jen_robins87's review
4.0
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
The story of Khoram deLuthe and Atash delGuarda. While I liked the story, there was a lot of information to try and keep track of. I knew beforehand that this book was in the sci-fi realm, but I don't think I was fully prepared to keep up with the different aliens and such. So that part did distract me a little. However, I truly did enjoy this tale of freedom and two people creating a soul-bond (especially since Atash thought he was a damaged hybrid). This story also has some twists and surprises towards the end in which I really liked. Overall, not a bad read at all.
The story of Khoram deLuthe and Atash delGuarda. While I liked the story, there was a lot of information to try and keep track of. I knew beforehand that this book was in the sci-fi realm, but I don't think I was fully prepared to keep up with the different aliens and such. So that part did distract me a little. However, I truly did enjoy this tale of freedom and two people creating a soul-bond (especially since Atash thought he was a damaged hybrid). This story also has some twists and surprises towards the end in which I really liked. Overall, not a bad read at all.
hartd's review
I'm definitely not the ideal reader of this book, so I won't give it a star rating.
The romance involves BDSM, while the plot is sci-fi strangeness with soul-bonding. It's all done very well, but I didn't enjoy it. The BDSM aspect of it made me uncomfortable, I think because it was linked with actual slavery.
I do recommend this book if none of that bothers you. It's a good erotic story, with an unusual setting.
The romance involves BDSM, while the plot is sci-fi strangeness with soul-bonding. It's all done very well, but I didn't enjoy it. The BDSM aspect of it made me uncomfortable, I think because it was linked with actual slavery.
Spoiler
Atash is a slave-owner who is half-human and half-alien. The aliens highly value public erotic performances, but he's not attracted to members of the slave race (another issue for me, a species that thrives on being slaves) that the aliens prefer. His status has suffered because of that, so when he feels attracted to Khoram, he buys him. There isn't really a consent issue, exactly - maybe dubious consent - but I didn't like it. There's quite a lot more going on with the plot, also.I do recommend this book if none of that bothers you. It's a good erotic story, with an unusual setting.
the_novel_approach's review
5.0
4.5 Stars ~ I truly love it when I read a new author’s work and am able to add yet another name to my “must read again” list. Learning to Want, by Tami Veldura, was my first exposure to this delightful storyteller, but it will certainly not be our last encounter. This novella can easily fall into the sci-fi, futuristic genre, with a dash of paranormal thrown in for good measure. Veldura creates a planet called Dulia, inhabited by a race called the Frea, whose outstanding feature is the fact that they are a collective of beings operating as a unit or “hive”, but all with distinct voices and desires. They are also the ruling caste in a society where there are definitely clear social status levels. The one thing the hive enjoys is the role of voyeur, watching as a master Dominant takes his submissive through a scene specifically designed for them to observe and often interact with in some capacity. The key here is that the submissive enter into the act freely; this heightens the pleasure the Frea derive from observing the act itself.
Atash is one such master who has been playing this role for some years. We come to discover that he does so in order to gain access to the highest level of the Frea and retrieve from them something they hold that belongs to his mother. In ways that, unfortunately, are not clearly explained, Atash’s mother holds him captive in his role until he can retrieve the thing she wants. Unfortunately, to perform at the highest level, Atash must have a true connection to his submissive—a mental and emotional one that he has yet to find. When he discovers Khoram at a slave auction, he is stunned to realize that this man seems to be the one—the person to whom Atash can have a full and genuine link to that will, in essence, tie him to Atash forever. The only problem is that Khoram, once an enforcer for a very corrupt woman, was ambushed and forced into slavery, and barely hides his contempt for being chained to Atash like a dog.
There were so many aspects to this novella that were both fascinating and emotionally intense. To begin with the descriptive prose used to set the scene of this other world was gritty and so well done that you could almost feel the heat rolling off the desert-like planet. Then, there were the Frea themselves, who were presented as separate entities but who moved and responded as one. That was not to say that they all conversed simultaneously—in fact, Khoram was often intrigued by Atash’s ability to respond to the collective when many were communicating either with each other or with him at the same time. Add to this a swift moving plot and the stunning Dom/sub scenes that were enacted during the novella, and you have a story that keeps the reader engaged to the very end. But it was ultimately the Atash we saw when his guard was down that made this novella really shine.
Withdrawn and analytical to a fault, Atash seemed remote and cold while engaging in a scene–until he took his submissive in hand during the aftercare phase. It was here, seen through Kharom’s eyes, that the real Atash emerged. Atash was compassionate and caring, gentle and loving, even though he had no real love connection to the submissives he trained. Nonetheless, he had a true gentle heart that cared for those who gave the gift of their submission. These were the moments that lent such credibility to Kharom’s eventual decision as to whether or not to submit for Atash and truly gave an added richness to an already well-crafted story.
My only real criticism of this novella was that it would have benefited from more back-story on both Atash and Kharom, as well as some additional time for their relationship to develop. Due to that, the decisions made by Kharom and Atash at story’s end were pretty swift and felt rushed overall. However, Learning to Want was still a riveting sci-fi story that kept me hooked till the very last page.
Reviewed by Sammy for The Novel Approach Reviews
Atash is one such master who has been playing this role for some years. We come to discover that he does so in order to gain access to the highest level of the Frea and retrieve from them something they hold that belongs to his mother. In ways that, unfortunately, are not clearly explained, Atash’s mother holds him captive in his role until he can retrieve the thing she wants. Unfortunately, to perform at the highest level, Atash must have a true connection to his submissive—a mental and emotional one that he has yet to find. When he discovers Khoram at a slave auction, he is stunned to realize that this man seems to be the one—the person to whom Atash can have a full and genuine link to that will, in essence, tie him to Atash forever. The only problem is that Khoram, once an enforcer for a very corrupt woman, was ambushed and forced into slavery, and barely hides his contempt for being chained to Atash like a dog.
