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The Pet Series #1
Pet: Genesis
In the future, Earth is invaded by an alien race called the Leviathan.
Years after invasion day, Iris is struggling to survive among the bitter ruins she must now call home. But when her home is ambushed by the Leviathan threat, her will to fight and selfless attempt to sacrifice herself catches the attention of an otherworldly being—the ruler of the Leviathan race.
Enamored with her selflessness, Remus decides to keep Iris under his watchful eye and prove to her one thing—that at their core, every human is the same. What Remus never expected is that Iris may be a bigger threat than he gave her credit for and the one to prove him wrong.
As time runs out for her planet, Iris must carefully navigate her new life by the Leviathan ruler’s side so as not to arouse his suspicion as new opportunities to take back her planet arise. But as time passes, and they continually challenge one another, they are forced to see different sides of themselves they didn’t think existed.
Can Iris touch the heart of a being who wants nothing more than to exterminate the human race? Or will she be the sole reminder that we ever existed?
Years after invasion day, Iris is struggling to survive among the bitter ruins she must now call home. But when her home is ambushed by the Leviathan threat, her will to fight and selfless attempt to sacrifice herself catches the attention of an otherworldly being—the ruler of the Leviathan race.
Enamored with her selflessness, Remus decides to keep Iris under his watchful eye and prove to her one thing—that at their core, every human is the same. What Remus never expected is that Iris may be a bigger threat than he gave her credit for and the one to prove him wrong.
As time runs out for her planet, Iris must carefully navigate her new life by the Leviathan ruler’s side so as not to arouse his suspicion as new opportunities to take back her planet arise. But as time passes, and they continually challenge one another, they are forced to see different sides of themselves they didn’t think existed.
Can Iris touch the heart of a being who wants nothing more than to exterminate the human race? Or will she be the sole reminder that we ever existed?
480 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 23, 2024
36 people are currently reading
623 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
July 26, 2024
RTC!!!
I read the majority of Pet: Genesis in one sitting (lying in bed, ignoring sleep time). Thank you to Haley Inez for putting it up as an eBook! GR folks have recommended this book to me before and I tried to read it on her Patreon, but the navigation on there was not the easiest for me. I gave up and forgot about it, but when I saw this pop up on my feed, I made sure to order it!
Long review ahead...
Some GR folks have said it is reminiscent of Eris Belmont's The King in terms of the premise with the major difference that Pet: Genesis is a dark sci fi romance of what happens when a superior alien species enslaves the human population, and their leader falls in love with an unwilling human terrified of him, and The King is a dark fantasy romance of what happens when a superior supernatural race enslaves the human population, and their leader falls in love with an unwilling human terrified of him.
The leader first sees the human as a slave but cossets and parades her around as a pet that he owns and controls, and nobody can do anything to her but him, eventually elevating her to his equal in title and social standing. The hero has vampiric traits and dislikes or actively hates humans, while the heroine is horrified by him.
Even some of the situations are similar at high-level including hero testing heroine's loyalty and a scene showing human's capabilities of evil too.
In terms of what makes Pet: Genesis stand out is honestly the characterization and the structure of the plot.
Remus was a convincing godlike person. He wasn't a human with godlike powers. He was an alien humanoid, an energy being. With his long white hair, and blue and purple eyes, he could be a Targaryen or an elf, and I loved that for him. We get his POVs and his intelligence is always shown. Even in his anger, his temper, he has a detached presence.
What I liked most was how much Remus grew in his relationship with Iris. Although he wanted to break her as a pet in the beginning, he never hated himself or was ashamed of being infatuated with a human. And his leniency with her shows more and more over time. She literally tried to kill him, people!
Although Iris perceives his actions towards humans as hate, she realizes he does not hate them but has no feelings truly towards them. This makes logical sense. He never had a vendetta against humans but after observing our world leaders, felt the humans on earth would not make good galaxy citizens and be better off as slaves. So, he would not feel bewildered for his attraction to her. In fact, he likes her because she is not like the other greedy and selfish humans, as he thinks.
His regular schedule is changed because of Iris, but his intelligence, his ability to strategize against the human Resistance is never put in question, and it made his character, one of the Divine Three, much more believable.
When he decides
I enjoyed the story's pessimistic view on humans, and in particular, how Inez wrote about the Resistance was fascinating. She wasn't so simple to say the good guys are actually corrupt. No. How she wrote about the traitor, and how she wrote about the humans, particularly Cypress and Jude. Just spectacular writing on their character arcs.
If you like this basic premise, try these dark fantasy reads:
Eris Belmont's The King, Wrath of the King. Third book is coming. Not sure if it's already available on her Patreon.
Quinn Blackbird's Black World and Black World 2. I find this duology so dark and erotic that holds up on rereads.
I read the majority of Pet: Genesis in one sitting (lying in bed, ignoring sleep time). Thank you to Haley Inez for putting it up as an eBook! GR folks have recommended this book to me before and I tried to read it on her Patreon, but the navigation on there was not the easiest for me. I gave up and forgot about it, but when I saw this pop up on my feed, I made sure to order it!
Long review ahead...
Some GR folks have said it is reminiscent of Eris Belmont's The King in terms of the premise with the major difference that Pet: Genesis is a dark sci fi romance of what happens when a superior alien species enslaves the human population, and their leader falls in love with an unwilling human terrified of him, and The King is a dark fantasy romance of what happens when a superior supernatural race enslaves the human population, and their leader falls in love with an unwilling human terrified of him.
The leader first sees the human as a slave but cossets and parades her around as a pet that he owns and controls, and nobody can do anything to her but him, eventually elevating her to his equal in title and social standing. The hero has vampiric traits and dislikes or actively hates humans, while the heroine is horrified by him.
Even some of the situations are similar at high-level including hero testing heroine's loyalty and a scene showing human's capabilities of evil too.
In terms of what makes Pet: Genesis stand out is honestly the characterization and the structure of the plot.
Remus was a convincing godlike person. He wasn't a human with godlike powers. He was an alien humanoid, an energy being. With his long white hair, and blue and purple eyes, he could be a Targaryen or an elf, and I loved that for him. We get his POVs and his intelligence is always shown. Even in his anger, his temper, he has a detached presence.
What I liked most was how much Remus grew in his relationship with Iris. Although he wanted to break her as a pet in the beginning, he never hated himself or was ashamed of being infatuated with a human. And his leniency with her shows more and more over time. She literally tried to kill him, people!
Although Iris perceives his actions towards humans as hate, she realizes he does not hate them but has no feelings truly towards them. This makes logical sense. He never had a vendetta against humans but after observing our world leaders, felt the humans on earth would not make good galaxy citizens and be better off as slaves. So, he would not feel bewildered for his attraction to her. In fact, he likes her because she is not like the other greedy and selfish humans, as he thinks.
His regular schedule is changed because of Iris, but his intelligence, his ability to strategize against the human Resistance is never put in question, and it made his character, one of the Divine Three, much more believable.
When he decides
I enjoyed the story's pessimistic view on humans, and in particular, how Inez wrote about the Resistance was fascinating. She wasn't so simple to say the good guys are actually corrupt. No. How she wrote about the traitor, and how she wrote about the humans, particularly Cypress and Jude. Just spectacular writing on their character arcs.
If you like this basic premise, try these dark fantasy reads:
Eris Belmont's The King, Wrath of the King. Third book is coming. Not sure if it's already available on her Patreon.
Quinn Blackbird's Black World and Black World 2. I find this duology so dark and erotic that holds up on rereads.
August 3, 2024
2.75 to 3 Stars
I want to preface this review by saying this might be influenced by me not enjoying erotic horror as much anymore. If you like erotic horror, you’re going to love this book. It’s just not something I enjoy as much anymore. If you like Nenia Campbell’s Horrorscape series, Kaia Bennet’s Die by the Drop, and Eris Belmont’s The King, I think you’ll really like this book.
