There are so many elements at work, and the ultimate goal in Brennan’s kidnapping is approached in a realistic manner. I especially enjoy the focus on the mental struggle within Brennan and between himself and his captors. Brennan is sympathetic, and his captors are complex and interesting, just as they are vile. The writer really gets inside the mind of the victim as well as those of his tormentors. It isn’t just a shock value fic with the same old scene repeating again and again there’s a well thought out process behind it all as the antagonists attempt to break the main character down.

However, there are so many layers to the story beyond the violence. These non-consensual scenes, of which there are many, are quite unpleasant, and everyone involved reacts in a realistic way that isn’t especially common in the slash/yaoi genre of course, that means you also have to brace yourself for some disgusting consequences that are equally unusual in m/m fiction. I really appreciated that, as I see rape being glorified quite often in m/m stories. First of all, the rape isn’t written in a way that’s meant to be erotic. There are a million plots about boys being kidnapped and raped, but this is something different. Review: While the story is brutal, it’s definitely worth the read if you can stomach it. All I can promise is I’m a sucker for happy endings. Part One deals exclusively with the abduction and is not for the faint of heart. Summary: Brennan knows there is a world outside of his apartment, but he has been prisoner in his own home, since his abduction, unable to muster enough strength to venture outside or he would realize, not everything out there is as bad as it seems. There was no emotional bond available, this read a lot like very unemotional non-fiction.Įdit: after reading the truly gritty, emotional and realistic, which deals with this topic so much better, I've decided I have to downgrade this by one star.Warnings: Very graphic rape, violence, torture, and abuse throughout I was bored after the first 10% and stayed bored, never truly connecting with any of the characters. However, for what coldly looked at should be a harrowing tale, either belonging more to the genre of Horror (like ), or to the one of Dark Erotica ( or ), this was a major fail for me. Competent prose which would have benefitted from an editor.

Waiting in the Throes by Maddox Grey