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Dark World Mates #2
Dark's Savior
A chance encounter can change everything.
When Aly joined the Grayhart mission to find advanced civilizations within deep space, she didn't expect to be captured far from home and taken to Xolis--a galactic empire like none ever seen, ruled by the nillium--a powerful race with a serious god complex.
Now outsiders, Aly and her team of explorers are sent to the darkest place within Xolis: Lethe Maws. A mining city on a planet home to outcasts, slaves, and monstrous creatures lurking in the deep dark.
And home to the Dark One, a dangerous exile even the nillium fear, living at the bottom of the mines where all are warned never to go.
When Aly runs into the legendary alien in a very unlikely place, what she finds is no monster but a large, mysterious, nillium male with fierce silver eyes, who makes her heart race.
But though the nillium outcast had reached for her, desiring to touch her, fascinated by her as she was of him, Aly soon learns he's not looking to be friends or possibly something more.
For what Aly doesn't know is the Dark One--known by his kind as Ryziel, son of the nillium's now dead ruler--isn't looking for love or a mate. He's looking to get off Lethe Maws for good and return home to his brother, the only family who accepts him for who he is, the only one who matters.
But the human woman brings out a darker part of him that he can't control--something he never thought possible. As he is determined to escape, he struggles to understand his need for her. A need to protect her. A need to claim her. But determined not to let her get too close lest she be his undoing.
Try as he might to keep her at a distance, Aly will become the one thing Ryziel needs to be free.
Dark's Savior is a standalone novel in the Dark World Mates Series. For a better understanding of certain situations and more enjoyment of this universe, it is best to read book one:
Heart's Prisoner
When Aly joined the Grayhart mission to find advanced civilizations within deep space, she didn't expect to be captured far from home and taken to Xolis--a galactic empire like none ever seen, ruled by the nillium--a powerful race with a serious god complex.
Now outsiders, Aly and her team of explorers are sent to the darkest place within Xolis: Lethe Maws. A mining city on a planet home to outcasts, slaves, and monstrous creatures lurking in the deep dark.
And home to the Dark One, a dangerous exile even the nillium fear, living at the bottom of the mines where all are warned never to go.
When Aly runs into the legendary alien in a very unlikely place, what she finds is no monster but a large, mysterious, nillium male with fierce silver eyes, who makes her heart race.
But though the nillium outcast had reached for her, desiring to touch her, fascinated by her as she was of him, Aly soon learns he's not looking to be friends or possibly something more.
For what Aly doesn't know is the Dark One--known by his kind as Ryziel, son of the nillium's now dead ruler--isn't looking for love or a mate. He's looking to get off Lethe Maws for good and return home to his brother, the only family who accepts him for who he is, the only one who matters.
But the human woman brings out a darker part of him that he can't control--something he never thought possible. As he is determined to escape, he struggles to understand his need for her. A need to protect her. A need to claim her. But determined not to let her get too close lest she be his undoing.
Try as he might to keep her at a distance, Aly will become the one thing Ryziel needs to be free.
Dark's Savior is a standalone novel in the Dark World Mates Series. For a better understanding of certain situations and more enjoyment of this universe, it is best to read book one:
Heart's Prisoner
354 pages, Paperback
First published November 14, 2020
364 people are currently reading
769 people want to read
About the author
Olivia Riley
12 books531 followersOlivia loves the dark possibilities of space; of ferocious aliens and brave heroines. She writes sci-fi, horror, and fantasy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 206 reviews
November 20, 2020
3.5
I really like the dark and gritty story we got in the first book of the series-and I was hoping that this one would follow in a similar vein...but I was a tad disappointed.
Not that I would say the book was bad in any way....its just that this story kind of felt more in-line with a lot of other similar books I've read before in the genre.
By this I mean humans have been kidnapped by a more powerful alien race and are forced into experimentation and slave labor. Pretty well worn territory. Also surprise, surprise
But I did like that in this case that we had a whole group of human survivors trying to navigate their new reality as laborers in these underground mines. The world building and scope-plus different alien races and creepy crawlies- made for a sprawling backdrop that was fun to imagine.
Also the humans in this book really went through some shit, and as sad as I am to say- I am glad the author really went there on the dark factor. IE
But I will say sadly the romance was a bit ho-hum for me on this one. I think that the story really hinged on the two leads and their love story unfolding amongst all of the crap they had to deal with- and it just didn't quite get there for me.
However, as I said, I really did enjoy the first story- so I will look out for the next one with fingers crossed.
I really like the dark and gritty story we got in the first book of the series-and I was hoping that this one would follow in a similar vein...but I was a tad disappointed.
Not that I would say the book was bad in any way....its just that this story kind of felt more in-line with a lot of other similar books I've read before in the genre.
By this I mean humans have been kidnapped by a more powerful alien race and are forced into experimentation and slave labor. Pretty well worn territory. Also surprise, surprise
But I did like that in this case that we had a whole group of human survivors trying to navigate their new reality as laborers in these underground mines. The world building and scope-plus different alien races and creepy crawlies- made for a sprawling backdrop that was fun to imagine.
Also the humans in this book really went through some shit, and as sad as I am to say- I am glad the author really went there on the dark factor. IE
But I will say sadly the romance was a bit ho-hum for me on this one. I think that the story really hinged on the two leads and their love story unfolding amongst all of the crap they had to deal with- and it just didn't quite get there for me.
However, as I said, I really did enjoy the first story- so I will look out for the next one with fingers crossed.
March 21, 2023
A dangerous existence!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💚🖤💙❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏🌍
Character development: ☺️😮🙂🥰😘
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Dual Narration
The heroine: Aly - She was abducted by aliens while on a mission to find intelligent life in deep space. She was being studied by the Cillians who kept promising to eventually return her home, but for now they want her to work on a mining colony as slave labor. Aly will be given her own housing unit and supplies for the job along with the rest of her group on the cold dark planet of Lethe Maws. Only the Cillians and Nilliums were considered citizens of the Xolis empire.
The Hero: Ryziel (a.k.a. the Dark One) - He is a Nillium and worked deep in the mines on Lethe Maws. He has become something of a boogeyman among the people, feared by them and spoken about in whispers. He was the first son of the King and was banished by his father, though now that his father was dead, he plans to return to his home planet to challenge his uncle and be by his brothers side. He found an abandoned ship that he needed to fix and when complete, he will make his escape very soon.