It pains me to say this, I liked the original Wattpad version more. I don’t think the changes that Inez made improved the plot or the characterization of the characters, especially Iris the FMC. The changes were noticeable and they didn’t fit seamlessly into the plot.
I don’t know if it’s just me but the newly made changes did not fit seamlessly into the plot and they very much so seemed plopped into it. When characters make choices they have to have “motivation” to make them, especially if it’s 85 - 95% of the way into the book.
Also I have no idea why Remus, the MMC, is into Iris. I know his whole thing with her is that she’s this super pure and innocent being that he’s never encountered before and that she’s super pretty. They have no chemistry at alllllllll either.
*******Spoiler*******
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Iris ends up having sex with another character other than Remus after she’s been with him for a majority of the book. In a way it makes sense as Remus isn’t exactly the most romantic lead and this book very much so is erotic horror more so than a dark romance, but still it made zero sense since they had no chemistry. Also Iris kills a bunch a Leviathans towards the end of the book, which breaks character for her, because up until then she was a big pacifist.
One positive thing I do have to say is that the world building is pretty detailed and that’s something Inez does really well. Building chemistry between her leads, not so much.
Pre review (7/22/2024):
I read the og version of this on Wattpad a few years ago and remember really enjoying it.
The FMC Iris can be a bit tstl and reckless, but she’s at least caring and not super selfish 😅.
I love the MMC Remus, he’s super possessive, manipulative, and has the “only I can touch her” vibe going for him that I love so much in my villainous book love interests.
Apparently, this newer version has been rewritten in terms of some of the decisions the characters’ make and the writing has been upgraded a bit.
I think Haley mentioned the og version can still be read on her Patreon as-well as the sequel to this “newer” version.
I have to agree with blueberry that this reminds me a lot of Eris Belmont’s The King Trilogy in terms of the villainous, possessive conquerer MMCs. One of the major differences is that Eris’ book is a dark fantasy and Haley’s is more so a dark scifi. If you’re looking for a follow up read to The King, this would be a really good option.
One thing to note for readers who are new to both of these stories, is that they are more so dark erotic stories than romances. There is non con and lots of manipulation. The MMCs really don’t care about the FMCs’ feelings, and will do anything to keep them under their control. So you have been warned.
I’ll write a final review when I finish. Hoping to love this even more than when I read it a few years ago.
I want to preface this review by saying this might be influenced by me not enjoying erotic horror as much anymore. If you like erotic horror, you’re going to love this book. It’s just not something I enjoy as much anymore. If you like Nenia Campbell’s Horrorscape series, Kaia Bennet’s Die by the Drop, and Eris Belmont’s The King, I think you’ll really like this book.
It pains me to say this, I liked the original Wattpad version more. I don’t think the changes that Inez made improved the plot or the characterization of the characters, especially Iris the FMC. The changes were noticeable and they didn’t fit seamlessly into the plot.
I don’t know if it’s just me but the newly made changes did not fit seamlessly into the plot and they very much so seemed plopped into it. When characters make choices they have to have “motivation” to make them, especially if it’s 85 - 95% of the way into the book.
Also I have no idea why Remus, the MMC, is into Iris. I know his whole thing with her is that she’s this super pure and innocent being that he’s never encountered before and that she’s super pretty. They have no chemistry at alllllllll either.
*******Spoiler*******
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Iris ends up having sex with another character other than Remus after she’s been with him for a majority of the book. In a way it makes sense as Remus isn’t exactly the most romantic lead and this book very much so is erotic horror more so than a dark romance, but still it made zero sense since they had no chemistry. Also Iris kills a bunch a Leviathans towards the end of the book, which breaks character for her, because up until then she was a big pacifist.
One positive thing I do have to say is that the world building is pretty detailed and that’s something Inez does really well. Building chemistry between her leads, not so much.
Pre review (7/22/2024):
I read the og version of this on Wattpad a few years ago and remember really enjoying it.
The FMC Iris can be a bit tstl and reckless, but she’s at least caring and not super selfish 😅.
I love the MMC Remus, he’s super possessive, manipulative, and has the “only I can touch her” vibe going for him that I love so much in my villainous book love interests.
Apparently, this newer version has been rewritten in terms of some of the decisions the characters’ make and the writing has been upgraded a bit.
I think Haley mentioned the og version can still be read on her Patreon as-well as the sequel to this “newer” version.
I have to agree with blueberry that this reminds me a lot of Eris Belmont’s The King Trilogy in terms of the villainous, possessive conquerer MMCs. One of the major differences is that Eris’ book is a dark fantasy and Haley’s is more so a dark scifi. If you’re looking for a follow up read to The King, this would be a really good option.
One thing to note for readers who are new to both of these stories, is that they are more so dark erotic stories than romances. There is non con and lots of manipulation. The MMCs really don’t care about the FMCs’ feelings, and will do anything to keep them under their control. So you have been warned.
I’ll write a final review when I finish. Hoping to love this even more than when I read it a few years ago.
August 20, 2024
I’ve read both the original version on Wattpad and if I am being honest I like the changes made. Especially from the first version.
Highly recommend this book for fans of king by Eris Belmont. They have many similar elements. Personally, I like “pet” better than “king” both in terms of plot and writing.
Highly recommend this book for fans of king by Eris Belmont. They have many similar elements. Personally, I like “pet” better than “king” both in terms of plot and writing.
September 29, 2025
4 extraordinary dystopian sci-fi 🌟s !!!
✨️THE IRREDEEMABLE VILLAIN/MORALLY GREY MMC (aka the conquering, apathetic, cynical, manipulative, genocidal, psychopathic sadist: Remus) GETS THE FMC AND STAYS "EVIL", ALSO HAS A SOFT SPOT/WEAKNESS ONLY FOR HER✨️
*** Ladies and gentlemen, Remus and his never-ending list of abhorrent atrocities will have y'all clutching them pearls and running screaming for the hills, so leave your morals and sanity at the door. Plz proceed with caution and heed the trigger warnings cuz this is DARK...😳
This was one heck of a rollercoaster so fucking epic ! Writing this with tears in me eyes, I need book 2 asap ! Pet: Genesis is now alongside Heart's Prisoner as my fave sci-fi books of all time, highly recommend it 😊
This new author deserves all the praise and recognition 💕
✨️THE IRREDEEMABLE VILLAIN/MORALLY GREY MMC (aka the conquering, apathetic, cynical, manipulative, genocidal, psychopathic sadist: Remus) GETS THE FMC AND STAYS "EVIL", ALSO HAS A SOFT SPOT/WEAKNESS ONLY FOR HER✨️
*** Ladies and gentlemen, Remus and his never-ending list of abhorrent atrocities will have y'all clutching them pearls and running screaming for the hills, so leave your morals and sanity at the door. Plz proceed with caution and heed the trigger warnings cuz this is DARK...😳
This was one heck of a rollercoaster so fucking epic ! Writing this with tears in me eyes, I need book 2 asap ! Pet: Genesis is now alongside Heart's Prisoner as my fave sci-fi books of all time, highly recommend it 😊
This new author deserves all the praise and recognition 💕
May 20, 2025
Chefs kiss 💋 Above 6stars
November 8, 2025
this is my guilty pleasure and I'm glad to have it back
February 21, 2025
A SOLID 4.5 STARS! ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was everything I LOVE LOVE LOVE in a Dark Alien Sci-Fi Romance.
I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT BOOK!! IT'S A HFN.
