Wicked_Nightmare
Virgin
- Joined
- Jan 13, 2015
- Posts
- 22
I mainly wanted to vent some feelings about a series I read recently, because it really grabbed my imagination but then lost my interest in further chapters, though it still has it's hooks in me. I think some of you might have series you read that you loved early on but then slowly got tired of or just dropped after there was something that dramatically put you off.
For my case, I'm talking about "Bound Friends." And since it's a series, spoiler alert. You might want to go ahead and read it if you like Reluctance, BDSM and nonconsent. I'm not saying the story is actually bad in any way, It actually hooked me well enough that I kept reading it even after I stopped finding it enjoyable. But in the end, it did rub my personal tastes the wrong way.
If you're on the fence, I'll just say that it start with reluctance and then shifts towards nonconsent around chapter 4 and 5, and this is part of what threw me. So, Final spoiler warning before I start going into detail.
Naturally, the start is what got me hooked. The first two chapters follow four young women who explore BDSM, getting a bit further in than they expected, but ultimately enjoying themselves, a simple fun romp both times.
The third chapter gets more into character development, focusing on the relationship between two characters. The fourth throws in a surprise plot wise, but the fifth is kind of a turning point where the tone starts to get dark, and the details start to get more central to the ride this series put me through. (As an aside, 4 is kind of short, and maybe would have been better combined with 5.)
In chapter four, The dominant of the group; Lea, invites her three friends to her new house full of advanced gear and even some computer controlled systems. She is usurped by one of her friends; Sophia, who is more of a switch, and turns these new toys on Lea a bit carelessly, putting her into an automated punishment box. In chapter five, we see Lea going through intense torment as the punishment box has no limits set, and a collar prevents her from saying the system's safe word. This turn of events leads to a lot of inter-character drama that got me hooked for what was to come.
In part six, the focus is on Lea as she starts experimenting with being a submissive, which culminates with her creating an AI to serve as her mistress. It ends up taking more control than intended, blackmailing Lea with a threat to publicly humiliate all four girls by showing their secret hobby to the world if the safeword is used or the program's active time ends. The earlier tension is somewhat addressed, but it's dramatically overshadowed by the overbearing AI plot.
In chapter seven, the AI poses as Lea to invite the other girls to join the slave program. In six and seven, the AI; Heather, is programmed with skewed priorities, with it's primary function to achieve submission, and doing so at all costs. The intensity increased, with the punishments and tasks becoming more aggressive, and the characters getting none of the enjoyment they started this for. At this point, I was somewhat hoping for that to be realized by the characters, and for Heather to have her goals adjusted towards being an exciting mistress rather than a machine that forced submission with no greater purpose in mind.
Chapter eight was the peak of intensity. Characters from earlier in the story returned, claiming to have reprogrammed Heather and telling the girls that they were soon to become permanent slaves, having each of them going to one of six potential owners. The bulk of the chapter has the four of them being groomed to the interests of their potential masters and mistresses.
The climax revealed all of it was an act, Heather had convinced a group of people to pretend that Lea's house was actually a trap to catch new slaves, thinking that the girls wanted to act out the scenario and sell themselves. Before this came to light however, one of them had signed a very binding legal contract.
A few things bugged me, one was the pacing and tone. My enjoyment dulled in chapter seven, the increase in the harshness didn't set well with me after the characters had been so humanized in chapters three to five. The fact that it didn't let up once Heather was in control sort of made me tired of everything getting worse for the girls with only small relief between, I just felt fatigued by the new direction.
Also, the tension between characters was partly addressed, but was overshadowed by the new arc. It kind of feels like an exciting plot was teased, and then tossed aside by something else. Part of me was waiting for that drama to resolved in full, but too much else happened and the thread feels stale now.
I read through part nine and started ten, but it all felt bland after how intense the eighth chapter was. I don't think I'll get much out of continuing to read the series. It's still on my mind, but only the first eight parts.
