Transgender Confidential 6: Brenda's Transformation (transgender chastity comics)

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Book Review: Boyslut by Zachary Zane (memoir)

Title: Boyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto
Author: Zachary Zane
Publication Date: May 9, 2023
Genres: Non-fiction
Protagonist Gender: Male

Although I felt a little let down by Boyslut, having expected more stories of slutty threesomes and risqué Grindr hookups, I fully appreciate what Zachary Zane had to say about sex and sexuality.

If I had to sum up this book in just one word, it would be acceptance. Zane writes about the need to accept who we are and who or what we want to be. Through therapy, socialization, and life experience he explores a journey to self-acceptance that assures us it's okay (and healthy) to have questions and doubts, but also insists we don't let them get in the way of living our lives. It's not an easy journey, and not one without its detours and switchbacks, but he invites us to share in the experiences that allowed him to grow mentally, physically, and emotionally into the titular Boyslut. At the same time, he confronts the attitudes, assumptions, and anxieties that stand in the way of society accepting such an open and joyous indulgence of sexuality. 

One thing that struck me about the book is how Zane explores definitions of bisexuality versus pansexuality, and how he deliberately claims the former not in spite of but because of its social stigma, even as he goes to great pains to regularly assure the reader that transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming individuals are included in his definition. And it's not in a by-the-way aside or pandering way, it's sincere inclusion that I appreciated every time.

For a book about sex, what I think resonates most is what Zane has to say about relationships, the intersection of love and sex, and how and where the two can divulge. There are some interesting explorations of polyamory and open marriage that I found encouraging, and some frank discussion of how intimacy can interfere with sexual attraction - not because we've "fallen out of love" but because our sexual attraction may work differently. Yes, there's a lot of talk about random hookups and one-night stands, but there are also feelings and emotions to navigate.

Admittedly, I was a little taken aback by the frankness with which Zane discusses drug use, and the way he so casually dismisses STIs, but I realized you can't pick-and-choose your stigmas. He's writing about an openness and honesty that you can't fairly compartmentalize or place conditions on, and the admissions about his own behavior are all part of being a Boyslut. In some ways, I wish I had his confidence, his sort of selfishness, but there are consequences within even an open marriage that I feel demand more consideration. 

Rating: ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀

My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fetish & Fantasy Freebie Friday - Putting the TG in TGIF!

Well, if it's Friday, then it must be time to bend our way into the weekend with Fetish & Fantasy Freebie Friday!

Every Friday I search through the free titles on Amazon, looking for those that might be of interest to similarly bent readers, fans, and lovers. Even if you don't have a Kindle, you can still download the titles through one of Amazon's free reading applications.

Please do be sure to check the price before downloading anything, as most freebies are limited time offers, and some are specific to certain regions.

While you're on Amazon, if you'd like to support the stories that mean the most to me, could I kindly ask that you give these a read/review? 

Enjoy!  

Book Review: Cassiel's Servant by Jacqueline Carey (fantasy)

Title: Cassiel's Servant
Author: Jacqueline Carey
Publication Date: August 1, 2023
Genres: Fantasy
Protagonist Gender: Male

Having taken some time to think it over, I'm very much of two minds about Cassiel's Servant, Jacqueline Carey's retelling of Kushiel's Dart from Joscelin's perspective. 

On the one hand, I'm a HUGE fan of Phèdre's story and was eager to have an excuse to revisit the realm of Terre d’Ange. It's a gorgeous world and an epic story, full of characters I've loved and loathed (sometimes at the same time) for two decades. Even though we start from a different place, exploring Joscelin's youth and training as a Cassiline warrior-priest, the world and the writing are wonderfully familiar. We're witnessing his youth for the first time, but doing so already knowing where his story ends, and that allows us to appreciate key moments and the meanings behind them. 

Of course, that foreknowledge also allows us to anticipate the seeds of romance planted between Joscelin and Phèdre, and being inside his head reveals when and where his affections began. That's probably the most interesting (and significant) part of the book, knowing the truth behind what Phèdre could only infer from glances and mannerisms. Because of that, we get to experience his character growth and development at an earlier stage in the story, which softens many of his edges. 

On the other hand, there's nothing new in terms of plot, no pivotal revelations to which we weren't privy the first time around. In many ways it's a weaker story because Joscelin is only a witness to so much of it, and his narrative lacks the urgency and self-awareness of Phèdre's. More importantly, through his voice it becomes a more traditional fantasy, sanitized and thinned out, without the groundbreaking eroticism of the original. It's interesting to experience the emotional pain behind his disdain for Phèdre's assignations as an anguissette, but it's her physical pain (and pleasure) that made the original book such a standout work of art. 

Cassiel's Servant is an interesting experiment in narrative, and there's no question that reconnecting with Joscelin, Phèdre, and Hyacinthe is entertaining, but the whole book feels unnecessary (at best), and a awkward censorship of Kushiel's Dart (at worst). I'm sure that wasn't the intent, but given that I connected so deeply to Phèdre's erotic S&M experiences, it's hard not to feel a sense of loss or denial with such a retelling.

Rating: ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀

My sincere thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fetish & Fantasy Freebie Friday - Putting the TG in TGIF!a

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.