Happy New Year!!

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year filled with exciting new memories, new friends, and of course new books! :D

This new year will be filled with lots of new book reviews!

Love,
The Reviewer

End of Days Review

Okay… now that I have settled down a bit I think I can finally write this review. I actually finished the book about a week ago and let’s just say I’m in love.

This is probably my favorite conclusion novel while also being completely unsatisfying. It was huge, it was romantic, it was violent, it was strong, and it was so unsatisfying in the ending because I WANT MORE!!!! The series was originally intended to have 6 books, I believe I read somewhere, but now it’s only going to be these 3 incredible pieces!

In short, Penryn is awesome! Raffe is awesome! Paige and even Penryn’s mom are awesome! 

As a romance lover I was so beyond not disappointed! Raffe’s internal struggle is so palpable it’s crazy while Penryn’s struggle to not become that swooning 17 year old girl is both hilarious and slightly sad.

Their journey together comes to an end of apocalyptic proportions (sorry, couldn’t help myself.)

You will fall for Raffe all over again and will love the realistic take on who these angel warriors are as well as their hierarchy and politics. 

I can not stress how incredible this book is, there is so much to it that I don’t even know where to start and so for my review I will just emphasize that while I was reading this installment, this book was my life and if you haven’t read Angelfall yet, go and read it! If only for this incredible conclusion!

Of course now I am unsatisfied because now I want to see the life after. I want to see them rebuilding everything, how the humans react with *cough* things… And I want to see the bumpy road, the politics, the law and order, the establishment of society set back into place. But as it is, I give this novel and this series a 10/10 stars! I wouldn’t recommend this book for anyone under the age of 15 or 16 for graphic violence and somes scenes of a sexual nature.

World After Review

I… just… wow…

Even though not a lot of things happen in this installment, it was sooo so good! Penryn is probably my favorite lead female character ever!

What I Loved:

The action. Susan Ee has an incredible talent for describing gore and action with a good pace that is descriptive but not as though it is in slow-mo.

Penryn. She has really stepped up her sass level in this novel!

The fact that it takes FOREVER for Penryn and Raffe to reunite. Even though it made me sad, I like the fact that Penryn isn’t one of those typical YA heroines who is nothing without her man. They are strong apart, but stronger together, and that m’dears is what a true relationship, partnership, is about.

The realism. A lot of YA hero(ine)s tend to be unrealistically brave. Penryn is brave, but not to the extent where it is unnatural. It is one of those ridiculous coincidence’s that the protagonist has self-defense training, but in this situation, it makes sense. She is afraid, but doesn’t allow her fear to paralyze her (or at least not always).

The themes of “What Makes a Monster.” Very Shelley’s Frankenstein or Hugo’s The Huntchback of Notre Dame.

What I Didn’t Like:

Not a lot happened. A few questions have been answered, and Penryn has learned a lot about the World After and herself but it seems like it was a long time with not a lot going on.

Overall, I’m so incredibly pumped for the third installment but I’m crying inside because I have to wait until 2015!!! D: This is why I don’t normally read series’ in the making and wait for all installments to come out.

You will Fall for Angelfall

A powerful post-apocalyptic novel I thought I could skip on… Boy I’m glad I didn’t!

Synopsis: In a Post-Apocalyptic world where angels have taken over and destroyed families, towns, cities, nations… the world!; a lot of rules are broken, and desperation has taken over. 17 year old Penryn is on a mission to save her sister who has been taken by these terrible… creatures and who can help her? One of them. 

Raffe, is an angel who has lost something… pretty important. His own kind is turning against him and he was saved by… this petty mortal girl? How humiliating! 

On her quest to save her sister, Penryn and Raffe develop a strong relationship based on trust—something that doesn’t come easy in the post apocalyptic world. In this world, there is something much bigger than a kidnapped sister and some broken wings… Big things are happening in Heaven, which means it’s only going to get worse for the survivors of the Angelfall.

What I loved: 

Focus… There is something SO much bigger than a human falling for an angel and an angel falling for a human. There was focus on the big picture for once! In other romance novels, the focus somehow always came down to the couple… whether or not the get along, whether or not they get together… This one… not so much.

