Carnage by Shantel Tessier Summary, Characters and Themes

Carnage by Shantel Tessier is a dark, violent, and emotionally charged dark romance set within a brutal secret society known as The Lords. 

The story follows Saint Spade, a powerful yet emotionally fractured enforcer, and Ashtyn, a young woman trapped in his world, as they navigate a toxic, obsessive love shaped by trauma, control, and survival. With alternating POVs, the novel dives deep into psychological torment, twisted loyalty, and the desperate desire for freedom. Tessier crafts a story filled with betrayal, violence, forbidden love, and a constant question: can love survive in a world built on pain and blood?

Summary

Carnage opens with Saint Spade, a ruthless and emotionally numb member of the infamous Spade brothers, enduring brutal initiation trials into the sadistic secret society known as The Lords. Saint is subjected to near-death experiences—drowning, starvation, and forced violence in the arena called Carnage. 

His life is governed by pain, power, and loyalty. He’s a man shaped by trauma and expected to live without weakness or love.

As Saint’s trials escalate, we meet Ashtyn, a woman caught in the Lords’ deadly web. Once close to Saint, she’s now desperate to escape his obsessive grip. 

Pregnant and afraid, she tries to flee Carnage. In a moment of fear and defiance, she shoots Saint, believing it’s the only way to gain her freedom. 

Her attempt fails, and she’s captured and punished, plunging her deeper into the nightmare.

The story shifts between their perspectives, painting a tragic portrait of two broken souls chained to each other by love, fear, and violence. Saint is torn—he claims he’s protecting Ashtyn, but he also controls her, hurting her under the guise of keeping her safe from worse men. 

Ashtyn vacillates between defiance and despair, knowing Saint is both her captor and the only person who’s ever shown her twisted affection.

Ashtyn’s attempts to escape grow more desperate. Each time she reaches for freedom, she’s dragged back into Carnage—beaten, locked in straitjackets, and psychologically broken. 

The Lords brand her and threaten her unborn child, pushing her to the edge. Meanwhile, Saint grows increasingly unstable, both possessive and protective, tormented by guilt and love he can’t express without violence.

Key figures like Haidyn and Adam add layers to the story. Haidyn, one of Saint’s brothers, secretly helps Ashtyn escape, only to be captured and tortured. His silent love for her leads him to suffer, even faking his death at one point. 

Adam, Ashtyn’s brother, thought to be long dead, resurfaces as a secret ally, revealing hidden truths about the Lords and aiding in resistance efforts.

The climax intensifies when Ashtyn uncovers Saint’s darkest betrayal—he watched her assault on hidden cameras and did nothing. 

This revelation shatters any remnants of trust. Despite this, Saint continues to claim he loves her and would do anything to keep her—even if it means hurting her.

Ashtyn’s final escape attempt becomes a test of survival. 

Given one last chance, she races through the twisted corridors of Carnage, only to find Saint waiting at the exit. In their final confrontation, she demands to know whether he’d kill her to save her. When he says no, she understands that the only way to truly be free is to leave him behind—forever.

With tears in her eyes, she shoots Saint once more, leaving him bleeding but alive. She walks away—not with triumph, but with the deep sorrow of someone who has survived hell, unsure of what comes next.

In the end, Carnage is not a traditional love story. It’s a violent exploration of trauma, obsession, power, and the blurred lines between protection and possession. 

Tessier doesn’t offer clean resolutions. Instead, she leaves readers haunted by the question: in a world this broken, can anyone truly be saved—or are we all just surviving the wreckage?

Characters

Saint

Saint is a complex character who is deeply embedded in a world of violence and control, specifically as part of the Lords, a powerful and sadistic secret society. Initially, Saint appears as a cold, emotionless individual, molded by his brutal upbringing and the high expectations of his father.

He is subjected to countless trials to prove his loyalty, including brutal initiations where he is pushed to his physical and psychological limits. Despite his hardened exterior, Saint harbors internal conflict, especially concerning his feelings for Ashtyn.

His loyalty to the Lords and his obsession with protecting and controlling Ashtyn often conflict with his desire to protect her from the very system he serves. Saint’s character arc revolves around his tortured love for Ashtyn, his struggles to maintain control, and the trauma of losing those he cares about.

His actions are driven by a toxic mixture of affection and possessiveness, which leads him to perpetuate cycles of abuse and violence. However, his deep emotional scars from his upbringing and the demands placed on him create a man who is constantly battling between his instincts and desires, resulting in a tragic, dysfunctional love story.