Where to start? There's much to explore, and this isn't a story for the masses. It's dark mostly because it talks about genocide/culling of the human race by an alien species, and deals with human slavery or mind-control. Basically, humans are fucked when the Leviathans came to conquer Earth. It's like war of the worlds except the alien is as handsome as Lucifer himself.
REMUS was difficult to like or relate with because clearly he's the alien royalty who came to conquer humans. He was indifferent, arrogant and all-powerful - the most detached and aloof character I've read yet. AND I LOVED IT. ❤️❤️ Remus didn't make it easy, and I'm still hoping to dig deeper into what makes him tick, or lose his cool. I want to know what can shake him up - an immovable marble statue. He couldn't care less about the inhabitants he conquers, or even his own people. HE WAS ABOVE THEM ALL - a God.
I've read plenty of Sci-fi AR and this was the closest to feeling downright uncomfortable with a MMC. What was Remus's objective? What would happen to ever make him closest to feeling human as possible? Because throughout the entire story he was true to his nature, seriously not giving a fuck except when it came to his relationship with IRIS.
And trust me, the relationship is every red flag and toxicity. It's definitely abuse, torture and captivity.
IRIS I'm still skeptical of. She was a mixture of courage and fearful, but not ballsy enough for me. Her courage often comes off as unintelligent, reckless and zero planning. I get that the author wants to portray her in the light where Iris will capture Remus's attention. She's supposed to be the exception. Remus was killing and conquering humans because he found them selfish, fighting amongst themselves and had no order or compassion, where as Iris would sacrifice her life for a stranger she didn't know - no matter how futile or powerless she was. THAT was the selling point of their relationship.
But, I digress. She was still WEAK. Can I blame her when Remus could do shit like an X-men mutant?
OVERALL I wasn't satisfied with the ending even if Iris had made her choice to be by Remus's side. Keyword - BE. I didn't for a second believe that she loved him. Respect and fear? - YES. Although, Remus does articulate his tender feelings towards her, but Iris was a victim of his iron fisted decisions and cruelty. She was mentally and physically tortured by the male who claims to love her, and she decided to choose the devil you know instead of freedom when she realized Remus and his godly siblings were too powerful to defy.
Soooo, IRIS hasn't become a queen in my eyes. She's still a cowering human trying to survive her circumstance, and I'm 100% sure she's still fucking afraid of Remus. I would. His emotions can be sometimes fickle or bipolar. The POWER IMBALANCE is crazy, and I'm still waiting to see what will happen in the next book. I'm uncertain if the next book will feature Remus's brother's story, but I do hope we get to see Remus and Iris again.
If you're here for a lovey-dovey romance?
Girl, get outta here because the male lead is an abuser, manipulator and absolute dictator.
Why Did I Enjoy This?
It's an original for sure. The fear and anxiety to know how Iris will overcome Remus or vice-versa, to know how these two enemies will fall in love; against all odds....it was thrilling and a page turner. I couldn't put it down. I HAD TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS AT THE END. The romance was lukewarm at best, I mean, how can a girl get it on when overwhelmed by fear? In the end, the sex between Remus and Iris felt more like a power play and nothing intimate.
Iris hasn't even initiated a kiss ONCE with Remus, and there were no wholesome scenes between the two. It was always fear, fear and more fear.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to readers who like dark, sci-fi alien romance that doesn't hold back on the punches and walks the fine line between black and white.
This was everything I LOVE LOVE LOVE in a Dark Alien Sci-Fi Romance.
I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT BOOK!! IT'S A HFN.
Where to start? There's much to explore, and this isn't a story for the masses. It's dark mostly because it talks about genocide/culling of the human race by an alien species, and deals with human slavery or mind-control. Basically, humans are fucked when the Leviathans came to conquer Earth. It's like war of the worlds except the alien is as handsome as Lucifer himself.
REMUS was difficult to like or relate with because clearly he's the alien royalty who came to conquer humans. He was indifferent, arrogant and all-powerful - the most detached and aloof character I've read yet. AND I LOVED IT. ❤️❤️ Remus didn't make it easy, and I'm still hoping to dig deeper into what makes him tick, or lose his cool. I want to know what can shake him up - an immovable marble statue. He couldn't care less about the inhabitants he conquers, or even his own people. HE WAS ABOVE THEM ALL - a God.
I've read plenty of Sci-fi AR and this was the closest to feeling downright uncomfortable with a MMC. What was Remus's objective? What would happen to ever make him closest to feeling human as possible? Because throughout the entire story he was true to his nature, seriously not giving a fuck except when it came to his relationship with IRIS.
And trust me, the relationship is every red flag and toxicity. It's definitely abuse, torture and captivity.
IRIS I'm still skeptical of. She was a mixture of courage and fearful, but not ballsy enough for me. Her courage often comes off as unintelligent, reckless and zero planning. I get that the author wants to portray her in the light where Iris will capture Remus's attention. She's supposed to be the exception. Remus was killing and conquering humans because he found them selfish, fighting amongst themselves and had no order or compassion, where as Iris would sacrifice her life for a stranger she didn't know - no matter how futile or powerless she was. THAT was the selling point of their relationship.
But, I digress. She was still WEAK. Can I blame her when Remus could do shit like an X-men mutant?
OVERALL I wasn't satisfied with the ending even if Iris had made her choice to be by Remus's side. Keyword - BE. I didn't for a second believe that she loved him. Respect and fear? - YES. Although, Remus does articulate his tender feelings towards her, but Iris was a victim of his iron fisted decisions and cruelty. She was mentally and physically tortured by the male who claims to love her, and she decided to choose the devil you know instead of freedom when she realized Remus and his godly siblings were too powerful to defy.
Soooo, IRIS hasn't become a queen in my eyes. She's still a cowering human trying to survive her circumstance, and I'm 100% sure she's still fucking afraid of Remus. I would. His emotions can be sometimes fickle or bipolar. The POWER IMBALANCE is crazy, and I'm still waiting to see what will happen in the next book. I'm uncertain if the next book will feature Remus's brother's story, but I do hope we get to see Remus and Iris again.
If you're here for a lovey-dovey romance?
Girl, get outta here because the male lead is an abuser, manipulator and absolute dictator.
Why Did I Enjoy This?
It's an original for sure. The fear and anxiety to know how Iris will overcome Remus or vice-versa, to know how these two enemies will fall in love; against all odds....it was thrilling and a page turner. I couldn't put it down. I HAD TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS AT THE END. The romance was lukewarm at best, I mean, how can a girl get it on when overwhelmed by fear? In the end, the sex between Remus and Iris felt more like a power play and nothing intimate.
Iris hasn't even initiated a kiss ONCE with Remus, and there were no wholesome scenes between the two. It was always fear, fear and more fear.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to readers who like dark, sci-fi alien romance that doesn't hold back on the punches and walks the fine line between black and white.
April 14, 2025
“If you think choosing me will mean you turned your back on your planet, then don’t choose me” dijo, pero en su mente era “pick me, choose me, love me”
No sé que le metieron que no pude dejar de leer. No fue nada de lo que esperaba, superó mis expectativas.
Creo yo el primer libro que genuinamente tiene un personaje que si se siente indestructible. A pesar de que se explicó en muchas ocasiones que Remus no era un humano, no fue hasta mucho después y junto a la protagonista que entendí el poder verdadero de su ser.
Le tomé mucho cariño a Iris, su esencia me dejó encantada, ella dio todo de sí, ella trató y esa humanidad es lo que amé de ella. Era la combinación perfecta entre inocencia y valentía, a ella nadie la merecerá, es demasiado buena y por eso es que Remus no la puede dejar ir.
Me dieron el final que tuve en mente, pero la forma que me lo dieron fue la sorpresa. Es un final agridulce.
No sé que le metieron que no pude dejar de leer. No fue nada de lo que esperaba, superó mis expectativas.
