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Oof. Okay. As with any short story collection with multiple authors, it’s hard to rate this. Some were dull, some were written well, but my overall feeling is this book kind of was a let down and not very kinky at all? Kink here only seems to mean bdsm and also a (personally for me) gross obsession with spitting.
There is one story I have a massive issue with though, which was ‘Impact Play’. I wrote a whole rant about that immediately after reading, which I will now include (it’s long):
Fuck the story ‘Impact Play’ and the lack of trigger warning for ~actual~ incest: yeah, no, children engaging in sexual acts, veering into child on child sexual abuse*, is not kink - idfc how you frame it! This story is not told in a responsible way at all: having the incest be a “surprise twist” reveal moment. Fucking gross and, like I said, wildly irresponsible. There is a way to talk about incest alongside kink but god that is not it. I guess the real sin is, as well as being offensive, it’s not even hot! Like, write a kinky adult incest story, sure! Or, write a story of someone experiencing this as a child who then goes on to roleplay the abuse in adult life with partners! The key thing is the sexualising happens to the adults, not the kids. It’s made me so angry how wrong they’ve got this; not just as a victim myself, but as a sex-positive person who embraces the overlaps between trauma and kink and fetish! It’s maddening! Furthermore, the framing of this story further entrenches shame and secrecy, it does not free the main character from it.
*correcting myself: it’s not veering, it literally is. According to sex educators who discuss guidelines on what is/isn’t appropriate sexual behaviour for children at different stages, the acts that were depicted in this book fall under the category of ‘red behaviours’, and even though they are “consenting” (a word that loses all meaning in this context), this is concerning, as in real life this would probably indicate outside, wider abuse is happening that has led the children to these particular sex acts. It is harmful that the author implies that this is part of natural curiosity, or ‘green behaviour’, when all educational resources would label it otherwise.
There is one story I have a massive issue with though, which was ‘Impact Play’. I wrote a whole rant about that immediately after reading, which I will now include (it’s long):
Fuck the story ‘Impact Play’ and the lack of trigger warning for ~actual~ incest: yeah, no, children engaging in sexual acts, veering into child on child sexual abuse*, is not kink - idfc how you frame it! This story is not told in a responsible way at all: having the incest be a “surprise twist” reveal moment. Fucking gross and, like I said, wildly irresponsible. There is a way to talk about incest alongside kink but god that is not it. I guess the real sin is, as well as being offensive, it’s not even hot! Like, write a kinky adult incest story, sure! Or, write a story of someone experiencing this as a child who then goes on to roleplay the abuse in adult life with partners! The key thing is the sexualising happens to the adults, not the kids. It’s made me so angry how wrong they’ve got this; not just as a victim myself, but as a sex-positive person who embraces the overlaps between trauma and kink and fetish! It’s maddening! Furthermore, the framing of this story further entrenches shame and secrecy, it does not free the main character from it.
*correcting myself: it’s not veering, it literally is. According to sex educators who discuss guidelines on what is/isn’t appropriate sexual behaviour for children at different stages, the acts that were depicted in this book fall under the category of ‘red behaviours’, and even though they are “consenting” (a word that loses all meaning in this context), this is concerning, as in real life this would probably indicate outside, wider abuse is happening that has led the children to these particular sex acts. It is harmful that the author implies that this is part of natural curiosity, or ‘green behaviour’, when all educational resources would label it otherwise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest
I have such conflicting feelings on this one. Many of the stories seemed to frame kink in a negative light or were straight up disturbing, but there was a handful that I found really beautiful. Quite a few of the stories left me thinking about them for quite some time. I was hoping for more joy and celebration of kink and sexuality in this collection—there is some, absolutely, but that felt more like the exception than the guiding theme. Having such different expectations and hopes of what my reading experience with this would be made this a bit of a disappointing read, but I’m still glad for having read it. Highly recommend looking at the content warnings for this one though, a few of them really caught me off guard.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Rape
Moderate: Death, Transphobia
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I really wanted to like this short story collection more than I did 🥲 Unfortunately I wasn’t gripped. However, I have highlighted the ones I did like below:
‘Oh, Youth’ got me in my feelings 🥺 I can imagine it’s hard to navigate a three person relationship, especially when with one of the members it’s meant to be strictly transactional…
‘Mirror, Mirror’ was quite fun. There was a lot of excitement from the get go, which I really got into ✨
‘The Voyeurs’ was probably my favourite. Although harrowing in some aspects, what with Mr. Harris being a transphobic prick 😫, I felt real intimacy and love between Belèn and Omar ❤️ I wanted to give them both big hugs!