There were so many aspects to this novella that were both fascinating and emotionally intense. To begin with the descriptive prose used to set the scene of this other world was gritty and so well done that you could almost feel the heat rolling off the desert-like planet. Then, there were the Frea themselves, who were presented as separate entities but who moved and responded as one. That was not to say that they all conversed simultaneously—in fact, Khoram was often intrigued by Atash’s ability to respond to the collective when many were communicating either with each other or with him at the same time. Add to this a swift moving plot and the stunning Dom/sub scenes that were enacted during the novella, and you have a story that keeps the reader engaged to the very end. But it was ultimately the Atash we saw when his guard was down that made this novella really shine.
Withdrawn and analytical to a fault, Atash seemed remote and cold while engaging in a scene–until he took his submissive in hand during the aftercare phase. It was here, seen through Kharom’s eyes, that the real Atash emerged. Atash was compassionate and caring, gentle and loving, even though he had no real love connection to the submissives he trained. Nonetheless, he had a true gentle heart that cared for those who gave the gift of their submission. These were the moments that lent such credibility to Kharom’s eventual decision as to whether or not to submit for Atash and truly gave an added richness to an already well-crafted story.
My only real criticism of this novella was that it would have benefited from more back-story on both Atash and Kharom, as well as some additional time for their relationship to develop. Due to that, the decisions made by Kharom and Atash at story’s end were pretty swift and felt rushed overall. However, Learning to Want was still a riveting sci-fi story that kept me hooked till the very last page.
Reviewed by Sammy for The Novel Approach Reviews
see_sadie_read's review
3.0
So, I found my experience with Learning to Want mixed at best. Picking up a book about a master/slave relationship (and not one in which characters play master or slave, but a real one in which one is actually owned by the other) is always an iffy proposition. Add to the mix that the enslaved character was a free black man, even if the enslaving character is black scaled (he's still of the dominant, slave owning culture) is an uncomfortable echo of recent Western history. Though, if this was just the authors attempt to include some diversity I have to appreciate the effort.
There was just a lot of squink around the edges of the story. Even the Ohiri, the perfectly bland race that entered enslavement willingly and was supposed to be an example of unproblematic slavery, were raised from birth to submission. There willingness was coerced at best and they're completely dismissed in the book. Background fodder, basically.
But my main issue is that, with the exception of transport in the beginning, which we're told was 20+ days, but we don't see, the whole book is about a week. In that time a free man was captured, molested, sold at auction, fondled some more (with some dubious consent), introduced to BDSM (which was really JUST SPANKING), come to NEED it, fallen in love, accepted and appreciated his 'collar and cuffs' (a euphemism of slavery), performed a perfect power-play sex 'scene' in front of hundreds, formed a soul bond and lived happily ever after (as a slave). And I was just like, "Ummmm, uh-uh. No way. We have skimmed over some major trauma here."
Some books have a magic peen, where someone has sex one time and everything is magically perfect in the plot. This book had a magic paddle. One spanking and Khoram released all his guilt over being a drug dealing slaver in the past and accepted his lot as a sexual slave, craved it even. NO. Big fat No.
This book seemed to want to have both slaves and consent in the same people. In fact, that the slave must consent is stated more than once by characters in the book, seriously stressed even. And that just can't work. It can't. Veldura tried real hard, but IT DOES NOT WORK.
The writing is fine. In fact there are the occasional turns of phrase that are really beautiful. And the editing didn't stand out as problematic. But the plot did. It is too rushed and the 'free and consenting slave' is an impossibility that Veldura failed to make feel anything but icky. As fluff, ok it's fine. I could even like it. But think even the smallest amount about the plot and the whole thing collapses in on itself.
There was just a lot of squink around the edges of the story. Even the Ohiri, the perfectly bland race that entered enslavement willingly and was supposed to be an example of unproblematic slavery, were raised from birth to submission. There willingness was coerced at best and they're completely dismissed in the book. Background fodder, basically.
But my main issue is that, with the exception of transport in the beginning, which we're told was 20+ days, but we don't see, the whole book is about a week. In that time a free man was captured, molested, sold at auction, fondled some more (with some dubious consent), introduced to BDSM (which was really JUST SPANKING), come to NEED it, fallen in love, accepted and appreciated his 'collar and cuffs' (a euphemism of slavery), performed a perfect power-play sex 'scene' in front of hundreds, formed a soul bond and lived happily ever after (as a slave). And I was just like, "Ummmm, uh-uh. No way. We have skimmed over some major trauma here."
Some books have a magic peen, where someone has sex one time and everything is magically perfect in the plot. This book had a magic paddle. One spanking and Khoram released all his guilt over being a drug dealing slaver in the past and accepted his lot as a sexual slave, craved it even. NO. Big fat No.
This book seemed to want to have both slaves and consent in the same people. In fact, that the slave must consent is stated more than once by characters in the book, seriously stressed even. And that just can't work. It can't. Veldura tried real hard, but IT DOES NOT WORK.
The writing is fine. In fact there are the occasional turns of phrase that are really beautiful. And the editing didn't stand out as problematic. But the plot did. It is too rushed and the 'free and consenting slave' is an impossibility that Veldura failed to make feel anything but icky. As fluff, ok it's fine. I could even like it. But think even the smallest amount about the plot and the whole thing collapses in on itself.
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