“Unwanted” Review: A Dark, Gritty Paranormal Romance with Big Ambitions
“Unwanted” by Dawn Darling - ARC Review - I received an advance reader copy of this book, but this review reflects my honest, unbiased opinion. Receiving an ARC did not influence my rating or review in any way.
Summary: A young lady is beaten to death by sadistic men she should have been able to trust. She makes a deal with Lucifer, the actual Devil, to come back and exact her revenge. Along the way, she builds a community of friends and falls in love with Lucifer.
Review: ⭐ 2.0
Tropes: MMC/FMC is back from the dead, FMC & MMC Enter Into A Contract, FMC is a Stripper, Assassin, Revenge, FMC previous abused (not by MMC), Female Friendship Group, Kidnapping, Rescue, Hidden Identity, Overcoming Past Trauma
Yes, this is a ⭐ 2.0 read, but I genuinely liked this author’s writing style, the possibilities in the story, and the depth of depravity. I’ll definitely read her next book.
Now, onto the meat of the review.
There are three main issues with the book:
#1
This is a dark tale told in flashbacks. But you don’t get enough information at the beginning to emotionally connect with her and you won’t until nearly the end. There’s also not much about why she wants revenge. Yes, she was murdered, but it was so brutal that she sold her soul to Lucifer to ensure payback. That’s another level of determination. Give me that early on and I’ll personally help her hide the bodies and lie to the cops.
#2
She just appears in a strip club with strong bonds and friendship with the other girls. What happened when she first got back to the living? Why did she decide to strip and why at this club? How did she form the bonds she did? I don’t know. But I’d like to. And by this point she’s already infatuated with Lucifer, but more history between them would have been angsty gold. Ooo and tell me about her other annual kills for him. The Forensic Files junkie in me would salivate.
#3
This story felt like three separate stories stitched together. Each one was interesting, but the threads connecting them were weak.
An undead minion of Lucifer’s is working at a strip club and the community she builds
The tragic story of the main character’s demise
Her love affair with Lucifer
The last handful of chapters had the bulk of the story, the action, and the most significant editing errors.
Final Thoughts: It was dark, gritty, twisted, and brimming with revenge energy. But it didn’t live up to its possibilities and I struggled to emotionally connect with the FMC, her plight, and her undeadness. But Dawn Darling is an author that I haven’t heard of and I’ll read again because I enjoyed her writing style.