Book Review: The Mistress Manual

The first time I encountered The Mistress Manual by Mistress Lorelei Powers was very early in my kink journey. I considered Myself a switch at best and balked when My friend loaned Me her copy, handing it to me with a knowing look and "You need to read this." I read through it, wondering why I needed this book, how it applied to Me, marveling at the different archetypes ("What's an archetype?" and "There's more than one?!"), wondering why I would even want to create a submissive male.

Now, just a couple years later, I giggled while reading through The Mistress Manual with fresh eyes and nodded with understanding at the concepts that once seemed so foreign. The Mistress Manual is a dominatrix primer, one of the core books that are recommended when a newbie begins asking for guidance, and for good reason. Mistress Lorelei covers everything to take you from a nervous neophyte to a dauntless Domina.

Way before delving into the "how-to's", Mistress Lorelei covers the more important aspect--the why. Why should you be a Mistress, why you should love being a Mistress, why a man would want to submit to you. The psychological insights of The Mistress Manual are priceless and what sets this book apart from many others in this genre; I find Myself picking up a new tidbit each time I read it. Whereas other books focus simply on safety and technical proficiency, The Mistress Manual instructs on how to touch the soul.

When actually delving into the construction of a good scene, Mistress Lorelei bestows wisdom beyond impact play; The Mistress Manual will guide you in how to conduct a scene with confidence. Dissecting the desires of different types of fantasies, Mistress Lorelei guides the reader on treating each one with care. The information contained within The Mistress Manual is essential for any good dominatrix to know and isn't always easy to come by. One can find classes on all different types of play, but having the essence of domination conveyed so succinctly and easily understood is rare. I highly recommend The Mistress Manual to any dominant female of any skill level who has not read it, or for submissive males to give their willing and curious partners.