Reviewed by Vicki
TITLE: Staged
SERIES: Belonging #3
AUTHOR: Kim Fielding
PUBLISHER: Riptide Publishing
LENGTH: 255 pages
RELEASE DATE: July 18th, 2016
BLURB:
Once the second-prize winner on My Slave’s Got Talent, Sky Blue has spent the past few years singing at a failing New York nightclub. While Sky has never had control over his fate, his life seems to take a turn for the worse when he’s torn from the familiar comfort of performing and sold to a rich and enigmatic man.
Morgan Wallace takes his newly purchased slave to San Francisco, his intentions unclear. On the one hand, he treats Sky with more kindness than Sky has ever known—treats him like a real person. On the other hand, he shares Sky at parties hosted by his sadistic new friends.
A confused slave is an endangered slave, and Sky isn’t even sure of his master’s real name. Is he Morgan Wallace, wealthy and cruel, or Mackenzie Webster, caring and compassionate? Caught between hope, fear, and an undeniably growing attachment, Sky struggles to untangle which parts are real and which are merely a performance. His future, his heart, and even his life may depend on it.
Reader discretion advised. This title contains the following sensitive themes:
dubious consent
explicit violence
non-consent
REVIEW:
Wow. What a difficult book to read, and I loved it! I’ve read the other two books in this series so I knew what I was in for, but it was hard….
This book is set in an alternate universe, it’s very strange to read about locations, celebrities and television shows, but slavery is legal. Yes, you can watch Friends while beating and raping your slave. Ugh. This is a bit of a mystery, we don’t know what is going on with one of the characters for most of the book, but under that is the ugliness of the world.
Sky Blue is a slave. He’s a singer and formerly in a boy band, now singing in a club, but he is a human that is bought and sold. He’s been raped, beaten, tortured, sold, and bought. Has no freedom, no life, no education, in fact he didn’t know how far away China was from San Francisco. He can read, and understands the concept of the internet, but has very little experience. He’s pretty, and has a good voice. That’s about it. He’s just maintaining his voice, singing in a club, hoping to survive a bit longer, when he is sold to a broker. Then sold again, to a man he now calls Master. Master appears to be a decent man, not experienced owning slaves, but something else is going on and poor Sky gets the worst end of the deal, yet again.
Master treats Sky well most of the time, but takes him to BDSM parties where he lets Sky be beaten and raped. Then cares for him afterward. Sky is very confused by Master’s behavior. Something is up with him, he spends time on the phone, and his computer, and Sky gets just the hint that all is not as it appears. I began to suspect what was happening long before Sky does. The two grow closer, Master developing pesky feelings for Sky, Sky being confused!
So I don’t get this whole “non-consensual” sex thing. It’s either sex, or rape. Non-con makes it sound like it’s not so bad, but really it is. Sky is raped. That’s what it is. He’s a slave, he’s owned by Master, who lets him be beaten and raped. Then Master feels bad after. I had a really hard time with this! Luckily the rape and most of the violence is off page.
I really liked this book. The story of Sky and Master, and what actually turns out to be going on, was very well done. I wasn’t sure how this was going to go, I’ve loved Kim Fielding’s books, but this seemed like a stretch for her. Kim can write angsty dark books, but they haven’t really been violent. She proved my concerns unfounded! She can do dark and violent! She has made me cry multiple times, and did in this book as well. I absolutely loved Sky. He just broke my heart. I liked the relationship between Sky and Master, even as odd as it was. Master is a very intriguing character… I like what turned out to be his issue, and I loved the ending. Yes I’m avoiding plot details, this is just too cool of a story to give too much away!
Kim is truly one of my favorite authors these days, and this is a fantastic book. But it is not for the faint of heart. This is not a nice world at all. Again, most of the violence is off page, but you know what’s happening. And just the whole concept of owning people is horrendous… But the book is really good! It is a stand alone novel, set in a world with two other books. I have read the others a couple of times, they are much more violent and dark. Good, but harder than this one. I’d start with this one, then try the others.
I do recommend this book, but you need to know what you are getting in to with it…. be careful, if you can handle the potential triggers, read it!
RATING: 
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