I loved the little tender moments of romance but enjoyed the action more!

I liked that it was different from other angel novels. This one had a more scientific twist on it whereas other angel novels focus on the religious and mystical… the mysterious. This one is more about cold hard fact and science. A very interesting and intelligent mix.

I loved how strong Penryn was. She knows how to fend for herself, how to fight… she’s a leader she’s strong-willed, a real character to look up to as opposed to some other protagonists.

What I Hated: 

Raffe very often got on my nerves. Dear goodness he got on my nerves until the last few chapters in which case I fell in love! :3

WTF?! SPOILER WARNING!!!

1. The author is very very VERY graphic! Lots of blood. I like Gore… okay… but whoa! I was really unprepared for the LEVEL of bloodshed and gorey detail. But then again I normally read fluffy cutesy cheesy romance novels not action packed sci-fi’s with some romance on the side.

2. Nephilim. I’ve officially read three different definitions of Nephilim. in Fallen Nephilim were taught to basically be like normal people with some insight to how angels and that whole world works. They were not outcasts or horrible people, they were cherished in a way. In Hush, Hush Nephilim are just immortal offspring of fallen angels and humans. Nephilim in that novel are not necessarily terrible not necessarily special. In Angelfall, however… Nephilim are demons. 0.0 DA fuck?! They are cannibalistic demons that eat people alive in the darkness… WTF?!

3. He kisses her hungrily and then tells her he doesn’t care about her! Nuff said. WTF?!!

4. The scorpion people. 0.0 And what they were doing to the children!!! OMGGGG!!!! WTFFFFFF?!!!

Awwwwww!!!! SPOILER ALERT:

1.  He really does care! I loved him carrying her through the rubble and the chaos to get her to her family. Awwwwwww!!!

2. He circles around her, keeping up with where she is. Awwwwwww!!!

I rate this PG-13 and overall I give this one 5/5 I loved every page and I’m so glad I read it! But now I have to wait until November for the sequel!!!! WTF?!!!?

Allegiant Review

What I LOVED:

This whole trilogy explored what it means to be strong or brave, and what humanity, or what it means to be human, is. There were many great monologues about these topics, and great symbolic events that demonstrates them.

Tris’ character. The changes she goes through are incredible. I love that she has so many levels to her personality and her development as a person.

Tobias’ and Tris’ relationship. I love that we see a strong couple, a power couple who build each other up in every way.

Christina. I remember in Divergent I didn’t like her much. In this installment though, I adore her!

The ending. SPOILERS! Despite how much I hate that they will not have children and Tris would not live to see the world she helped reconstruct, and Tobias is once again alone, Roth was right, this is the ending. It wouldn’t do Tris justice any other way. It also gave Tobias a chance at a new life, and to become the Tobias he wants to be, brave and selfless and intelligent and honest and kind. Also, it goes with the theme of bravery and survival. It is brave to go on without the people you love, and it is hard. Also, it would be weak, too easy to give up just because someone, even someone as important as your first love, dies before you do or without you.

I am relieved though at the same time disappointed that Roth didn’t go for the stereotypical or obvious; those events that despite how overused they are, the reader loves them every time. Though I find it unfair (SPOILERS) Tris died when Peter didn’t, I’m also glad Roth didn’t have him give his life for her and profess his regret at being such a horrible person and hopes he will be forgiven. I am equally disappointed, but relieved, Tobias did not die with her. I am sad because I feel his grief, I can empathize with his loss and how lonesome and difficult it must be, but at the same time I’m glad at least one of them gets to see the fruits of their labors and sacrifices.

Overall, I love this book and though it took me a second to realize everything that made me angry was for good reason, I have no complaints.

5/5

Insurgent

The first time I read this, I was reading to throw the book until the last two pages. Seriously, two pages and then I was appeased. Veronica Roth… you….

Girl… I almost had a freaking heart attack.

So,

What I Loved!

The beginning with all of the cutesy and agreeing just made my heart melt!

The action, as always was well described, very detailed and easy to follow, I also loved the fact that (SPOILER) Tris struggled with guns after Will.

