Book Talk Review; Take

So good it surpasses the first book 

Changes in the Mirza family have left both Tavi and Rex struggling to learn their new roles — and there’s no room for error. Pretending to be his twin brother is more difficult than Tavi could have imagined, and family secrets threaten to tear him apart. Rex, protected and cared for in every way, has a far from peaceful life.

Both have gained knowledge they didn’t necessarily want to have, and now that it’s been learned, they can’t simply forget it again. As their lives continue to change, will they change for the better… or will the price for the twins’ actions be too high?

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*This is NOT a standalone and should be read after Want (The Need Trilogy #1). This is dark taboo tale contains several kinks that may offend or trigger some readers, including (but not limited to) age play, ABDL, spanking, and humiliation. Not every dynamic or element is 100% consensual.

Though The Need Trilogy is set in The Fate of the Fallen world, the trilogy can be read separately from the series. The main characters do not appear in the FotF/SQ books, and there are minimal spoilers for the series or other books set in the universe.  

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This is not my normal type of read, Book Talkers. Well, now it is, but I haven't shared much of this side with y'all. 

If you cannot keep an open mind about taboo storylines then please stop reading this. 

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Take is even better than Want, which both surprises me and doesn't. It surprises me because I loved Want so much. It doesn't surprise me because R. Phoenix is an amazing writer. This world she created is so dark and delicious and I love it. 

In Want Tavi and Rex switch roles. Tavi goes from captured to captor and vice versa. Only Tavi takes it a few steps further. His exploration into Age Play started out as a way to keep and humiliate his brother, the same way his brother kept and humiliated him. Only it turned into something more—without either of them fully realizing it. 

Take explores Tavi and Rex's relationship as they both try to come to terms with the way things have happened. Tavi has found himself in a position he never expected to. As much as he is enjoying this newfound freedom, he doesn't know what to do with the feelings he's brought to the surface. Along with the other predicament he finds himself in (no spoilers.) 

Rex has...accepted his role? No, that's not right because there are so many things I know he rather not do. But he has accepted and come to enjoy many things about the situation he finds himself in. Of course he wishes he had magic, he wishes he had the freedom he once had, but he finally has something he's always wanted...Tavi. Rex has Tavi just like he's always wanted, but not in the way he expected. 

Rex was...spoiled before this. He was spoiled and failed to see the way he was hurting his brother with everything he did. Seeing Rex accept the fact that he was wrong in his treatment of Tavi. Seeing him give in helped me fall in love with him. I already loved Tavi, I fell for him early in book one. Falling in love with Rex took longer because he was so combative with himself. Now that he's less so it's easy. 

 I really felt for Tavi because now that he has the freedom he's always wanted he's faltering. There's this quote: The more he controlled Rex, the more helpless he felt. It helps put into perspective just how lost Tavi is. He might have his freedom, but he is still lost. Imagine having nothing and then suddenly having everything. Anyone would have trouble. Paired with the way every thing else going on it's easy to see how he'd have a hard time with it. 

I still can't say one of the big taboo things in this trilogy, because those damn morals, but I can tell you that both boys come to realizations that I saw early in book one. It's wrong for me to love it, but I do. And I can't wait for the next book when they both submit to themselves and admit what they really think. Rex did, towards the end, and it made me that much more anxious for the next book. 

There's a scene in this book that hosts a dinner for the Mirza family and it was...interesting to read. It was intense and I sat on pins and needles as I watched Tavi try to navigate it. They were members of his own family yet he didn't know them, not really. He didn't know what to say or do because they had shunned him years ago for being magic-less. My heart went out for him. 

R. Phoenix's mind is both a brilliant and scary place. Her plot runs deep and I am just a teeny bit worried about what she has planned. There are a few powerful characters featured in this book that scare the crap out of me. 

No spoilers but there's a chapter in here that had me breathless. It was wrong but I loved it so much. It's an "OMG, that really just happened" chapter. Read this book to find out what I'm talking about, you'll know when you see it. (Make sure you read Want first) 

I hope R Phoenix gives us the next book, Have, soon. Though I'll read anything that comes from her twisted mind I need the rest of Tavi and Rex's story. I just know it's going to be an unexpected but well deserved ending for them. 

*Quote- 

"No one can steal away who we are, what we are." 

 

"If he had to choose a best part about all of this, it'd be this: moments like these where he got to let go." 

"He knew what he was giving up—nothing worthwhile at all—and what he was giving it up for." 

"To have what he wanted—to truly have Tavi as what he wanted, what he needed—Rex had to surrender. It was real this time, real in a way it hadn't been before." 

"Tears welled up in his eyes as he fought to decide whether to give up love or freedom, because he knew he couldn't have both." 

-Abri