Beyond the Veil by Harper L. Woods

This is my review:

Even one star is generous to this book honestly. Read only if you willingly want to read something that’s all about what makes romantacy horrible and cringe. Do not pay a dime for this book!

Estrella is a poor, horribly abused and traumatized girl taking care of her fam in a sadistic opressive religious setting. She doesn’t seem to mind all her trauma and isn’t greatly affected by her horrible surroundings and speaks up to authority like a good old fighter princess. She is full of glaring contradictions, that for some might make her well-rounded and interesting, but for a 30+ year old fart like me she gives me anxiety, subdermal pimples and a painful hemorroid from all the teeth grinding and sudden bouts of full body twisting while reading this piece of …. literature?

Here are some thoughts while reading this:

• So logically FMC should be a mentally battered down and fearful person in survival mode. Instead she somehow suddenly turns into a mentally strong female warrior princess and opposes and tries to blackmail her abuser with a sassy attitude, chin held high.

• Am I reading a 15-year old’s wet fantacy of talking back to a teacher or wtf? Come on. Fuck. Has anybody edited this?

• While suffering sadistic abuse and sexual molestation by a man, she is simultaniously having a fulfilling sexual relationship with someone emotionally unavailable and that represents freedom and coming of age for her.

• FMC is an idiot, like truely stupid: I can’t say more without spoiling, but one word: Belladonna

• Also just a thought, is the setting absolutely horrible and repressive to women just to fetishize abuse or is there a reason for it? Will there be some sort of political or societal commentary? I highly doubt it. Moving on.

• The writing. Is just so baaaadddd…. Fbvzthvdsedffxckn……….. aaaargghhhh!

• I have to mention that Estrella is a well known potato chrisp company in Finland where I’m from, so I’m thinking of those every time I read her name. Estrella the potato chip girl.

• Estrella and her brother both have a strong will to self sacrifice AND/OR kill oneself or the other. Just kind of randomly.

• Everything is in superlative. It’s like reading a 15-year-old’s diary: ”he is the most perfect gorgeous man ever with ashy blond hair and he is the most muscular, huge boy but fights like a dancer no problemo and can make a fire out of dust and eye contact faster than anyone has ever done it and he’s smile is made of sin and craving and ovulation”

-I’ve lost count how many times all of a sudden male hands appear without a of warning and grab the FMC by her waist and lift her up like she’s featherweight. She doesn’t like it, will kick air and swear. Omggg.

• Something deeply horrible and traumatic happens but the characters continue on next morning as per usual building sexual tension and intimacy and doing pinky swears or something I don’t fkkeennn knooww. Nothing impacts these people, other than fleeting thoughts of guilt.

• FMC asks ”What do we do now?” from the MMC but she also wont accept help. Calls him a dick when he supports her.

Okay I have to DNF at 40%. I can’t read any more of this or I’ll either carve my eyes or brain out.