The author is working overtime to excuse and romanticize Leon’s rape. They keep using lame excuses like “his tragic past” and “brainwashing.” Let’s not forget Leon’s father was a criminal who tortured citizens and sent women to rape camps. Leon followed the exact same path without questioning it. Yet the story tries to give him a redemption arc with almost no real consequences for his crimes. “Brainwashing” is also misused here. Real brainwashing breaks a person’s ability to think independently. Grace had doubts, internal conflict, and clearly struggled ,which proves she wasn’t fully broken. She was manipulated, betrayed, and ignored red flags. Using guilt, pregnancy, and “she eventually likes the sex” as justification is just lazy writing that tries to turn repeated rape into complicated lovewhich is not. The worst part is some readers still defend it by saying “she liked it” or “it becomes consensual later.” That’s straight-up romanticizing Stockholm Syndrome. For context Stockholm Syndrome is a psychological response where victims of prolonged abuse or captivity develop positive feelings, emotional bonds, or sympathy toward their abuser as a survival mechanism due to extreme power imbalance, isolation, and fear. Grace’s situation (being held captive, repeatedly raped, tortured, and dependent on Leon for survival) fits the conditions perfectly. Calling it “guilt” or “complicated love” doesn’t change that it’s trauma bonding being sold as romance.Not mention that she ended up with him.
The author is working overtime to excuse and romanticize Leon’s rape.
They keep using lame excuses like “his tragic past” and “brainwashing.” Let’s not forget Leon’s father was a criminal who tortured citizens and sent women to rape camps. Leon followed the exact same path without questioning it. Yet the story tries to give him a redemption arc with almost no real consequences for his crimes.
“Brainwashing” is also misused here. Real brainwashing breaks a person’s ability to think independently. Grace had doubts, internal conflict, and clearly struggled ,which proves she wasn’t fully broken. She was manipulated, betrayed, and ignored red flags. Using guilt, pregnancy, and “she eventually likes the sex” as justification is just lazy writing that tries to turn repeated rape into complicated lovewhich is not.
The worst part is some readers still defend it by saying “she liked it” or “it becomes consensual later.” That’s straight-up romanticizing Stockholm Syndrome.
For context Stockholm Syndrome is a psychological response where victims of prolonged abuse or captivity develop positive feelings, emotional bonds, or sympathy toward their abuser as a survival mechanism due to extreme power imbalance, isolation, and fear. Grace’s situation (being held captive, repeatedly raped, tortured, and dependent on Leon for survival) fits the conditions perfectly. Calling it “guilt” or “complicated love” doesn’t change that it’s trauma bonding being sold as romance.Not mention that she ended up with him.