Recommended Romantic Reads
Author: Jasmine Gold
Book: Mindgames
Mindgames is a phenomenal novel and certainly not for the faint of heart. Gold sets a vivid scene in a dystopian future where mankind is split into human masters and slaves. Listed as an erotic dark romance, I was pleasantly surprised to find a depth to the characters which was both moving and insightful, allowing the reader to become imersed in thier world.
The content is explicit and deliberately degrading, both extreme suffering and humiliation are key themes throughout the book, but that's what makes it memorable. It's the shocking content as seen through the eyes of an outsider (to the society featured), that adds a highly moral perspective of the disturbing degradation of the slaves, thus allowing the reader a palatable viewpoint to continue reading.
Gold artfully weaves the perspectives of the slaves and masters, the sovereign and the morality of the outsider to portray a broken society that is believable and therefore real due to its flawless character consistency.
Unexpected friendships and the selfless bravery of the heroine push the boundaries of human traits such as compassion, cowardice and self preservation from a unique perspective that is compelling.
Whilst the genuine love and affection of the two principle couples is key to the sociological exploration of the characters in a changing environment, the genre of the novel is undoubtedly dark erotica. The heat level is not for those below eighteen years of age and it is worth mentioning that the length of the story would be considered epic, but at no point does the story seem slow moving.
The conclusion to the novel was satisfying, however I wonder if the author might have added an insight in the epilogue of how the outsider and his companion (no spoiler!) settled back into his homeland and also a more conclusive ending for the other key couple featured or a more fundamental change in the corrupted society.
To learn more about Mindgames and points of purchase, please visit the author's website: https://jasmine-gold-s-website.webnode.com/
