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4.17 AVERAGE
4.17 AVERAGE
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
HOT HOT HOT
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book is just really fucking good, pun completely intended.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I adored this book. I’ve seen it recommended more than once, and boy do I regret waiting so long to read it. Absolutely delightful if you’re into kink and non-monogamy.
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Pure smut
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Honestly I was not expecting to give this book such a high rating but I am pleasantly surprised at how well written this is!! Even with all the sexual content in the book, the storyline was great! If you’re okay with A LOT of sexual content with FM, MM, Trans, group, and a plethora of kinks then by all means read this book!
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I am leaving this review for the benefit of potential readers, so spoilers follow for context. I was interested to try this book because the originality of the magic system really appealed to me. I thought it was very clever and sensitive of the author to include content warnings at the beginning of each chapter, framed as what the type of magic would involve. I think a reader could skip any chapters they are not comfortable with, and still follow the plotline and enjoy the story. I was so happy to see a book like this feature incredible diversity of sexualities, including polysexuality, pansexuality, and far more. Reading the reviews, I was enthusiastic at the prospect of this kind of book emphasisng the importance of consent and care, so I was all set to give it a go with a positive outlook and open mind. I'm full of praise for the author for these aspects of the story, and I would encourage general readers to give it a go. But for some readers, the rest of my review may also be helpful to bear in mind before deciding if this is something you feel ready to try reading.
My first concern is with how consent is depicted in the book. The main character, Dom, is a complete novice to BDSM. While he makes the point he'll try anything twice, and the other characters are impressed at his openness, I found myself losing patience with the intention behind the emphasis on consent and boundaries, when the book never allowed Dom opportunities to use the safe word or not be 'alright' with everything, all the time. Personally I believe safe, sane and consensual should be the bare minimum of stories including BDSM (although obviously this isn't how it often goes down in fiction, sadly), and I was hoping for something more here. Perhaps it's a case of high expectations leading to disappointment. I would have loved to have seen how the characters handled Dom saying 'stop' even once, saying he wasn't alright. I think that would have been far more groundbreaking than him always being fine with everything. It often felt to me like Dom was meant to be a 'Gary Stu' avatar for the reader, so they could experience numerous varied BDSM scenes through his eyes, and know he was 'always alright'. Especially because in some scenes Dom goes right up to the edge of his tolerance, sometimes I felt as though I was meant to be experiencing enjoyment at his 'not quite alright' state, yet he was never given the chance to use the safe word or be cared for by the other characters. I understand this is perhaps my personal preferences impacting my enjoyment, but to me part of the Dom/sub dynamic is that the sub trusts the Dom enough to stop and care for them when they need care, and it's not only a matter of cheap words but also affirming actions.
My major issue, though, is that none of the reviews I read picked up on how rape is used as a plot device. This aspect of the book is what brought my rating down so low. Part of the plot involves wizards going missing, and in one scene, Dom sees a wizard he knows being mistreated while imprisoned. Another wizard goes through a scene and sees her friend being raped while she is in that headspace. Her reaction is to immediately send Dom into that headspace and have sex with him and another wizard, before anything else is done in reference to the friend she saw being raped. Literally this happens one paragraph after another. The only reference point is that she's upset having seen her friend being raped, and then there's a moment when Dom feels bad and worried about what the wizards are experiencing in prison. Once rescued, these characters are not referred to again, except a few references to the fact that the MC feels pity for how they've suffered; some of them get nightmares or seem traumatised; and mostly they are treated differently by the other unnamed characters - except for one, who seems relieved not to be treated like glass. Because of course the only rape victims worth representing are those who readily throw themselves back into sex straight away with no lasting harm.
I think the reason I'm so disappointed by this depiction is because there are many nuanced positions in BDSM for trauma survivors, and if you're going to include a plotline about survivors of rape in a story about BDSM, I'm going to have high expectations about the sensitivity in which it is handled. Even the briefest engagement with the character's motivations or emotions would have been enough for me. It would have been enough for her to say 'I'm upset having seen this, and I need to be dominant or top to get through what I've just witnessed'. It's OK that she responded by going straight to sex, especially considering the magical worldbuilding and the fact that they're wizards who want to save their friends with their sex magic. But by the book saying nothing about it and not explaining anything about her motivations, what came across to me as a reader is that watching a friend being raped is not worth anything at all to the narrative or emotional journey of the characters - it's simply there for drama and shock value. This was only confirmed with the comment towards the end about how the survivors (because of course they are one entity, and no one is given any time to express their pain or how to explore their recovery) don't want to be seen as broken or treated differently by everyone around them. Again, because no time is given to their story, their suffering feels utterly brushed under the rug, which - linking back to the connections between trauma survivors and BDSM - honestly did feel hurtful to read. Responses to rape aren't about 'emotional maturity', and I have to say I'm disappointed by how this aspect of the storyline was handled (read: ignored).
