think books about teenagers loving 1,000 year old vampires are infinitely better than books about teens loving realistic human adult characters in real world positions of power. If books like the latter took the time to explore the problematic aspects alongside the thrilling “romantic” parts, then they could be so much better. But they never do.
So when I first read Den of Vipers, I was very unintelligent in the kind of harmful content I was consuming it was merely for smut perspective but now a couple years later I can say “what the fuck was I reading”😂
well, I've never read a dark romance nor do I plan to, but I must admit that the fanny pack thing is endearing. I have one and it's so nice!
Also, thank you for talking about ethical non-monogamy, I am so annoyed by these tropes that really don't have anything to do with what nonmonogamy is, urgh
It is very weird when they just refuse to be ENM when that's basically the dynamic they already have. I'm polyam so I'm probably biased but I just don't get why so many stories treat that possessive jealousy like it's vital to the sexiness
It gets even more whimsical/camp when you remember that Diesel actually has many different design fanny packs!
I’m laughing at the “sold me to the mafia” trope 😂😂
Oh god the mention of KS caught me by surprise
i never comment on videos and i was just like doing my little yoga and chilling to your video in the background and then heard killing stalking and omfg. never shot up so fast b4 that’s like a hidden memory you unlocked
omg i didn’t realize how much of a jump scare it would be for everyone 😂
I was disgusted by Haunting Adeline and the fact that this was a wildly popular book on TikTok. If this is considered "dark romance", jesus H C****. Women are swooning over Zade on social media and I just DON'T GET IT! he grapes her with a gun, literally! and she is terrified! This is not normal and absolutely should not be romanticized. WTF!
Roxy is just Ebony Dark'Ness Dimentia Raven Way in a very slightly different font
oh god not killing stalking 😭😭 great video though! this shit’s crazy
KS has been the only story I've EVER put down. It's so dark and so twisted, I personally could not keep pushing myself to read. And im the type of person to keep reading something even if it is a little outside my comfort zone because i want to knoe the end. I still do not know the ending to KS and im okay with that. It's amazingly written, I'll say that much. The author did a great job at making it almost too uncomfortable to read.
DOV though, amazing. I know its twisted in its own way. But thats just my personal experience, would recommend, but definitely not for the faint of heart. There are some very explicit scenes.
Gurll I've been waiting and manifesting this video. Thank you!
idk what it says about Me as a content creator that i inspire someone to manifest this but i’m glad you enjoyed!!
God I remember a friend of mine in high school describing the plot of Killing Stalking to me (and shipping the main characters) and I was HORRIFIED lol
I absolutely loved this book. I devoured this book in 2 days, all I did was sleep and read (and eat in between). Kenzo and Diesel are my favorite. I liked the fact that there were not SA between the main characters. None of them forced her, nothing was non-consensual. SPOILER: the first sex scene was from Roxy's POV so we readers know that she did not object to that, in fact later she said that she liked it. It was hate-sex type of thing but she did not say no. Kenzo is a sweetheart and he would have stopped if she said no. They also did not act on their sexual urges instantly, only when they saw that Roxy was interested in them sexually. The only problem I had with book is that the transition from hate to love was too quick. the submission happened too fast. And that the last bit of the book was just sex, every scene would end up in them having sex. Personally, I would have enjoyed some fluff in between sex. With all being said, I loved this book. Dark romance is not my thing and this was the first one I read. Next on my list is Haunting Adeline. I am scared.
heyy as a dark romance reader I am thinking about reading this book and there is only one question I need to ask"who does Roxy end up with ? "
all of them. it's a reverse harem book @@k-popworld9196
Killing Stalking just threw me back into tumblr when EEEEEVERRYONEEEE was romanticizing it. Man, even though i love horror stuff, im glad that i dodged a bullet with those people.
As a dark romance girly. You are valid and I like your critiques. I am the 'no shame in liking a kink or dark shit but let's acknowledged this isn't okay irl camp."
Though let them be a little bi. Come on.
i definitely think that there is catharsis in reading extreme content. i enjoy extreme horror for that very reason. it's when books like haunting adeline glamorize the abuse as romantic but then try to say others "don't get it" bc its dark romance is where i get so frustrated. glad you enjoyed the video!
