Title: Master of Illusion
Series: Benevolence #1
Author: Blak Rayne
Genre: Dystopian / Futuristic / Mystery (m/f-m/m)
Length: Novel (338 pages)
ISBN: 9781554879069
Publisher: eXtasy Books (June 15th, 2011)
Heat Level: Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥2.5 Hearts
Reviewer: Thommie
Blurb:Something evil lurks in the streets of Avalon. From the spread of an illicit drug called Ice to the black market slave trade. The year is twenty-three thirty, nearly two decades after WWIV and the world, as we know it, is a very different place. Under the rule of one government and a questionable military, no one is safe. Laws are convenient for those who legally prey on the weak. Forced into slavery, one man seeks freedom. Obligated to his profession, the other seeks justice. Exploitation, human trafficking, and drugs— brought together by corruption, fate, a bounty hunter meets a slave, and their lives are forever changed.
Purchase Link: http://www.extasybooks.com/blak-rayne/master-of-illusion/
Review: This is a dystopian story set in the 24th century. The human race has suffered through two more world wars and the results are devastating when it comes to technology – that has nearly wiped out – and quality of life. Among things that have changed are the political maps. Governments have fallen and there one worldwide Crown now governing. Homosexuality is also now punished by death or jail. However, there are loopholes that allow the deviants to exist. Slavery is lawful. A person may choose to become a slave and according to law he/she is equal to his/her master, bound to obey him for as long as a contract exists and the master is bound to provide for his/her slave. It is only like this that a master can gain a male slave, aka have homosexual sex, but they must not reside in the same house. Blond people are rare, so they are the most valuable slaves, to be cherished and shown off as a trophy or icon of power. But the truth is not so ideal, far from it. A slave, no matter what the law says, is a slave…
So this entire slave thing is very, very similar to what geisha used to be once upon a time, the idea at least. Now I’ll be honest here, this entire theme and story is very, very enticing. I could have adored this book. The mystery had excellent premises, the characters were plenty and that could have provided for a really interesting read. Our main character Sloan is charming and with a bit effort could have been a real badass to be remembered while the Beautiful Dragon (main slave character) could have charmed our pants off. BUT!
Yup, there is a big, huge even, but there. In my opinion, this book shouldn’t have hit the shelves yet. It was unfinished, unpolished, with too many typographic errors, a disturbing case of head hopping, and in serious, SERIOUS need of revision. The plot-holes were tremendous, events being mentioned and then forgotten down the road, the thread of thinking weaving right, left, and not making sense most of the times. Overall, the impression I got out of this book was that there was no serious editing performed here.
As for the erotic part of the story, that too needed a huge amount of polish. The chemistry failed to present itself and some relationships in the story and actions that were connected to those relationships made not one sense. The bonds and emotions had the possibility to take you over but never made it and the erotic scenes needed too many eyes on them to spot and point the fact that the characters jumped from one scene to the other in no sensible order, for example the couple would be in the car heading home and in the same paragraph and next line they’d be in their apartment… It is not a case of small things like this, rather the amount of small things that made it impossible to appreciate the book.
Again, I must stress the point that this idea/theme was highly intriguing. If properly worked/edited this would have been an incredible book. As it is, it’s not recommendable.