The Story: Aly soon got used to working in the mines on Lethe Maws. The one thing that made working in the mines tolerable were the skin suits which were tight and thin, but kept her warm. He boss isn’t happy with her perpetual need to help others which is seen to be rude. He wants her to learn her place and to stay in her designated area.
Aly liked to look at the moon when she was out of the mines, while Ryziel rarely went above ground, though he needed to speak to the guy who was getting him the supplies needed to fix the ship. Aly feels someone watching her when she turns and sees an alien different from any she had seen before. They both feel a connection before he disappears in the shadows. Aly then realized that he was the one she had been warned about.
The story was good and it was original, though it seemed more like a standard alien romance. It wasn’t quite the thriller that the first book was, which I was kind of hoping for. The first book was so original and so good, that I was hoping for more like that. Though I did like the mining planet story, there were so many dangerous alien creatures deep in the mine, that it was quite a crazy existence.
This book was told in dual narration and was narrated by Jeffrey Kafer and Heather Costa. I have heard these two before and like their styles. Jeffrey has a deep voice which works well for alien romance and Heather’s voice sounds sort of hoarse, but it is soft and pleasant. Though her male voice sounds a bit like the minions.
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The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💚🖤💙❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏🌍
Character development: ☺️😮🙂🥰😘
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Dual Narration
The heroine: Aly - She was abducted by aliens while on a mission to find intelligent life in deep space. She was being studied by the Cillians who kept promising to eventually return her home, but for now they want her to work on a mining colony as slave labor. Aly will be given her own housing unit and supplies for the job along with the rest of her group on the cold dark planet of Lethe Maws. Only the Cillians and Nilliums were considered citizens of the Xolis empire.
The Hero: Ryziel (a.k.a. the Dark One) - He is a Nillium and worked deep in the mines on Lethe Maws. He has become something of a boogeyman among the people, feared by them and spoken about in whispers. He was the first son of the King and was banished by his father, though now that his father was dead, he plans to return to his home planet to challenge his uncle and be by his brothers side. He found an abandoned ship that he needed to fix and when complete, he will make his escape very soon.
The Story: Aly soon got used to working in the mines on Lethe Maws. The one thing that made working in the mines tolerable were the skin suits which were tight and thin, but kept her warm. He boss isn’t happy with her perpetual need to help others which is seen to be rude. He wants her to learn her place and to stay in her designated area.
Aly liked to look at the moon when she was out of the mines, while Ryziel rarely went above ground, though he needed to speak to the guy who was getting him the supplies needed to fix the ship. Aly feels someone watching her when she turns and sees an alien different from any she had seen before. They both feel a connection before he disappears in the shadows. Aly then realized that he was the one she had been warned about.
The story was good and it was original, though it seemed more like a standard alien romance. It wasn’t quite the thriller that the first book was, which I was kind of hoping for. The first book was so original and so good, that I was hoping for more like that. Though I did like the mining planet story, there were so many dangerous alien creatures deep in the mine, that it was quite a crazy existence.
This book was told in dual narration and was narrated by Jeffrey Kafer and Heather Costa. I have heard these two before and like their styles. Jeffrey has a deep voice which works well for alien romance and Heather’s voice sounds sort of hoarse, but it is soft and pleasant. Though her male voice sounds a bit like the minions.
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May 26, 2021
Audio -
Male narrator - 4.5 Stars
Female narrator - 3 Stars
Story - 1.5 to 2 Stars
Not nearly as good as book 1. The story didn't get exciting until the 80% mark. HUGE DISSAPPOINTMENT!!!
Male narrator - 4.5 Stars
Female narrator - 3 Stars
Story - 1.5 to 2 Stars
Not nearly as good as book 1. The story didn't get exciting until the 80% mark. HUGE DISSAPPOINTMENT!!!
July 16, 2025
»How can you love her as you do? How can you care for her and protect her like this and fight your own kind for her? How can you do this, Ryziel?«
»Because she is everything.«
★ ★
❥ 𝑨𝒍𝒚 𝜗𝜚˚⋆
Boring, bland and I couldn‘t relate to her.
❥ 𝑹𝒚𝒛𝒊𝒆𝒍 ⋆✮
I don‘t have anything to say about him except that he was boring.
✥ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌
How is it possible that I didn‘t like this at all?! This was so boring. I loved the previous book and I got high hopes for this one but obviously they weren‘t fulfilled. Are they written by the same author? Because what the hell was this?!
I skimmed whole chapters and waited until something interesting happened but this story gave me literally nothing. So boring. There was more world building then plot and don‘t get me wrong I love a good world but you shouldn‘t forget about the plot!!!!
Sly and Ryziel were boring too. No tension. No funny banter. Nothing. I think it would have been better if we only got Aly‘s pov, the dual pov wasn‘t well done and as a reader I couldn‘t connect to any of them.
I‘m so sad because the first book was awesome but this wasn‘t what I expected at all.
Hopefully the next in this series is better again y
𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤?
NO.
𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓 ׂㅤ𐙚 ࣪ ⭒
plot: 2/5
spice: 0/5
humor: 2/5
couple/tension: 2/5
world building: 4/5
happy end?: yes
𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 ᡣ𐭩ྀི₊ ⊹
possessive and protective hero, alien romance, science fiction, slow burn, touch her and die, secrets and lies, mine setting
𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
#1 Heart‘s Prisoner ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#2 Dark‘s Savior ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
»Because she is everything.«
★ ★
❥ 𝑨𝒍𝒚 𝜗𝜚˚⋆
Boring, bland and I couldn‘t relate to her.
❥ 𝑹𝒚𝒛𝒊𝒆𝒍 ⋆✮
I don‘t have anything to say about him except that he was boring.
✥ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌
How is it possible that I didn‘t like this at all?! This was so boring. I loved the previous book and I got high hopes for this one but obviously they weren‘t fulfilled. Are they written by the same author? Because what the hell was this?!
I skimmed whole chapters and waited until something interesting happened but this story gave me literally nothing. So boring. There was more world building then plot and don‘t get me wrong I love a good world but you shouldn‘t forget about the plot!!!!