Sorry, teach, late for class, but totally agree an author calling their story "dark" does not equal free pass to put whatever in the book. Readers need to be careful in what they choose if cw/tw are clear for a story & those are possibly triggering for you, but the author still gets held to a standard for HOW they handle that content. As a reviewer we can critique grammar, spelling, realism & content choices. We can question, laugh at & hate certain things an author does regardless of the genre they've written. I 1 starred Haunting Adeline & DNFd it because I hated the lack of research by the author for proper architectural history with the gothic home Adeline inherited & the biological errors in Zade's 1st torture scene - cutting the "Achilles heel" & implying that the tortured person still had fingernails to remove after Zade had already pulled off 10. I'm sorry. It is the Achilles TENDON & if you're still pulling after 10 then you've moved on to TOEnails. If you want to write dark, go dark, but if you're an adult writing for other adults I'm going to need you to prove that you actually know adult things & aren't just baiting young readers with spicy spooky stories to tell in the dark. Also, we have the right to say if themes don't make sense in the story based on the author's writing. We're not saying a type of hate or violence doesn't belong in dark romance, we're saying that the author has no skill, experience or nuance to write it. If, as a reader, you can look past & excuse all of that to 5 star something like Haunting Adeline, you do you boo. I'm not envious or angry about it. We're all entitled to our own opinions & can have a conversation when opinions vary without going on the attack.
@@M.H.I.A.F.T.Thats assuming the book does everything right, with tact, and the intent was to actually show the dark reality of this type of thing instead of making some random whitebread barely teenage girl fall in love with a serial killer cause thats what the author wants
I'm pretty sure that is Eren on the cover of that Killing Stalking book!...and I'm going now find that lol
*Sigh* I'm going to have to read this damn book, aren't I? (Edited to add: Holy Hell! The audiobook for this is more than 19 hours long! How can the "plot" of the book you described take so long? How long are these people boning?)
So very often
Haha 🤣 Not you having a picture of Elijah Mikaelson as Ryder(sp?)
he’s just Too Perfect 😂
I have a random request. As a gay man I was reading a very straight monster loving book series. I want to get some of it all this point of view on it. The first book is the morning glory milking farm. Thoughts??
I haven't read it yet, but I've heard it's good. The author does have other monster romances where the characters are at least bisexual and there are M/M scenes.
@deandracarter8468 which ones, I read the cambridge creek series and the maybon one
@@andrewchelton6710 the Monstrous Matches series.
I'm glad I only read warhammer books
Maybe give the 'the legend of drizzt' series a shot. D&D book series that started in the 80s.
Im currently at book 6 and imo theyre a pretty fun read.
I'll never stop quoting vines
they will have to take them from my cold dead hands lol
I’m only halfway through the book and although I was obsessed in the beginning, during/after the first Diesel sex scene, I snapped out of it (or the writing just got worse at that point). Could have used prolonged hate and mystery amongst the characters instead of them all suddenly being obsessed and in love with her. Or if we’re moving on into a better plot, then let’s effing go. Instead, I’m wondering why I still have over 300 pages to go with no development on the plot. Glad to see I’m not the only one with these views.
maybe because I'm not living in the states, but what is the qanon thing with haunting adelaine?
This is a very late response, but the book features a whole thing with a bunch of wealthy and powerful people who are not only p*dos but are sacrificing children as part of a satanic ritual.
This is a big part of Qanon conspiracies and an accusation that people in that sphere tend to level at anyone they don't agree with.
The book apparently also initially had a direct reference to many of the key players in this group being Jewish, another factor of the Qanon conspiracies, before the author took it out due to backlash.
It's the kind of thing that, if you're not familiar with Qanon may just seem like hokey satanic panic nonsense, but if you have even a passing familiarity with Qanon, it's pretty obvious that's what it's rooted in.
Lol I also read this on my phone in one night 😂. It was a... interesting read? I enjoyed it but it didn't have much of a plot.
I visibly shuddered at the mention of Killing Stalking, and I thank you for not dwelling on it.
IN OTHER NEWS: I still have to finish Den of Vipers (audiobook) and now I'm even more excited to do so! The Garrett thing, yeah, very cringe and just bad. And agreed, Diesel is the best :)
yep just a quick in and out for KS - i didn't realize how visceral everyones reactions were gonna be to seeing it 😆
This book is just ✨Stockholm syndrome✨ in a nutshell
I hate haunting
eyesocket!?
you heard me right
Can you please do Once You're Mine by Morgan Bridges ?
You might want to read The Reapers as well... in some ways this is better
Genuine, but maybe kinda stupid, question, does the author's intent matter if the fans are gonna ship the problematic couple anyway? Cuz that's what happened with killing stalking. The majority of the fans of this manhwa were shipping them, and even tho I enjoy reading horror, I stopped reading KS bc of the discourse around it, which it was mostly just shipping.
