Pam's Reviews > Raze

4.25 beautifully raw stars

Raze. 818.

818 became unrivaled. 818 became death.

A. Fucking. Stone. Cold. Killer.

Raze has been bidding his time; his time for revenge... he may not remember the reason for the revenge but he knows it is as much as a part of him as is the need to kill. When he was taken into hell for the first time, he had to learn quick how to survive, and that was to fight, to win and to kill. No regret, no remorse, not when the alternative is your own death. Pumped up full of drugs, pushed to forget, he has one goal; Alik Durov. Brooklyn, New York. Revenge. Kill.



Kisa-Anna

“My Kisa-Anna… my solnyshko… God put a piece of your blue eyes in mine so we would always know we matched…”

Kisa-Anna was settled into her fate, a future that has been planned for her, a future that she has to dutifully follow. With nothing else to do but follow, she lives each day as if it were a punishment, not knowing it could be any different. After all being the daughter of one of the three "Red" Bratva Kings of New York, there is no place she can escape to, except the church. At church she finds a few moments of freedom and peace, and at church does she meet the man who would be her savior and the answer to her prayers.

“They were always meant to be together, one boy and one girl, two hearts split into two, sent to far-off lands on their own. For God wanted to see if true love could be tested. He wanted to see if two halves of one soul could find each other again, even against the odds. Years would pass, they would both be hurt, they would both be sad, but one day, when they least expected it, they would stumble into each other’s paths. The question is: would they recognize each other’s soul? Would they find their way back to love…?”

Raze was a heartbreakingly gritty story about how truly fucked up the world can be, proving that no matter how much money you have, you can't buy happiness. This was one story I bought on impulse, the description intrigued me, the cover sold me, so suffice to say I had no clue what I was getting into. It was painful to read some parts because you just wanted to reach out do something but you are just a bystander watching and waiting. I can see how this wouldn't be a book for everyone, it's not a sugar coated, it's not pretty but it is sweet, beautifully raw and satisfying in all ways.

I went through the e-Motions, I hated how she honored her family's wishes, I would like to think that if I was in her case, I would fight or choose a different path, but with the dynamics of how much of her life was her family, accepting to her fate no matter how much it pained me to do so. I was in shock and in disgust every time Alik was on the page, that man was a true monster. And Raze, he is an unconventional hero, even thought what he had to do to survive was wrong, you couldn't help but wish him to survive. All the lies, the deceit, and the heartache...it was so sad. I loved the concept of how God put a piece of her in him so that their souls would find one another, it was beautiful, but it was a bit over-done at the same time, encountering it all throughout the book. I would definitely recommend this read, especially if your looking for something to satisfy your darker tastes...