Sly and Ryziel were boring too. No tension. No funny banter. Nothing. I think it would have been better if we only got Aly‘s pov, the dual pov wasn‘t well done and as a reader I couldn‘t connect to any of them.
I‘m so sad because the first book was awesome but this wasn‘t what I expected at all.
Hopefully the next in this series is better again y
𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤?
NO.
𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓 ׂㅤ𐙚 ࣪ ⭒
plot: 2/5
spice: 0/5
humor: 2/5
couple/tension: 2/5
world building: 4/5
happy end?: yes
𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 ᡣ𐭩ྀི₊ ⊹
possessive and protective hero, alien romance, science fiction, slow burn, touch her and die, secrets and lies, mine setting
𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
#1 Heart‘s Prisoner ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
#2 Dark‘s Savior ★ ★
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
February 2, 2021
I really liked the first book in this series a whole lot it was different and so very unique so I was very excited to get started on this one next.
Whilst I enjoyed this massively for me book one did have a slight edge.
To be fair you could probably read this as a stand-alone there is some slight background that links the two together but this was also totally separate with different characters and an alternate location also.
This follows Aly a human that whilst on an expedition to discover new races, a direct result of prior alien discoveries by the human race finds herself along with her crew captured and then supposedly rescued by the Nillium,
a race that sees themselves as superior and above all.
She and her fellow team members are now refugees and are sent to work down in the mines on Lethe Maws an inhospitable and dark place housing many unpredictable dangers.
Here she encounters Ryziel an exiled Nillium living in the forbidden depths of the mines.
Born dark Ryziel lives in the shadows that’s where he draws his strength.
His whole life he’s been seen as a bad omen trained from birth as an assassin he’s now been banished to Lethe Maws by his father for disobeying orders.
His father is now dead and he has plans to return kill his uncle and take his place by his brothers side the only being he now cares about.
When Aly is needed to help acquire precious minerals crucial to escape the mines Ryziel fights his own instincts that demand he keep her safe and instead cuts her a deal.
But Ally’s presence awakens his inner Drega his primal side and it’s a fine line he’s walking keeping her close but also pushing her away to ultimately protect her.
So this was fabulous and again very unique this one is definitely plot-driven and the emerging bond between Aly and Ryziel is a slow tentative climb.
When these two finally connect I could certainly feel there chemistry and care and even before this Ryziel has an instinctive need to shield and protect Aly even at the cost of his own particular agenda.
It’s dual POV and the majority of this story takes place in the mines themselves.
There’s so much potential here for future story growth and it will be interesting to see in which direction this world is taken next and also with who, I can definitely see a few possible candidates going forward.
Again I was very impressed with the writing it’s excellent and I will definitely be reading future stories set in this fascinating world.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com
August 17, 2024
**2.5/5 stars**
Not gonna lie I was very underwhelmed by this book. Heart's Prisoner, the first book in this series is something I would easily (and without a doubt) recommend to others. But this one? I sadly can't say the same. The premise had me confused a little bit; I'm not even sure I fully understood. Like, I got the gist but had a hard time picturing what I was reading.
The premise, from what I understood was about a crew of humans who had gone on a mission to find civilizations, and had found their way on Lethe Maws, a planet where many species of aliens are forced to work in the mines. They earn credits but to buy their freedom would take an eternity. According to the aliens in charge, Aly, along with her human crew are temporarily stationed on this planet awaiting to be sent home. Or that's what the aliens tell them. For now, they must pull their weight and work in the dangerous mines. On the other hand, Ryziel is a nillium, a proud species, who has been exiled from his world. His goal is to return home and challenge his uncle so his brother could reign and overrule the exile decision. He secretly has been building a ship at the bottom of the mines where nobody ventures because of the dangerous creatures. Anyway, when Ryziel sees Aly for the first time, his Drega stirs and confuses him...
The Drega is a beast or more like primal urges that every nillium has within them. Ryziel has it worse than his kin, being dark nillium. This aspect of him was interesting to me but I feel like the author didn't fully develop on it. And I must say, I believe she missed an opportunity there. As for his personality, he was cold, grumpy and serious. It was a bit hard to like him since he was so uptight and indecisive when it came to Aly. I guess he was protective but overall he didn't have the charm I look for in a hero. I wish he had let go sooner of his fears because the push and pull was a bit redundant and a mood killer.
As for Aly, she was a mechanic who repaired the dronebots and generators in the mine. She didn't like following the rules and would stray from work occasionally to go draw in her sketchbook. She was naive and sweet, and sure, I would consider her brave at times. I didn't really care for her character, a bit bland.
I didn't really like the main characters, and seeing the way they both acted, I couldn't really feel their chemistry on page either. The push and pull didn't help. I liked their initial meeting, it was sudden and mysterious but then afterwards, their encounters were machinal and their conversations kept going in circles. The overall pacing of the story was excruciatingly slow, and I don't believe it needed to have 350 pages, especially when the pace only picks up when there's 20% left to the book. I would've personally cut at least 100 pages from it. It really didn't need to be this long. The only character I really liked was Xilya, a female vrisha who was super awesome.
Since I listened to the audiobook, I have to mention my thoughts on the narration. I didn't personally like the voices of either narrators. Heather Costa's voice sounded very strained in this one, her other works seem more bearable so I don't know if it was just a rare occurrence of having a cold; but it wasn't pleasant to my ears. It was also difficult to follow who was talking because she didn't really switch intonation in between characters. Jeffrey Kafer was okay (I preferred his reading) but same as Ms. Costa, not much intonations. I was also disappointed that it wasn't a duet narration. They both read their own chapters fully (male and female characters alike). Never mixing. In my opinion, I don't see the point of having two narrators if they don't work together.
✔️HFN/HEA
✔️Standalone
✔️3rd Person Dual Focus
✔️MC's age
✔️Mysterious/Grumpy H
✔️Sweet/ Strong h
✔️No OW/OM
✔️No cheating
✔️Slow burn
✔️Push and Pull
✔️Separation
🔥 Steam level: 1.5/5
⚡Content warning
⚡Trigger warning
I wouldn't tell people not to read it but I also can't recommend it. For me, it was a miss. And now I understand why I hadn't continued this series after having read and enjoyed Heart's Prisoner so much. Now looking back at the other reviews, I might've had a feeling I wouldn't enjoy reading Dark's Savior as much as the first installment. Either way, I will continue reading this series and see where it takes me. If by the last book I'm still not hooked, I might skip the Vrisha Warriors series altogether.