(SPOILER) Their time with the Candor. It was irritating (but that was the point I’m fairly sure) and the (SPOILER) truth serum was fantastic! That was probably one of my favorite parts.

Tris never backs down from what she believes in. She risks her relationship with Tobias (a difficult decision because…

look at him! :D)

But no seriously, I love Tobias and Tris as characters and as a couple. They would work well together if they would get over their stubbornness, which maybe they will do in Allegiant?

The science behind Divergence was pretty cool. And the debate between is personality wholly anatomical/can our behavior be determined based on the makeup of our brains?… Interesting…

What I HATED!

That it followed my Archetypal Bitch’s journey. Tris is so wonderfully different I was really hoping she and Tobias would skip the secrets/protecting each other/sneaking around each other phase of my archetype theory… but alas. (SPOILER) they argue through the whole goddamned thing! Can we have no happiness? Some of the arguments were ridiculously stupid and others I felt were definitely necessary. 

The fact that Roth waited until the VERY fucking end to let them make nice. Well… that was her style and her decision but as a reader UUUUGHHH!!!!

The scene (SPOILER) where Tris has to go through a simulation to get to Jeanine’s office… Why not just kill an intruder? Why allow them to go through a simulation to get there? Is she arrogant enough to believe that whether a person is Divergent or not that they will not survive? That to me is “Illogical” to use the term the Erudite love so much. It doesn’t make sense to me, I think it’d make more sense for her to either be shot, poisoned, driven mad, or for the office to be unguarded or maybe just guarded by the Dauntless drones. I understand the emotional impact of the simulation to me it’s just… “Illogical.”

Overall I tore through this book in a matter of 3 days and now I’m dying for the third and final installment! 

<3 The Reviewer

Divergent

A girl in a world where the population is divided into five groups, the kind, the selfless, the brave, the wise, and the honest. For some reason, you may only belong to one faction and each faction believes their way is the right way (welcome to political statements, religious values, and basically any controversial topic in the modern world.) This girl, Beatrice, chooses the exact opposite faction from her own and is thrust into an environment where she must go against her own nature to fit in, or become a nobody, factionless.

What I Liked: 

Tobias and Tris. I think they are so sweet together and I just… argh I can’t even! 

The action was all beautifully written. I could see it all clearly, but it wasn’t so broken down that it lost the flow and looked like it was going through freezeframe—which kind of tends to happen in YA action scenes. Some of these sequences actually made my heart pound.

Thank God some YA author grows the balls to use the “s” word! I hate it when YA authors beat around the bush and call it something else or don’t say anything at all, just have their characters blush madly (kind of like how I’m doing right now.) I’ll say it nice and loud…

SEX!!!

Although… It kind of felt like…

The way it ends. Very well written and super intense… Not to mention super sweet!

The many sides of Tobias and Tris. They, as well as Tris’ mother and Jeanine were the only truly believable characters because their natures were complex. Everyone else fit into the mold of their faction, whereas the characters listed above were not afraid to reach outside the box and really think critically and differently (SPOILERRRRR!!!!) And I suppose that’s part of the whole Divergence thing with the three former in the list.

The conflict. Not horribly new, the conflict was of someone doing bad things with good intentions in mind. She didn’t want genocide (at least the good in me is trying to believe she doesn’t and I don’t believe she wanted that ultimately (hopefully you guys know who I am talking about)) she wanted a more equal government.

What I Didn’t Like: 

The climax came very suddenly. Like, there was calm, and then all of the sudden there is THE rising action, the one that made me go, whoa something big is going to happen! Maybe the abruptness was the point, but I am not a fan since the rest of the novel was paced so well and then it feels like she didn’t know what else to write between what had happened before and the rising action to the climax.

The characters were a bit too cliche. The Abnegation were incapable of being selfish, the Candor can absolutely never lie, and the Dauntless are always daredeviling/being brutes, and amity people are incapable of being mean. Then from that Peter never varied in his character. He was always Draco Malfoy and his friends were always Pansy Parkinson and Blaze/Crabbe/Goyle.

I still do not really understand the purpose/point of the factions. Why they formed, why all of the personalities must be the exact same. Even with the houses in Harry Potter they all still had completely different personalities (Slytherin being the only exception, of course.)

