With all the hype and different opinions, I thought I would weigh in. This book is hard to read and you can tell that it was not a polished book. I read that it was published online first and was a fanfic piece. That said, the author did not go back through the book after she wrote it. I thought you were supposed to write and rewrite and rewrite your books.

I don't think it was all that fair of a representation of the BDSM world. I'm not that familiar with it, but what I do know would not be described the way the book does it. Ana, the main character, is constantly struggling with Christian and the way he wants things done. There's a constant sense that they are forcing something which is not healthy for either of them. There is nothing wrong with being a dominant or submissive, but you do get the sense that Ana does not want to be a submissive nor does she want Christian to be into this kind of world.

Apart from the character presentations, if you can reconcile that this is not supposed to reflect reality, then you may be able to continue reading more. Obviously, this is the author's fantasy and how she wishes to view things. A divide between the damsel in distress/needing a strong protective figure to desire you and being a strong individual yourself. Unfortunately, no matter what the scenario, you can not be saved by a lustful man while simultaneously saving yourself. That is a huge flaw the author did not reconcile. That is what I find to be the source to my frustrations with the characters.

Moving past that, the characters are repetitive. Or perhaps to say the writing is. It does get better as the book moves on and you get the sense the author understands how to be descriptive and not just use filler. This is why if she had rewritten it before releasing it, not only would it be as popular as it is, but it would have merit to her being able to sustain her penmanship against the "haters". Unfortunately, it strongly appears she rushed it. That is what is very difficult about the book. If you can suspend belief about their maturity, damage, BDSM representation, and contradictory text, then all you are left with is poor structure and writing. I'm no saint when it comes to this either. My mind can jump all over the place. But when writing something so important (in the sense that it is a huge undertaking to write and publish a novel) you must have the patience and recognize that reviewing your work several times is more valuable then anything.

I wouldn't waste time by reading this. I won't bother with the next several books after this one either. If you are curious about the story line, like I am, then Google it. Frankly, you get to understand the main themes and keys of what the book was supposed to do without the disappointment at the poor execution.

At first I found that reading it went by fairly quickly. Actually, it was quicker then some other books I've read. Eventually I hit a point, about 100 pages in. That's about where I hit the first sex scene. After that the book went very slowly. I realized that my reading was fast out of anticipation of the scandalous nature and excitement for the good stuff. Once I hit that first scene, I was left disappointed because I came to realize the entirety of the book was poorly written, and my interest sank.