Review: Under Contract by Helen Saito

Genre: Near-future, Dystopia
Elements: BDSM, contract slavery

Rating:

• Characters - 5 - The characters in this story are quite believable, and each have their own little bit to contribute to the larger story. There are even a couple stories I wish we'd hear more about.
• Setting - 4 - Though the world is interesting, we don't get quite enough detail for my tastes to tell us how all this came about, where they are, and what the world is like now.
• Plot - 5 - The plot very much lives up to the premise, and pulls you along, keeping you guessing as to how it will all end.
• Genre Elements - 5 - The BDSM aspects of this story are excellent. There's something for just about all BDSM lovers.
• Voice - 5 - Never once do I get any of the three main characters confused, even when they are not initially named in voice-shifts. They're all quite unique.
• Romance Elements - 4 - Both the romance of Gavin and Alex and Gavin and Sam are quite good, though they never quite reach the level of "can't-live-without-you" romance.
• Overall - 4.5 -Very highly recommended. After Slave Breakers, probably my favorite BDSM story. Definitely one of my all-time favorites so far.

Basic story -
Gavin is a trainer at Cascade. He very much enjoys his job. Far more than he ever liked being a slave. But when he meets Alex, he finds that perhaps being a slave isn't entirely a bad thing. At least, for Alex. As Gavin's attraction to Alex grows, he struggles with truths he's been convinced of for a very long time. Can he find a place in his life for Alex, or should he let him go?

My thoughts -
I'm a big fan of BDSM stories, especially when well written, and this one definitely is. You get various points of view when it comes to how this system works, and each person has their own preferences and kinks. Saito gives us a great glimpse into a world where this is the norm for this group, and each little detail just makes it that much more real.

The two central characters show us a great cross-section, especially. Gavin as the long-time practitioner, who only indulges at work or with his partner, Sam, and Alex as the newcomer who barely knows what he wants. Gavin's experiences as a slave leave him wary of letting anyone who doesn't have experience in this world become a slave, but he also makes sure to give Alex a good grounding.

The plot builds from Gavin's doubts about Alex, and also his attraction to him. There's no real jealousy between he and Sam--their agreement allows for some flexibility, given Gavin's job. The real tension comes from the fact that it is Gavin's job to train Alex to be sold, but he's not sure he wants Alex to fall into the same trap he felt he himself was in as a slave. And, of course, the question of whether he wants to save him from himself, or save him for himself.

What follows is a very satisfying story. Between the characters, setting, and the BDSM elements, this story will keep you reading from beginning to end.

Warnings -
Slavery and heavy BDSM elements.

Overall Recommendation -
Definitely for anyone who loves reading BDSM. 

Link to the story - Under Contract (at Goodreads)
Author Link - Helen Saito (at Goodreads)
If you liked this story, try -

• The Adorned by John Tristan (Goodreads) (read my review here)
• Slavebreakers by Maculategiraffe (free online) (read my review here)
• The Violet and the Tom by Eve Ocitillo (Fiction Press) (read my review here)
• The Ennik Series by Kim Fielding (Goodreads) (read my review here)
• Undesirable by Velvet Mace (LJ)

Review: Slavebreakers by Maculategiraffe

Genre: Near-future, Dystopia
Elements: slavery, BDSM

Rating:

• Characters - 5 - A brilliant cast of dozens of characters, each as unique as the next.
• Setting - 5 - A soft setting, but well thought-out and explained to the reader in a way that makes it feel quite real.
• Plot - 5 - The sub-stories each have unique plots, and their overreaching arc just makes the world work that much better.
• Genre Elements - 5 - Between the detail of this near-future world, the slavery elements so very prominent to the story, and the BDSM concepts involved in a few of the tales, the whole series is fascinating from beginning to end.
• Voice - 5 - Never once did I get any of the characters confused. Each is unique, and very easy to tell apart.
• Romance Elements - 5 - Wonderful detail here, as well. Both for the existing romances and the ones that grow over the period of the stories. Each gets its own chance to shine.
• Overall - 5 - This one absolutely gets my top recommendation for any BDSM story anywhere.

Basic story -
In a future where slavery is commonplace once more, a couple called the Slavebreakers take Slaves from their masters that are no longer wanted and retrain them before selling them once more. But Holden and his wife Alix are more than they appear.

My thoughts -
This series hits on many of my favorite things. D/s, hurt/comfort, even slavery, when done in the right way. The world is shockingly rich for how subtle and slow the details are revealed, and the characters really pull you along in the story.

This is actually a series of stories set in this world. The first, Bran's story, is my favorite of the series, though all of the characters show in the others in the series as well. Bran's story highlights the abuses of the system. The second, Jesse is more about those who try to fight the system when they're stuck in it. And there are so many other stories in this series. Each one provides a different angle, a different insight. Never once do you feel you're rereading the same story in a different character's voice.