Overall, I enjoyed the bok though I hope Insurgent will clear some questions up about the factions, the history of the factions, and of course for some blushing madly-ness from Tris and Tobias.

Divergent movie review

Finally got to see this last night! It was great, don’t get me wrong. I do have lots of praises… but some criticism too.

What I Liked:

First off, I must say I was very very impressed by Shailene Woodley’s performance! I think this girl was made for action movies (despite her use of stunt-double, which isn’t a big deal). In all of her projects I have never seen her actually act… well! They rest of the cast was spot. on! I loved everyone! Especially Ms. Kate Winslet. Oh my god Kate Winslet as Jeanine was perfection!

I loved how they made it look. Everything was a lot different than I visualized it in my head but it was a good different because it looked great!

It was easy to follow. My girlfriend was the one that took me out to see it and she has not yet read the book (she’s not a romance fan like I am!) and this was one of the first YA-to-movie movies where she wasn’t leaning over to me asking what was going on. Which told me how written the screenplay was.

What I disliked:

They added quite a bit, mostly to make Daunless even more scary than they really are but also moved some events around, or intensified them for the movie, nbd really.

(SPOILERS!!!!!) I was very disappointed with how they did the ending. Everything, including the changes, I was okay with until Tobias was taken into custody. Then they changed EVERYTHING!!! I won’t go too into detail but lets just say I MUCH prefer how Veronica Roth wrote it. I’m sure lots of people like the way it was done in the movie, whether fans of the books or not, but I personally prefer the original way because it is more significant to relationships and actually the plotline of the sequel.

They made the plot pretty easy to follow, but even for me it was hard to keep characters separated. Peter was pretty easy for me to distinguish because I’ve read the books, but my girlfriend kept confusing Al, Peter, and Will because they all three had dark hair and eyes, light skin and similar face shape, for that reason (SPOILER) Al nor Will’s death were quite so significant to her; which makes me sad because both were very emotional for me while reading.

Overall, I liked the movie and will probably rewatch it when it comes out on DVD and Blu-ray, but I wish they would have stuck with the ending as they had stuck with it throughout the movie. No matter what, I highly encourage Divergent fans to see it!

<3 The Reviewer

#Divergent movie#Divergent#Veronica Roth#ya book to movie#good movie#plot changes#movie review#book to movie review

Looking for Alaska Review

Starting this book, I was expecting John Green's usual wisecracks, general yet accurate statements about life, and a lot of feels.

I definitely got his wisecracks and his general but accurate life-is statements, but was utterly low in the feels department. Don't get me wrong, the thing that happens "one hundred and thirty six days" after the start of the book is sad, but not the kind of  dry heaving, pride-swallowing sobs I experienced during The Fault in Our Stars. Perhaps it was the warning on the first page "one hundred and thirty six days before" that tipped me off, or that in high school everyone was asking people as they read the book, or as soon as they finished "Did you cry?" that let me know some shit went down. But I knew exactly what was going to happen and so wasn't too affected by it.

Another thing I didn't like was Miles. That's right, the narrator himself. He is so whiny and so ungrateful and the way he spoke to his parents at the beginning and was just an over-all know-it-all dick. Ugh. I like the transition in the after portion, but didn't actually like the after portion until about 3/4 through the section. I didn't even really like Alaska much. The way she talks to people, uses people, I can't understand how Miles found her attractive at all.

I did like the humor. Despite my loathing for all of the main characters and redundant religious allusions, there were plenty of parts that were hilarious. It just sucks that during the parts where I was supposed to be sad or maybe introspective about some profound philosophical epiphany I just wasn't moved.

3/5 stars because it's John Green, and I know he can do (and has done) much better and for the overall message of the book which I can appreciate. I'd say this book is PG-15 for some pretty graphic stuff.

<3 The Reviewer

Fifty Shades Movie Review

I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this movie. I was not expecting much with Jaime or Dakota based on the trailers and interviews because it looked like they had absolutely no chemistry. I was also worried that they had tamed Ana because of the trailer’s. Within the first 15 minutes I realized that they had brilliant on-screen chemistry and they vamped up Ana’s sass for the movie and I loved every second! A lot of things changed. And I mean a lot. But not in such a way that we lost who the characters were or changed what the story was about (or how it generally happened). I can see why EL James got mad just because they did change a lot. Because of her presence though, it seemed that they were able to keep enough of the original novel, including original dialogue that made the story what it was.

