Review of Torture to her Soul by J.M. Darhower

Synopsis: Don't say it unless you mean it…

It's a simple concept, one I've said time and again, but something people don't seem to comprehend. You should choose every syllable carefully, because you never know when somebody will hold you to your word.

Somebody like me.

I'm not a good man. I'm not. I know. I have enough darkness inside of me to rid the world of every stitch of light. But there's one I could never harm, one light I couldn't bring myself to snuff out.

Karissa.

She thinks I'm a monster, and maybe I am. I taunt her with my touch, get a thrill out of torturing her soul. But I'm not the only one. The world is full of monsters, and I'm not the most dangerous one out there.

Not even close…

God help me, I love her.

I do.

And God help anyone who tries to take her from me.

 

4.25 Stars!

 

Review: Ugh! I'm still not sure how I feel about this book, and I've waited a few days to write the review. I was really looking forward to this one, as the first one just left us in such a state of turmoil. Naz had done something so irreversible, in terms of Karissa and one of her family members, yet he is also very committed to keeping her in his life. He basically tells her, at the end of book one, that you can run, but you can't hide.

 

I mean, in some ways, Karissa should probably be thankful that he is so hooked on her and wants her around, or else, she would have already been killed - and there would be no more story. Karissa certainly doesn't feel thankful to Naz, though. In fact, she wavers on the edge of hating him when we start this book, which is told from Naz's POV. And, in many ways, I don't blame her; it would be more weird if she didn't hate him after what he did to her and to her family. They just fell into his really weird, passive-aggressive routine after that, and all you hear is how much Naz is putting up with her because of his love for her. I actually loved the opportunity to hear his voice and perspective, but he let me down a little in this book. In my mind, after the first book, Naz was this take charge, tough, dangerous...impenetrable man. In this book, he not only has a weakness, Karissa, he basically lets her walk all over him, emotionally. Maybe that's the point, and that's supposed to be his redeeming quality, but it just didn't feel like the Naz I read from the first book.

 

Don't get me wrong - there is definitely still an element of danger to Naz. He still would not be someone I would want to encounter in a dark alley...or piss off in any way. However, Karissa does weaken him. Now Karissa...she has every reason to dislike, or hate, Naz. She also felt a little different to me in this book, though. When told through Naz's POV, she came across very bratty and immature. There were elements of that in the first book, as she is still very young, but it was amplified in this book. Granted, she has just experienced a very traumatic event, and she should be mad at Naz. But...the silent treatment and walking around in your panties and a t-shirt? Those don't seem to really emote hatred as well as they could.

 

I will step off my soap box now about Naz and Karissa just feeling different. What they have to go through is definitely not easy. They must face all the many people that don't think that they should be together, and in fact, try to keep them apart. Naz also must learn to live different than he has in close to twenty years, as he now has more than himself to worry about. He also now has a new target on his back, and it's much closer than others have been, in the past. He soon learns that Karissa is still in danger, as well, although now, he's not her biggest danger - someone else is. I was happy with the way that this book ended, as it wasn't really a happy ending, all around, which seems somewhat realistic, considering Naz's lifestyle and choices. Yet, Naz and Karissa manage to find what works for them, which is really what they have done from the beginning of their relationship.

 

I would be curious if anyone else felt like Naz seemed different in this book, now that it was his POV.

 

Jessica