By Penelope Douglas
- 5/5 Stars
- 4/5 Spice
I heard so many things about Corrupt before starting it for a book club. I knew that this was a story of revenge and redemption, but that is all I wanted to know without spoiling the story. I honestly had no idea what to expect going into it, but I knew from having read other Penelope Douglas books that it would be a wild ride.
The story follows Erika Fane, Rika, has been avoiding her ex-boyfriend Trevor since she got back home and cannot wait to move to a new city to start a new life at a new school. As she walks into the Crist’s solarium, her neighbors, Trevor corners her and tries to convince her to stop running from him and accept the reality that they were meant to be together. Rika, however, is repulsed by Trevor and wants to get away from him and enjoy some freedom for once. Unbeknownst to her there is someone watching her and Trevor fight. Michael, Trevor’s older brother, sits in the back of the solarium, staring at Rika as she leaves the room.
The next day she leaves for the city and into a new apartment. Realizing that her apartment had been upgraded, Rika comes to the realization that the Crist’s own the building.
Later that evening, a loud noise wakes her, leading her to run into Michael, who lives in the penthouse of the building. From that evening, Rika’s life turns upside down and she loses control of everything she has ever known.
There were so many twists and turns throughout this book that I had no idea what was going to happen next. I think that the first half of the book was kind of repetitive, but very important for the audience to understand how everyone got to where they were in the present. The multiple perspectives showed that Rika and Michael were on different pages and had no idea what the other had been through three years ago when Michael’s friends were arrested.
Michael and his friends wanted revenge on Rika for causing three of them to go to jail. Rika has no idea why Michael and his friends are torturing her. All of this could have been solved if Michael has just gotten the balls to talk to her and ask her about that night.
I thought that the way it ended added to the mystery of the story. When Damon left the Crist’s house, it was impossible to know where he was until he came back for revenge. The last few chapters of the big fight scene really showed how the characters had grown throughout the book and what they would do to protect themselves and the people they care about.
I am 100% going to read the next book and the rest of the series and am curious as to what is going to be added to the story.
Written by Christina Gizzi
Christina Reads 