Belted by C.J. Graves

Belted by C.J. Graves
My rating: 2/5 - If it happens to be around, it's OK.

Synopsis

This is the story of how a girl shuts down after years of abuse and her journey to find the strength to stand up for herself.

Review

This novel is not for the faint of heart, it's a bit graphic and brutal. While I understand why an author would use this in an attempt to express the difficulties of of Chastity's life, it didn't really work for me. I was unable to form any kind of attachment with the main character Chastity. She would suffer though these horrific experiences, but instead of rooting for her, I just kind of wondered what kind of torture would be thought of next. I didn't want to finish reading it, but it was like a train wreck that i wasn't able to look away from. One of my major problems with the story was the character development. The men in the book were developed into really strong stereotypes, but Chastity remained a one note character through out the entire book, even though the entire point of the story is her growth.

**spoiler alert**



I really didn't like that Chastity never actually grew and stood up for herself. She simply got destructively angry and then found another man, albeit a slightly nicer man, to depend upon. I think that if you are going to go for the tone that this novel had, there needs to be the growth and warmth in the characters to balance it.

My Recommendation

This novel is not for the faint of heart, or young people. Due to the lack of character growth, I'm giving this one 2/5 - If it happens to be around, it's OK.


What do you think?
Do you agree/disagree? Do you want to read it now? Or not? I love to hear(read) feedback!


***FTC Disclosure: This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review, no other compensation was given, all opinions are my own***