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Review of "Captive: The Story of Nikki"
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I am excited about your book. I have never written such a long review for Amazon. Unfortunately, they haven't released it yet. Maybe it's against their rules somehow, I don't know. Still, I wanted to give it to you. (I am from Germany, so my English is not so good.) (Five Stars) Voluntary Submission This book is exceptionally good for its genre. I literally devoured it and I am looking forward to the sequel. Not least for this review, I have now read the book (52 chapters) several times. The blurb is pretty well done. Nicole Chalmers (22) and Austin Trask, who is about 10 years older, meet by chance in a jazz club. She is a waitress and he is a billionaire. But this story is anything but another “Fifty shades of gray”. Nikki is no naive Anastasia Steele. She is four months out of college, but without a proper job. As a sexually experienced girl she was simply looking for a hook up. Quote: “… she'd gone out with some seriously scary dudes.” The story of is told primarily from her perspective. Therefore she is the heroine of this story. The reader learns what happens to her and what it does to her. You suffer with her. She is intelligent and passionate. She has good observation skills and a good memory. In the cell she has plenty of opportunity to think about her situation. Sometimes she uses “Story of O” for comparison. After all, she has a degree in English (BA) and knows the classics of the genre. But there are no exquisite SM clubs or a society of masters with elaborate rules for their slaves (so far). Throughout the story she is repeatedly asked for her consent. However, the restrictions that she voluntarily accepts are becoming increasingly strict. You don't learn much about Austin Trask. When he wants to, he can be quite charming, but he also seems to be a sadist. Until then, he had never met a girl who had submitted to him in such a way. You don't really get to know what he thinks and what Nikki means to him. If he talks to Nikki, he tells her the truth. At times he is shockingly blunt. But his true intentions remain hidden. He delegates much of Nikki's training to others. Trask has almost unlimited resources at his disposal: diligent employees, spacious rooms and sophisticated equipment. His goal is Nikki’s complete servility. He is playing a game with Nikki, and he alone makes the rules.She can only decide whether she wants to get involved. Above all, it is a game with uncertainty. What's next? Quote: “Your directions sound like something written by a serial killer.” It's not a romantic relationship. Austin loves Nikki like a master loves his pet. He describes her as an expensive hobby. Nikki pretends not to love Austin at all, but his dominance excites her. She seems proud of beeing a slave. The author does not discuss any deep psychological reasons for the tendencies of his protagonists. Quote:“Why are you like this?” However, it becomes clear that women like Nikki are extraordinary and Austin knows that he has discovered a treasure for himself. At first it's only weekends when Nikki makes herself available to him. But Trask imposes his rules on her. She very quickly gives him control over her life at home. And this control continues to increase. Nikki endures bondage, humiliation, punishments, isolation and loss of privacy. All of them affect her psychologically rather than physically. Nikki is regularly beaten by her tormentors. Not because she deserved punishment (she breaks the rules far too rarely). Not excessively either, more like a “maintenance” spanking. The eroticism is more for fetish lovers, the sex scenes are short and factual. The author refrains from providing excessively detailed descriptions here. One of Trask's rules prohibits Nikki from speaking without permission. But there are a few scenes in which she is allowed to express herself freely. Quote: “… no matter how much you infantilize me and humitate me, in the back of my mind I know that we’re larping. But if I know that it might be real - that maybe there is no way out - I will be scared.” Between the lines, this story draws its tension from the possibility that Trask certainly has the means to subjugate Nikki even without her consent. Reality check: This also seems to be one of those erotic fantasy stories where sexually transmitted diseases don't play a role. Or maybe they do. Finally, a phlebotomist swabs and collects blood samples every month to test for STDs and AIDS. And the use of condoms is occasionally mentioned. A few notes about some characters: Valery „Val“ Olmos, Nikki‘s roommate and colleague She appears to be both disturbed and fascinated by Nikki's ongoing transformation. It seems strange how quickly she makes herself available as Trask’s go-between. “She enjoyed the power she had to hand down Trask’s instructions to her roommate.” She also seems to have some control over the sex party in the house and who is allowed to come on subsequent visits. She even once had sex with Nikki herself. Val derives quite some economic benefits from getting to know Trask. She gets an expensive dress, a rent-free house (small two bedroom) and a good job. Did he corrupt her? Mister (Robert) Moore, personal slave driver, exercises her daily „I work closely with Mister Trask and we are very close friends. I will be your trainer.“ He isn't introduced into the story until about 14 weeks later. From then on, he spends almost more time with Nikki than Trask himself. Trask and Moore initially only seem to have a few general ideas about Nikki's training; their methodology seems well thought out but not professional. They take things as they come and they take their time with it. But Task has a wish and it's up to Moore to make it happen. He seems to know a lot about fitness. He apparently likes to locking Nikki in cages. “.. I am hoping that he‘ll get tired of you and sell or give you to me.