Not gonna lie I was very underwhelmed by this book. Heart's Prisoner, the first book in this series is something I would easily (and without a doubt) recommend to others. But this one? I sadly can't say the same. The premise had me confused a little bit; I'm not even sure I fully understood. Like, I got the gist but had a hard time picturing what I was reading.
The premise, from what I understood was about a crew of humans who had gone on a mission to find civilizations, and had found their way on Lethe Maws, a planet where many species of aliens are forced to work in the mines. They earn credits but to buy their freedom would take an eternity. According to the aliens in charge, Aly, along with her human crew are temporarily stationed on this planet awaiting to be sent home. Or that's what the aliens tell them. For now, they must pull their weight and work in the dangerous mines. On the other hand, Ryziel is a nillium, a proud species, who has been exiled from his world. His goal is to return home and challenge his uncle so his brother could reign and overrule the exile decision. He secretly has been building a ship at the bottom of the mines where nobody ventures because of the dangerous creatures. Anyway, when Ryziel sees Aly for the first time, his Drega stirs and confuses him...
The Drega is a beast or more like primal urges that every nillium has within them. Ryziel has it worse than his kin, being dark nillium. This aspect of him was interesting to me but I feel like the author didn't fully develop on it. And I must say, I believe she missed an opportunity there. As for his personality, he was cold, grumpy and serious. It was a bit hard to like him since he was so uptight and indecisive when it came to Aly. I guess he was protective but overall he didn't have the charm I look for in a hero. I wish he had let go sooner of his fears because the push and pull was a bit redundant and a mood killer.
A primal, wild fury of power chipping away at his sense of self, bringing the beast to the surface. A mindless, violent creature that only ever saw three choices: Hunt, fight, and—since discovering Aly—breed.
As for Aly, she was a mechanic who repaired the dronebots and generators in the mine. She didn't like following the rules and would stray from work occasionally to go draw in her sketchbook. She was naive and sweet, and sure, I would consider her brave at times. I didn't really care for her character, a bit bland.
I didn't really like the main characters, and seeing the way they both acted, I couldn't really feel their chemistry on page either. The push and pull didn't help. I liked their initial meeting, it was sudden and mysterious but then afterwards, their encounters were machinal and their conversations kept going in circles. The overall pacing of the story was excruciatingly slow, and I don't believe it needed to have 350 pages, especially when the pace only picks up when there's 20% left to the book. I would've personally cut at least 100 pages from it. It really didn't need to be this long. The only character I really liked was Xilya, a female vrisha who was super awesome.
Since I listened to the audiobook, I have to mention my thoughts on the narration. I didn't personally like the voices of either narrators. Heather Costa's voice sounded very strained in this one, her other works seem more bearable so I don't know if it was just a rare occurrence of having a cold; but it wasn't pleasant to my ears. It was also difficult to follow who was talking because she didn't really switch intonation in between characters. Jeffrey Kafer was okay (I preferred his reading) but same as Ms. Costa, not much intonations. I was also disappointed that it wasn't a duet narration. They both read their own chapters fully (male and female characters alike). Never mixing. In my opinion, I don't see the point of having two narrators if they don't work together.
✔️HFN/HEA
✔️Standalone
✔️3rd Person Dual Focus
✔️MC's age
✔️Mysterious/Grumpy H
✔️Sweet/ Strong h
✔️No OW/OM
✔️No cheating
✔️Slow burn
✔️Push and Pull
✔️Separation
🔥 Steam level: 1.5/5
⚡Content warning
⚡Trigger warning
I wouldn't tell people not to read it but I also can't recommend it. For me, it was a miss. And now I understand why I hadn't continued this series after having read and enjoyed Heart's Prisoner so much. Now looking back at the other reviews, I might've had a feeling I wouldn't enjoy reading Dark's Savior as much as the first installment. Either way, I will continue reading this series and see where it takes me. If by the last book I'm still not hooked, I might skip the Vrisha Warriors series altogether.
Dark World Mates Series
1. Heart's Prisoner
2. Dark's Savior*
3. Shadow's Chosen
4. Heart's Keeper
November 17, 2020
First, let me start this review by saying I loved the first book in the series. I read it in one sitting and was delighted to see a new book was out. Sadly, while Dark's Savior is a good book, it still wasn't as good as the first one in my opinion.
In book 1, we only had the heroine's POV to discover the author's world and the hero. This added a sense of mystery, especially concerning Xerus. He was undoubtedly alien : we didn't know his goal, his origin, his thoughts. It was great to uncover his layers one by one though the heroine's eyes. There's no such a sense of suspens here because of the shared pov: we know who Ryziel is, what he wants to do, who's his family and his past is revealed pretty much from the get go. He felt human ( one with a very messed up life but still). The fact that he was really close to human physically didn't help: he laughs, he smiles, he kisses the back of the heroine's hand. There was no exploring each other's behavior or body language to decipher meanings or intentions between the hero and heroine (which had been very charming in the first book) because they have similar features. Sure, Ryziel could be sweet but he lacked this sense of ... "alieness" we got in the first book.
Also, I'd like to point out I'm not a fan of insta-love/lust and this is basically how our protoganists' relationship started. Ryziel's Drega (some sort of inner demon?) was attracted to Aly at first sight/scent. In fact, a great part of the book is about Ryziel being an asshole to Aly because he can't get close to her without wanting to jump her bones. Sigh. This in itself isn't soooo bad (I mean, you can find some pretty weird/stereotypical stuff in the alien romance genre ) but since I came straight from book one, I couldn't help but to compare the two. In the first book, the heroine and hero are strange to each other: their appearances, their cultures, their behaviors, everything is unknown and not what they would call attractive. And they still fell in love despite those differences. It was a slow process and really lovely to witness. Here we got insta lust from the hero and it's ... a bit of a let down.