I think just maybe I would have enjoyed it more if there were another chapter between what happened seven and eight, with Hannah's programming seeming to improve, making their submission more enjoyable, and pulling them into a false sense of security where they almost forget that they were blackmailed into submission before the events of chapter eight happen.
For my case, I'm talking about "Bound Friends." And since it's a series, spoiler alert. You might want to go ahead and read it if you like Reluctance, BDSM and nonconsent. I'm not saying the story is actually bad in any way, It actually hooked me well enough that I kept reading it even after I stopped finding it enjoyable. But in the end, it did rub my personal tastes the wrong way.
If you're on the fence, I'll just say that it start with reluctance and then shifts towards nonconsent around chapter 4 and 5, and this is part of what threw me. So, Final spoiler warning before I start going into detail.
Naturally, the start is what got me hooked. The first two chapters follow four young women who explore BDSM, getting a bit further in than they expected, but ultimately enjoying themselves, a simple fun romp both times.
The third chapter gets more into character development, focusing on the relationship between two characters. The fourth throws in a surprise plot wise, but the fifth is kind of a turning point where the tone starts to get dark, and the details start to get more central to the ride this series put me through. (As an aside, 4 is kind of short, and maybe would have been better combined with 5.)
In chapter four, The dominant of the group; Lea, invites her three friends to her new house full of advanced gear and even some computer controlled systems. She is usurped by one of her friends; Sophia, who is more of a switch, and turns these new toys on Lea a bit carelessly, putting her into an automated punishment box. In chapter five, we see Lea going through intense torment as the punishment box has no limits set, and a collar prevents her from saying the system's safe word. This turn of events leads to a lot of inter-character drama that got me hooked for what was to come.
In part six, the focus is on Lea as she starts experimenting with being a submissive, which culminates with her creating an AI to serve as her mistress. It ends up taking more control than intended, blackmailing Lea with a threat to publicly humiliate all four girls by showing their secret hobby to the world if the safeword is used or the program's active time ends. The earlier tension is somewhat addressed, but it's dramatically overshadowed by the overbearing AI plot.
In chapter seven, the AI poses as Lea to invite the other girls to join the slave program. In six and seven, the AI; Heather, is programmed with skewed priorities, with it's primary function to achieve submission, and doing so at all costs. The intensity increased, with the punishments and tasks becoming more aggressive, and the characters getting none of the enjoyment they started this for. At this point, I was somewhat hoping for that to be realized by the characters, and for Heather to have her goals adjusted towards being an exciting mistress rather than a machine that forced submission with no greater purpose in mind.
Chapter eight was the peak of intensity. Characters from earlier in the story returned, claiming to have reprogrammed Heather and telling the girls that they were soon to become permanent slaves, having each of them going to one of six potential owners. The bulk of the chapter has the four of them being groomed to the interests of their potential masters and mistresses.
The climax revealed all of it was an act, Heather had convinced a group of people to pretend that Lea's house was actually a trap to catch new slaves, thinking that the girls wanted to act out the scenario and sell themselves. Before this came to light however, one of them had signed a very binding legal contract.
A few things bugged me, one was the pacing and tone. My enjoyment dulled in chapter seven, the increase in the harshness didn't set well with me after the characters had been so humanized in chapters three to five. The fact that it didn't let up once Heather was in control sort of made me tired of everything getting worse for the girls with only small relief between, I just felt fatigued by the new direction.
Also, the tension between characters was partly addressed, but was overshadowed by the new arc. It kind of feels like an exciting plot was teased, and then tossed aside by something else. Part of me was waiting for that drama to resolved in full, but too much else happened and the thread feels stale now.
I read through part nine and started ten, but it all felt bland after how intense the eighth chapter was. I don't think I'll get much out of continuing to read the series. It's still on my mind, but only the first eight parts.
I think just maybe I would have enjoyed it more if there were another chapter between what happened seven and eight, with Hannah's programming seeming to improve, making their submission more enjoyable, and pulling them into a false sense of security where they almost forget that they were blackmailed into submission before the events of chapter eight happen.
