Due to my focus being on mostly writing, I've only read 2 books this month, those books being a duet, so this summary will be a lot shorter than normal.
Like many people I'm sure who read this duet, I was convinced to buy them both because of the Tiktoks showing clips from the audio book where it was clear Malachi was losing his mind in some parts. I'm not exactly sure what I was expecting once I bought them, all I knew was that I'd come to adore Malachi, and I was right xD I think I prefer Little Liar out of the two of them, simply for the fact that one had more focus on plot, whereas Little Stranger felt that it focused more on the smut, but regardless, I do love the both of them, and story wise, I love all the suspense regarding the whole forbidden romance between Malachi and Olivia, them being foster siblings and everything. As far as the insanely dark dark romances I have read, I'd say this duet was close to the same level as Haunting Adeline, what with the fucked up sexual situations and how possessive and unstable Malachi is..... truth be told I'm not even sure who I'd say is more insane between Malachi and Zade Meadows xD I also did love the development between certain relationships in this story. Not just between Malachi and Olivia, but between them and their parents too..... I think Jamieson went through some of the best character development in this duet, because honestly, when I read the first chapter of Little Stranger, I thought Jamieson was gonna be the asshole parent while Jennifer was the Good Samaritan who wanted her kids to be looked after and happy....... Oh, how wrong I was π€£π€£π€£π€£π€£ Honestly, as far as abusive book moms go, I don't know who I hate more now between Jennifer Vize and Samantha Calloway. Like, when it comes to fiction, and real life too, I've always hated parents who force their kids into arranged marriages they don't want (Looking at James' parents from Pokemon), but I hoped eventually Jennifer would fucking come to her senses and just let Olivia be happy with Malachi...... But after a certain phone call scene in Little Liar after Malachi saved Olivia from being kidnapped, I lost all respect for her, I'll tell you that right now. Honestly, my only wish is that we had gotten a scene where Malachi graphically was shown exacting revenge on her on Olivia's behalf, but in the end, what matters is the happy ending they got....... As for Jamieson, i love how he grew to be a loving and supportive father, especially to Olivia, and how despite how unusual and taboo the whole situation was, he grew to accept Malachi and Olivia's relationship. I will say, I know this is an extreme dark romance, and I knew what I was getting into, but the fucking scene after Jamieson fell down the stairs? And then the screwdriver scene? I just can't xD Finally, and this goes without saying, but Malachi is definitely my favorite character in this duet. He's unstable as hell, that's no secret, but when you read his backstory and you also read just how socially awkward he is around people as a result of the trust issues he has, you can't help but understand where he's coming from and why he's so possessive of Olivia ππππ Also, I've had pretty bad arachnophobia since my childhood, but I couldn't help but find it cute how much Malachi loved his pet spiders xD Anyway, if you can handle the triggers in Little Stranger and Little Liar, I definitely recommend reading them both, and if you want a book with representation for mute characters, that could be another reason to read this duet! Although if this book is much for you, Archer's Voice by Mia Sheridan is another great book to read for mute representation x3