2.5 out of 5 stars for me on this one ✨ Content warnings also posted below.
Thank you 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Homophobia, Incest, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Blood, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail
reflective
medium-paced
Honestly, this read was to see how explicit content differs from fanfiction and original work. Only really liked 4 stories, (by Larissa Pham, R. O. Kwon, Brandon Taylor and Carmen Maria Machado, but Kim Fu's Scissors was nice too.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence
Moderate: Incest
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Eh. I read this within a few hours today and I was woefully unimpressed. I was attracted to what this book could have been, but it fell short for me. I felt like a lot of these stories were kinky for the sake of being kinky, that’s it. On a positive note, the selection of authors is decently diverse, which shows through the differing tones throughout this volume. I think that the best stories are “The Cure” by Melissa Febos; “Oh, Youth” by Brandon Taylor; and “The Lost Performance of the High Priestess of the Temple” by Carmen Maria Machado. Besides these three, the stories in these pages lacked sufficient nuance and edge. I won’t read this again, but I will certainly read more works by the authors of my favorite 3 stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Minor: Incest
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was really underwhelmed by a lot of these stories. They tended to drag and I felt myself skimming the pages at points. There were certain stories that I loved, which is why this book is a 2.5 but the good ones were few and far between. Also, I'm all for kink but when one story had a surprise incest plot... No, thank you. I'm glad this book has introduced me to more authors to check out and read their works.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Incest, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Dysphoria
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Full transparency: I was not familiar with any of these authors before reading, and I am also not very well-versed in the kink world.
This anthology felt like a mixed-bag for me; I enjoyed some stories and others made me uncomfortable, which is part of the point. As mentioned in the introduction, "The emotional dynamics of kink are as varied as those of any other human experience, and the stories here explore the whole gamut of human feeling, from exuberance to anguish." There are stories that contain incest, abuse, crossing boundaries, non-consensual acts, sexual assault, and rape.
There are some stories that had excellent T4T representation (primarily Canada by Callum Angus and The Voyeurs by Zeyn Joukhadar), with relationships that really made me feel safe and comfortable. There are other relationships where more communication is needed, but again, this anthology is addressing how kink has similar emotional dynamics as non-kink relationships.
My rating and thoughts of each story (spoilers below):
-The Cure by Melissa Febos: 3/5 stars
Interesting and sexy, but not really my thing. A lesbian engages in a power dynamic with a male acquaintance to break an unsuccessful dating streak. I did find the discussion of why lesbians have more orgasms to be interesting (hint: it's because women are conditioned to "take care of" their partners).
-Best Friendster Date Ever by Alexander Chee: 4/5 stars
Very spicy and also sweet, M/M bondage, loved the writing style
-Trust by Larissa Pham: 2/5 stars
I enjoyed the writing, but I could NOT get into this couple's dynamic. The MMC honestly bothered me a lot (who the fuck tells their partner to turn on the sink when they pee??)
-Safeword by R.O. Kwon: 5/5 stars
This was one of my favorites. A wife and husband get professional BDSM counseling from a dominatrix; wife is very into it, husband is not. Having only one party really into the BDSM was a little uncomfy, but it seemed to me to be more of a story about a man needing to understand his wife and what turns her on. There's a moment when he doesn't realize how wet she can get and he thinks that only happens in porn. Like.. maybe try making an effort to turn your wife on?? And he also thinks about HIS needs as he watches his wife be pleasured.. maybe it's not always about you, sir.
-Canada by Callum Angus: 4/5 stars
Not very kinky but a BEAUTIFUL story that made me tear up. Excellent T4T rep.
-Oh, Youth by Brandon Taylor: 3.5/5 stars
I honestly don't know how to feel about this one. Poly dynamic with a much older couple. I did find it to be an interesting story of how sexual relationships can turn into love.
