There was no bright light in my death, but perhaps that is because I wasn’t destined for the angelic beauty of heaven. No, my short lived life had been
played out with so much sin and excess that there would no doubt be a special cage in hell with my name on it. In my death, I felt and saw nothing. No
warmth, no cold, no light, no darkness, just nothing. When I woke, he was gone, the only piece of perfection in my ugly world. Part of me was grateful that
he had finally found the good sense to leave. Another part of me was broken, irrevocably and agonizingly broken.
Reader Warning – This book is intended for mature audiences. It contains language which some may find offensive, sexual content and drug use. There is also a sexual scene of questionable consent which some readers may find difficult to read.
Review
It isn’t where you came from; it’s where you’re going that counts. ~ Ella Fitzgerald
For Violet Trivoli, that’s a difficult concept to grasp. She defines herself by her past; it consumes her entire being and implores her to numb her demons with alcohol and drugs. Her genetics as well as her addiction lead to self loathing. She feels meaningless, so she punishes her body as well as her heart by giving into the intoxicated bliss that her drug of choice allows her to feel. But like any high, when Violet comes down, the self hate returns, and it’s this endless cycle of addiction that ultimately leads to her almost losing her life and forces the one person who has always been by her side to walk away before he gets destroyed in the process.
Kirsty Dallas takes readers on an emotional journey through Violet’s struggles to overcome her addiction, regain control of her life, and learn to love herself enough to fight for what she wants. It takes a tremendous amount of strength to fight through the cravings that never really go away and ride the hellish rollercoaster that is life as a recovering addict, and Kirsty captures those ideas throughout Violet’s story in every set back…every moment of self doubt…every day where the need threatens to consumer her. Violet is in a dark place throughout much of the book, and even though she knows that there are people in her corner ready to fight for her, she understands that her battle, for the most part, needs to come from within her. She needs to be able to stand on her own without leaning on someone else because she doesn’t feel worthy enough for anyone to do that for her nor does she think anyone would willingly do so. My heart was in my stomach during Violet’s lowest moments, and even when she started to battle against the addiction and fight her way through the darkness, I was still waiting for the bottom to fall out again because I knew it wasn’t going to be easy for her, especially after she lost Cain.
Cain Everett was/is everything to Violet, but he could only enable Violet’s destructive behavior for so long until he knew for his own survival that he needed to walk away. I couldn’t blame him for leaving her and seeking a healthier life without her, but it was heartbreaking to watch Violet realize what she’d done to the boy who was willing to give her everything…to the man who for 12 years had stood by her side and picked her up every time she fell.
Violet is a tortured soul who needs to find a way to love herself enough to be able to give herself to someone else. Her path to recovery is a tumultuous one that takes her two steps forward and one step back on multiple occasions, but that’s exactly what makes Violet’s story realistic because her struggles illustrate how difficult the battle with addiction is and the type of person one needs to be in order to fight each day to overcome it.
Violet Addiction is a raw, honest, and dark look into how controlling an addiction can be. But it also gives hope to those who struggle because it shows that even though the fight may be difficult, it’s not insurmountable and at the other end of that uphill battle is a place to feel whole, healthy, and loved.
A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
5 poison apples
I grew up on the beaches of North Queensland, Australia before migrating south to the iconic Gold Coast in 1995. I traded the surf and my bikini for pajama’s and a computer when I embarked on writing professionally in 2012. I’ve since developed a wicked computer tan and my mad ninja skills have been finely honed following many hours of reading paranormal and dystopian romance.
I love to hear from fans and other like-minded, creative people, so flick me an email, or come hang out at Facey or the Twitterverse.
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