Review: As She’s Told by Anneke Jacob
As She’s Told
Anneke Jacob
Pink Flamingo Publications [link to buy]
ASIN B004DNW328
Rating: 5 out of 5 Paddles
What an amazing book! If you are interested in Master/slave dynamics and how they can work in the modern world and if you like watching characters evolve into the entities they always believed they were born to be… then this is the book for you.
As She’s Told is the journey from initial meeting to ultimate enslavement. Maia is a young woman who has always had the desire to be a slave, but never had the opportunity to be one until she meets Anders, a Dom who is seeking more than just submission and BDSM play. Anders wants complete control in a relationship, and Maia wants to give it to him. The aim for both characters is a 24/7 total power exchange with Maia as slave and Anders as her Master. The story sets out, in graphic detail, the physical, emotional, psychological, and societal struggles faced by Anders and Maia, as they work toward their desired goal.
The BDSM scenes in the book are definitely not for the faint of heart. The punishments, both physical and psychological, are often cruel and may be viewed by some as sadistic. Humiliation, sensory deprivation, caging, bondage, suspension, severe flogging, whipping, and caning, orgasm control (both forced and denied) are just a few acts depicted within the book. The systematic conditioning of Maia to accept her role as slave sees her treated in many cases as no more than an animal and in fact, at one point she is used as a pony and a pet dog. The training Anders embarks on with Maia often leaves her panicked, sometimes terrorized and almost permanently aroused. The Author skilfully incorporates modern technology into the enslavement process. Anders uses web surveillance in the home to keep a check on his slave from wherever he is located via a laptop, and includes state of the art locking systems on Maia’s chastity device, cuffs, collar, and other lockable apparatus.
Secondary characters of family and friends, some of whom come to feature as ménage participants within the dynamic created by Anders, allow for character discussion relating to issues often raised within the BDSM community and outside it. When does discipline become abuse? What about the needs of the sub/slave? Should safe words be used and are they relevant in a dynamic of total power exchange? Are slaves hard wired to be such from birth or does life events lead to the desire to be controlled? The answers, if they are addressed, are from personal character perspectives. Anders and Maia resolve the inner conflict to such questions by evaluating their own desires and belief systems and who they are as individuals, leaving the reader to make up their own mind about the issue raised.
Anders and Maia are both well rounded and likeable characters, it is clear from the way they personally evolve within the story that they are aware and accepting of their own needs and desires, everything that happens within the book is consensual, although depending on your own experience of BDSM, you may not think some of the depictions are either safe or sane. Both Anders and Maia draw the reader into their world and by the end of the story, you may not agree with their Master/slave relationship, but you will understand the satisfaction and comfort both characters receive from the role they inhabit.
I recommend this as must read book, especially for people involved in the BDSM lifestyle but feel I should add a cautionary note. I read this book from the perspective of a person who is active in the BDSM scene and has been for many years, my relationships are based on a D/s dynamic, and I have an understanding of the many views and practices within the community. If you have a mild interest or don’t really know a lot about BDSM then be prepared to be shocked, confronted and sometimes appalled by some of the depictions within the book. Having said that, if you are prepared to be challenged, and want to know about a lifestyle unlike your own, it’s still a recommended read.
Reviewed by JannyGee
Entries RSS
I really want to read this now since 24/7 and TPE is something I am very interested in pursuing.
Thanks for the great review! Very much appreciated.
You’re right that the content isn’t mild. If humiliation / objectification is a hard limit, AST is best avoided.
Definitely on my reading list.