Ashtyn

Ashtyn is introduced as a strong-willed woman, but her journey throughout the book reveals a tragic struggle for survival, love, and freedom. She is forced into the cruel world of Carnage, where she is manipulated by Saint and trapped in a toxic, abusive relationship.

Her story is one of defiance and resistance, as she continually tries to escape the control of Saint and the Lords. Ashtyn’s internal battle is marked by her pregnancy and her determination not to follow in her mother’s footsteps of abuse and subjugation.

Despite her physical captivity, she retains a powerful sense of agency, fighting for the protection of herself and her unborn child. Her love for Saint is complex, as it is marred by both genuine affection and the manipulative control he exerts over her.

Ashtyn’s character arc is one of survival, resilience, and the pursuit of autonomy, even when faced with the overwhelming forces of trauma, manipulation, and violence. Her repeated efforts to escape, including moments where she attempts to take control with violence, highlight her deep need for both emotional and physical liberation.

Haidyn

Haidyn plays a pivotal role in the emotional and psychological development of both Saint and Ashtyn. He is introduced as one of the Spade brothers, closely tied to the violent and controlling world of the Lords.

Haidyn’s story is marked by his deep loyalty to Saint, but also his internal struggles with the brutality and control they all suffer under the Lords’ rule. His involvement in Ashtyn’s escape attempts reveals a softer side of his character, showing that despite his own trauma and violent world, he cares for Ashtyn and is willing to risk everything to help her.

Haidyn’s complex relationship with Ashtyn evolves from an ally to a tragic figure, marked by betrayal and sacrifice. The emotional and physical toll that he endures, including his own suffering at the hands of the Lords, reflects the larger theme of abuse and the sacrifice required to challenge the oppressive forces at play.

Haidyn is a character whose loyalty is tested by love and survival, and his actions drive much of the tension between the characters.

Adam

Adam’s character is initially thought to be dead, but his return later in the story reveals him to be an unexpected ally in the battle against the Lords. His reappearance shocks everyone, especially Ashtyn, who has been grieving for his loss.

Adam’s role is key in helping Ashtyn and Haidyn escape, though his true motivations remain shrouded in mystery for much of the story. His deception—faking his death to infiltrate the Lords—shows his deep commitment to protecting his family and dismantling the power structure that has controlled their lives.

Adam’s loyalty to Ashtyn and his eventual aid in helping her escape signify his desire for redemption and his willingness to sacrifice for those he loves. Ashtyn’s realization of Adam’s return is a turning point in the narrative, as it offers her a glimmer of hope in a world where trust is in short supply.

Adam’s involvement adds a layer of complexity to the narrative, showcasing the lengths to which some characters are willing to go to protect their loved ones and bring down the corrupt system that has ensnared them.

The Lords

While not a single character, the Lords themselves represent an overarching force in Carnage—a symbol of power, control, and sadistic authority. The Lords control the lives of the Spade brothers, particularly Saint, and enforce a brutal system of violence and submission.

They demand total loyalty from their members, requiring them to endure painful trials and commit murder without question. The Lords’ presence looms large throughout the story, influencing the actions and emotions of the main characters.

They are a constant reminder of the oppressive environment in which the characters exist, and their cold, calculating nature contributes to the overarching theme of domination and control. The Lords’ ability to manipulate and destroy lives, including the emotional lives of those like Saint and Ashtyn, creates an atmosphere of fear and helplessness.

They act as the ultimate antagonistic force, dictating the actions of the other characters and driving much of the conflict in the story.

Themes

Power, Control, and Toxic Relationships

Carnage deals with the exploration of power dynamics and the destructive nature of control within toxic relationships. The story delves deeply into the lives of its protagonists, Saint and Ashtyn, as they navigate a world ruled by fear, dominance, and manipulation.

Saint, despite his brutal and violent nature, is caught in a complex, conflicting pull toward Ashtyn, whom he simultaneously seeks to protect and control. This dynamic creates a toxic loop of dependency where love and violence are indistinguishable, and the boundaries between care and cruelty blur.

Saint’s emotional turmoil and possessiveness over Ashtyn add a layer of tragedy to their relationship. This illustrates how deeply ingrained power structures can twist love into something suffocating and damaging.

Ashtyn, on the other hand, is forced to constantly fight for her freedom while grappling with the emotional and physical abuse she faces. The theme highlights how trauma and manipulation can make escape seem impossible, even when she desires it most.

The Cycle of Trauma and the Unrelenting Struggle for Emotional Freedom

Carnage portrays a harrowing exploration of cyclical trauma, wherein the past wounds of its characters, particularly Saint and Ashtyn, dictate their present actions and relationships. Ashtyn’s deep-seated fear of repeating her mother’s tragic fate and her constant fight against being objectified and trapped within the Lords’ world drives much of her internal conflict.

