Thanks to TikTok, there are a lot of books that have truly gained an impressive level of popularity thanks to being recommended through BookTok. And one book that has definitely become a "Best of BookTok" recommendation is The Ritual by Shantel Tessier.
The book is part of a series which is part of the dark romance genre. It is the most important thing to understand about this book and the series itself because it really will inform the way you read the book.
This book can be read as a standalone, and it certainly helps that it is the first book in a series. This is a world where power is everything and it is all about manipulation and honestly a lot of bullying. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart and people should absolutely be reading trigger warnings before diving into this book.
The Ritual by Shantel Tessier is a dark romance that has definitely captivated BookTok
There is no denying that this book is twisted, but it’s definitely twisted in the right way. It’s well-written and well-crafted. And I definitely think that it makes sense that this one got hyped up by BookTok.
This book is not for everyone, but if you like dark romances that are almost immersive, then you need to give this one a try. It was hard to put it down because the level of spice combined with the quality of Tessier’s writing felt perfect. It was like the author knew how to create a scene that was so engaging that you almost forgot that you were reading something dark and twisted.
And while it can be hard to sometimes find the romance in a book like this, I definitely think it was there. I think it was built in a way that made sense for these characters. This might not work for everyone as a romance, but if you are a fan of dark romances, it worked overall.
I think what I liked so much about The Ritual was how unexpected some of the events were. Some of the things that went down in this book I did not see coming. And I love what I can be surprised with a romance like this. I definitely think that if you enjoy dark romances, you need to pick this one up. It’s worth a read at least once. And you might find yourself picking up one of her books based on this book.