In The Slave, the author did a very good job of expressing Robin's viewpoint and motivation. I have no personal interest in following her path, and yet I was able to understand why she would do so. In almost all the BDSM fiction I've read so far trust has been emphasized as an essential part of a healthy D/s relationship. Well, Robin's relationship with her trainer and later her masters had nothing whatsoever to do with trust IMO. They could do whatever they wanted to her short of permanently altering her body without her permission. What did it matter if she trusted them or not? That was mind boggling for me. Yet, again, I was able to understand why that was the type of relationship she wanted, at least until she got her wish. Without spoiling the story, it was the earring incident that truly brought home to me, and to Robin as well, just how much power her masters had over her life, and what was missing. Chris (her trainer) confirms this not only to be true, but to be right as well. This incident with her two masters is really the only point of conflict in the story. The rest is just Robin's journey. She is the A student in slavery, and that doesn't make for a very exciting read. Frankly, although I admire the author's ability to convey Robin's desire to be a true slave, I had to push myself to finish the book. I became rather bored. I would have liked some other points of view, particularly the owners. Granted the title alone tells you it is about the slave, but in this day and age what type of person is that comfortable treating another human being as an object, a possession? I would have liked that insight, particularly after the "earring incident". I gave this book a 4 star rating, really 3 1/2 stars, because I thought it was better than The Marketplace (book one of the series). It did offer more insight into the system which was interesting as well. Also, I should add that the ending was very satisfying so I am happy that I pushed myself. :-)
This one started off with a bang. I though it was going to surpass The Marketplace, but sadly that did not happen for me. Perhaps because I am obsessed with Chris Parker & he was not in the story very much after Robin was trained and sold.The first half of the book is Robin's intense training time with Chris, interspersed with her back story. Although the training aspect was covered in detail in The Marketplace, this was not repetitive information here. There was a fresh take on it. I was even interested in the story of Robin and her new owners. But the ending...I just wasn't in love with it. And the short story at the end about Robin's piercing gone bad just left me scratching me head as to why it was included.But I will for sure be continuing the series. The next book in the series sounds very promising.
What do You think about The Slave (2000)?
This is as good as the first book, a joy to read. I won’t go into detail other than to say Chris has two weeks to get a wannabe slavegirl named Robin ready for auction. This happens during his vacation time so we are not at the familiar house with the masters. We learn of the fates of those from the first book and I am disappointed. Sharon was my favorite. This is an old series with two more additions for me to get through. I would have loved to have seen more of the masters and the other slaves from the first book instead of a new cast. It is still a good book with a good ending. Maybe in the future the author will give us an update on everyone if it is not in the next two books. Would love to see a book on Sharon. I will keep my fingers crossed and hope the author reads this.
—Carlie
I liked the story line of this book better than the first. We get to see more of Chris and what happened to the slaves of the first book. I laugh when I learned what happened to Sharon. I never liked her.Robin was fast tracked into learning how to be a marketplace slave by Chris in 2 weeks. She prefers females but was sold to a household of gay men. She soon finds her footing and starts liking her new masters. But the lowest slave of the house has a grudge against her and frames her for the robbery of some emerald earrings from one of the guests. Chris is called and discovers the truth. Robin is then given as a gift to Monica. Monica is her perfect master.There is 2 short stories staring Robin at the end of the book.
—Maya