Creo yo el primer libro que genuinamente tiene un personaje que si se siente indestructible. A pesar de que se explicó en muchas ocasiones que Remus no era un humano, no fue hasta mucho después y junto a la protagonista que entendí el poder verdadero de su ser.
Le tomé mucho cariño a Iris, su esencia me dejó encantada, ella dio todo de sí, ella trató y esa humanidad es lo que amé de ella. Era la combinación perfecta entre inocencia y valentía, a ella nadie la merecerá, es demasiado buena y por eso es que Remus no la puede dejar ir.
Me dieron el final que tuve en mente, pero la forma que me lo dieron fue la sorpresa. Es un final agridulce.
November 16, 2025
Loved it, but started to drag in the middle
Like 100 pages could be cut and it would be fine😭
Like 100 pages could be cut and it would be fine😭
November 1, 2024
It is difficult for me to articulate how I feel about this book. If I would rate this as a romance- I would give only half a star as the character with whom she actually had a connection was killed. I felt true and real love blooming between Iris and Jude. I wasn’t even angry that almost in the end of the book, before he died she had sex with him. I felt sad for Iris to lose a true chance of love.
Remus. He was absolutely perfect MMC! I couldn’t want a better one. He had all the characteristics which I love- cunning, extremely intelligent and in a way a villain of this book. He started off realistically cold towards h and his character arc was very realistic and well done. If I would complain about something, I wanted him to show her way earlier about the resistance and who they truly are. I wanted him to show more feelings towards her.
Iris. She got a short end of a stick in life and had to endure so much suffering and trauma since she was 10 years old when Earth was invaded. I felt, that seeing people fight and kill each other would harden her in those 13 years of fighting to survive. She saw in first hand how horrible humans were and I wasn’t fond of her in that aspect, that she fought til the bitter end and on. Whole book ended up her being resentful against Remus and still on opposing side of him.
At first it was really great that she fought and tried to find ways, but it became so tedious as there was zero love between them.
Her time with Jude was great and I felt emotional when he died. She mourned him more than she mourned Remus when she thought he is dead.
So yeah, this book is no romance. But, as a dystopian sci-fi it was absolutely stellar five stars. World building was excellent, how the alien race was conducting themselves, their society and mentality was very inspiring I would say.
This author is such an amazing writer, but romance is totally lacking in them 🙈 And I am a sucker for a true forever love.
🔸 virgin h
🔸 h is 23/ H is centuries old
🔸 human/alien
🔸 H is a true villain ( for humans)
🔸 dystopian
🔸 no ow drama/ there is om drama
🔸 cheating- If you look at this in a basic sense then yes, Iris cheated on Remus
🔸 triggers- H is violent towards h, descriptive human enslavement- mothers separated from children, people beaten brutally up and so on.
🔸descriptive sex, medium heat
🔸 HEA with Epilogue
Books with more romance in it but similar storyline:
Close Liaisons by Anna Zaires
Sanctuary’s Warlord by Nikita Slater
Remus. He was absolutely perfect MMC! I couldn’t want a better one. He had all the characteristics which I love- cunning, extremely intelligent and in a way a villain of this book. He started off realistically cold towards h and his character arc was very realistic and well done. If I would complain about something, I wanted him to show her way earlier about the resistance and who they truly are. I wanted him to show more feelings towards her.
Iris. She got a short end of a stick in life and had to endure so much suffering and trauma since she was 10 years old when Earth was invaded. I felt, that seeing people fight and kill each other would harden her in those 13 years of fighting to survive. She saw in first hand how horrible humans were and I wasn’t fond of her in that aspect, that she fought til the bitter end and on. Whole book ended up her being resentful against Remus and still on opposing side of him.
At first it was really great that she fought and tried to find ways, but it became so tedious as there was zero love between them.
Her time with Jude was great and I felt emotional when he died. She mourned him more than she mourned Remus when she thought he is dead.
So yeah, this book is no romance. But, as a dystopian sci-fi it was absolutely stellar five stars. World building was excellent, how the alien race was conducting themselves, their society and mentality was very inspiring I would say.
This author is such an amazing writer, but romance is totally lacking in them 🙈 And I am a sucker for a true forever love.
🔸 virgin h
🔸 h is 23/ H is centuries old
🔸 human/alien
🔸 H is a true villain ( for humans)
🔸 dystopian
🔸 no ow drama/ there is om drama
🔸 cheating- If you look at this in a basic sense then yes, Iris cheated on Remus
🔸 triggers- H is violent towards h, descriptive human enslavement- mothers separated from children, people beaten brutally up and so on.
🔸descriptive sex, medium heat
🔸 HEA with Epilogue
Books with more romance in it but similar storyline:
Close Liaisons by Anna Zaires
Sanctuary’s Warlord by Nikita Slater
August 5, 2024
Overall, I wound up really enjoying this book. It kept my attention throughout and I loved the concept and the world building. I will say that the first half felt like it dragged a little but it picked up in the second half and the characters really started to develop as the plot advanced. I loved Remus. The author did a great job of depicting him as an alien being who doesn't have the same values and morals as humans. While his character developed throughout, he also remained true to himself and his purpose while gaining a better understanding of Iris and his own feelings towards her. Remus was cruel and sadistic, yet somehow reasonable and, in the end, almost justified in his actions? I don't know, maybe I was brainwashed just like Iris. Iris was a bit all over the place. While I understood her need to fight for her planet and her people, I found many of her actions illogical. For someone who had to survive on her own since the age of ten, she certainly didn't have much of a survival instinct. Having said that, her internal struggle, her despair over her own situation as well as that of her planet and her eventual disillusionment with humanity was extremely well done. For once, both the plot and the character development worked together to advance the story. What took away from it being amazing was the writing itself. It felt a but clunky and the dialogue was stiff. Despite that, I definitely recommend this one to readers who enjoy dark scj-fi romance. The world building is exceptionally well done here. Keep in mind, that there's quite a bit of dark subject matter as Remus and the Leviathan treat humanity as slaves and their methods are not humane, to say the least.
July 3, 2025
this ate sooo bad
- iris was a very sad, realistic character. ik some ppl r annoyed by her but i completely understood all her actions. its not like shes acting without reason. she got abducted by an alien, has to watch said alien enslave humanity, etc etc
- remus was great. he was so evil and cunty. he fr changed sm cuz of iris. once that hoe realized he couldnt kill iris he was like…do i…love her??
- iris was a very sad, realistic character. ik some ppl r annoyed by her but i completely understood all her actions. its not like shes acting without reason. she got abducted by an alien, has to watch said alien enslave humanity, etc etc
- remus was great. he was so evil and cunty. he fr changed sm cuz of iris. once that hoe realized he couldnt kill iris he was like…do i…love her??
September 22, 2024
I stopped reading when his “torture” was giving her oral sex. Terrible book.
Also the aliens look like Roman carved statues with shiny eyes…. Not alien at all! The way she describes him sounds more like dad than alien.
Also the aliens look like Roman carved statues with shiny eyes…. Not alien at all! The way she describes him sounds more like dad than alien.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2025
4/5
Pet: Genesis by Haley Inez is an unexpectedly intense dive into a near future world that feels both disturbingly possible and deeply human. I wasn't sure what to expect when I started, but the story pulled me in quickly with its sharp premise and emotionally charged characters.
The plot centers on a society where genetic engineering and ownership of genetically modified beings called "pets" is the norm, but the ethical lines are blurred in terrifying ways. The protagonist's journey is not just physical but emotional, and the inner conflict she experiences as she navigates her role in this dystopian system is what gives this book real depth.
Haley Inez does a great job of building suspense while gradually peeling back layers of the world and its dark secrets. The pacing is steady, though it picks up significantly in the second half. Some scenes are genuinely chilling, not because of violence or gore, but because of the moral questions they force you to consider.
