Some of the WORST decisions in thrillers start with three little words.
“Just trust me.”
Famous last words, right? 😂
This week, I’m putting your survival instincts to the test with a question that might make you rethink just how much you trust your friends. Would you let someone become YOU for one night? What’s the worst that could happen?
Oh, SO MUCH.
And after we test your thriller survival skills, I’ve got a reading update that’s left me equal parts impressed, horrified, and ready to LOSE MY DAMN MIND.
I’m talking dark fantasy, a paperback worth hundreds of dollars, and a main character I’m ready to go to war for.
Seriously. TEAM MEIRELLE ALL THE WAY! 👑
But first, let’s find out if you’d survive this week’s challenge… 🔪
WOULD YOU BECOME SOMEONE ELSE?
Someone at school makes you an offer.
“Let’s switch identities. Just for one night.”
Their ID. Their phone. Their social media accounts.
In exchange, they get yours.
It’s only for a few hours. No big deal, right?
Besides, you trust this person.
So you say yes.
But then something happens.
Something BAD.
Suddenly, the police are looking for the person whose identity you’ve borrowed. Their phone is blowing up with messages you don’t understand. And your classmate?
MISSING.
Now everyone thinks you’re someone else, and whatever happened that night is YOUR problem.
Even worse? Someone is out there pretending to be YOU.
Holy crap. How do you even prove who you are?
🔪 WOULD YOU SURVIVE?
Would you agree to switch identities with someone you trusted?
A) YES! It’s just one night. What’s the worst that could happen?
B) HELL NO! I’ve read enough thrillers to know how this ends.
C) MAYBE… but I’m keeping my real phone!
Hit reply with A, B, or C. I want to know how many of you would actually fall for this one. 😂
And seriously, think about how much of your identity lives on your phone. Your photos, messages, location history, and every stupid thing you’ve ever posted.
In a thriller, that could be enough to frame you for something you didn’t do.
Identity theft, mistaken identities, digital footprints, doppelgängers… there’s a reason these stories scare the hell out of me.
Because sometimes the most dangerous thing someone can steal isn’t your money.
It’s your name.
📚 WHAT I’M READING: Souls in Ruin By Jacqueline White
⚠️ ADULT BOOK WARNING: This is NOT YOUNG ADULT. We’re talking extremely dark adult fantasy with explicit sexual content and disturbing themes, including rape, sexual assault, child sexual abuse, torture, graphic violence, body mutilation, gaslighting, and emotional manipulation. Please check the full content warnings before reading.
Okay, I need to talk about this book because HOLY SHIT.
Souls in Ruin is a TikTok success story and bestseller, and I got a collectible edition from Simon & Schuster.
But get this.
Apparently, first-edition paperbacks are going for $250–$300!
FOR A PAPERBACK.
WHAT?! IT JUST CAME OUT LAST YEAR!
Now, this book is way outside my usual reading preferences. It’s dark fantasy bordering on erotica, and when I say DARK, I mean the kind of dark that makes you wonder what the hell you just got yourself into.
The list of trigger warnings is practically its own chapter.
And some of the things happening to Meirelle, our main character?
Absolutely disgusting.
The sexual violence, torture, manipulation, and the way these gods and men treat her have made me genuinely angry.
And yet…
I CAN’T STOP READING.
That’s what’s driving me nuts!
The writing is good. Really good. Before I knew it, I was almost finished.
But I swear, if this book doesn’t end with Meirelle getting some kind of JUSTICE after everything she’s endured, I’m going to lose my damn mind.
Because WHAT THE HELL?!
At this point, I need something redeeming to happen.
And I have a theory.
I don’t think Meirelle is entirely mortal.
There HAS to be something more to her. Some secret. Some hidden power. Something that explains why she was chosen.
Because why HER?
Why not her half-sister, the princess?
Why Meirelle, of all people?
I’m convinced there’s something about her we don’t know yet, and I desperately need that reveal to be worth everything she’s suffered.
And apparently, readers have divided themselves into two camps.
Team Valen or Team Zorikhael.
Excuse me?
After everything I’ve read?
NEITHER!
I’M TEAM MEIRELLE!
Screw both of them.
I want justice. I want consequences. I want Meirelle to discover she’s more powerful than all these assholes combined. Love? There is no love in any of the romance scenes in this book. None.
In fact, you know what ending I want?
DEATH TO VALEN. DEATH TO ZORIKHAEL. ALL HAIL QUEEN MEIRELLE! 👑
Is that too much to ask?
And look, I know some readers love extremely dark romance. But for me, there is nothing sexy about the abuse this woman has endured. Some of these scenes have been genuinely difficult to stomach.
Good writing doesn’t automatically make those things romantic.
I’m not finished yet, so I’m holding off on my final judgment.
But if Meirelle doesn’t get some serious justice by the end?
THIS BOOK IS GOING STRAIGHT INTO MY PERSONAL TRASH PILE.
I’ll appreciate the writing, but I’ll be furious about the story.
I’ll report back once I finish.
Because at this point, I NEED TO KNOW.
If you’d like to torture yourself alongside me, below is a link to buy the collectible edition, so much cheaper than the paperback and more gorgeous!
🔪 ONE LAST QUESTION…
Back to today’s thriller challenge.
Would you trust someone enough to let them become YOU for one night?
Or would your survival instincts kick in before you handed over your phone?
Reply with A, B, or C.
I have a feeling the thriller readers are going to be a lot smarter than the characters who actually fall for this stuff. 😂
Until next time, keep reading, stay suspicious, and NEVER trust the person who says, “It’s just for one night.”
Kim Bartosch
Founder of The Brave Bookshelf | Young Adult Author | Book Reviewer
P.S. I’m still Team Meirelle. And if she turns out to be some all-powerful goddess who destroys everyone who hurt her, I will CHEER.