As for the heroine, I didn't connect to Aly really well. I mean she's a good person, but I felt she wasn't as mature as I would have liked. She's often described as "innocent" and makes some very stupid mistakes (sure, you're in a system of underground caverns everyone and their mothers have warned you hides very dangerous creatures, there are people turning up dead and mutilated every other day around you, but heck why not pet the bizarre dog-things who are surrounding you or leave the safety of your group while on a deadly expedition to stare at the glowing plant in the corner of the underground cave, right?). To sum up, Aly had a few tstl moments but she was still alright. Her blowing up at the end of the book to tell the bad guy to go to hell was very satisfying.
Other characters were good too: the hero's brother is the kind of villain you love to hate ( and boy did I wanted to slap his arrogant, entitled ass a few times) and Xylia was very badass. Other characters kind of faded in the background though, especially since a bunch got killed. I guess the focus of the book was on our two protagonists anyway.
All in all, I still enjoyed the book but not as much as the first one. Maybe Heart's Prisoner was just too awesome lol. I'll definitely read the author's next work and will check out what she'll do with this universe.
In book 1, we only had the heroine's POV to discover the author's world and the hero. This added a sense of mystery, especially concerning Xerus. He was undoubtedly alien : we didn't know his goal, his origin, his thoughts. It was great to uncover his layers one by one though the heroine's eyes. There's no such a sense of suspens here because of the shared pov: we know who Ryziel is, what he wants to do, who's his family and his past is revealed pretty much from the get go. He felt human ( one with a very messed up life but still). The fact that he was really close to human physically didn't help: he laughs, he smiles, he kisses the back of the heroine's hand. There was no exploring each other's behavior or body language to decipher meanings or intentions between the hero and heroine (which had been very charming in the first book) because they have similar features. Sure, Ryziel could be sweet but he lacked this sense of ... "alieness" we got in the first book.
Also, I'd like to point out I'm not a fan of insta-love/lust and this is basically how our protoganists' relationship started. Ryziel's Drega (some sort of inner demon?) was attracted to Aly at first sight/scent. In fact, a great part of the book is about Ryziel being an asshole to Aly because he can't get close to her without wanting to jump her bones. Sigh. This in itself isn't soooo bad (I mean, you can find some pretty weird/stereotypical stuff in the alien romance genre ) but since I came straight from book one, I couldn't help but to compare the two. In the first book, the heroine and hero are strange to each other: their appearances, their cultures, their behaviors, everything is unknown and not what they would call attractive. And they still fell in love despite those differences. It was a slow process and really lovely to witness. Here we got insta lust from the hero and it's ... a bit of a let down.
As for the heroine, I didn't connect to Aly really well. I mean she's a good person, but I felt she wasn't as mature as I would have liked. She's often described as "innocent" and makes some very stupid mistakes (sure, you're in a system of underground caverns everyone and their mothers have warned you hides very dangerous creatures, there are people turning up dead and mutilated every other day around you, but heck why not pet the bizarre dog-things who are surrounding you or leave the safety of your group while on a deadly expedition to stare at the glowing plant in the corner of the underground cave, right?). To sum up, Aly had a few tstl moments but she was still alright. Her blowing up at the end of the book to tell the bad guy to go to hell was very satisfying.
Other characters were good too: the hero's brother is the kind of villain you love to hate ( and boy did I wanted to slap his arrogant, entitled ass a few times) and Xylia was very badass. Other characters kind of faded in the background though, especially since a bunch got killed. I guess the focus of the book was on our two protagonists anyway.
All in all, I still enjoyed the book but not as much as the first one. Maybe Heart's Prisoner was just too awesome lol. I'll definitely read the author's next work and will check out what she'll do with this universe.
March 13, 2021
Another winner from Riley! At this point, I’ll gladly read anything she writes. I love how immersive her worlds are and all the little details that make her stories feel so real.
While I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as the first book, I was still hooked by the plot. The mines were both creepy and captivating, and all the dangerous creatures had me glued to my kindle. I enjoyed how even though Ryziel had an instant physical response to Aly it didn’t feel insta-lovey because he was trying to fight his reaction, and Aly took some time to warm up to him as well because of how grumpy he was. I will also say that I was oh so happy that the steam factor was raised a bit in this one! If Riley wants to continue upping the steam again in the next book, I definitely won’t complain. And I adored Xiyla and Nar; they really added to the story and gave some much needed comedic relief at times.
I think what docked this a star for me was the end section on Nihl. It wasn’t poorly done, just not as intriguing as when they were on Lethe Maws, and I was ready for his brother to be shut up permanently.
Needless to say, I am beyond excited for the next book, and am hoping SO hard that it’ll follow a certain villainy bounty hunter?!?!
While I didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as the first book, I was still hooked by the plot. The mines were both creepy and captivating, and all the dangerous creatures had me glued to my kindle. I enjoyed how even though Ryziel had an instant physical response to Aly it didn’t feel insta-lovey because he was trying to fight his reaction, and Aly took some time to warm up to him as well because of how grumpy he was. I will also say that I was oh so happy that the steam factor was raised a bit in this one! If Riley wants to continue upping the steam again in the next book, I definitely won’t complain. And I adored Xiyla and Nar; they really added to the story and gave some much needed comedic relief at times.
I think what docked this a star for me was the end section on Nihl. It wasn’t poorly done, just not as intriguing as when they were on Lethe Maws, and I was ready for his brother to be shut up permanently.
Needless to say, I am beyond excited for the next book, and am hoping SO hard that it’ll follow a certain villainy bounty hunter?!?!
dnf-for-good
May 25, 202150% DNF
5 stars audio
Disappointing as fuck stars story!
5 stars audio
Disappointing as fuck stars story!
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April 12, 2022
I wasn't expecting to like this one as much as I did since most people claim this is so much worse than book 1 which is why I put reading this off for so long. So long, in fact, that I forgot a lot about book 1😅 so maybe this isn't as good in direct comparison, but this kept my attention really well and had me wanting to know more. I wish I had read these closer together and could've made a few more connections quicker like that a side character, Xilya, is the same alien race as the H from book 1. Definitely not necessary to know what's going on in this book though.