“ „Solitary confinement has a powerful effect.“ Ria Peterson, young (19) and naif, reminds me a little of Jaqueline in SoO “… Ria idolized the slave in training.” Nikki gave Ria the joys of girl-on-girl sex. Now in a sapphic relationship with her. Emily, an older lesbian, met Nikki at the ballroom event, thinks Nikki is Austin's slave. “She is a very wealthy lesbian, thinks she’s Anne Marie of Samois. She puts on a summer camp in New England where she, supposedly, trains slaves to service lesbians.” Obviously she would like to get her hands on Nikki. Maybe Austin will send her to Emily’s summer camp. Miss Stanford, good maid, shows a little compassion for Nikki Miss Wood, bad maid, creepy, has an air of hostility, unforgiving „She had never heard Miss Wood berate her like that. Apparently, verbal abuse was on the menu now.“ *** Spoiler Alert! *** A few things I particularly liked: The first rendezvous in Trask’s mansion. At first I wasn't sure whether Austin was a bit strange or whether he was ballsy. Was this his usual approach when looking for a future slave? The fact that Nikki had someone in Val and Ria with whom she could talk about her experiences. The new haircut Trask’s rules for Nikki Visit to expensive restaurant (Austin, Nikki and Val) The fitness regime The confinement cells That she is kept on a leash (collar and leash) „… during normal use, the slave will be in restraints.“ Prisoner visits from Val and Ria The slave kibble Some things, I was missing: Was Austin able to identify a potential of submissiveness in Nikki at the first meeting in the jazz club that foreshadowed her later development? Or was it simply a “trial and error” method? Reality check: Neither Nikki nor Valery ever thought to google Austin Trask. A conversation with a shrink to ensure her mental health. An appointment is mentioned, but it is not described whether it happened. Nikki’s actual appointment for laser hair removal and anal bleaching is not described. Was there also a mani-pedi for Nikki? Reality check: Her contraceptive method. Reality check: Isn't Nikki really bored to death in her cell? Seriously, how can she stand this? Even when unobserved, Nikki hardly seems to think about breaking a rule. For example, has she never succumbed to the temptation to try something sweet? Some things, which I didn't like as much (mostly because it happened too often): Verbal abuse: Most of the time it sounds too artificial to me and I just don't like it. Blindfolds, too often Quote: „I‘ve been in a lot of rooms blindfolded.“ „The Owner may blindfold the Slave.“ Outside the cell, constantly? The psychological effect is described and the intended disorientation is understandable. And since the reader doesn't “see” more than Nikki, it remains exciting for him too. Still, it often seems a little exaggerated to me. When Nikki gets a “beauty treatment” from Trask's employees (in the basement?), it seems a bit like a horror show thanks to the blindfold. It's all so complicated. If her blindness is a must: How about a half mask or black contact lenses? Police harassment: Another way to embarrass her. Understandable, but it became boring after a while. Punishment: No sugar, forever. Such punishments are better limited in time. This resulted in the saddest scene in the book: the birthday cake in the Steakhouse. The liberal use of stimulants and sedatives. The “Summer Party” with the frat boys Well, for the reader it was probably more of a boys' fantasy. Sometimes more amusing than erotic. Maybe Trask wanted to fulfill one of Nikki's fantasies? BUT: Drunk (!) frat (!) boys (!) - Without supervision? A disaster waiting to happen. That was way to careless. In my opinion, Trask thereby violated his duty of care imposed on him in the contract. The whole thing was a stupid idea. A borrower should not be allowed to lend Nikki to others. Trask:„… I‘ll have to add choking to the list of things a borrower is not allowed to do …“. The Trip to the ship: “The Doctor” and the special medical blindfold bandage (completely exaggerated), The arranged fling with Ben Nicholson. All this talk about the dungeon under the hacienda. A power trip from Austin. Does he need something like that? What I expect in the sequel and what I would be happy about: [Nikki Under Contract] A new, longer contract (obviously) Mister Moore: “I’ve ordered some smaller cages …” Using the bondage gear that was in her birthday box, especially the “blind and deaf” contraption. If Trask, as an expression of his control over Nikki, has to loan her out to a third party, could it be someone with more of an SM background? Maybe Emily? Vanillas just don't really appreciate her talents. The contact with Val and Ria should not stop. More inclusion of Miss Stanford. Longer-term bondage (2-3 days), predicament and device bondage (a few hours). Is the fitness regime and gymnastics aimed at something special? Nikki could do some running competition and maybe if she is successful enough, the sugar ban could be lifted? Better mobility could be used for more demanding bondage (monoglove, extreme elbow, reversed prayer, etc.). Trask is often not at home. Does he have similar projects in any of his other properties? Are there other slaves in training? Will Nikki meet other slaves? Summer camp (or probably later in a third part?): running competition, pet- and ponyplay “He wants to borrow you again this summer for a party out in the country with his son and a few associates.” Favourite quotes: Nikki: „ … when I went to college, I did a soc paper on sex slavery in America.“ Frat Boy „Nez“: „ If you have seen the guys who delivered her, you wouldn‘t ask that question. Fucking six foot four, all of them. Carrying guns, folding batons … they look like fucking people up is their regular job.“