To confirm: I could have loved this book, and I was ready to do so. But the way the rape storyline was handled was incredibly disappointing, and since no other reviewers seem to have picked up on it yet, I wanted to take the time to deep dive, so anyone else who might be impacted by this is forewarned.
My first concern is with how consent is depicted in the book. The main character, Dom, is a complete novice to BDSM. While he makes the point he'll try anything twice, and the other characters are impressed at his openness, I found myself losing patience with the intention behind the emphasis on consent and boundaries, when the book never allowed Dom opportunities to use the safe word or not be 'alright' with everything, all the time. Personally I believe safe, sane and consensual should be the bare minimum of stories including BDSM (although obviously this isn't how it often goes down in fiction, sadly), and I was hoping for something more here. Perhaps it's a case of high expectations leading to disappointment. I would have loved to have seen how the characters handled Dom saying 'stop' even once, saying he wasn't alright. I think that would have been far more groundbreaking than him always being fine with everything. It often felt to me like Dom was meant to be a 'Gary Stu' avatar for the reader, so they could experience numerous varied BDSM scenes through his eyes, and know he was 'always alright'. Especially because in some scenes Dom goes right up to the edge of his tolerance, sometimes I felt as though I was meant to be experiencing enjoyment at his 'not quite alright' state, yet he was never given the chance to use the safe word or be cared for by the other characters. I understand this is perhaps my personal preferences impacting my enjoyment, but to me part of the Dom/sub dynamic is that the sub trusts the Dom enough to stop and care for them when they need care, and it's not only a matter of cheap words but also affirming actions.
My major issue, though, is that none of the reviews I read picked up on how rape is used as a plot device. This aspect of the book is what brought my rating down so low. Part of the plot involves wizards going missing, and in one scene, Dom sees a wizard he knows being mistreated while imprisoned. Another wizard goes through a scene and sees her friend being raped while she is in that headspace. Her reaction is to immediately send Dom into that headspace and have sex with him and another wizard, before anything else is done in reference to the friend she saw being raped. Literally this happens one paragraph after another. The only reference point is that she's upset having seen her friend being raped, and then there's a moment when Dom feels bad and worried about what the wizards are experiencing in prison. Once rescued, these characters are not referred to again, except a few references to the fact that the MC feels pity for how they've suffered; some of them get nightmares or seem traumatised; and mostly they are treated differently by the other unnamed characters - except for one, who seems relieved not to be treated like glass. Because of course the only rape victims worth representing are those who readily throw themselves back into sex straight away with no lasting harm.
I think the reason I'm so disappointed by this depiction is because there are many nuanced positions in BDSM for trauma survivors, and if you're going to include a plotline about survivors of rape in a story about BDSM, I'm going to have high expectations about the sensitivity in which it is handled. Even the briefest engagement with the character's motivations or emotions would have been enough for me. It would have been enough for her to say 'I'm upset having seen this, and I need to be dominant or top to get through what I've just witnessed'. It's OK that she responded by going straight to sex, especially considering the magical worldbuilding and the fact that they're wizards who want to save their friends with their sex magic. But by the book saying nothing about it and not explaining anything about her motivations, what came across to me as a reader is that watching a friend being raped is not worth anything at all to the narrative or emotional journey of the characters - it's simply there for drama and shock value. This was only confirmed with the comment towards the end about how the survivors (because of course they are one entity, and no one is given any time to express their pain or how to explore their recovery) don't want to be seen as broken or treated differently by everyone around them. Again, because no time is given to their story, their suffering feels utterly brushed under the rug, which - linking back to the connections between trauma survivors and BDSM - honestly did feel hurtful to read. Responses to rape aren't about 'emotional maturity', and I have to say I'm disappointed by how this aspect of the storyline was handled (read: ignored).
To confirm: I could have loved this book, and I was ready to do so. But the way the rape storyline was handled was incredibly disappointing, and since no other reviewers seem to have picked up on it yet, I wanted to take the time to deep dive, so anyone else who might be impacted by this is forewarned.
Was the MC a bit of a Mary Sue? Yes.
Was this everything 50 shades thinks it is? Also yes.
Excellent worldbuilding and interesting use of kink with clear explanations and very detailed descriptions. Really enjoyed this one and can’t wait to pick up the next one
Was this everything 50 shades thinks it is? Also yes.
Excellent worldbuilding and interesting use of kink with clear explanations and very detailed descriptions. Really enjoyed this one and can’t wait to pick up the next one