Review: A mind blowing read!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 26, 2013
Well, this was a mind blowing read and not only in the sense you're thinking of.We find Dougie and Matt right where we left them. Dougie trying his best to be compliant so as not keep being beaten and Nikolai treating him as a favorite pet and Mat suffering physically while Nikolai tries to break him to his will while keeping his fighting spirit intact.As soon as the story began, the endless mind games were launched. This time around I was not tapping the hell out of my tablet in fury or expectation. Nope. I was taking my time analyzing, questioning, wondering what was wrong with me. I was carefully tapping to get to the next page to see if what I was thinking was correct or not. You see, in the previous episodes I've loathed Nikolai, but somewhere along the line I've come to admire him in a how-screwed-up-are-you-to-do-this? kind of way. I have to him credit, his mind is as brilliant as it is disturbing. He went directly to the heart of the boys without mercy and dammit, it's slowly working.Once again, Haimowitz and Belleau drew me into the story, but this time I was not only a spectator, I was a participant. Their writing affected just as much as if I were going through the mental onslaught along with Mat and Dougie. Like them I was kept in a constant state of doubt. Waiting for the other shoe to drop. Questioning my resolve and those of the boys, because like them I wanted the pain to go away for my boys. I wanted them to get some rest without having to look over their shoulder. To breathe without it inflicting any pain. I didn't want Mat and Dougie to suffer any more than what they had already endured.On the other hand, deep inside I wanted them to be strong. To keep their bond intact and their loyalty in the fore front. I faltered, just like them. I felt their pain, hesitations, fears and frustrations. I understood why they each felt the way they did and why they confessed the things they did. Nikolai played them like a harp. Coaxing, going round and round until they fell in the trap, engaging them, correcting them, rewarding them and punishing them. It was a ruthless cycle of mental torment more than anything physical, but it was agonizing, repulsive, subtle, sly. Brilliant!Rachel Haimowitz and Heidi Belleau have delivered another great episode to the Flesh Cartel serial. Engaging from beginning to end, emotions aplenty and twists and turns that mess with your mind. In other words, an excellent read! I can't wait for the next episode. And how screwed up am I for that?