My only critique would be that a few side characters could have been developed a bit more I wanted to understand their motivations better. But the main character's arc more than made up for it, and the ending left me both satisfied and unsettled in the best way.
Pet: Genesis by Haley Inez is an unexpectedly intense dive into a near future world that feels both disturbingly possible and deeply human. I wasn't sure what to expect when I started, but the story pulled me in quickly with its sharp premise and emotionally charged characters.
The plot centers on a society where genetic engineering and ownership of genetically modified beings called "pets" is the norm, but the ethical lines are blurred in terrifying ways. The protagonist's journey is not just physical but emotional, and the inner conflict she experiences as she navigates her role in this dystopian system is what gives this book real depth.
Haley Inez does a great job of building suspense while gradually peeling back layers of the world and its dark secrets. The pacing is steady, though it picks up significantly in the second half. Some scenes are genuinely chilling, not because of violence or gore, but because of the moral questions they force you to consider.
My only critique would be that a few side characters could have been developed a bit more I wanted to understand their motivations better. But the main character's arc more than made up for it, and the ending left me both satisfied and unsettled in the best way.
January 21, 2025
SO GOOD!
Amazing pacing, great slow burn, strong characterizations. This is more of a 4.5 bc by the end, the FMC was just being stupid for no fucking reason like yes you can be naive in the beginning stages but then you have this “oh I realize I was being stupid” moment and then you’re supposed to never do the stupid stuff again. Supposed to.
LOVED this mm. “You chose life but I chose you” YES. Loved the drama, like pls throw yourself off a cliff, this is tea. I like how he really shows he’s a good leader and has that patient strong cold vibe but warm and crack a grin too.
Amazing pacing, great slow burn, strong characterizations. This is more of a 4.5 bc by the end, the FMC was just being stupid for no fucking reason like yes you can be naive in the beginning stages but then you have this “oh I realize I was being stupid” moment and then you’re supposed to never do the stupid stuff again. Supposed to.
LOVED this mm. “You chose life but I chose you” YES. Loved the drama, like pls throw yourself off a cliff, this is tea. I like how he really shows he’s a good leader and has that patient strong cold vibe but warm and crack a grin too.
Read
August 17, 2024Note to self: DNF it on wattpad.
October 28, 2025
For the longest time, I was really hung up on the fact that the MMC was an alien and never wanted to read it because of that. I thought that he wasn’t going to resemble humans but that’s not the case at all. He’s like 6 foot something, looks like a flawless human with white hair and purple eyes (irises). That’s it. Nothing too crazy.
I enjoyed this book, I’d recommend it to probably 2 of my friends.
I enjoyed this book, I’d recommend it to probably 2 of my friends.
September 25, 2025
Wow. I savored this book like not wanting it to end. But it was also incredibly heavy and intense in how cruel Remus was, especially in the first half of the book, and not every dark romance lover is into sci fi. Still. This book is often compared to the The King by Eris Belmont, a dark romance fantasy, and it is true there are a lot of parallels. However, I find this book more well-written and well-detailed, and there is so much more conversation and commentary to chew on in this book about society and our planet. I also really savored the feel of the love between the two characters and how the two characters evolved and their many discussions together.
I was intrigued by Remus and tried to understand his POV. This book delves into questions of why humans should be allowed to continue as a species. Remus, as superior being, invades Earth and enslaves its people, and yet he also brings beauty and nature back, all while stating as a superior being that humans have shown through history that they mistreat each other and misuse power, and therefore, do not deserve to continue. Iris, the human he captures and turns into a pet with a kind of morbid fascination, is a heroine that has an undeniable sacrificial desire to save others, and so there are elements of rebel/ spy within the story. However, Remus was always two steps ahead of Iris. He was always testing her to see what her reaction would be, knowing she would disappear, and then sadistically enforcing the lesson that he is in control. I was intrigued by how they were going to take Remus from cruel dictator to someone who begins to be able to value Iris. The book is primarily from Iris POV so the mystery was often about how much Remus knew and was manipulating her from behind the scenes. There is a delicious eroticism to their attraction and lovemaking, and a mystery to what Remus thinks of Iris. He seems to be unable to not kill her even though that doesn't prevent him from testing her and torturing her. He still ultimately wants his pet unblemished and can't let her go.
I know this book has been rewritten, and I have not read the previous version. However, I am mixed on what edits I can see, which I believe are the somewhat redundant POVs where Remus' viewpoint was inserted. I can see why they were put in so that the book wasn't too confusing for the reader. That was a plus. However, the redundancy also removed the mystery of the story. I actually enjoy books that drops clues and takes careful reading to understand what is going on. However, I enjoyed the Remus POV because it made me realize, especially with his sibling dynamics, that he is not a cold cruel ruler overall, but simply isolated by his uniqueness, superiority, and responsibility. That also helped me to understand what would drive a superior, yet lonely and bored, ruler to become intrigued by his pet, Iris, until he cannot live without her.
This book and its overall feeling continues to live in my head long after reading it.
As for comparable books, this book seems to fall under a tradition of stories of dystopian societies with a powerful ruler who falls in love with one of its conquered people. Other similar books other than The King include Born to Be Bound by Addison Cain and the Four Horsemen series by Laura Thalassa. I have occasionally heard about the book, Land of the Beautiful Dead by R. Lee Smith. But we'll have to see. I also think that the Mia & Korum books by Anna Zaires has a comparably dangerous advanced race who have relations with humans, but they ultimately have less hostile motives than the Leviathans from this book.
There is also apparently a book 2 and 3 which have not been formally published as they are being re-written. However, one can sign up for her Patreon account and receive sneak peeks and/or back copies of her previous stories of book 2 and 3. This book stops at a good place and does not leave one feeling like there was a huge cliffhanger. There was one scene at the end that gave hints, but I personally can wait on it since I am still digesting this story.
Read this book. Maybe it's not for all readers, but I really genuinely enjoyed it, and it's going to continue to live in my mind and heart rent free for some time to chew on.
I was intrigued by Remus and tried to understand his POV. This book delves into questions of why humans should be allowed to continue as a species. Remus, as superior being, invades Earth and enslaves its people, and yet he also brings beauty and nature back, all while stating as a superior being that humans have shown through history that they mistreat each other and misuse power, and therefore, do not deserve to continue. Iris, the human he captures and turns into a pet with a kind of morbid fascination, is a heroine that has an undeniable sacrificial desire to save others, and so there are elements of rebel/ spy within the story. However, Remus was always two steps ahead of Iris. He was always testing her to see what her reaction would be, knowing she would disappear, and then sadistically enforcing the lesson that he is in control. I was intrigued by how they were going to take Remus from cruel dictator to someone who begins to be able to value Iris. The book is primarily from Iris POV so the mystery was often about how much Remus knew and was manipulating her from behind the scenes. There is a delicious eroticism to their attraction and lovemaking, and a mystery to what Remus thinks of Iris. He seems to be unable to not kill her even though that doesn't prevent him from testing her and torturing her. He still ultimately wants his pet unblemished and can't let her go.
I know this book has been rewritten, and I have not read the previous version. However, I am mixed on what edits I can see, which I believe are the somewhat redundant POVs where Remus' viewpoint was inserted. I can see why they were put in so that the book wasn't too confusing for the reader. That was a plus. However, the redundancy also removed the mystery of the story. I actually enjoy books that drops clues and takes careful reading to understand what is going on. However, I enjoyed the Remus POV because it made me realize, especially with his sibling dynamics, that he is not a cold cruel ruler overall, but simply isolated by his uniqueness, superiority, and responsibility. That also helped me to understand what would drive a superior, yet lonely and bored, ruler to become intrigued by his pet, Iris, until he cannot live without her.
