Review: Death's New Pet by Holly Guy
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Introduction:
I want her dead.
Everything within me howls to destroy that pretty little mortal so that I can claim her deliciously tarnished soul. When I’m done with her, she will be writhing underneath me, sinning like a bad little mortal should.
But no matter how much I long to kill her now, I must wait until she completes the Death Trials my father, The Devil, challenged her to win. Only then will she claim the title of ‘Deaths New Pet’, and I become free to do whatever the hell I want with her. And trust me, I plan on ruining my little mortal until she realizes the true meaning of hate.
Perhaps that will be the day when the evil God of Death finally cracks a smile.
Review:
Reviewed by Dakota Watson
When I first encountered the trigger warnings for Death’s New Pet by Holly Guy, I found myself genuinely intrigued and curious about what the story would entail. However, upon reading, I felt that the book was rather mild for the dark romance genre. While the premise had promise, it lacked originality. The book could have been much more compelling if Holly had dedicated more time to expanding the plot, developing the world in which the story takes place, and fostering the growth of the characters. Additionally, the narrative was plagued by numerous grammar and spelling errors, which detracted from the overall reading experience. With a bit more effort in these areas, Death’s New Pet could have truly realized its potential.
In my personal belief, I do not associate death with torture and evil. I consider death to be neutral, serving the role of guiding a soul to either heaven or hell without judgment. Consequently, while reading this book, I found it difficult to accept the portrayal of Death as solely a part of hell, thriving on torture and sadism.
Another frustrating aspect was the vague backstories of both Scarlet and Death, which were only briefly touched upon. Although both of their stories were intriguing, I wish Holly had taken the time to delve deeper into them, fully developing their histories. Alternatively, she could have opted to avoid mentioning them altogether if they were not going to be elaborated upon.
I honestly do not understand why many dark romance authors choose SA victims as their female protagonists, especially when the male protagonists in these stories often resemble their previous abusers as much as they do their love interests. However, in Scarlet’s case, this choice was somewhat justified because she eventually succumbed to the darkness, evolving into both a sadist and a masochist. This transformation is reminiscent of what happened to our beloved Dee. We watched her transform from an innocent, giggling girl into a true dark temptress, one who would stare danger in the eyes and dominate it to fulfill her wicked desires. Soar high, Empress! We miss you so much! 😢
Although Death can be considered a compelling character, he was getting lost in the story. Despite being present in every chapter, he became overshadowed by everything else happening. I honestly didn’t feel any emotional connection to him. He was just another dominant alphahole, a common archetype in dark romance novels.
All in all Death’s New Pet was a quick fun read that needs a few rounds of heavy editing.
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