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Never confuse lust for anything other than what it is. There isn’t a man alive that wouldn’t gladly take what you are so willing to offer.

(Epigraph 2, Location 53 of Kindle version)

The victims of the psychopathic killer had this confusion, and it cost them their lives. Zia too had it, and she was blinded by it and did not see the dark side of her lover. Was lust bad for most of the characters in this story? Does lust always carry just lust but nothing else? Do you agree with the author on this quote?

This topic is about the book, so the reply should refer to the book. (the mod).

I agree with the author to some extent that lust is nothing but lust. I think that everyone feels lust at some of the other points in their life but to only have lust towards a person is definitely toxic. As per the characters in the story, lust was one of the main things that drove the plot but I think it gave them the character build which was required for the story to move forward.

I don't think "lust is just lust" should be a universal concept that applies to everything. However, I agree that for the majority of the time, it really is just that. In the book, it definitely applies. In real life, it gets a little more subjective.

Lust is lust, irrespective of the perspective we look at it from. I agree with the author, lust is not love. Lust is ultimately selfish while love looks out for the other person. Lust just want the sexual satisfaction in the context of this book while love wants more and beyond sex

I think there is a huge discrepancy between lust and love. While both are driven by pure emotional connection, lust also embodies our physical desires and temptations. If one believes we are born sinful, then it makes sense that there isn’t a man (or woman) alive that wouldn’t gladly take what is being offered. While I do believe there are humans who are more tempted than others, humans crave physical and emotional attention and depending on a myriad of things (upbringing, trauma, spiritual beliefs), lust can be positive, negative, or both if it is coupled with love.

Lust is lust. Without love, it is just that. A fleeting instant gratification with no longevity. Though I do not agree that there isn't a man alive who wouldn’t gladly take what you are so willing to offer. I have known several men in my life who wanted more than just lust, and wouldn't jump at the opportunity to have lust for lust.

I do not believe that lust is just lust. The author has a point, but, in my opinion, lust rarely exists alone. It had affected the characters in a way, yes, but lust can also contain other minor factors. I do not believe lust should just be seen as lust but filled with other tiny components.

Though I think seeing someone else while in a committed relationship is one of the worst things anyone could do, I actually appreciated the way the author added some depth to Zia's reason for cheating. Zia wasn't just charmed by Baxter, she also felt undesired by Bryce. She felt that she was not enough for him, and also felt that she wasn't getting her needs met, so she trusted someone else to meet those needs. In her case, she wasn't just lustful, she wanted to feel wanted. Zia wanted to feel like her partner both loved and desired her, and I don't blame her in that regard. Her unfulfilled sex drive and want for physical affection also left her feeling emotionally unfulfilled. So, for her, lust was more than just a physical desire.

Personally, I thought I saw Zia develop a level of true romantic connection through her lust. Her affair afforded her the one thing her relationship could not: physical intimacy, and I believe that, at least to a certain extent, she created a true emotional connection with the person giving her what she needed. So, while I see your point, I think that, in this case, lust became more than just lust.

I agree with the author regarding this statement. In religion, more specifically the Bible, there are discussions about what lust is and why it is terrible. Now I do think that there can be lust when someone has been in a relationship with someone for a long time, but normally it is mixed with love and affection. Regarding Zia, I think that she definitely has more lust involved than anything else. I know this because of how her and Bryce's relationship has progressed so far; it seems to be based on nothing but sexual desire.

Zia was definetely confused by lust because in her love relationship with Bryce she was sexually starved. So it was easy to her sexual desires to take control over her.

Zia's experience was bad and to this extent, I agree with your opinion on how bad lust can be. However, in the real world nowadays, most love relationships begin from the point of lust. The physical sexual attraction can grow into something beautiful with time.

It is sad that, "call a spade, a spade". Lust is Lust and should not be painted as anything else. Zia's inability to detect the dark side of her lover clearly showed that she did not think things through but was only after the flesh.

Lust and love are two different aspects of life .one can not confuse lust for love. Lust was a very important feature of the story.

"Never confuse lust for anything other than what it is. There isn’t a man alive that wouldn’t gladly take what you are so willing to offer."
(Epigraph 2, Location 53 of Kindle version)

I am agreed with the writer on that statement. And I think this statement has a great meaning in it . You will never spend your money on an item you are confused about then how can trust someone and experimentally had sex.

Lust is lust and love is love. They are definitely different emotions. I agree with the author on this point. Both emotions are necessary for the plot to move forward. Zia's character feels both emotions intensely driving the plot to a spectacular ending.