Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - Credence

Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Credence by Penelope Douglas

196 reviews

jesscheung's review against another edition

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2.0

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hannahhagedorn's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

So clearly there is something wrong with me but that’s for my therapist to dissect. This book has been on my tbr for years and I was so scared of it cause everyone said it was really bad and filled with incest. In legality terms maybe, in blood terms… no. Yes there’s some pretty taboo themes and questionable choices at times but I think we all need to remember that this isn’t reality. We are stepping into another world where things may not be as black and white as the pages of the book. This book is set up really well and as with most of this author’s works it has substance (as opposed to what all those one stat reviewers say). There is a plot and it’s actually pretty heartbreaking most of the time. I think the people reviewing low either bypass the trigger warnings or think they can handle more than they actually can. I liked the relationships Tiernan formed with Jake, Noah, and Kaleb. I think each of them had such distinct personalities that it almost felt like reading multiple books at once with one overarching plot. Almost like Devil’s Night but with the same fmc of course. I was in such a reading slump the past few weeks but I read this book super fast, and when I wasn’t reading I was thinking about what was gonna happen next. I don’t recommend reading before you’ve read the trigger warnings, I didn’t read them but I also haven’t been triggered by a book in the past and I’ve read much worse than this. Again that’s a problem for my therapist that I will not likely address. All the love, always <3

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teamwombat's review against another edition

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I genuinely don’t know how to rate this book. There’s grooming, incest, underage, multiple sexual assaults, threats of gang bangs and rape and that’s all in the opening chapters. The story then becomes an out of town/class girl trying to change a man who clearly should be in jail instead of getting therapy she actually needs.

I mean to say, it’s awful… but I read it. Probably shouldn’t have… but I read it. I read the whole thing and I wish I hadn’t.

The ending is a very convenient 5 years on happy ever after that frankly no one needed or buying.

It’s bad. It’s just bad.

There should just be plain old warnings for this, not just trigger ones.

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just_kt's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The isolated mountain setting adds an eerie, atmospheric touch that keeps things interesting with vivid descriptions that really bring the mountain to life.

However, the story itself is incredibly polarizing. The book is mainly a series of time jumps and sex scenes, with very little actual plot development, plot devices come out of the blue and almost feel they were added as an afterthought. While Tiernan’s journey of self-discovery is central to the story, her character arc often takes a backseat to the shock factor of the relationships. The emotional depth and growth I was hoping for felt overshadowed by the novel’s focus on taboo elements rather than meaningful storytelling.

While I appreciate the bold themes and exploration of trauma and loneliness, the pacing felt rushed, and the ending left much to be desired. If you’re looking for a structured plot with strong character development, this may not be the best fit. However, if you enjoy dark, boundary-pushing romances and don’t mind a story that leans heavily on steamy scenes, Credence might still be worth a read.

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pkayt817's review against another edition

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emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

Fiction is exactly that, fiction. I liked the book, it did make me uncomfortable at times but reminding myself it was pure fiction really helped me get through it. The writing and story telling was great, I'd love to read more by Penelope Douglas. I feel like the spice was pretty tame. I'm not fond of any of the characters besides Noah and the surprise one at the end because nothing is their fault and they're purely innocent.

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