Charmingly Euphemistic

3.5 stars, rounded to 4 because the writing and the story fascinated me.

OK, this one was well out of my comfort range, but I knew that going in so I was prepared. After reading the excerpt I was caught and I stayed caught all the way through. But sissies like me should pay close attention to the warnings and gird their loins. There are BDSM elements, but this is essentially a slave fic.

The good: the story was riveting. The dystopia is unfolding as the story progresses and it is intense. I felt for Connor, whose mind is at war with his instincts, and who is so very powerless to control his own destiny. I also felt felt for the the dominants, the vast majority of whom will never get their emotional needs met, since they outnumber the submissives by a thousand to one. I want to know what happens to Connor next and what is going to happen in the world of the story.

I had some trouble with just how weak and overwhelmed Connor became, but I was heartened at the end when he

. It gave me hope that Connor will come out the other side with his will and intelligence intact.

What didn't work so well for me: I didn't entirely buy the governmental reaction to the genetic mutation.

I can't see the government behaving like this. I felt like like the world would have been more believable and hence scarier if the curtailing of rights were more gradual and believable.

Hannah was over the top for me. This part of the story was chilling and effective, but again, I thought it would be more believable if she acted out of sloppiness and callousness instead of being so very evil.

It was just a little too open ended for me. Unlike other reviewers, I thought Connor was suffiiently sorted at the end in terms of his relationship. But the world-building wasn't quite there for me. I come to this as a long term scifi fan, so this will likely not be an issue for more traditional romance readers. But I couldn't get a read on how the mutation will play out over time. I couldn't tell if the individuals were still in the process of changing - there were comments that indicated they were, but at other times it seemed like the roles were pretty established and set. If there are more stories in this world, I might withdraw this complaint.