Normally I'm put off by super slow burns, but I found the mines and the adventure aspect of the story more intriguing than I normally would (usually I'm purely romance driven). I really disliked another scifi romance that had a similar plot with repairing a broken ship the whole time and escaping at the very end of the book, but this had better build up between the H & h, good tension and was much more well written IMO so I think the author pulled it off well. It seemed at first that this book would allow the romance to develop a little more freely than in book 1 (prisoner/guard relationship, mointered 24/7 and somehow they fell in love?), but then the author threw in tracking the humans 24/7 and made everything harder as she's wont to do apparently, but it was still much easier for them to sneak away and be together in this book. The plot resolution was pretty obvious from the very beginning as to who the real villain of the story would be and how things would need to go down for the characters to get their HEA. Like with book 1 a lot of the story is left open ended, very much a HFN and all the side characters we came to know's futures are in the air as well. The main reason I finally read this book is because apparently we revisit the characters from book 1 later in this series and honestly my only real big disappointment with that book was that it ended right when things were getting interesting so I'm looking forward to that and more from this world the author has created. There were many more little seeds planted in this book and I'm curious to see what direction she goes in next.
Normally I'm put off by super slow burns, but I found the mines and the adventure aspect of the story more intriguing than I normally would (usually I'm purely romance driven). I really disliked another scifi romance that had a similar plot with repairing a broken ship the whole time and escaping at the very end of the book, but this had better build up between the H & h, good tension and was much more well written IMO so I think the author pulled it off well. It seemed at first that this book would allow the romance to develop a little more freely than in book 1 (prisoner/guard relationship, mointered 24/7 and somehow they fell in love?), but then the author threw in tracking the humans 24/7 and made everything harder as she's wont to do apparently, but it was still much easier for them to sneak away and be together in this book. The plot resolution was pretty obvious from the very beginning as to who the real villain of the story would be and how things would need to go down for the characters to get their HEA. Like with book 1 a lot of the story is left open ended, very much a HFN and all the side characters we came to know's futures are in the air as well. The main reason I finally read this book is because apparently we revisit the characters from book 1 later in this series and honestly my only real big disappointment with that book was that it ended right when things were getting interesting so I'm looking forward to that and more from this world the author has created. There were many more little seeds planted in this book and I'm curious to see what direction she goes in next.
April 22, 2021
I want to strangle someone.
Oh how infuriating it is to read these type of stories where they seem incapable of writing decent, interesting characters. Both the leads are pathetic, undeserving of anything good, asshole-ish people in in need of a good smacking. I shed tears of frustration. Frustration because I can't seem to find good books these days or that sometimes they frustrate me to the point that I end up abandoning it mid-read, something I despise. Exactly what happened in this case. Book1 in this series was much better, although nothing epic, just a better predecessor. This one, on the other hand, killed my good mood, made me suffer through 60% of the book with the illusion of that "light at the end of tunnel" but broke my delusion with cheap intimacy between the leads that made my brain hurt, smashed that somewhat decent plot idea with all the pettiness from the characters, what more? Poor and intolerable twists and turns that might seem interesting to some but made me nauseous. That about covers it I think. I would pay to wipe my memory of this.
Oh how infuriating it is to read these type of stories where they seem incapable of writing decent, interesting characters. Both the leads are pathetic, undeserving of anything good, asshole-ish people in in need of a good smacking. I shed tears of frustration. Frustration because I can't seem to find good books these days or that sometimes they frustrate me to the point that I end up abandoning it mid-read, something I despise. Exactly what happened in this case. Book1 in this series was much better, although nothing epic, just a better predecessor. This one, on the other hand, killed my good mood, made me suffer through 60% of the book with the illusion of that "light at the end of tunnel" but broke my delusion with cheap intimacy between the leads that made my brain hurt, smashed that somewhat decent plot idea with all the pettiness from the characters, what more? Poor and intolerable twists and turns that might seem interesting to some but made me nauseous. That about covers it I think. I would pay to wipe my memory of this.
January 8, 2025
3.5⭐️⭐️⭐️
writing is nice, but the story felt repetitive nothing really happening and the chemistry fell short. Aly is really sweet, naive and kind woman, she’s adorable!she loves making new friends and helping people even if those said people are aliens and do not need her aid or want to socialise with her kind. she’s a ray of sunshine and a little trouble maker 😂
I throughly enjoyed and ate the first book, so my expectations for this book were pretty high ig.
writing is nice, but the story felt repetitive nothing really happening and the chemistry fell short. Aly is really sweet, naive and kind woman, she’s adorable!she loves making new friends and helping people even if those said people are aliens and do not need her aid or want to socialise with her kind. she’s a ray of sunshine and a little trouble maker 😂
I throughly enjoyed and ate the first book, so my expectations for this book were pretty high ig.
March 20, 2025
Similar to the first one, I found the ending a little bit anti-climatic. However, I like this ending more because I felt it fit the characters pretty well. Also, I did like the action scenes, they were fun, if not scarce. I read a couple reviews before reading this book, and you could say there were spoilers in them, but honestly, I think that better prepared me to like this book more. Some of the reviews I read said this could be shorter and that it was really boring, but I just wanted to read it anyway. Going in with the mindset of it’s going to be boring, it actually wasn’t that boring. So I assumed it was going to be a slow start, and it was, but honestly, I was here for the slow burn and like the building tension of what’s gonna happen down in the mines. I also really liked the whole entire exploring the cave system down there, and all the things they found, I found that to be really fun. And how that relates to the ending was also really fun. Again, a lot of this was predictable, but I was OK with that. another thing the reviews I read mentioned is that the whole concept of the book is very confusing if you go in blind, but since I read the reviews, I knew like the setting and some of the circumstances before, which helped me get a grasp on what was happening faster.
Spoilers, and yeah, the whole Baby thing is very cliché and I felt like it didn’t necessarily need to be here, but it’s fine. I got over it really quick.
Sorry for terrible grammar, I am voice typing this and I’m too lazy to reread it thoroughly
Spoilers, and yeah, the whole Baby thing is very cliché and I felt like it didn’t necessarily need to be here, but it’s fine. I got over it really quick.
