The author was absolutely right that “the characters are flawed, morally questionable, and probably need therapy more than they need each other,” and honestly, I might too after reading this. The writing itself is phenomenal, you really feel like you’re there, watching everything unfold through their eyes, even though you wish you were literally anywhere else in the world. I loved the subtle foreshadowing with the stairs, and watching Vale get worse and worse, steadily less “redeemable,” was genuinely unsettling. The implied murder of his parents should have been horrifying, but somehow it made sense, which felt deeply wrong.

The author’s note calls this “psychological horror masquerading as romance,” and that could not be more accurate. It does not pull its punches. I should have read the NetGalley description more closely, this is dark, gross, and absolutely not what I expected. Story-wise, it was disgusting, reprehensible, and appalling. I have honestly never had a book make me want to vomit so badly. Then again, the author did say, “It’s uncomfortable. It’s supposed to be,” which I can absolutely see, hence 2 stars for the story, but the writing itself deserves so much credit. I might need a dozen light, fluffy, happy books just to scrub this from my brain.

Beautifully executed and incredibly well written, but way too dark and gross for my taste. 2/5 overall.

<blockquote>”Who did this to you?” (Just kidding. It was me.) </block quote>

Vale is just point blank not a good guy. He broke out the scalpel and salt, and if that doesn’t do it for you maybe the capsaicin will. Marinate on that for a moment…

Kieran is just trying to survive when Vale scoop snatches him and locks him away, then we spiral into a mindf#ck of breaking Kieran. You prune the plant to control the shape and promote healthy growth. After all, wasn’t Vale helping Kieran…

Love or Stockholms? Tomato, tomahto. Vale got his obsession and that’s what matters even if this relationship was several shades of jacked up.

Vale needs a therapist on speed dial (and probably meds, maybe even institutionalized) Kieran needs therapy courtesy of Vale. The author probably needs therapy. Throw me in therapy while we’re at it because I enjoyed the insanity.

Side note I love the name Valerian Rose.

4 ⭐️ 5 🌶️

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. Opinions are my own.

4.5⭐
"𝑯𝒆'𝒅 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝑲𝒊𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒃𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒕𝒐𝒈𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓𝒔, 𝒔𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒇𝒊𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒅𝒈𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝑫𝑵𝑨 𝒍𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒔."
This was such a disturbingly beautiful read! It is pitch black in content with several pages of CWs, so do not go into it blind. That said, everything about it was written to perfection. Vales growing obsession and Keiran's slow descent into accepting his fate, it is so addictive and I couldn't put it down. Gale's writing style is so poetic and really makes you feel every single emotion that the characters are going through. She was not kidding when she described this book as a "psychological horror masquerading as romance". But I fell for the characters all the same!

Tate aptly calls this book "psychological horror masquerading as romance." I tend to go into books as blind as possible...but this piece warrants a more careful approach. Please make sure you're in an okay headspace to tackle that CW list.

With that warning out of the way, let me tell you how beautiful this book is.

Discordant Cultivation stands out in its nuanced portrayal of abuse and survival. There are no pretenses about what kind of relationship this is: the evidence is written in blood. Yet I had to keep reminding myself that Vale is a terrible person and, even now, part of me aches to forgive him. In a world where kind words cut and Kieran cannot trust his own body, there's safety in honest, predictable violence.

I've seen firsthand how well-intentioned people turn their backs on someone experiencing abuse for not responding "properly." For standing with their abuser, loving them, grieving them. This isn't a black and white issue and I really, really appreciate how this book leans into these grey areas.

I also loved seeing the grimy underbelly of the music industry laid bare. These predatory producers reminded me of conservators who disguise exploitation as looking out for an artist's best interests.

The writing blew me away. I heard each song in my head, saw every step of Kieran's choreography. I'm a big fan of chapter titles with the eloquence of prog rock song names. Even the length of the book felt intentional, drawing me into Kieran's head where time distorts and disorients.

In sum, this book unlocked whole new levels of emotional devastation and left me grateful for it. Thanks for reading my essay, this book deserves every word.

Thanks so so much to the author for sending an advance copy my way. I'm leaving this review of my own accord.