This book and its overall feeling continues to live in my head long after reading it.
As for comparable books, this book seems to fall under a tradition of stories of dystopian societies with a powerful ruler who falls in love with one of its conquered people. Other similar books other than The King include Born to Be Bound by Addison Cain and the Four Horsemen series by Laura Thalassa. I have occasionally heard about the book, Land of the Beautiful Dead by R. Lee Smith. But we'll have to see. I also think that the Mia & Korum books by Anna Zaires has a comparably dangerous advanced race who have relations with humans, but they ultimately have less hostile motives than the Leviathans from this book.
There is also apparently a book 2 and 3 which have not been formally published as they are being re-written. However, one can sign up for her Patreon account and receive sneak peeks and/or back copies of her previous stories of book 2 and 3. This book stops at a good place and does not leave one feeling like there was a huge cliffhanger. There was one scene at the end that gave hints, but I personally can wait on it since I am still digesting this story.
Read this book. Maybe it's not for all readers, but I really genuinely enjoyed it, and it's going to continue to live in my mind and heart rent free for some time to chew on.
December 25, 2024
3.5
I read this because someone said that it reminded them of the book the King by Eris Belmont, which I loved, but I didn’t love it as much as the king. I didn’t feel the chemistry between the characters, some scenes were extremely repetitive and others didn’t even make sense but I’m still excited for book 2!
I read this because someone said that it reminded them of the book the King by Eris Belmont, which I loved, but I didn’t love it as much as the king. I didn’t feel the chemistry between the characters, some scenes were extremely repetitive and others didn’t even make sense but I’m still excited for book 2!
November 6, 2024
5 stars and then some.
This book lives in my head rent free. Interestingly, I couldn’t even confidently classify this as romance. After finishing the book, all I could do was sigh. Deeply.
I just loved how you could see through the lenses of the characters and actually understand what they are facing. Maybe not agree with them in some situations, but really understand them.
This book is on a pedestal for me, and I think it will always remain that way.
This book lives in my head rent free. Interestingly, I couldn’t even confidently classify this as romance. After finishing the book, all I could do was sigh. Deeply.
I just loved how you could see through the lenses of the characters and actually understand what they are facing. Maybe not agree with them in some situations, but really understand them.
This book is on a pedestal for me, and I think it will always remain that way.
December 25, 2024
I can't give books like this a high rating for obvious reasons...
The whole book gave me a feeling of discomfort and it's not my first rodeo, but the way the writer manipulated the story to eradicate the race was so discreet, it bothered me deeply, it was an uncomfortable read and I just wanted to finish it soon so I could get rid of it.
The whole book gave me a feeling of discomfort and it's not my first rodeo, but the way the writer manipulated the story to eradicate the race was so discreet, it bothered me deeply, it was an uncomfortable read and I just wanted to finish it soon so I could get rid of it.
August 12, 2024
17 years old me is so happy that she got remus back
May 14, 2025
Wow. Devoured this in a day. 10/10. No notes.
August 22, 2025
As a fan of sci-Fi and Alien romance, I thought I'd give this one a try. Huge fail for me.
- The "Aliens" where just like normal humans, except the royal ones who have white hair and purple eyes (how original😒)
- the Fmc is 25 years old, the opposite of sheltered, as she lived out on the streets for most of her life, yet never once had an orgasm, touched herself or even felt arousal before meeting the mmc. Sure 🙄
- The sex scenes are vanilla, which is absolutely ridiculous considering the story;
- The so called "Aliens" wipe out most of humanity and enslave the rest. Beating, raping, torturing and killing slaves is normalized and even encouraged and the fmc is no exception and has to be bought back to life multiple times after being almost killed by the mmc.
- He tortures her friend in front of her to taunt and hurt her but easily gets her in the mood the same night (no magical sex poses or aphrodisiac drugs at play) and she comes so hard, she can't even suppress her moans of ecstasy. What.😐
- He publicly beat her with an alien weapon created to induce maximum pain, breaking half her bones in the process but as soon as she is healed, all it takes is one kiss on the shoulder to "instantly awaken a dull ache between her legs" ...Girl 🤦🏼♀️
I guess this reaction would be believable if this was a bdsm book about a sadistic AND masochistic sub with an extreme degradation fetish who is just happy to be here but Iris is supposed to be this freedom fighter who hates violence and would do anything to save innocents from pain and unfair treatment...it just doesn't add up and is just ridiculous.
Body betrayal does have its place in dub/non-con but no normal person is this horny and easily aroused, especially not a woman who never even thought about sex up until her mid 20's. I'm not sure even sure if this can be considered non-con, as she never resists and has to restrain herself from begging for it🤢
- I skipped over pretty much all smut scenes because it was just so dumb and didn't fit the story.
- There was no chemistry between the mmc's and the explanation why she was special to him made no sense. The vast majority of humans show behavior of caring for other people.
- There is also this cringey critique of humanity and its dark history thrown in, which would be a valid reason for more civilized and advanced aliens to despise us - except their own absolute dictator, I mean leader, is a monster worse than the worst of human sociopaths in history where, who not only conquers planet after planet, either wiping out or enslaving whole species, but also finds extra pleasure in inflicting torture, humiliation, pain and mental torture on the ones already subdued and helpless. The alien race that openly enjoys "group entertainment" consisting of gang raping mentally maimed sex slaves with no shame or remorse is somehow morally superior to humans bc we fought wars against each other...no. At least Epstein had to hide away on an island to keep his activities secret from the rest of society.
The only reason why I even kept reading was because the resistance plot point and the appearance of the first character I actually liked (Jude). Well that didn't go anywhere bc the fmc failed the resistance and the other dude got killed off.
All this building up of the rebellion only for it to be in vain and the fmc to give up. Anticlimactic and disappointing.
This should have been a love story between iris and Jude. The HEA with Remus was as dumb as the rest of this book. And that's coming from a person who wishes the heroine would chose the villain in almost every popular movie!
- The "Aliens" where just like normal humans, except the royal ones who have white hair and purple eyes (how original😒)
- the Fmc is 25 years old, the opposite of sheltered, as she lived out on the streets for most of her life, yet never once had an orgasm, touched herself or even felt arousal before meeting the mmc. Sure 🙄
- The sex scenes are vanilla, which is absolutely ridiculous considering the story;
- The so called "Aliens" wipe out most of humanity and enslave the rest. Beating, raping, torturing and killing slaves is normalized and even encouraged and the fmc is no exception and has to be bought back to life multiple times after being almost killed by the mmc.
- He tortures her friend in front of her to taunt and hurt her but easily gets her in the mood the same night (no magical sex poses or aphrodisiac drugs at play) and she comes so hard, she can't even suppress her moans of ecstasy. What.😐
- He publicly beat her with an alien weapon created to induce maximum pain, breaking half her bones in the process but as soon as she is healed, all it takes is one kiss on the shoulder to "instantly awaken a dull ache between her legs" ...Girl 🤦🏼♀️
I guess this reaction would be believable if this was a bdsm book about a sadistic AND masochistic sub with an extreme degradation fetish who is just happy to be here but Iris is supposed to be this freedom fighter who hates violence and would do anything to save innocents from pain and unfair treatment...it just doesn't add up and is just ridiculous.
Body betrayal does have its place in dub/non-con but no normal person is this horny and easily aroused, especially not a woman who never even thought about sex up until her mid 20's. I'm not sure even sure if this can be considered non-con, as she never resists and has to restrain herself from begging for it🤢
- I skipped over pretty much all smut scenes because it was just so dumb and didn't fit the story.
- There was no chemistry between the mmc's and the explanation why she was special to him made no sense. The vast majority of humans show behavior of caring for other people.