The chemistry. At first, it was just like the trailer. And then pretty much as soon as she fell into his office and they started their conversation I felt it and I went “okay, now I see what the casting director’s saw.” I thought they both looked like too much of softies to play either character, but as the movie progressed, Jaime really brought Christian in his darkness and his levity, to the big screen and really made him real. Same with Dakota. I really was terrified of this girl because they chose probably the worst takes in their archives to use for the trailer, but very soon after the movie started I knew she had that smart mouth that Christian and readers fell in love with.

Kate’s involvement in the relationship was well executed because in the book it seemed very sudden. Like she was on team-Christian and then in the last 100 pages or so she suddenly hated him like night-and-day with not imbetween. 

The way they executed the boat-house scene was very interesting. They changed it pretty much 360 and made it wholly different from the book. And though it sort of bothered me how they did that, I enjoyed it as a movie-goer.

Also the way they executed the contract-negotiation scene was very different but I loved it!

The sex scenes were pretty graphic but not quite as much as I was expecting. I think they played it safe just to make sure they could get an R-rating. I heard a rumor that they will release the NC-17 version either in a couple of weeks or with the DVD but I don’t know.

How they got Christian to spill the beans on his past. This actually angered me. It was like they wanted the audience to know but didn’t want Christian to actually tell Ana the truth. I loved how all of their little arguments were handled when Ana would pester him about the touching thing, and how we could see Christian’s barely reigned in anger at being challenged and dealing with these new feelings. He just tells her everything while she’s sleeping and while I can see that being a good way to handle it (kind of) it doesn’t help Ana any and so doesn’t do anything for the story. That was one thing that needed to happen as it did in the book. They probably just wanted to take out another sex scene and so got rid of it.

The. Ending. It was changed quite a bit, but the “how hard can it get” part was intense. Very. Intense. Starting with the argument where he shouts “it’s what I am!” all the way to the end of the movie was just… spectacular. And what I loved about it was the incredible pain in Jaime’s eyes. He was fighting with his nature, his fetish, what he has known to bring him comfort and sexual satisfaction. He now feels it is wrong and feels torn about it for the first time and all of that is communicated in his eyes as he does this. That scene gave me goose-bumps because the chemistry as well as the raw emotion on their faces MADE this scene and made it so important, so heavy that it seriously gave me chills. Everything after that was just a long wave of chills.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and think that anyone that liked the book will definitely love the movie!

5/5 stars

<3 The Reviewer

Enough of the Fifty Shades Shaming!

Enough!

Hey guys. I saw Fifty Shades today and will post the review for it tomorrow. But first today, I want to start off by explaining why I don’t dislike, and even like Fifty Shades. I may lose some followers, and to those followers, I am truly sorry it has to be this way. I value each and every one of you but I just have to say this. I am so, so tired of Fifty Shades-shaming. There was little to no complaint before the book was popular and only slightly more controversial when the book was planned to be made into a movie. At first it seemed the only complaint was that it was poorly written. Where I can see how it is not written perfectly simply due to the fact that it was initially a fanfiction, I can understand that being a complaint if you are disappointed that she didn’t spend another three months reviewing and sophisticating it’s diction when a publisher says it’s fine. Then it was just awkward to read it in public because EVERYONE knew what it was about. Okay, that’s perfectly fine. BDSM isn’t really something we openly talk about in public, especially at the kids’ soccer games or ballet recital rehearsals. Now the movie is here and all of a sudden, Christian Grey is an abuser. Now, I have seen lists of reasons why people don’t like Fifty Shades and I can tell who has read the book and has a little bit of backup for their criticism and who clearly hasn’t and is just making shit up. Let’s start with the criticisms that are true or I think are on the fence, but will agree with.

Stalker. Yes, he has stalker tendencies and Ana on MANY occasions expresses her discomfort with this.

