Well, I made it through. I'm not sure I can write a proper review for this, so I can only tell you a little of my feelings and thoughts.
From all the warnings, I was already prepared for a very difficult read. And it was difficult, but not as much as I was expecting or fearing. Waiting in the Throes tested my limits more. What helped was that each chapter was fairly short, so it kept me clicking for the next chapter and then the next until I finished it in just a couple hours.
Make no mistake, it was a harsh, bleak, and horrible world to immerse yourself in. It alternates between the connecting stories of Jesse, Ortega, Sloane, Harka, Tiger, and Sai. These boys have been forcibly thrust into a new reality, where they are treated as little more than 'prizes' to be groomed and quickly snatched up. They are raped, they are beaten, they run and they are caught again, they have lost all freedom, and they are quickly taught to accept that this is the way life will be.
The first 20 chapters are the toughest, and what an understatement that word is. What I especially hate/love is the fact that you start off absolutely hating the boys’ new fiancés and suitors-But of course, things don’t stay so black and white. It really made me question the state of my mind when near the end I was actually rooting for all their relationships to work out.
I cried and rejoiced with each of these characters as they suffered and suffered for so long and were left amazed when they found their happy endings. Or at least, the happiest ending they could hope to expect in their world.
A very disturbing read, but emotionally satisfying enough that there's a worth in sticking through the hellish misery.
