I know, like what the fuck? Because the last time I mentioned that I might not even think about reading the second book. But hey, it would be unfair to base my judgement on the whole Fifty Shades Trilogy until I've actually read all three books and not making a crass first impression review based only on the first book. True?
Synopsis
Daunted by the singular sexual tastes and dark secrets of the beautiful, tormented young entrepreneur Christian Grey, Anastasia Steele has broken off their relationship to start a new career with a Seattle publishing house.
But desire for Christian still dominates her every waking thought, and when he proposes a new arrangement, Anastasia cannot resist. They rekindle their searing sensual affair, and Anastasia learns more about the harrowing past of her damaged, driven and demanding Fifty Shades.
Verdict
Okay, I'm not going into detailed explanation on how the story goes because honestly, I have started reading the the third book and if by now, I don't remember much anymore about what happened in the second book. I'll just state whatever I can scrap from my memory of the second book. This goes to show that if a book and a piece of literature is good, you can remember the story well, but this book just doesn't make a dent on my memory.
Well, if it's one thing that E L James did right with the second book was that it is 'darker'. Despite my disappointment that Ana finally broke down and give in to go back to Christian, the 'Fifty Shades Darker' proves to be the better work than the first book. Not to say it's something better, but perhaps its much more tolerable after all the baffle in the first book. 'Darker' proves to be a more rich literature with a slight twist and more light was shed on how Christian Grey, the Dom came into existence.
Though I couldn't really bear all the weeping and moaning bitch, Ana at the start of the book. Indulging in self-pity, and aching vagina insatiable of all the supposedly 'great' sex from Grey. Seriously, how low can she get? And then we're introduced to yet another 'male' specimen who is attracted to yet, our heroine. How many men has it been now? Jose, Paul, Christian, Jack, and Ethan (Kate's brother). Am I missing anyone else?
However, there's on particular theme in this book that is a bit more interesting than all the predictable sex scenes and how they began undressing each other, and how Christian have so limited vocabulary that everything that comes out of his mouth is either, "do you, now?", "Do you know how you make me feel?", "Oh, Ana!", "You are mine.", or some other controlling freak's order. Honestly, I was getting super bored of all the sex scene. It's same thing over and over again. Despite the author's effort to make it less redundant by switching locations or adding a few things for experimentation, it's the same motion as 'he slammed hard, circling my clitoris, blah blah blah pinching and sucking nipples, fists in his hair, he pushes his erection through my hips, yadda yadda yadda....' B-O-R-I-N-G!
This time around, there was conflict in the Grey-Steele relationship as they are haunted by Leila, Grey's ex-sub, and also the mentioned Mrs. Robinson, who finally made an appearance in the book. While the cat fight between Mrs. Robinson a.k.a. Elena and Ana was entertaining and joyful to read through, Ana's encounter Leila was much more intense. Finally, you get to see something real (well, not exactly true-story material) threatening their relationship, other than Grey's fucked-up mind who always think bad of himself, and Ana's constant inner whining.
That brings me into this point where every single time I read the word 'inner goddess' in the book, my mind just mentally projecting that cartoon-sprite version of Ana, doing those thing. You know, like in Lizzie McGuire?
I mean, I just can't get enough of how stupid Ana is, and then comes this image of her 'inner goddess'. It just makes everything much more dumb than it is. I think I've told you how indecisive she is in the first book review, and apparently, she still is.
While the part that I like the most in first book was at the end when she left him, this time around, the climax, for me was when Leila enters the scene in Ana's new apartment in Seattle (which she never actually stay there) holding a gun. And all hell break loose. Wait, that's over-exaggerating. So, Christian end ups saving the day, going all Mr. Supreme Dominator on Leila and she (as any good sub) follows his order. With that said, Ms. Insecure Ana here doesn't want to leave both of them alone in her apartment, despite being asked to. Seriously, he's been telling her all this time that he doesn't want anyone else and he only wants her, but she's still insecure like a fucking girl who is so scared that someone's going to take away her lollipop.
And if you remember like I said in earlier when we were shed light on how Christian came to be? Imagine my shock when he told Ana the reason why :
"I'm a sadist, Ana. I like to whip little brown-haired girls like you because you all look like the crack whore - my birth mother."
Any normal person would :
But, Ana :
"Then it hit me like a wrecking ball. If he's a sadist, he really needs all that whipping and caning shit. Oh fuck. I put my head in my hands. "So it's true," I whisper, glancing up at him, "I can't give you what you need." This is it - this really does mean we are incompatible."
For crying out loud. This woman is beyond the valley of morons! Seriously.
Moving on... while it seems that after everything was cleared between them (and after a few sickening sex, with a capital "S") it seems that all is well, but nooooooo..... E L James just love to drag things over. We've got the crashing of Charlie Tango, Grey's helicopter, in which ended up with a roomful of people showing their love to Christian Grey, a man who only sees himself as fucked up and doesn't deserve to be loved. And guess what, at the end of the book, they're engaged.
You have to got to be fucking kidding me?!
