Review: A beautiful story between two people in a dystopian world.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 28, 2013
I admit I haven't read much of Dystopian fiction. This is not a world where i would be happy to live. The world where Athaenian ruling aristocratic society are bent on keeping their lives of privilege, of racial purity and demand to be kept in the style they are accustomed to by chosen and highly valued slaves to care for them is not for me.I dislike the way they control the rest of the living, the dregs, gypsies, afflicted and disabled, to allow or take their lives, to allow or prevent them eating, to force them to be labour slaves...but gradually eliminating those surplus to needs is a horrifying scenario. Yet would the extreme dictatorship regimes from past history not have done the same? So it is not just within the realms of fantasy that this sits uneasily with me but as a reminder of the inhumanity of mankind to mankind and other living creatures.Then out of this horror comes Demetrie, fickle, an aristocratic Count known for his use and abuse of less fortunate lives to titillate and amuse until the novelty wears off and he discards his amusements. But then along comes Sev...from Seven, a young athletic dancer and part time criminal through need, one marred from the accepted norms of beauty by different coloured eyes and birthmark. Such a child would be alienated by most at first sight in our societies today. To Demetrie his difference is aesthetically pleasing. For an agreed time period Sev is to be his sex toy. Yet through BDSM practices a Master/slave relationship grows through Demetrie's dominance and Sev's naturally submissiveness. This same sex relationship cannot be tolerated by Athaenian society, and their hierarchy of entitlement means offspring are essential for continuation of family lines and associated wealth and place there.So readers only will find how Lia takes her well crafted story and how it ends. All I will say is it had such beautiful sexual and scenes of romance, of giving, sharing and love...oh that we should all be lucky enough to experience such as this whatever our sexual leanings. I found this emotive, heartwarming at times, awful and horrifying at others. However, I found a new author whose work I will be happy to read if this is anything to go on.