Vices/Virtues – A book review

I know it has been quite a while since I wrote a review. Don’t worry I will be giving a detailed update on what kept me away from blogging and my readers in my Sunday Post, but for now you have an Indie review of Vices/Virtues to catch up on.

If you are looking for a light, not-so-clean read about a sex dungeon and the lives of dominatrices, Vices/Virtues could be your choice. #IndieReview #Indiebook @desoprontu Click To Tweet

About the book

Vices/Virtues

Book Name: Vices/Virtues

Author: Beatrice DeSoprontu

Genre: Fiction – Drama

Characters: Cristela/Clara, Daisy, Virginia, Justine, Griselda, Noelle 

Setting: The United States of America

The plot

Vices/Virtues revolves around the dominatrices working in a sex dungeon in New York and their lives. Our main character Cristela works as a domintrix but in secret. She even creates an alter ego to keep her dual life apart. 

Her coworkers also have secret aliases and they do not see each other outside the dungeon. We also read about their backgrounds and their vices and virtues. 

The book has a bunch of mini stories each named after a vice or virtue about the related inner conflicts the characters go through, while the sex and BDSM just offer a backdrop. How far would Cristela to protect her secret forms the rest of the story in Vices/Virtues.

My initial thoughts

I quite recently watched the Sex education on Netflix. So I picked this book up because I was intrigued by the premise and I was not disappointed. 
While there is no linearity among the flow of the story, the format, as a collection of short stories, worked better for me than it would have as a novella. 

There are some references made to Hindu deities which were not correct and definitely will seem distasteful to religious people. Thankfully, there were just few of them. I wish the author would have discussed about this representation with a sensitivity / beta reader before she added to the book. 

Things that worked for me

  • The premise was unique and I like how the kinky sex dungeon was just a background.
  • Read it like a bunch of short stories, instead of one long book and you might enjoy it better.
  • The writing was interesting and I liked how the writing style changed when there was a switch between POVs. 

Things that didn’t work for me

  • I wish it were funnier, given the bizarre nature of the premise. 
  • You may love or hate the philosophical discussions about the vice/virtue nature of each chapter – there is no in between.   

Bottom-line

If you are looking for a light, not-so-clean read about a sex dungeon and the lives of dominatrices, Vices/Virtues could be your choice. You can read the author’s guest post on Tips To Writing Characters In Poverty here on my blog.

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Vices/Virtues

Let us chat

Have you read this one? Do you have a recommendation with a similar premise? I promise I won’t keep you waiting long for my next post. Let us talk. 

13 Comments

  1. Kathy West

    Looks like a very interesting book.

    Reply
  2. Katiria Rodriguez

    Great review, this book looks very intriguing. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome post.

    Reply
  3. lixa (Yari Roncone

    great review. I want to read this!

    Reply
  4. Jenn @ Bound to Writing

    This one sounds interesting. I’ve never read a book on this topic, but I would love to try it out. Great review Gayathri! 🙂

    Reply
  5. DJ Sakata

    This one seemed to have such promise – too bad. Glad to see you back, sweet pea!

    Reply
  6. Gemma

    Great review, sounds like an interesting read.
    Gemma @ Gemma’s Book Nook

    Reply
  7. Stormi

    This seems like a really interesting read. It’s nice to see a new review from you!

    Reply
  8. Tasha

    Fantastic and insightful review. I’m not religious but I agree that if you are going to write about it then you should be courteous, considerate and in possession of the facts.

    Reply
  9. Caffeinated Fae

    Oooo! This definitely looks fascinating. I haven’t heard of it so thanks for putting it on my radar!

    Reply
  10. Debjani

    Good to see you back, Gayathri. Thanks for pointing out that the book contains references to Hindu dieties that may not be to the liking of everyone.

    Reply
    • Gayathri

      So glad to hear from you Deb.

      Reply

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Gayathri

Gayathri

Gayathri has been reviewing books since 2010. When she is not reading books or creating online content, she works as a writer and a digital marketer. Head over to meet me!