Even Holden and Alix have their own stories to tell, as well as their oldest slave, Yves, who is actually one of their oldest friends. Each time you think you know the full story, more is revealed. It's definitely not the kind of story that will bore anyone.

That said, I personally love Bran's story the most because it hits most of my favorite kinks about slave stories, and has an incredibly satisfying ending. I think that everyone who reads this series will be drawn to one story or another, depending on their preferences. Really, there's something here for every reader of m/m slave stories. You wouldn't think there would be broad preferences there, but there really are, and this story seems to hit on so many of them.

I do hope that someday the author gets this professionally polished and published in paper form, because it's just a gorgeous series, and deserves to be.

Warnings -
Strong warning for slavery, also for dub-con, D/s and other aspects of BDSM, and for abuse of slaves.

Overall Recommendation -
This one has my top recommendation. If you like slavery, D/s, or BDSM, this is definitely the story to read.

Link to the story - Slavebreakers (index page on dreamwidth)
Author Link - Maculategiraffe (at Goodreads)
If you liked this story, try -

•  Cinder by Gryvon (AO3) (read my review here)
•  The Adorned by John Tristan (Goodreads) (read my review here)
• The Violet and the Tom by Eve Ocitillo (Fiction Press) (read my review here)
• His Client/His Request by Ava March (Goodreads) (read my review here)
• Under Contract by Helen Saito  (Goodreads Page) (read my review here)

Review: The Adorned by John Tristan

Genre: Fantasy
Elements: magic, tattoos, magical beings

Rating:

• Characters - 4 - Though the story initially gets off to a slow start, once the characters are established, you can't help but be pulled along on their journey.
• Setting - 5 - The world Tristan has created is fascinating and highly detailed. Enough for several more books of the same length. I'd love to know how the tattoo magic truly came about, and to see earlier incarnations of it.
• Plot - 5 - The story itself was good, but some details of the plot felt like an afterthought. I would have liked a bit more time to really get to know this world before things began to fall apart.
• Genre Elements - 5 - The tattoos really make this story what it is. Between learning the process, seeing how it is used, and what happens after the fallout, the story here is almost more about the tattoos than the characters. In a very good way. Tristan has woven a rich culture here that definitely deserves further examination.
• Voice - 5 - The characters in the story are highly unique, and never once did I confuse one for another.
• Romance Elements - 4 - The love story gets short shrift, coming second to the overall story of the main character and the world around him, which works quite well for this story.
• Overall - 4.5 - A truly lovely story, and well recommended.

Basic story -
Etan is nearly penniless, and finds himself destitute in the big city after what little he has is stolen from him. What follows is a winding tale of a world very different from ours, where people are decorated for the pleasure of those in power.

My thoughts -
I read this close upon the heels of reading Kushiel's Dart, which I adored, but which did not have nearly enough male same-sex moments in it for my tastes. This read like a male version of that story, so I had to pick it up when I saw it on Amazon. While it wasn't as long or as tightly packed as Kushiel, it definitely was an excellent follow-up.

The world itself is incredibly rich and fascinating, and I would have loved to read more about it and how it came about. The rulers of the land (called Blooded) and how they got the powers they did. The origins of the tattoos and how it evolved from something only given to those closest to those in power to something used almost purely for entertainment value. The wars with the surrounding countries, and what they had once been like. The growing internal discontent of the populace of the land. All of it.

The romance in this is almost a side-line to the main character's story, which means it's slow to develop and really not the center focus of the story. Personally, I think that made it better, though it also means that there was very little of it in the story overall, since it wasn't a long book. But I'm glad it wasn't the main focus. It made the story more real in the end.

I would definitely love to read more in this world, though it seems Tristan has closed the chapter on this tale. Still, as I said above, there are plenty of threads I'd love to see written about. Perhaps other tales of love between Adorned and tattooer, or even Adorned and Blooded, when it happened. I'm still working on getting the rest of his books, so I don't know if any of the others are set in this world, but I have a feeling that either way, I'll enjoy them.

Warnings -
 Tattooing. If that's not your thing, particularly if it bothers you,  I wouldn't recommend this story. Also some (minor) slavery and people owning people in a few different ways. Also later on in the story is some pretty gruesome injury. But overall, it's a pretty safe read. Most things are only inferred when it comes to the dark stuff.

Overall Recommendation -
Definitely well worth reading. I recommend it to anyone who likes Fantasy, particularly those who have read Kushiel and enjoyed it but wanted more of Anafiel Delaunay and Alcuin.

Link to the story - The Adorned (on Goodreads)
Author Link - John Tristan (on Goodreads)
If you liked this story, try -

• The Violet and the Tom by Eve Ocotillo (Fiction Press) (read my review here)
• The Fall of the Dragon King by MomsDarkSecret (Fiction Press) (read my review here)
• The Dream of a Thousand Nights by Shira Anthony (Goodreads) (read my review here)
• The Quartz Key by Lianne Burwell (Online link) (read my review here)
• Dolls and Seesaws by Menswear (AO3 - unfinished story)