Nooope, it still does. Unless the author feeds into it, the fandom shouldn't override your perspective of the relationships between characters. It can make you just not like the shippers though, because despite all the people saying "Its fiction, its not serious" the very premise of making an abuser/abused couple unionically and liking it isn't right
I think it depends.
If it's the kind of thing where it's like "oh they're not together in the source content but they have a lot of chemistry and subtext I'm kind of into it," I think shipping it even if it wasn't the author's intent is fine. Sometimes messy couples and enemies to lovers can be very fun and sexy (think shipping a superhero with their archenemy or something like that).
But I think in situations where the authorial intent is dependent on the fact that they are harmful and dangerous together (and especially in something like killing stalking, where it's a horror story where the horror is derived from the destructiveness and cruelty of the relationship), then authorial intent does matter.
Now there is the consideration of is the author's stated intent actually supported by the story. I've seen plenty of works where the creators claimed the intent was not to romanticize or glorify abuse or trauma, but the work didn't support that.
But something like killing stalking I think is very easily understood as a horror even without knowing what the author was going for, and people seeing it as a romance are either being misled before they go into it or are seeing it through a lens colored by their own (probably unhealthy) ideas around abuse and relationships.
i've never read den of vipers (and never will) but to me it just sounds like you read a fanfic of some sort that managed to get published??? somehow?? and i dunno whether to be mad about it or not because on the one hand it's like damn how did you do that?? but on the other hand. Why Would A Loving God Allow This Type Of Thing To Get Published but obviously there are worse books out there (such as the one with the zade guy)
anyways thank you for continuing to put yourself thru unfathomable anguish to make videos for all of us inturnet people 😌
edit: more vine references please 🥹
Excuse me... HE PUT WHAT ON WHERE!?
This video was a trip! All these characters sound like terrible people, but the fanny pack with grenades took me out. That's a gag that would be right at home in Deadpool or Peacemaker. Thank you for reading this book so we don't have to!
19:40 omg I really wish you hadn’t said that 😭”those might be dated and some of yall may not get that” HELLO? Have we reached an age where vine references are no longer understood? Bestie please. Please say sike
I also thought this was funny lol kinda liked it despite being a men hating lesbian it was so trippy and crazy very funny book
Okay, listen. I'm a 35 yo old cis woman who have read erotica since I was 18 years old, so since 2006-2007. The dark romance/erotica genre always existed but back then erotica was waaaaay more niche then it is today and 99% of them could be bought online only (today there's a whole ass area in every book shop for NA/Smut). And let me tell you. That the dark romance books back then contained of S/M, fetishes, plays and so on but it was RADICALLY consensual. Anything that wasn't consensual was strictly described as rape or a part of horror. So as someone who has a good comparison to the romance/erotica genre from the early 00s to today, I can tell you that I'm very, VERY concerned what readers today consider as "romance" or "sexy". Books like "Den of Vipers" have always existed, don't get me wrong, but it's the perception of problematic content that has nothing to do with fetish and or consent that changed drastically over the years. What is wrong with people??
Gen Z being kidnapped: aM I bEtTeR thAn EVerYoNe?
OMGGG HIII
Okay I paused before the spoilers for me came but I’m almost done with den of vipers and I’m not slutshaming but roxy pisses me off and this book gives me incest vibes cus there actual brothers sleeping with this girl which I find so weird😂😂😂. But diesel is definitely my favor character lol
Roxy sounds so unlikable.
You get a follow madam:)
I'M PLANNING TO READ DIS, IS DIS UUHH.. . POLYAMORY?😅
Did you not listen to the video?
They are both bad, to be fair, but Den of Vipers is the better book.
Reverse herams are not polyamory. Reverse harem or harem even is the fantasy that multiple people are into you at the same time. Polyamory if I’m right is everyone in a relationship with everyone or just multiple people. Recerse herams often end with the lead choosing the other lead. A good genre of romance books that would do this is Mmf or mfm romances. Again reverse heram is not polyamory. The main idea of haram is multiple people being into you.
Yea.. No, the part about Haunting Adeline is just you thinking anyone that points out that pedofiles exist among the rich and powerful is somehow a qanon propagandist, even when they _had no clear intention_ to draw any parallels in the first place is so wild to me
Sex traficking and selling children isn't an online conspirancy, and it deffinetly isn't only a US thing
That book is wild for other reasons, but you chose the one that doesn't even exist
Den of Vipers is the worst Wattpad book I've ever skimmed. As a hard-core dark romance fan, I can say with confidence that Roxy is the worst FMC I've ever had the misfortune of reading about. I have no idea why people love this book.