Today we are looking at the last v of Aria Adams’ Unbreakable series, Punished. This really is the perfect book to end this series with.
Instead of just focusing on 1 couple, we are actually focusing on two. We have Kirie and Lafayette, both humans from the Stack, and then we have Harrow and Rahul. You may remember the evil Doctor Harrow from the first two books. Well, if you hated her, you’re going to be really happy.
After the happenings in the last book, Lafayette, who is one of the Controllers of the Stack, goes down to the military commander’s rooms, and finds a woman in a cage who is just staring out of a big hole in the wall, and who could possibly fall. She’s been brutalized, so he lets her out of the cage and takes her to his quarters. After a while, he finds out that her name is Kirie, that she was taken from her parents when she was 14, and 2 years later was given to Lark, where she’s been living in hell for the past 10 years. He decides that he’s going to keep her.
Dr. Harrow is the evil scientist that is behind Grande Pharma and all its terrible experiments and actions. And while she might think that she is beyond everything that could happen to her, the fact is, she really isn’t. And now, she’s about to learn that actions have consequences, and she’s about to get hers in the worst possible way. She gets tossed naked into a cell with Rahul, the last Alaxian that Grande Pharma has imprisoned. She’s going to learn some hard lessons, including things like there’s always something bigger.
Even though this is a dark romance book, and some really terrible things happen, it isn’t the darkest one in the series. In fact, I would give that title to the second book. Have you ever noticed that the 2nd book is often the darkest? Well, definitely the truth here. Even though there are some terrible things that happen in this book, I really feel like it’s hopeful overall. I know that sounds weird to say that, but the fact that Kirie is rescued in the beginning sets the hopeful tone for me. The fact that Harrow is taken out of power adds to it. There are a lot of other things that add to that tone, but I’m not going to say what they are. You’ll just have to read and find out.
I really like Lafayette. He may be the top of the heap in the Stack, but he’s amazingly human. When he finds Kirie, he doesn’t just leave her there, which he could. He doesn’t call someone else who could use a slave like her. No, he takes her into his home and cares for her. He gives her a familiar framework to work within, but does it in a much better way. He’s looking for a D/s relationship that is more equitable and healthy. He is very patient about the whole thing and doesn’t get all frustrated and start yelling.
You have to remember that Kirie has spent nearly half of her life in hell. She’s been very, very painfully trained to be and act in a particular way. While Lafayette is helping her, she still has a long way to go. You don’t get over 10+ years of conditioning in 2 seconds flat. But she’s getting there, and Lafayette is going to help her with that. I think that Kirie is very strong. I mean, think about what she’s gone through and how she’s survived it. I think she is fractured, but has somehow managed to keep herself from being completely broken.
I never liked Harrow, I mean, isn’t she the whole villain of the piece? And I still don’t particularly like her. I don’t even feel sorry for her. I think that she made her bed and now she’s going have to lay in it. And it ain’t all that particularly comfortable. I think Rahul is perfect for her. They are a match made in heaven, or hell, depending on how you look at it.
While Aria says that this is the last book in the series, I kinda hope that she writes more in this world, because I can see more stories in it.
I like how Kirie gets her own back. I’m so proud of her.
I also like the secrets we find out about Lafayette’s background.
OK, that’s all I have to say about this one. Go check out the entire series, I thought it was amazing. Happy reading!
In Between the Pages 