- There is also this cringey critique of humanity and its dark history thrown in, which would be a valid reason for more civilized and advanced aliens to despise us - except their own absolute dictator, I mean leader, is a monster worse than the worst of human sociopaths in history where, who not only conquers planet after planet, either wiping out or enslaving whole species, but also finds extra pleasure in inflicting torture, humiliation, pain and mental torture on the ones already subdued and helpless. The alien race that openly enjoys "group entertainment" consisting of gang raping mentally maimed sex slaves with no shame or remorse is somehow morally superior to humans bc we fought wars against each other...no. At least Epstein had to hide away on an island to keep his activities secret from the rest of society.
The only reason why I even kept reading was because the resistance plot point and the appearance of the first character I actually liked (Jude). Well that didn't go anywhere bc the fmc failed the resistance and the other dude got killed off.
All this building up of the rebellion only for it to be in vain and the fmc to give up. Anticlimactic and disappointing.
This should have been a love story between iris and Jude. The HEA with Remus was as dumb as the rest of this book. And that's coming from a person who wishes the heroine would chose the villain in almost every popular movie!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2025
Um... yeah, so I picked this book up after dnfing it last december. I kept seeing it on the dark romance subreddit and decided to give it another shot when someone said they actually DONT have sex in the beginning. The only reason I dnfed it in the first place was because I thought they were going to do it wayyy too fast, but lol, remus was just teasing.
Ok, onto the actual review.
The book gets four stars overall because I liked the male hero's character sooo much, story was entertaining, and the flow of the writing was good. One star knocked off because it's definitely flawed, but I'll get to that later.
I love the hero... he's so incredibly fresh 😍
The way he tortures is just so c'est magnifique!
And he is genuinely evil
Love that about him
And he's very intimidating, a rare thing to see nowadays
Like, the very way that he's evil is very inhuman, he isn't even capable of compassion to any other species unless they meet his standards, just completely indifferent to the fact that other sentient beings feel emotions the same way he does. The way he tortures humans for being "lesser" is just so incredibly hypocritical, and he truly believes humans should be slaves just because of biology. A true machiavellan villain.
The only problem is that the author mistakenly puts his emotions into the range/scale of human emotion. He feels too human-like when it comes to his reasoning and feelings sometimes. So he feels every other emotion in a human way but is also evil in an alien way (along with being unapologetically sadistic). I wish he was only evil and sadistic in an alien way and didn't feel other human emotions.
The heroine is super stupid... like girlie is dumb as rocks.
I did, however, love that the heroine never falls in love with remus.
It would have been better if she kept to her integrity and refused to live her life with him just on the principal of being against pure evil, but I suppose this heroine just isn't that good of a person... in fact, even her human kindness is incredibly self-serving, which makes the main reason the hero loves her (her goodness) a complete moot point. It would have been much better if he loved her for just who she is, if he was actually endeared by her and became gradually attached, but for that to happen the author has to let go of her internal misogyny and actually be able to write a likeable and interesting female heroine. Iris being loved for her "unique" goodness is lazy and ineffective. Girlie is neither smart nor a good person.
I actually cackled at the part where remus said she could have been a great ruler in another lifetime.
But I will forgive the author for writing morals in this book terribly. She tried to depict complex morals and viewpoints when she was just too young and/or incompetent to do so. I wish the book had a larger focus on their romance instead of the philosophy and alien takeover since it's just not handled very well.
I guess the only way to see if the author's intellect and maturity has grown is to read the next book...
Songs: slip away (the boyz), under the influence
Ok, onto the actual review.
The book gets four stars overall because I liked the male hero's character sooo much, story was entertaining, and the flow of the writing was good. One star knocked off because it's definitely flawed, but I'll get to that later.
I love the hero... he's so incredibly fresh 😍
The way he tortures is just so c'est magnifique!
And he is genuinely evil
Love that about him
And he's very intimidating, a rare thing to see nowadays
Like, the very way that he's evil is very inhuman, he isn't even capable of compassion to any other species unless they meet his standards, just completely indifferent to the fact that other sentient beings feel emotions the same way he does. The way he tortures humans for being "lesser" is just so incredibly hypocritical, and he truly believes humans should be slaves just because of biology. A true machiavellan villain.
The only problem is that the author mistakenly puts his emotions into the range/scale of human emotion. He feels too human-like when it comes to his reasoning and feelings sometimes. So he feels every other emotion in a human way but is also evil in an alien way (along with being unapologetically sadistic). I wish he was only evil and sadistic in an alien way and didn't feel other human emotions.
The heroine is super stupid... like girlie is dumb as rocks.
I did, however, love that the heroine never falls in love with remus.
It would have been better if she kept to her integrity and refused to live her life with him just on the principal of being against pure evil, but I suppose this heroine just isn't that good of a person... in fact, even her human kindness is incredibly self-serving, which makes the main reason the hero loves her (her goodness) a complete moot point. It would have been much better if he loved her for just who she is, if he was actually endeared by her and became gradually attached, but for that to happen the author has to let go of her internal misogyny and actually be able to write a likeable and interesting female heroine. Iris being loved for her "unique" goodness is lazy and ineffective. Girlie is neither smart nor a good person.
I actually cackled at the part where remus said she could have been a great ruler in another lifetime.
But I will forgive the author for writing morals in this book terribly. She tried to depict complex morals and viewpoints when she was just too young and/or incompetent to do so. I wish the book had a larger focus on their romance instead of the philosophy and alien takeover since it's just not handled very well.
I guess the only way to see if the author's intellect and maturity has grown is to read the next book...
Songs: slip away (the boyz), under the influence
January 8, 2025
OMG, I LOVED this Scifi dark romance where the FL resents the beautiful/terrifying alien ML for enslaving her people after conquering Earth. She ends up captured by him and forced to be his pet/plaything. The author does a fantastic job at developing character arcs for both leads: The ML went from wanting to "break" the FL to harboring full on "can't be without"/unhinged obsession for her. The FL was very relatable and simply wanted to survive and win back her freedom. She truly doesn't want to be with the all-powerful alien ML and even at the end, merely accepted her situation with the ML as the only viable option.
I LOVED their slow-burn cat/mouse dynamics throughout the story! Especially relished the detailed progression of our hot/regal/manipulative ML's feelings: Going from trying to tame/break the FL with mental/physical torture to being terrified of living life without her and elevating her status so that she's his equal. At one point, the FL felt so hopeless that she tries to jump off a cliff in order to be free from the ML and he goes all CRAZY!!! Very intense...
Now, I'm obsessed with power-imbalance and master-slave dark romance plots that are well-written/more slow burn with character arcs for both leads: An all-powerful ML who, over time, CONVINCINGLY goes from seeing the FL as a toy to insane obsession while still retaining his dark traits and a FL who doesn't allow "body betrayal" syndrome to rule her decision making, sticking true to her convictions.
Safety (SPOILERS): Although the ML is only fixated and faithful to the FL, the FL never fell for him and at one point, after believing she killed him, tries to wipe away his influence on her by having sex with someone she actually liked. They didn't get far though (ML's control over the FL caused her to convulse) and the ML started raging and destroying stuff...I don't consider it cheating because the FL never wanted to be with the ML and based on the context, I didn't think the scenario was out of place. But just wanted to let others know in case it's a deal breaker...
I LOVED their slow-burn cat/mouse dynamics throughout the story! Especially relished the detailed progression of our hot/regal/manipulative ML's feelings: Going from trying to tame/break the FL with mental/physical torture to being terrified of living life without her and elevating her status so that she's his equal. At one point, the FL felt so hopeless that she tries to jump off a cliff in order to be free from the ML and he goes all CRAZY!!! Very intense...
