Four Psychos (The Dark Side #1) by Kristy Cunning
I'm not so different from most people.
Like everyone else, I have life goals.
Goal #1: Become a real girl instead of this invisible ghost thing I currently am.
Goal #2: Convince the four men I've been haunting for the past five years to pick me to be their new toy after goal one is complete.
Goal #3: Figure out who/what I am and why I can't remember anything past the five years I've been haunting this quad.
Goal #4: Eat popcorn.
See? Perfectly normal. Sort of.
Gotta start small, after all.
It's not like anyone else is perfect either.
I've seen people talk about this book and recommend it a bunch in a group I'm a part of on fb for people who enjoy reverse harem books. For a while, I've had my eye on it because the premise sounded interesting but I wasn't quite sure the actual product would turn out to be something I enjoyed. But recently I finally took the plunge and gave the book a shot, and...meh, honestly.
I'm really upset about this. I wanted to love the book. And at some parts, it seemed like the book could head in a direction that would make me love it. But it never got there and instead the whole thing just did a big, ugly belly flop and now I'm disappointed.
I'll break down the two big issues I had here:
1. The harem. I don't like them at all. There's four of them and I don't like a single freaking one. They're all selfish. They're all jerks. They're not good or nice to the MC, like, at all...unless it benefits them. I hoped they'd warm up to Keyla, the MC, at least a little bit--you know, slow burn style--but alas, disappointment.
2. The MC's inability to stop helping them. Note, I DID like Keyla. She was funny and cool and not afraid to stick up for herself. But even as she had all those qualities, she was also a total pushover in regards to helping the guys. I know it's complicated and tied to her existence and whatnot, but I wanted so badly for her to stop going back to them except for glimpses so she could keep from fading. I wanted her to actually go out and make other friends, find other happiness...I wanted better for her, basically. But no. We got the harem. Le sigh.
So all that said, there were some not terrible aspects to the book. Like Keyla and her attitude. I was absolutely here for it. And I especially liked her initiative to go help someone else when they were imprisoned (no worries, that's all I'll say about that, so no spoilers!) As I noted at the beginning, I was also a fan of the premise. And I am curious enough to maybe possibly perhaps someday (???) picking up the sequel to see where things go next. The book does have an ending that makes you want to keep reading, and the effect was not ENTIRELY lost on me. It's just...delayed, I guess. Until whenever I get around to picking up book 2.
Overall, Four Psychos was overhyped. The four guys in the harem did not end the book with any fondness from me, which was disappointing. The story was interesting, however, and I did like the MC...and I will probably pick up the sequel at some point in the future.
3 stars - Great premise with a disappointing execution.
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