I wasn’t supposed to be on that roof on Valentine’s Day.

Neither was Kellan Marchetti, the school’s designated freak.

We met on the verge of ending our lives.

Somehow, the tattered strings of our tragedies tangled and tightened into an unlikely bond.

We decided not to take the plunge and agreed to check on each other every Valentine’s Day until school ended.

Same time.

One roof.

Two restless souls.

We kept our promise for three years.

On the fourth, Kellan made a decision, and I was left to deal with the consequences.

Just when I thought our story ended, another one began.

They say all love stories look the same and taste different.

Mine was venomous, disgraceful, and written in scarlet scars.

My name is Charlotte Richards, but you can call me Venom. -

Review

Last year, I binged read all of Parker S. Huntington’s books and had an absolute delight. And ever since then I had been patiently waiting for a new release from her. When Darling Venom dropped, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I went in completely blind and with full trust of the author.

From my previous readings, I knew that Huntington wrote dark subjects and it wasn’t surprising that this was a dark and heavy book as well. No spoilers, but please adhere to the trigger warnings.

Darling Venom is a story of best friends’ older brother. Of enemies to lovers. To slow burn loves. All and all, it’s a story of family, addiction, redemption, forgiveness, grief and strength. Tissues should be very close when reading this book. The story starts when Charlie (Charlotte) is a teenager and one night she meets Kellan on the roof of their school. Under any other circumstances, they two would not have spoken to each other, but that night they did. And they make a promise. Both of them hold on to that promise for three year, and in the fourth year, Kellan breaks it. Now alone, Charlie is left to deal with the consequences and wonder what happened. One day she meets Kellan’s older brother, Tate, and she begins to find some truths.

This book was 700 pages, and not once did it drag on or feel that at all. I was one hundred percent tapped in for this journey. Huntington does a great job of writing complex characters and a compelling story. I hung onto every word and read this book in one day. It’s a heartbreaking story. And thankfully it's a slow burn book so I felt everything. And even after finishing it, I can’t stop thinking about it.

Despite a tragic past, Charlie remained bright and committed to bringing light to others. She was an amazing and strong main character. And throughout the book, we see her living and thriving. I found her relationship with her older sister to be extremely sad. When they both were teenagers, they had this amazing bond, and in a flash that all changed. It was so heartbreaking to hear Charlie constantly talk about how Leah blamed her for everything. But that still didn’t stop Charlie from trying to cheer her sister up and standing by her side.

Kellan and Tate didn’t have the exact background and relationship as Charlie and Leah. However, like most things with Tate and Charlie, their lives mirrored each other. Tate was a couple of years older than Kellan. And from the beginning, they didn’t have the best relationship, partially due to their father. And the first introduction of Tate is from the eyes of Kellan. And Kellan didn’t hold back his dislike of his older brother.

And once Tate is finally introduced in the story, Charlie already has this idea of who he is, and their first meeting doesn’t exactly help his case. Early on, in the book, we start to get more of who Tate actually is and he’s such a complex character, just like Charlie. They both wanted what was best for their siblings. And they carry the guilt of the mistakes they made with their siblings heavily. It really made for an interesting dynamic with the two. Even if they didn’t initially like each other in the beginning, Charlie and Tate were forever intertwined with each other and I think they were the only two people who understood each other’s pain.

With all the characters in the book we see their development as the plot unfolds. We see their highs, their lows. It all felt very rich and beautifully crafted.

Final Analysis

Darling Venom is a heartbreaking story with mutli layered characters that is hard to put down.

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