Despite her efforts to escape and break free, she is continuously pulled back into the cycle of abuse, both physical and emotional. Her pregnancy further complicates this struggle, symbolizing the weight of the past, the potential for a new beginning, and the suffocating grip of the environment she’s in.

Saint’s trauma is equally rooted in his past—his cold, abusive upbringing under the influence of the Lords has left him emotionally scarred and desensitized to the violence around him. His loyalty to the Lords, which is enforced through brutal initiation rituals, traps him in a perpetual state of numbness, making it difficult for him to distinguish between right and wrong, love and control.

This theme underlines how trauma, passed down from one generation to the next, can become a prison of the mind, making true freedom seem unreachable. Both characters, despite their desire for freedom, are caught in a vicious cycle that is hard to break.

Identity, Betrayal, and the Shattering of Illusions of Loyalty

Another compelling theme in Carnage is the exploration of identity, loyalty, and betrayal, particularly as these concepts are warped and tested within the confines of the secretive and violent world of the Lords. Ashtyn’s journey involves a continuous search for self-identity as she contemplates what it means to be part of a family that has consistently betrayed her or manipulated her for their own gain.

Her struggle is not only about escaping Carnage but also about reclaiming her sense of self and redefining who she is beyond the oppressive roles forced upon her by the people around her. Saint, too, is forced to confront his own sense of identity—he is torn between his brutal role as an enforcer for the Lords and his growing emotional connection to Ashtyn, which complicates his sense of loyalty to the organization he’s been conditioned to serve.

The theme of betrayal runs throughout the narrative, with characters constantly betraying one another, whether it’s through violence, manipulation, or hidden agendas. This betrays the illusion of loyalty that the characters hold dear, ultimately forcing them to question what true loyalty and trust really mean in such a warped world.

The Dark Cost of Survival and the Moral Consequences of Violence

In Carnage, the dark cost of survival is explored through both Saint’s and Ashtyn’s individual struggles. Their lives are defined by violence, and survival often comes at the expense of one’s morality.

The brutal initiation rituals that Saint undergoes serve as a painful reminder of how survival in the Lords’ world is inextricably tied to dehumanization, with violence being not only a means of survival but a twisted currency for power. Saint, though emotionally disconnected and driven by a need for acceptance, finds himself trapped in a moral quandary where violence is not just a tool for power but a necessity for survival.

Ashtyn, likewise, grapples with the decision to survive at any cost, even if it means losing pieces of her humanity along the way. The physical and emotional scars left on both characters expose the profound impact that constant violence has on the psyche and the soul.

This theme ultimately forces them to question whether survival is worth the personal toll it exacts, especially when their humanity is slowly chipped away in the process.

The Paradox of Love and Hatred: Unraveling the Duality of Human Emotion

The relationship between Saint and Ashtyn is characterized by a constant oscillation between love and hatred, a paradox that underpins much of the story’s emotional depth. Their bond is not one of simple affection but a complex, entangled web of attraction, resentment, control, and vulnerability.

Saint, despite his violent tendencies and toxic desire for power, genuinely loves Ashtyn in his own warped way, which makes his actions all the more tragic. However, his love is twisted by his need to dominate and possess her, turning what could be a connection into a battleground.

Ashtyn, in turn, struggles with her love for Saint, which is often overshadowed by her hatred for what he represents and the suffering he has caused her. This emotional turmoil speaks to the duality of human nature—how love and hatred can coexist, and how these conflicting emotions can coexist in a relationship that is ultimately both destructive and addictive.

The theme of love and hatred intertwined is a central part of the narrative, showing how emotional conflict can define and reshape one’s life in a world where loyalty and affection are often tainted by violence.

The Illusion of Escape and the Inescapable Fate of the Protagonists

Lastly, a persistent theme in Carnage is the illusion of escape. Ashtyn’s desire to break free from the toxic environment of the Lords is a driving force of the plot, but her attempts to escape often feel futile and hollow.

Each time she gets closer to freedom, she finds herself pulled back into the world she desperately wants to escape. This theme of an inescapable fate mirrors the larger idea that some individuals are trapped by the circumstances of their birth, upbringing, or the societal structures that govern their lives.

Despite all the effort and heartache, the characters find themselves entangled in a cycle of violence and control that seems impossible to break. This theme is made even more poignant by the tragic fact that, despite all their efforts, freedom may only come at the highest cost—betrayal, blood, and loss—rendering the idea of true escape nearly impossible in the face of overwhelming odds.