I tried not to get attached, and feel everything they felt. That's the only way I can read a book like this. Tried to convince myself that these things don't happen in real life. And it was easier this way.

This isn't the kind of dark read where the villain has an ounce of good in him, where you think he is only a bad person because something bad happened to him when he was a child. Mommy/daddy issues, etc. And he was forced to do bad things. Where you think he only needs to fall in love with the right person and he would stop being a criminal. If you're looking for that kind of book, look elsewhere.

This also isn't the kind of book where someone would swoop in like a superhero and save the damsel in distress. Nope. Again, look elsewhere. There also wasn’t a damsel in the story. Kuon fought hard to save himself, his dignity and pride, and eventually his sanity.

Yugo's fascination with Kuon was... well, fascinating. He demanded Kuon to obey him, but liked when Kuon defied him, challenged him. It was an amusing game to him. He did feel affection for Kuon in a twisted way. And despite this not being a romance book, there were some moments that were playful and lighter. The evolution of both Yugo's and Kuon's feelings was gripping and the author lured me into believing each possibility that surfaced in my mind about the outcome.

Yugo's resurfacing, often times almost charming and boyish nature - even if he was a cruel animal - would have been endearing if I could just ignore what he did. That part of him reminded me of a cheerful child. And it made me realize that I didn't know anything about him, other then how he behaved in Kuon's presence. Same goes for Kuon. There was absolutely zero background story. What about their families, friends, colleagues? Yugo did have some dealings with other thugs, but only for a few paragraphs (which I didn't mind, cause even that bored me, though it did raise some political questions in me, but I don't care enough to investigate).

It took me some time to figure out what exactly was off about the writing style. Is there such a thing as too many adjectives? If so, this book suffered from that. I absolutely love when the author assaults my senses with detailed description: how it smells and feels, what the characters see; but maybe not the whole book and not every sentence (I might've highlighted a few), just in certain scenes. It was too much here.

I won't bother with trigger warnings, it's a dark book (and I mean DARK). And also not a romance. That's all the spoiler I'm willing to give. ( )