Now, I'm obsessed with power-imbalance and master-slave dark romance plots that are well-written/more slow burn with character arcs for both leads: An all-powerful ML who, over time, CONVINCINGLY goes from seeing the FL as a toy to insane obsession while still retaining his dark traits and a FL who doesn't allow "body betrayal" syndrome to rule her decision making, sticking true to her convictions.
Safety (SPOILERS): Although the ML is only fixated and faithful to the FL, the FL never fell for him and at one point, after believing she killed him, tries to wipe away his influence on her by having sex with someone she actually liked. They didn't get far though (ML's control over the FL caused her to convulse) and the ML started raging and destroying stuff...I don't consider it cheating because the FL never wanted to be with the ML and based on the context, I didn't think the scenario was out of place. But just wanted to let others know in case it's a deal breaker...
dnf-or-skipped
August 29, 2025I can’t rate a book when I do not cover more than a few chapters. So no star here.
The cringy self-righteous critique of human race by an alien (which is also his justification for invading earth, since he thought his race is far more superior to human) only makes the alien male leader a huge hypocrite by him slaughtering, enslaving, beating and raping human survivors.
I also can’t stand when he(aka the author herself) uses western middle-class morality to evaluate the unworthiness of human existence. Wonder whether she knows about the brutality of animal kingdom, where atrocities like infanticide, rape, murder and wars taking place every breathing moment. It reminds me of my stupid teenage years when exposed to knowledge of environmental issues at the first time. Oh that self-hatred and cynical worldview wishing the elimination of human race is all too familiar.
Is this a sci-fi romance? Yes and no. Because all high-end technology and alien power only serves to be a ceremonial background board. The essence of the story is the good old 17th century certain white colonizer who committed genocide of indigenous people romancing with a survived local girl kept as his mistress and taken to his homeland later (I read first several chapters and last two chapters).
And there will be sequel. No, I will not continue to read this series.
The cringy self-righteous critique of human race by an alien (which is also his justification for invading earth, since he thought his race is far more superior to human) only makes the alien male leader a huge hypocrite by him slaughtering, enslaving, beating and raping human survivors.
I also can’t stand when he(aka the author herself) uses western middle-class morality to evaluate the unworthiness of human existence. Wonder whether she knows about the brutality of animal kingdom, where atrocities like infanticide, rape, murder and wars taking place every breathing moment. It reminds me of my stupid teenage years when exposed to knowledge of environmental issues at the first time. Oh that self-hatred and cynical worldview wishing the elimination of human race is all too familiar.
Is this a sci-fi romance? Yes and no. Because all high-end technology and alien power only serves to be a ceremonial background board. The essence of the story is the good old 17th century certain white colonizer who committed genocide of indigenous people romancing with a survived local girl kept as his mistress and taken to his homeland later (I read first several chapters and last two chapters).
And there will be sequel. No, I will not continue to read this series.
August 19, 2025
3.5 stars ✶⋆.˚
i liked this book, but i think it wasn't as much as a romance as its described as. most of it is about iris's internal battle regarding her fight for the humans, and an obsessive alien who will stop at nothing to have her. while there are many moments of remus fighting for her, and showing his jealous, possessive streak, he doesn't once say he loves her, he literally only says he likes her. like after all they went through thats all Inez made him say? idfk
i get it theres another book but i think this couldve just been a standalone. this shit was long.
vices/potential spoilers ‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊˚⊹
- remus beats her like a lot. he throws her down, uses his power over her, and he does heal her every time but at a certain point it was def abusive, and didn't add much to the plot
- when iris goes back to humans, she hooks up with jude and its just a stupid scene. idk why it was added in there. i think the whole jealousy plot with jude is gone, but it was taken too far.
overall, i'm disappointed. this was a long book and it took a while to read and by the end, i'm still wondering why the 2 main characters are even together
i liked this book, but i think it wasn't as much as a romance as its described as. most of it is about iris's internal battle regarding her fight for the humans, and an obsessive alien who will stop at nothing to have her. while there are many moments of remus fighting for her, and showing his jealous, possessive streak, he doesn't once say he loves her, he literally only says he likes her. like after all they went through thats all Inez made him say? idfk
i get it theres another book but i think this couldve just been a standalone. this shit was long.
vices/potential spoilers ‧₊˚♪ 𝄞₊˚⊹
- remus beats her like a lot. he throws her down, uses his power over her, and he does heal her every time but at a certain point it was def abusive, and didn't add much to the plot
- when iris goes back to humans, she hooks up with jude and its just a stupid scene. idk why it was added in there. i think the whole jealousy plot with jude is gone, but it was taken too far.
overall, i'm disappointed. this was a long book and it took a while to read and by the end, i'm still wondering why the 2 main characters are even together
November 23, 2024
Do you understand how obsessed I am with your books, Haley? As soon as I saw this book on GD, I bought a paperback. And anyone that knows me, knows that I never buy paperbacks, unless I already read the book and really really (really) liked it. But Deadly Vows was so good, I just knew this one would be sick too. I will gladly give you my hard earned money, just for you to continue writing.
Anyways, this author is so talented, she just switched from a dark mafia romance to a scifi dark romance. And she did not disappoint. At certain times I got a bit annoyed at the heroine's resistance, I kinda hoped she would show more affection when she finally realized she was wrong. Just like how in Deadly Vows the heroine started to appreciate the hero more after the torture she experienced. Perhaps in book 2 Iris will be a bit sweeter to Remus, fingers crossed.
I'm also fully convinced Haley and I have the same type because her hero's really get me goinggg. Please hurry up writing book 2. I need this to survive my winter depression.
Anyways, this author is so talented, she just switched from a dark mafia romance to a scifi dark romance. And she did not disappoint. At certain times I got a bit annoyed at the heroine's resistance, I kinda hoped she would show more affection when she finally realized she was wrong. Just like how in Deadly Vows the heroine started to appreciate the hero more after the torture she experienced. Perhaps in book 2 Iris will be a bit sweeter to Remus, fingers crossed.
I'm also fully convinced Haley and I have the same type because her hero's really get me goinggg. Please hurry up writing book 2. I need this to survive my winter depression.
January 4, 2025
DNF at Chapter 14! 🚫 This book was incredibly frustrating due to weak character development and lack of logic in the plot.
Remus: His motives are barely explained. Why invade Earth or other worlds? Why serve the Leviathans especiallyafter what they have done to his mother in the past? His brutal and cruel behavior feels completely senseless, and his obsession with Iris is baffling. If he’s intrigued by her selflessness, why focus on breaking her? There’s no depth to his character, making his actions feel hollow. 😕
Iris: As a supposed leader who kept a group alive for 13 years, you’d expect her to be smart and resourceful. Instead, she acts like a reckless teen with no sense of self-preservation or strategy. Her impulsive actions never lead to growth or reflection, making her a frustrating protagonist to follow. 🤦♀️
The lack of motive, growth, and depth made this story impossible to connect with. The potential was there, but the execution fell flat. I can’t recommend it. 👎
Remus: His motives are barely explained. Why invade Earth or other worlds? Why serve the Leviathans especiallyafter what they have done to his mother in the past? His brutal and cruel behavior feels completely senseless, and his obsession with Iris is baffling. If he’s intrigued by her selflessness, why focus on breaking her? There’s no depth to his character, making his actions feel hollow. 😕
Iris: As a supposed leader who kept a group alive for 13 years, you’d expect her to be smart and resourceful. Instead, she acts like a reckless teen with no sense of self-preservation or strategy. Her impulsive actions never lead to growth or reflection, making her a frustrating protagonist to follow. 🤦♀️
The lack of motive, growth, and depth made this story impossible to connect with. The potential was there, but the execution fell flat. I can’t recommend it. 👎
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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