Overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐ 3/5
Spice rating: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ 5/5
Darkness rating: 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤 5/5
Series: The Edge of Darkness, Book Three
Would I recommend it? Only if you have already read the first two books and want to complete the series.
I really wanted to love Restitution by Leigh Rivers, especially after enjoying the first two books in the series, but sadly this one did not grip me in the same way.
I nearly DNF’d it several times. The previous books kept me hooked enough to read them in almost one sitting, whereas this one took me several days to finish. I kept going because I wanted to complete the series, but it felt much slower and more repetitive than the earlier books.
A lot of the story seemed to focus on torturing everyone who had wronged the main characters. To be fair, these people were absolutely awful and had done unforgivable things, so I understood the need for revenge. However, after a while, it started to feel as though the torture had become the entire plot.
The scenes where characters were having sex while torturing people were also too much for me. I enjoy dark romance and I am not easily shocked, but those moments felt more strange than sexy. I ended up skipping over them.
There was also a surprising amount of discussion about not having sex during her period. Obviously, that is a personal preference, but it was mentioned so often that it started to feel repetitive. Also, you can have sex on your period. Put a towel down and crack on.
What I Liked
One of the strongest parts of the book was seeing more of Tobias.
He definitely grew on me throughout the series. Yes, he is a murderous monster, but he was also incredibly sweet, loyal and protective towards the people he loved. I enjoyed seeing that softer side of him, and he ended up being one of the characters I cared about most.
I also appreciated that the book acknowledged how complicated recovery from severe trauma can be. Healing is not quick or straightforward, and it makes sense that the characters would continue to struggle with everything they had experienced.
What Did Not Work for Me
The amount of inner monologue and repetition made the book feel much longer than it needed to be.
The characters repeatedly revisited the abuse and trauma they had suffered. I understand why that was included, but it became exhausting to read when the same thoughts and memories appeared again and again.
I think the story could potentially have worked better as two shorter books, allowing the revenge plot and emotional recovery to develop separately without so much repetition.
Spoiler Warning
The final chapter felt rushed, especially after how drawn out some of the earlier sections had been.
I was confused by the sudden decision for him to go to prison. It felt as though everyone completely changed their minds at the last minute, and I did not find the explanation convincing or emotionally satisfying.
Then there were three epilogues.
I do not think I have ever read a book with that many epilogues before, but somehow they still did not give me the warm, happy feeling I wanted after completing the series. After everything the characters had endured, I wanted a stronger sense of closure.
Instead, the ending felt both rushed and dragged out at the same time, which is quite an achievement.
Would I recommend it?
Overall, I enjoyed The Edge of Darkness series and I am glad I finished it, but Restitution was easily the weakest book for me.
Perhaps I was simply not in the right mood for it, although I read Skin by Sybil Knight around the same time (review coming soon), and that was certainly dark too. The darkness itself was not the problem. It was the repetition, pacing and lack of emotional payoff that stopped me from fully enjoying it.
I liked Tobias, appreciated parts of the trauma recovery and wanted the characters to get their revenge. Unfortunately, the story did not hold my attention, and the ending was not the satisfying conclusion I had hoped for.
Final verdict: A very dark, violent and spicy conclusion that may work for readers who enjoy extreme revenge stories, but it felt repetitive and underwhelming compared with the first two books.
The Curvy Bookworm 