Control

Control by Cordelia Kingsbridge

When Control agent Joaquin Castillo finds himself unintentionally bound to a brainwashed sex slave, he vows to restore the boy's memories and set him free. Then he discovers the boy's true identity, and everything goes straight to hell. 
Banner Credit: Rory

Rosie Thinks: Cordelia Kingsbridge is definitely up there in my top 5 favourite slash authors. Everything I've read from her has been consistently really good, and Control is no different. The summary doesn't quite do this story justice - honestly, I wasn't exactly sold on it just from that, but I gave it a go anyway because of the authors track record. And, what do you know, I loved it!

This is set in a futuristic world that is still heavily grounded in what we know today, but with the addition of a lot of really cool inventions and gadgets. I normally don't like sci-fi, but Control didn't confuse me with long, technological-based explanations and didn't seem too far-fetched and ridiculous. The way Kingsbridge writes detail is one of the reasons why I love her. She explains things so well, and if she ever tells rather than shows, she intersperses it with plot and character development. And she seriously knew what she was talking about. I feel like you can tell when an author hasn't done their research, so it was gratifying to read about stuff that the author really knew through and through, like all the neurological and psychological things.

Another thing I love about this author is her ability to always create the most intriguing of characters. Seriously, her characterisation is 10/10. Joaquin, the Control agent, could easily have fallen into a huge amount of stereotypes. His strength is balanced with his brains, and he has a determination and strong sense of honour that I liked. He was kept by becoming like every other 'hero' with these characteristics by his flaws and how Kingsbridge truly allows us into his head and his thoughts. Mischa was . . . well, he was fantastic. He starts out as a brainwashed sex slave, and a lot of the action at the beginning comes from the characters trying to find out who Mischa really is behind the brainwashing. And his true personality was just woah. It was definitely worth the buildup and from then on, the action takes off.

This story does feature a lot of sex and the author warns of some triggers at the beginning of her story, but she deals with a lot of sensitive issues like dubious consent and rape and ambiguous morality really, really well. It isn't used as a plot device, which is one thing that can truly turn me off a story. She gives these issues the analysation and thoughts that they're deserved.

All in all, if you like action-packed slash with fantastic characters and writing, this is for you. The twists are fantastic and kept me guessing, and it was more like watching a well-directed action movie!