Under your Scars

Tropes: dark stalker romance, romantic tragedy, serial killer, anti-hero, obsessed stalker MMC, masked MMC, billionaire CEO, touch her and die, forced proximity, psychological trauma, physical trauma, hidden identity, non-con, captivity, kidnapping, obsessive love, soulmates, trauma bonding, no HEA, multiple POV ---------- “You can ask me for anything else, Elena, anything else, and I'll give it to you without hesitation. Don't ask me to live without you. I won't survive.” ----------------- I wonder how Ariel N. Anderson sleeps at night knowing her book ruined someone's life. That’s me. I’m someone and this book ripped my soul apart. I needed exact 6 months to get myself to write this review. 6 FUCKING MONTHS. And I’m still not ok. I’m still heartbroken and devastated. But I think this book deserves all the praise in the world, so let’s go. Here’s the plan (you know it’s serious when I need a plan to write a review, don't judge me): I’ll talk about the characters first, then move on to plot and vibes, and finish with a goddamn drink because I’ll fcking need it. THE SILENCER. ---------“If you’re so concerned about my humanity, Elena, then reach into my soul and find it, because I’m not sure I have any left.”---------- HEAR ME OUT. He is one of the greatest MMCs ever written. When I talk about morally grey characters- THIS IS WHAT I MEAN. He is one of the hottest and most charismatic antiheroes I’ve ever come across in dark romance; deeply broken with the biggest heart who makes you see fcking green flags everywhere (not that I have any problems with seeing green in every shade of red I’m fucking colorblind). The complexity of his character is phenomenally well written. His ability to feel and love so deeply while trying to do the right thing even if it means being the antihero, THE VILLAIN. He felt like safety and there was something so fragile in the way he loved Elena and the way he cared for her. ELENA. She is a brilliant young woman who happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time and what this angel had to endure ripped my heart into a thousand pieces and made me so angry. She was the light at the center of the darkness and she deserved ONE FUCKING CHANCE. But the brutal world she lived in and the men who crossed her way refused to make that possible or took it away the second there was a glimpse of a chance and I don’t think that I’ll ever get over this feeling. The unfairness of everything that happened to her. She and her story were so beautifully well written; I truly believe I’ll forever mourn the life she never got the chance to live but deserved and NEEDED so so much. The PLOT TWISTS. Are you fucking kidding me? I didn’t expect ANY of what happened. The story is very slow-paced until that point, but then it gets pitch black and the twist is finally twisting. And let me be honest; at one point I really thought about dnf-ing the book. It was like a very spicy billionaire stalker romance, and nothing really happened besides them doing well… doing IT. And I saw so many 6-star ratings, readers, booktokers, and bookstagrammers SOBBING and crying their eyes out and I couldn’t understand WHY. But I want to take this moment to thank me for being patient and not giving up because the whole book turns from a dnf to a 6-star emotional damage in a second. Everything changes. It’s like a beautiful summer day being interrupted by a brutal storm and boy, the wait is fucking worth it- I PROMISE. The plot twist was a punch in my face and a big turning point and fucked me up badly. Reading after that point felt like desperately watching everything slipping out of your hands and shattering into a thousand pieces and all you can do is helplessly watch. After that scene with Elena, everything starts spiraling. From the day their paths crossed, they were doomed, and no matter how badly they tried to make it work against all odds, they just weren’t meant to be. The vibes of this book are Batman X Haunting Adeline X Romeo & Juliet with “I Love You” by Billie Eilish playing in the background. I’ve never read anything like this before. This book took a piece of my soul, and I don’t care I’m going to start recommending this book to every single person so we can suffer collectively. There is no way I suffer alone. (Book read in Englisch)