Possessive. I would be lying if I said he weren’t. He is very territorial, which I honestly don’t think is too far past reality. For couples either just starting out or who have been together for a long time, they rely on trust and communication to keep “tabs” on each other. And though the term “keeping tabs” has a negative connotation, it’s simply true that we in the modern age are not only capable to, but do keep tabs on one another constantly. There are several people that have automatic updates on facebook to tell EVERYONE where they are. People text 24/7 asking “where are you?” “where are you?” “where are you?” Christian just has a different way of going about it because it’s the only way he, in his damaged mind knows how. So apart from knowing where everyone is at every hour of the day, there is also when someone comes into the picture trying to mess things up. This has happened to me on several occasions with my girlfriend. Guys thinking that I’ll have them on the side because they think that bisexuality is synonymous with polyamory (that’s another discussion for another rant) brought out my girlfriend’s possessive side (and though it wasn’t necessarily fun I understand her discomfort and her feeling like she needed to stay close), or by stupid girls that thought they could tempt my girlfriend that made me want to keep tabs on them to make sure there was no funny business.. In moments of intimidation, even if cognitively you know there is no threat, I believe it is human nature to protect what your brain has decided is yours on an emotional level. We were dating exclusively and these people coming in to our lives seemingly threatening to come between us. Now, this is not admirable behavior so keep in mind that we were adolescents at the time and still relatively new to the dating world. Christian also has the mentality of an adolescent. In his mind he is totally justified in his pissing contests and in staying close. Now is this admirable or okay? No. But he doens’t know any better, and Ana does eventually help him see that he was being ridiculous.

Jealous. I believe this is covered in Possessive.

Bad tempered. There is no hiding that this man has a temper. He gets angry very, very easily. But he also is relaxed relatively easily and amused quickly. He just has crazy, crazy mood swings, like an adolescent. But never, not once does he lay a hand on her. Does he say some things that are not nice? Yes, not frequently, but yes he has. Haven’t we all?! I know SO many people that have said downright awful things to their partners that they regret for the rest of that relationship, simply because they were angry. Is it an excuse? No. But I’d say it is safe to say that nearly everyone has done this or will do this eventually.

Controlling. Yes, Christian Grey is a control freak. It goes well beyond what is considered normal and acceptable. To his defense, he truly in his messed up mind thinks he needs this. He finds out later however, that he doesn’t require it but that controlling people gives him comfort to make up for years of having none. Does this excuse him? No. And don’t worry, for the critics that have not read the book, Ana let’s him know in more ways than one that his “control-freakery” is not acceptable. Though she does acquiesce to his need to guarantee her safety and understands the times he acts out in his concern, she also lays down a line to how far he can go before she feels uncomfortable and controlled. This is a struggle throughout the trilogy until they find a fine line and find a method to ensure Ana feels she has her freedom and independence, but Christian doesn’t go out of his mind with anxiety.

Threatening. He does threaten her, though generally in a sensual manner (or what to himself may sound sensual). For instance threatening to take her over his knee, it’s a kind of sexy threat (to him, a man with a sadism fetish), and generally Ana just rolls her eyes at this and continues on the conversation. There are a few times he says it with a growl or a gruff tone and Ana reminds him to keep his hair on despite the intimidation. Generally it is a loose threat that he does not intend to make good on, just wishing to make a point. Now, this doesn’t really sit well with me either because despite the intention, the fact of that matter is that he is intimidating her. As the story progresses however, she takes less and less of it and even starts to fight back when she feels he is trying to intimidate her. This for him is just another way for him to make sure things go his way and before anyone reverts us back to the controlling part of my argument, let me remind that though it may not be intimidation (for quite a few people it may be) may not be the way that most people go about it. We all have little manipulation tactics. For me, it’s guilt-tripping. If I have associates on my shift that won’t listen to me for whatever reason, I tend to guilt-trip them by letting them know everything that is on my shoulders relating to work to show them how much of an inconvenience their attitude or inefficiency is to me. This actually generally works and does get them to work faster. For others it may be something else, either aggressive or sneaky. Anywho, the threatening I will list as a “true, that happens” and whether in or out of context it’s not a good thing, but it’s something Ana (as a strong character) addresses.

