Hunting Adeline
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Hunting Adeline 〰️
Small side rant before I get into my thoughts on the book as a whole. (Okay, not super small).
I think I mentioned this in my review of the first book, but this issue has been ramped up in the second book. Zade is the most hypocritical character I've ever read. Yes, he loves Addie, and I see his love and he can be a genuinely great guy to have as your boyfriend (if you look past all his "bad" stuff). But for someone who kills people for a living, because those people raped and tortured other people, you'd think he'd take his own advice. Yes, those people he killed were monsters and this isn't the type of story where we judge a character for taking the law into their own hands. But he does the exact same things to Addie, someone who has now been a victim of extreme trauma herself. (Also, I don't care how much the book tries to make it seem not so, but Addie 100% was kidnapped and put into human trafficking because of Zade and his obsession over her). Zade is always saying she is safe with him and that she's not with the monsters anymore, yet he still screws her without her consent (although she's into it, so I guess it's consensual?). He stalked her. He forced her to love him. He marked her with a knife. He's done basically everything her captors did to her, but because he loves her, it's now okay? Yeah, sure.
Not to mention he kills people just for even looking at her wrong. (Granted, it's "justified" now because those people end up being bad people, but still). Yes, she loves him in the end, but he leaves her no choice. Stockholm syndrome, much? I know he wanted her to love him as he is (which she does), but he didn't treat her better than the people who raped her most of the time. She was basically his personal human sex toy.
I know a lot of people like Zade, and as a character, I do too, but he's not a good guy and if he were real, he should be in jail and not someone to root for. I feel like I have more to say but it's probably going to be repetitive, so I'll end my rant here.
That being said, I really did enjoy this book. It's problematic af, but we knew that going in. Was it as good as the first book and Satan's Affair? No. But the part one of the book was a gripping read. I really felt like I was held captive in a human trafficking ring. Part two, however, was just okay. I'm glad Addie survived and, over months, was able to deal a bit more with her PTSD. But the search for the bad guys in the book dragged a bit.
Not going to lie; Sibby was the best part of part two. I genuinely enjoyed it every time she was on screen. Even had a few good chuckles.
Speaking of Sibby, I don't like how this book ended. It ended on a weird cliffhanger by introducing a new character right in the last chapter, and in the epilogue that follows, she's been gone with this random character that we still don't know much about. Zade was looking for her for like a page or so and then it's just smut with Addie until the end. I feel like I'm missing something. Does this mean a third book is in the works or another spinoff with Sibby? Who knows.
All in all, though this book has its faults (we knew this going into it), I still enjoyed the read. I just wish Zade thought more with his heart and not his dick.