-Impact Play by Peter Mountford: 2/5 stars
Conflicted about this one as well. Mentions of infidelity and incest. I really didn't care for the MMC, but to be honest, his girlfriend Pilar fascinated me? A "middle-aged single mom- a goth, at that- who sells gravestones." I was okay with this story right up until he talks about his sexual experiences with his cousin. That made me super uncomfy.
-Mirror, Mirror by Vanessa Clark: 4/5 stars
Visceral, sexy, sweet story in a seedy drag bar atmosphere. Loved it.
-Reach by Roxane Gay: 3/5 stars
Kinky for sure, but has moments that made me uncomfortable (primarily doing sexual acts that the other one "hates" but "she never uses her safeword to stop me".. eh..)
-Gospodar by Garth Greenwell: 3/5 stars
**TW: rape** The writing is great, and features power dynamic between two men, but this goes very dark towards the end as the MMC is raped. There is a lot of emotion afterwards, when the MMC feels like he brought this upon himself because of his desires, and how he very well may end up in a similar situation, as he continues to seek punishment and degredation.
-Scissors by Kim Fu: 5/5 stars
LOVE LOVE LOVE. This was my absolutely favorite in the whole anthology. The writing is stunningly dreamlike, and SO erotic- this story had me *feeling all the things* 🥵 Wonderful W/W rep.
-The Lost Performance of the High Priestess of the Temple of Horror by Carmen Maria Machado: 5/5 stars
This story was like an erotic, horror fever dream in the best way. SO weird and so sensual and also features fascinating and sometimes disturbing sexual relationships that change you for the rest of your life. The scene with The Star's debut- in which audience members insisted that Maxa be hit, slapped, subdued, rather than worshipped and pleasured- reminded me of Marina Abramović's Rhythm 0 performance.
-The Voyeurs by Zeyn Joukhadar: 5/5 stars
Not heavy on kink, but the story and the T4T rep is so beautiful. I loved the honest discussion of sex life post-surgery and incorporates trans joy- the characters do experience transphobia (and racism) as well, and it hurt to read how ostracized they felt.
-Retouch/Switch by Cara Hoffman: 1/5 stars
To be honest, I sort of skimmed this one. The writing is beautiful, but not my jam- I felt a little too dumb for it, to be honest.
-Emotional Technologies by Chris Kraus: 2/5 stars
I also kinda skimmed this one. It was honestly sort of disappointing reading the fantastic stories of Scissors, Temple of Horror, and The Voyeurs, and then these last two just felt so.. meh? It's fine, I just personally didn't love it.
This anthology felt like a mixed-bag for me; I enjoyed some stories and others made me uncomfortable, which is part of the point. As mentioned in the introduction, "The emotional dynamics of kink are as varied as those of any other human experience, and the stories here explore the whole gamut of human feeling, from exuberance to anguish." There are stories that contain incest, abuse, crossing boundaries, non-consensual acts, sexual assault, and rape.
There are some stories that had excellent T4T representation (primarily Canada by Callum Angus and The Voyeurs by Zeyn Joukhadar), with relationships that really made me feel safe and comfortable. There are other relationships where more communication is needed, but again, this anthology is addressing how kink has similar emotional dynamics as non-kink relationships.
My rating and thoughts of each story (spoilers below):
-The Cure by Melissa Febos: 3/5 stars
Interesting and sexy, but not really my thing. A lesbian engages in a power dynamic with a male acquaintance to break an unsuccessful dating streak. I did find the discussion of why lesbians have more orgasms to be interesting (hint: it's because women are conditioned to "take care of" their partners).
-Best Friendster Date Ever by Alexander Chee: 4/5 stars
Very spicy and also sweet, M/M bondage, loved the writing style
-Trust by Larissa Pham: 2/5 stars
I enjoyed the writing, but I could NOT get into this couple's dynamic. The MMC honestly bothered me a lot (who the fuck tells their partner to turn on the sink when they pee??)
