mvk
Written on Dec 1, 2024
Honestly, I liked the first book. Something's probably wrong with me (definitely wrong with me), but it hooked me. The second book, though, didn't hit the same way.
First, Adeline. From the start, I couldn't see the fearlessness (or desire to show her attachment to the dark) that the author tried to portray. Her fearlessness didn't feel convincing; it's not enough to not be afraid of ghosts or love horror movies, or so. It's not fearlessness when someone starts stalking you and you decide to stay at your house "because it's my house, you fucking prick, which I didn't know who you are, and what you're capable of." It came across as stupidity rather than boldness. The basic instinct of self-preservation is not a weakness, but rather a manifestation of character and an assessment of the situation. It's stupid behaviour - "don't come near me or I'll do - what - do nothing - so just come and fuck me".
I think her character would have made more sense if she had a darker, more complex backstory, something to explain her attraction to Zade. For instance, if she were a detective dealing with stalker cases and then became a victim herself, or if she were a writer of psychological thrillers about maniacs and got pulled into this twisted world, it could have added layers to her character and made her chemistry with Zade more believable. By that background, she would be more closed, more attached, more okay with the sides of the human part and her desire and attraction to Zade would make real sense.
Now, about Zade. Yes, he's a psychopath, but the whole "saviour of the world" angle doesn't work for me. You can't have a character brutally torturing people while also portraying him as this good guy saving victims. It's like trying to sit on two chairs, but it simply cannot work - our psyche is just not designed for such actions, and as he's depicted as a human man - well, it doesn't work. (Good reference - Dexter - yes, he's killing bad people and kind of loves "his people", but it was a more local, more introverted story which you could believe). Anyway, you're either her maniac or a fucking medieval knight.
Also, all that part about "I was born with a dark side." Bullshit. It would make more sense if he witnessed a traumatic event like his first loved one being trafficked or a school friend, which could explain his obsession. But the way he's written - coming from a good family with no apparent trigger - it's hard to buy into his character.
The villains were another weak point. They're depicted as all-powerful figures running an empire of human trafficking, yet they're also portrayed as stupid and one-dimensional. That doesn't add up. If you're going to write such a dark, complex world, the antagonists need to be equally cunning and nuanced. If they were capable of building such an empire, they're not stupid. And of course, they have more money, much more than Zade. And there isn't a lack of resources, so Zade can't spend a couple of hours hunting them. Someone watched the Taken movie? :) .
The scenes with Adeline's return after her kidnapping were especially jarring. I skipped a lot of the smut scenes because they felt so WRONG (notice: not only wrong because WTF is wrong with your people, but wrong even in the context of the book) given what she'd endured. The timeline of her recovery was way too rushed, and the dynamics between her and Zade lacked the depth needed to make their connection believable because they didn't have anything except sex. Forced sex relationship from him, fucking again! He sees it like she wants it, but - god damn - it doesn't feel like she WANTS sex and blood on her after what she is going through. After just two months. Honestly, I would've loved to see Adeline channel more rage - becoming fiercer and more vengeful after what happened. Much bigger than one hunt for her rapist. That could've added a powerful arc to her character, making her eventual reconciliation with Zade (if it happened) feel earned.
In the end, I understood the hype, and the series had its moments, but it didn't fully work for me. For reference, I've read a very popular fanfic (unfortunately only in Russian) that explored a similar stalker dynamic but was far more compelling and well-written. That made you become a fan of that maniac, and well, you want good for him, and spoiler alert, he didn't save anyone - only doing bad stuff for his obsession.
It set the bar for me in this genre, and *Cat and Mouse* fell flat.