Scan barcode
A review by vrstal
I Want You to Own Me by Eve Healy
4.0
4/5. Highlights may contain spoilers. Read at your own risk.
Content Warnings for book: Rape, parental abuse, captivity, sex without lube, domestic violence
Kink: D/s, praise kink, intercrural, impact play, pain play, biting, clothed sex, breath play, sex toys, neglect play
This is set in a biokink world where, similar to omegaverse, the secondary sex is Dominant, Switch, or Submissive. Healy’s work is also Boys’ Love inspired and had some of the quirks and tropes associated with BL.
Out the gate, the world is dystopian and has huge power imbalances (Doms have the ability to compel Submissives, the bioessentialism is strong in that neither can resist their urges or needs) that people have to contend with and have little to resist against it. I’m not the biggest fan of dystopias so my review may be skewed by that. There’s also on-page rape (not between MCs) which can be uncomfortable for some people, just as a general warning! It also seems Subs have slick? I’m not sure.
I don’t really expect the BDSM in biokink to be reflecting of reality - Healy touches on a definition of sub drop that blames it on the Dom for not providing aftercare, but that isn’t always true. Sometimes the Dom does just as they need to, but the rush of hormones and emotional release can cause a sub drop regardless. I did like the aftercare aspect between Noah and Anthony though, and how that was emphasized.
There’s a lot of internal monologue in this. It reminds me of the way I write with friends in roleplaying scenarios - which is fine for that, but could be tightened up and cut down for a novel. Sometimes it was repetitive and there were too many fluff words like “though” and “of course” when they weren’t necessary. There was also some odd choices describing genitalia and related such as “brushing my delicate and clenching place”.
Noah, is my favorite character. I love his little snaggletooth, pink hair, and the way he makes jokes and is puppy like. He helped Anthony despite the circumstances, knowing a stranger needed help. However the jump to them having sex so soon after meeting each other was a bit much considering the awful experiences Anthony had. Anthony himself didn’t really have too much of a personality besides ‘sad’, but he did open himself up more around Noah and develop more of a character voice.
My confusion with Anthony was the lack of passion for anything else. He was content cleaning and then waiting for Noah to come home. I wish that he had some sort of hobby or even job he wanted to do - painting, knitting, horseback riding, whatever. He was bad at what he did try and didn’t seem to pursue anything.
I liked that they were similar ages and Noah wasn’t super rich or had much power over Anthony (in the sense of wealth, etc), so it felt more balanced to me. Their kink play was fun though sometimes I found myself skimming sex scenes and would’ve liked a few less of them. This is more instalove because of the fated pair aspect, but I like that stuff so it didn’t bother me.
As for the plot of this book, beyond them getting together — it was entertaining drama for sure! Realistic? No. However, I didn’t really have a problem with how it all went down. I do think that the first 38% (where Noah comes in) is a bit gratuitous with the on-page noncon scenes and Anthony’s sadness. I wish this was cut down to maybe the first 10-15%. However, in the end, the characters got their HEA and that’s what really mattered to me.
This author has potential so I will read more books. If you like BL, you will like this also if the criticisms I have didn’t bother you or at least prepared you for it. Overall, I recommend it even if it’s not perfect.
Content Warnings for book: Rape, parental abuse, captivity, sex without lube, domestic violence
Kink: D/s, praise kink, intercrural, impact play, pain play, biting, clothed sex, breath play, sex toys, neglect play
This is set in a biokink world where, similar to omegaverse, the secondary sex is Dominant, Switch, or Submissive. Healy’s work is also Boys’ Love inspired and had some of the quirks and tropes associated with BL.
Out the gate, the world is dystopian and has huge power imbalances (Doms have the ability to compel Submissives, the bioessentialism is strong in that neither can resist their urges or needs) that people have to contend with and have little to resist against it. I’m not the biggest fan of dystopias so my review may be skewed by that. There’s also on-page rape (not between MCs) which can be uncomfortable for some people, just as a general warning! It also seems Subs have slick? I’m not sure.
I don’t really expect the BDSM in biokink to be reflecting of reality - Healy touches on a definition of sub drop that blames it on the Dom for not providing aftercare, but that isn’t always true. Sometimes the Dom does just as they need to, but the rush of hormones and emotional release can cause a sub drop regardless. I did like the aftercare aspect between Noah and Anthony though, and how that was emphasized.
There’s a lot of internal monologue in this. It reminds me of the way I write with friends in roleplaying scenarios - which is fine for that, but could be tightened up and cut down for a novel. Sometimes it was repetitive and there were too many fluff words like “though” and “of course” when they weren’t necessary. There was also some odd choices describing genitalia and related such as “brushing my delicate and clenching place”.
Noah, is my favorite character. I love his little snaggletooth, pink hair, and the way he makes jokes and is puppy like. He helped Anthony despite the circumstances, knowing a stranger needed help. However the jump to them having sex so soon after meeting each other was a bit much considering the awful experiences Anthony had. Anthony himself didn’t really have too much of a personality besides ‘sad’, but he did open himself up more around Noah and develop more of a character voice.
My confusion with Anthony was the lack of passion for anything else. He was content cleaning and then waiting for Noah to come home. I wish that he had some sort of hobby or even job he wanted to do - painting, knitting, horseback riding, whatever. He was bad at what he did try and didn’t seem to pursue anything.
I liked that they were similar ages and Noah wasn’t super rich or had much power over Anthony (in the sense of wealth, etc), so it felt more balanced to me. Their kink play was fun though sometimes I found myself skimming sex scenes and would’ve liked a few less of them. This is more instalove because of the fated pair aspect, but I like that stuff so it didn’t bother me.
As for the plot of this book, beyond them getting together — it was entertaining drama for sure! Realistic? No. However, I didn’t really have a problem with how it all went down. I do think that the first 38% (where Noah comes in) is a bit gratuitous with the on-page noncon scenes and Anthony’s sadness. I wish this was cut down to maybe the first 10-15%. However, in the end, the characters got their HEA and that’s what really mattered to me.
This author has potential so I will read more books. If you like BL, you will like this also if the criticisms I have didn’t bother you or at least prepared you for it. Overall, I recommend it even if it’s not perfect.