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Review: Fifty Shades Darker & Fifty Shades Freed – EL James
Daunted by the singular tastes and dark secrets of the beautiful, tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Anastasia Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a Seattle publishing house.
But desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, Anastasia cannot resist. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and Anastasia learns more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven and demanding Fifty Shades.
While Christian wrestles with his inner demons, Anastasia must confront the anger and envy of the women who came before her, and make the most important decision of her life.
- Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition (April 17, 2012)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0345803493
- ISBN-13: 978-0345803498
- FTC Disclosure:bought with my own money
When unworldly student Anastasia Steele first encountered the driven and dazzling young entrepreneur Christian Greyit sparked a sensual affair that changed both of their lives irrevocably. Shocked, intrigued, and, ultimately, repelled by Christian’s singular erotic tastes, Ana demands a deeper commitment. Determined to keep her, Christian agrees.
Now, Ana and Christian have it all—love, passion, intimacy, wealth, and a world of possibilities for their future. But Ana knows that loving her Fifty Shades will not be easy, and that being together will pose challenges that neither of them would anticipate. Ana must somehow learn to share Christian’s opulent lifestyle without sacrificing her own identity. And Christian must overcome his compulsion to control as he wrestles with the demons of a tormented past.
Just when it seems that their strength together will eclipse any obstacle, misfortune, malice, and fate conspire to make Ana’s deepest fears turn to reality.
- Publisher: Vintage; Reprint edition (April 17, 2012)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0345803507
- ISBN-13: 978-0345803504
- FTC Disclosure: bought with my own money
I listened to the first book on audio and read the last two (because they weren’t available on audio yet). I really wish I would’ve just waited until the audio was out for the second two because the editing was so crappy that I couldn’t get past it. I kind of wonder if the audio versions would still have Ana referring to Kate as Rose (as in: Rosalie) and Jack as James (as in: the vampire in the first Twilight book who tried to kill Bella).
I like to call FSoG a “train wreck” because even though they’re awful, you can’t look away. It’s an entertaining train wreck, to say the least. I laughed out loud every time Ana did something stupid that was either going to tick Christian off or put herself in danger – which was almost every other page. Yes, the smex was hot, but as one commenter at Romance At Random said, it got very repetitive after a while.
I read a LOT of BDSM for my review site, and FSoG was NOT a BDSM book. It was more BDSM-lite. Christian may have all the equipment and like to play a little bit, but when the girl he’s falling for freaks out on him during a scene and calls him a freak who needs therapy (which he’s already doing, btw), he crumbles and changes everything about himself (even to the point of becoming a sub for her!) that’s when I have to call BS. I know some people are Switches, and he started out his sexual life as a sub, but he’s now a Dom and acts every bit the role before poor innocent (stupid & naive!) little Ana comes into the picture. Sorry, I just don’t see that happening in a real D/s relationship. It’s nice that EL James did some research, but I wish she would’ve done MORE. And maybe kept the storyline consistent, rather than changing it to fit the needs of the characters.
Personally, I don’t get why these books are sweeping the nation and are such a craze. I’ve read better books in 4th grade (I was reading Stephen King at that point, so I digress). I guess the appeal is that it’s not entirely BDSM, so the people out there reading the genre for the first time feel safer?
I will say this – the trilogy has gotten people to read again, which is a fantastic thing. Three of the people I have clinicals with have read or are reading it, when they all admit that they aren’t normally “readers”. Two of my aunts have read or are reading it. So, even though I have multiple issues with the trilogy, it was entertaining, and it has gotten people to read again. So I guess it can’t be all that bad, right?
I’m giving the Fifty Shades of Grey series an overall rating of 3.75 meows.