Sorry for terrible grammar, I am voice typing this and I’m too lazy to reread it thoroughly
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2021
I'll start off by saying I really liked the first book with Xerus, Lana, and the Vrisha. I was hoping the next books in this series would give us more of the Vrisha. In some ways, it does because there is a secondary character in book 2 who is one (a female Vrisha). But I would love to read a story set on their home planet, Tryth. The Vrisha are just so interesting to me. The author has a great piece of IP here.
But this isn't a review of book one, so I digress. Book two follows the male lead Ryzeil, who is of a different alien race (the nillium). This new race isn't as interesting to me. I couldn't help picturing them like the blue aliens from Avatar. I felt the female lead also fell short if compared to Lana from the first book. Actually, I found both Aly and Ryziel's inner monologue to be annoying at times.
I keep comparing everything in this book to the first one, I can't help it. I hope this series appears on Tryth as some point (even just a couple chapters worth).
But this isn't a review of book one, so I digress. Book two follows the male lead Ryzeil, who is of a different alien race (the nillium). This new race isn't as interesting to me. I couldn't help picturing them like the blue aliens from Avatar. I felt the female lead also fell short if compared to Lana from the first book. Actually, I found both Aly and Ryziel's inner monologue to be annoying at times.
I keep comparing everything in this book to the first one, I can't help it. I hope this series appears on Tryth as some point (even just a couple chapters worth).
October 7, 2024
3.5 stars
This is a reread for me and I’m still sad about the book. The world building was amazing, as was the overarching plot. It was intense, nail biting, and dark AF, everything you expect from an Olivia Riley book. The love story? Not so much. It had potential and I loved Ryziel’s drive to be near Aly. I just felt like they didn’t connect on an emotional level, only a physical one. We get to know the main characters well separately but not together.
Spice: 2.5/5
Triggers: death, violence, murder, imprisonment, kidnapping, captivity, enslavement, torture (off page), gore, animal attacks, stalking, ostracism, grief, loss of spouse (side character), threat of SA, frequent references to SA of side characters, pregnancy, childbirth (side character, off page)
This is a reread for me and I’m still sad about the book. The world building was amazing, as was the overarching plot. It was intense, nail biting, and dark AF, everything you expect from an Olivia Riley book. The love story? Not so much. It had potential and I loved Ryziel’s drive to be near Aly. I just felt like they didn’t connect on an emotional level, only a physical one. We get to know the main characters well separately but not together.
Spice: 2.5/5
Triggers: death, violence, murder, imprisonment, kidnapping, captivity, enslavement, torture (off page), gore, animal attacks, stalking, ostracism, grief, loss of spouse (side character), threat of SA, frequent references to SA of side characters, pregnancy, childbirth (side character, off page)
February 20, 2021
3.5–great storytelling, the good stuff was *there* but the two characters lacked that special sauce for me. The mystery of the H’s “Drega” wasn’t reaaaally that well explained. I kept waiting for a big reveal as to why he was a “dark” version of his kind. We spent 85% of the book stumbling around the mines and then the last 15% was a hastily wrapped up showdown (breaking-the-sound-barrier speed). Ugh...I wanted this to be so good and it just felt meh by the end.
November 16, 2020
Although I’d hoped the author’s 2nd book would pick up again with Xerus and Lana from book #1
I can’t say I was disappointed by this new direction as it will in some ways tie back into the first book.
Definitely feels to be an over arching story line developing here.
Expansive world building with wide ranging characters populate this fascinating universe.
Aly Smith mechanic and her exploratory team were taken captive by an alien race intending to sell them into slavery, and in turn were then rescued from that fate by another alien race the Nillium.
Sent to the mining city of Lette Maws to await a decision from the ruling galactic council as to their status the human refuges toil in the mines while trying to devise a way to obtain their freedom and return to Earth.
Meanwhile curious, artistic, gentle soul Aly is going to encounter her destiny very soon within that mine.
Outcast Nillium Prince Ryziel has one goal and one goal only, to return to his home planet and the brother left behind. Aly soon becomes his complication once they’ve met.
A slow burn romance ensues and a story filled with suspense, beacoup surprises, plenty of action and characters each with their own vulnerabilities and secrets.
Two of my favorite supporting characters were Xilya (you’ll see why) and Nar, Ryziel’s friends. They both added to my reading pleasure.
To sum it up this was a well crafted story with expertly drawn characters, writing that pulls you in and thrills that won’t let you go until the end! I will definitely be reading this book again.
Beautiful HEA!!!
Keep them coming Ms. Riley!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I can’t say I was disappointed by this new direction as it will in some ways tie back into the first book.
Definitely feels to be an over arching story line developing here.
Expansive world building with wide ranging characters populate this fascinating universe.
Aly Smith mechanic and her exploratory team were taken captive by an alien race intending to sell them into slavery, and in turn were then rescued from that fate by another alien race the Nillium.
Sent to the mining city of Lette Maws to await a decision from the ruling galactic council as to their status the human refuges toil in the mines while trying to devise a way to obtain their freedom and return to Earth.
Meanwhile curious, artistic, gentle soul Aly is going to encounter her destiny very soon within that mine.
Outcast Nillium Prince Ryziel has one goal and one goal only, to return to his home planet and the brother left behind. Aly soon becomes his complication once they’ve met.
A slow burn romance ensues and a story filled with suspense, beacoup surprises, plenty of action and characters each with their own vulnerabilities and secrets.
Two of my favorite supporting characters were Xilya (you’ll see why) and Nar, Ryziel’s friends. They both added to my reading pleasure.
To sum it up this was a well crafted story with expertly drawn characters, writing that pulls you in and thrills that won’t let you go until the end! I will definitely be reading this book again.
Beautiful HEA!!!
Keep them coming Ms. Riley!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 5, 2022
5 stars ⭐️
Book two in the Dark World Series, and I am absolutely loving this series. Each story is well written, with plenty of intrigue and action. It seems it’s better to read this series in order, even though each story is a standalone, because each story leads on to the next.
Book two in the Dark World Series, and I am absolutely loving this series. Each story is well written, with plenty of intrigue and action. It seems it’s better to read this series in order, even though each story is a standalone, because each story leads on to the next.
February 13, 2021
None are so blind as those who will not see.