-Safeword by R.O. Kwon: 5/5 stars
This was one of my favorites. A wife and husband get professional BDSM counseling from a dominatrix; wife is very into it, husband is not. Having only one party really into the BDSM was a little uncomfy, but it seemed to me to be more of a story about a man needing to understand his wife and what turns her on. There's a moment when he doesn't realize how wet she can get and he thinks that only happens in porn. Like.. maybe try making an effort to turn your wife on?? And he also thinks about HIS needs as he watches his wife be pleasured.. maybe it's not always about you, sir.
-Canada by Callum Angus: 4/5 stars
Not very kinky but a BEAUTIFUL story that made me tear up. Excellent T4T rep.
-Oh, Youth by Brandon Taylor: 3.5/5 stars
I honestly don't know how to feel about this one. Poly dynamic with a much older couple. I did find it to be an interesting story of how sexual relationships can turn into love.
-Impact Play by Peter Mountford: 2/5 stars
Conflicted about this one as well. Mentions of infidelity and incest. I really didn't care for the MMC, but to be honest, his girlfriend Pilar fascinated me? A "middle-aged single mom- a goth, at that- who sells gravestones." I was okay with this story right up until he talks about his sexual experiences with his cousin. That made me super uncomfy.
-Mirror, Mirror by Vanessa Clark: 4/5 stars
Visceral, sexy, sweet story in a seedy drag bar atmosphere. Loved it.
-Reach by Roxane Gay: 3/5 stars
Kinky for sure, but has moments that made me uncomfortable (primarily doing sexual acts that the other one "hates" but "she never uses her safeword to stop me".. eh..)
-Gospodar by Garth Greenwell: 3/5 stars
**TW: rape** The writing is great, and features power dynamic between two men, but this goes very dark towards the end as the MMC is raped. There is a lot of emotion afterwards, when the MMC feels like he brought this upon himself because of his desires, and how he very well may end up in a similar situation, as he continues to seek punishment and degredation.
-Scissors by Kim Fu: 5/5 stars
LOVE LOVE LOVE. This was my absolutely favorite in the whole anthology. The writing is stunningly dreamlike, and SO erotic- this story had me *feeling all the things* 🥵 Wonderful W/W rep.
-The Lost Performance of the High Priestess of the Temple of Horror by Carmen Maria Machado: 5/5 stars
This story was like an erotic, horror fever dream in the best way. SO weird and so sensual and also features fascinating and sometimes disturbing sexual relationships that change you for the rest of your life. The scene with The Star's debut- in which audience members insisted that Maxa be hit, slapped, subdued, rather than worshipped and pleasured- reminded me of Marina Abramović's Rhythm 0 performance.
-The Voyeurs by Zeyn Joukhadar: 5/5 stars
Not heavy on kink, but the story and the T4T rep is so beautiful. I loved the honest discussion of sex life post-surgery and incorporates trans joy- the characters do experience transphobia (and racism) as well, and it hurt to read how ostracized they felt.
-Retouch/Switch by Cara Hoffman: 1/5 stars
To be honest, I sort of skimmed this one. The writing is beautiful, but not my jam- I felt a little too dumb for it, to be honest.
-Emotional Technologies by Chris Kraus: 2/5 stars
I also kinda skimmed this one. It was honestly sort of disappointing reading the fantastic stories of Scissors, Temple of Horror, and The Voyeurs, and then these last two just felt so.. meh? It's fine, I just personally didn't love it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Biphobia, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Transphobia, Acephobia/Arophobia, Lesbophobia
Minor: Death of parent
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Like other reviewers, I had high hopes for this anthology and am now left with mixed feelings. Several stories were incredible, especially those by Roxane Gay and Brandon Taylor (tho I would read Brandon Taylor’s grocery list). Several were horrible— I dragged my heels through the last few for the sake of finishing the book. A majority of stories were in the middle, of course.
I agree with other commenters that the premise of the book is misleading, and several stories went beyond the limits of kink and simply portrayed sexual violence (cw rape and incest). This was disappointing.
I agree with other commenters that the premise of the book is misleading, and several stories went beyond the limits of kink and simply portrayed sexual violence (cw rape and incest). This was disappointing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Rape, Transphobia, Violence
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Rape
Moderate: Incest
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria