Book Review: The Lady Eudora Henley
I first discovered Megan Rose Gedris aka Rosalarian many years ago when I stumbled upon her webcomic YU+ME whilst wandering down an internet rabbit hole. Given My art background and love of webcomics, I devoured all available pages, enjoying her storytelling as well as her experimentation with various art styles. Since then I have followed Rosalarian's work and was quite intrigued when she ventured into erotica.
The Lady Eudora Henley is a story of sexual awakening set in the Victorian Era. Featuring lesbian sex, The Lady Eudora Henley experiments with levels of dominance and submission as well as a wide variety of kinks, ensuring there's something to strike your fancy. As our narrator explores the world of BDSM, so does the reader, getting a taste of knife play, violet wand, splooshing, spanking, bondage, objectification, humiliation, forced orgasm, tease and denial, abandonment, orgies, and more.
I fell in love with The Lady Eudora Henley on page one.
Gedris paints a captivating picture with her use of language. Metaphors abound to both describe people and events as well as arouse the imagination. Like the lines of a well drawn picture, each word is meticulously chosen and serves a purpose. Historical terms such as "quim", "cunny", and "frig" are thrown in to aid the setting. Adjectives simultaneously stoke the seductive fires of the mind whilst doing battle with each other, raising energy with contrast. Like a moth to the flame, the reader is drawn in by Gedris' storytelling, desiring to learn more of the mysterious Lady Eudora and her seduction of our heroine.
A lovely mix of digitally drawn figures with pattern fill background, Rosalarian's lavish illustrations grace every page. Her lost and found lines on the outline of the bodies accentuate the curves of her figures; from small, yet realistic to Rubenesque, Rosalarian celebrates body diversity, embracing the joy and beauty of the human physique. With the use of various sized dots to make the strokes of moisture, whip marks, delicate folds, and fabric, Gedris' smart choice of brush is noticed and appreciated. Her attention to detail makes her pictures simply exquisite! Hiding genitals in the carvings or patterns in the background; drawing individual strands of hair in a variety of hair types and styles; capturing every fold and ruffle in the fabric from curtains to clothes, one could stare at these pages for hours and still find something new. Each scene is unique and creative; one never tires of our narrator's adventures for each enchanting encounter is different than the last.
Initially I read The Lady Eudora Henley online, so one of My favorite parts of the book wasn't discovered until after I received the print version: the forward. Obviously well-researched if not well-practiced in BDSM herself, Gedris writes a very conscientious forward, briefly educating the reader on basic BDSM fundamentals and advising caution before proceeding in enacting a scene from the book. I love that, as Megan Rose Gedris puts it, she "can't stand the thought of being another E.L. James" and encourages the reader to be curious, research, and explore before getting into Capital-T Trouble.
The Lady Eudora Henley is a lovely book to add to one's collection of erotica or other adult books. With it's beautiful black cover and silver embossing, The Lady Eudora is as beautiful to look at as well as read. I highly recommend Gedris' work and will be reading it again in the future for fun and inspiration. You can buy The Lady Eudora Henley here.
About the Author
Megan Rose Gedris is a Chicago based writer, illustrator, and performance artist. Her previous erotic work includes Eat Me, Darlin' It's Betta Down Where It's Wetta, and contributions to Smut Peddler, Filthy Figments, Slipshine, and more. Her non erotic work includes YU + ME, Meaty Yogurt, and Spectacle. Find her at rosalarian.com