Demeaning. Synonyms for this include: humbling, humiliating, mortifying. No. Just no. He actually empowers Ana, letting her know how beautiful she is, how capable she is of doing whatever she set her mind to, whether it be a publishing assistant, a publisher, or a CEO of a publishing house. I can’t think of one time that this man ever intentionally put her down whether as a woman or a human being.

Manipulative. I believe this was covered in controlling and threatening.

Selfish. Who isn’t?! Skipping this with a virtual eye-roll.

Violent. No. Just no. Now, if we are talking about when he is in the playroom and he hits her, then out of context certainly that would be considered violent. But it was intended to elicit a sexual response, which it did in most cases for that 1% of the time that it doesn’t she lets him know whether in a calm or aggressive manner and he feels like shit about himself. If we are talking about the spanking situations, let me point out that there was a time in the book where she asked him not to and he backed right the hell up. Any time she says no, he backs the hell off.

Ignores Consent. Bull. Shit. There was never a time in this series that he did not ask for consent or if he didn’t, if she said no as I said he backed the hell up. He was not going there. Clearly whoever said this had not read the books and was just making shit up. 

Ignores Safewords. Again, bullshit! Are we even reading the same book at this time or are people just making shit up? He even allows her to come up with her own safewords that she will definitely remember so… no, he takes safewords very very seriously.

Abusive. I believe that this entire argument was about proving he is not an abuser. At times he can even be an enabler. He brings her up, makes her feel beautiful, confident, sure in herself. For those people that label him an abuser, I wonder if they have been in a sexually/psychologically abusive relationship. If they have, then fine, they have their reasons though I do not see eye-to-eye with it because I did not have the same experience. I have been in a sexually and psychologically abusive relationship. There are certain romance novels I can’t read if there is something about abuse and there have been a few novels I put back for a phrase that was said or a character that reminded me of my abuser, sometimes I can return to it and sometimes I can’t, it just depends. I will give you guys that he is charismatic and slick as an abuser, but Christian himself is not an abuser. He does not force Ana to do anything she doesn’t want to, he reminds her all of the time that she can walk out at absolutely any time and he won’t stop her. Now, he does some shitty things that he feels shitty about, but we all do! The circumstances are clearly different, but the fact remains we all do stupid shit to hurt people, sometimes on purpose and sometimes on accident and then when it does hurt someone, we feel bad about it. And for those that didn’t read the book, I’ll inform you that Ana is perfectly capable of handling herself as she does leave him at the end when she decides this lifestyle is not for her and it’s not healthy for her. At the beginning of the second installment, she is a trainwreck and so is he, they meet, talk it out and Christian agrees to hang the rules and try just being together as a normal couple because he can not stand being without her and can’t stand to see her in pain.

This is a story about a man with an adolescent’s mind in a grown up world needing to escape in his fetish where he feels comfortable and comforted. He is accustomed to getting anything he wants without question, and when this woman that he is inexplicably drawn to comes into his life and challenges everything, he must adapt and alter his own brain chemistry to have the best of both worlds, love with the family and white picket fence, and his fetish which ties his past to his present and even his future in a way that works for him.

What people need to remember is:

-This is a fetish novel. Is it completely accurate? Likely not due to the fact that not all BDSM practitioners are self-made billionaires and so probably can’t afford everything he can as far as an elaborate playroom with all of the BDSM fixins.

-This is occurring between two consenting adults. One that is about five years older than the other. This isn’t a huge age gap so it’s not like he is preying on a teenager or a child, and he does not do anything with/to her that she does not consent to.

-It was a goddamn fanfiction first. So to those expecting quality let’s even put fanfiction aside and remember that this is an erotica novel. It is intended to elicit a sexual response to written word. And for many it does that. Don’t judge. We all have our weird quirks. Some watch porn, some read it, and some just have very vivid imaginations.

So please. Enough of the Fifty Shades shaming. If it’s not your cup of tea that’s fine, but enough of the name calling and shaming for the millions of women that read it and thought it was sexy. Christian Grey is not an abuser, this is not about enabling abusers, this is not glorifying rape culture. 

So just quit.