Aly and her crew were sent out to look for other races. Humans have already begun colonizing new worlds, and come across 2 sentient species. Always wanting to know more, this time more found them. First hunters found them, then they were rescued, or so they thought. These conditions they're currently living in, basically tossed in a mine with hostile species and things crawling in the dark that want to eat them, suggest that rescue wasn't to their benefit. But, one of those shadows keeps calling to her.
Spoilers ahead.
I know it's only 2 books, but it's quickly becoming a theme. While I appreciate a sort of behavioral realism (even in fictional stories), the "I'm leaving-you/telling-you-to-go to protect you from me" and rape threats in both books is setting a precedent that makes me uncomfortable. One is shades of Edward Cullen, the other hits my trigger button big time. I do appreciate the friends-to-more bonding, although they weren't really more than work buddies. I love seeing these new worlds and meeting new characters. But huge, huge trigger warnings. Threats of rape, the seclusion and impregnation of a human (it's not consent if you're a prisoner), beatings, torture, and the maiming of someone as punishment for speaking out.
*How could he possibly see his brother as a good guy when his memories show him as a misogynistic elitist who abused his slaves who literally could not tell him no? Being raised that way only serves so long as an excuse. He was away from that for years, saw other races, dealt with being treated as his family treated others. He remained deliberately blind just to exact revenge on someone.
*Considering their intended purpose for keeping the humans, there's no way they would have left them at the mercy of monsters in the mines. The males, sure, but the females? A- they could have paired off with other guys and possibly spawned B- their future incubators could have been eaten.
*Why didn't she admit that howlers stole the band? It would have lent a lot more credibility to her story.
*The nillium have their DNA. Considering their advanced medical abilities and dwindling female partners, they'll probably move past that whole creating life artificially is icky pretty fast. Someone should go back and destroy that. I'd hate to know that part of me could be forced into the situation they were facing.
*The nillium are advanced, sure, but there are so many other species. Those who have venom, natural armor, better tech. How have they remained in power? Especially after enslaving others. People tend to not like being ruled so heavily.
*How exactly did they convert those raw minerals to what they needed? They were in a mine, but they didn't have access to much of anything besides diggers, basic tools, and some rock eating chemicals. It's not like they had welders, or fabrication machines, or a forge.
*Are they just going to leave Nihl as it is? Hunting more women to abuse and force to breed? As bullies to the galaxies? He doesn't have to take the throne, but he can - with the help of other species- form a council to regulate such behavior.
While there are parts I really enjoyed in both books, I enjoyed the first one much more than this one. Mostly because of the reoccurring patriarchy themes and rape as plot devices is starting to wear. I'd take a mind controlling parasite, an alien spider monster, and a herd of alien raptors over being kidnapped to be an unwilling and abused ambulatory uterus any day. At least Lana and Xerus talked, communicated, bonded. I didn't feel as much of a connection with Aly and Ryziel. It was no, no, no, no, come here you. And then everything was fine. Ryziel wasn't going to tell her about conditions on Nihl and she never asked. I'll look for 3 because the author has a way of drawing readers in. There's actual plots and the story moved. There's no insta-love/lust like in so many sci-fi romances. But if the same 2 themes keep popping up I may have to abandon the author. Which sucks. Because I would like to see how Lana is doing on her new world, and how Xilya and the humans get home, and whether they stop the hunters, or if Nihl gets the reckoning they deserve.
Aly and her crew were sent out to look for other races. Humans have already begun colonizing new worlds, and come across 2 sentient species. Always wanting to know more, this time more found them. First hunters found them, then they were rescued, or so they thought. These conditions they're currently living in, basically tossed in a mine with hostile species and things crawling in the dark that want to eat them, suggest that rescue wasn't to their benefit. But, one of those shadows keeps calling to her.
Spoilers ahead.
I know it's only 2 books, but it's quickly becoming a theme. While I appreciate a sort of behavioral realism (even in fictional stories), the "I'm leaving-you/telling-you-to-go to protect you from me" and rape threats in both books is setting a precedent that makes me uncomfortable. One is shades of Edward Cullen, the other hits my trigger button big time. I do appreciate the friends-to-more bonding, although they weren't really more than work buddies. I love seeing these new worlds and meeting new characters. But huge, huge trigger warnings. Threats of rape, the seclusion and impregnation of a human (it's not consent if you're a prisoner), beatings, torture, and the maiming of someone as punishment for speaking out.
*How could he possibly see his brother as a good guy when his memories show him as a misogynistic elitist who abused his slaves who literally could not tell him no? Being raised that way only serves so long as an excuse. He was away from that for years, saw other races, dealt with being treated as his family treated others. He remained deliberately blind just to exact revenge on someone.
*Considering their intended purpose for keeping the humans, there's no way they would have left them at the mercy of monsters in the mines. The males, sure, but the females? A- they could have paired off with other guys and possibly spawned B- their future incubators could have been eaten.
*Why didn't she admit that howlers stole the band? It would have lent a lot more credibility to her story.
*The nillium have their DNA. Considering their advanced medical abilities and dwindling female partners, they'll probably move past that whole creating life artificially is icky pretty fast. Someone should go back and destroy that. I'd hate to know that part of me could be forced into the situation they were facing.
*The nillium are advanced, sure, but there are so many other species. Those who have venom, natural armor, better tech. How have they remained in power? Especially after enslaving others. People tend to not like being ruled so heavily.
*How exactly did they convert those raw minerals to what they needed? They were in a mine, but they didn't have access to much of anything besides diggers, basic tools, and some rock eating chemicals. It's not like they had welders, or fabrication machines, or a forge.
*Are they just going to leave Nihl as it is? Hunting more women to abuse and force to breed? As bullies to the galaxies? He doesn't have to take the throne, but he can - with the help of other species- form a council to regulate such behavior.
While there are parts I really enjoyed in both books, I enjoyed the first one much more than this one. Mostly because of the reoccurring patriarchy themes and rape as plot devices is starting to wear. I'd take a mind controlling parasite, an alien spider monster, and a herd of alien raptors over being kidnapped to be an unwilling and abused ambulatory uterus any day. At least Lana and Xerus talked, communicated, bonded. I didn't feel as much of a connection with Aly and Ryziel. It was no, no, no, no, come here you. And then everything was fine. Ryziel wasn't going to tell her about conditions on Nihl and she never asked. I'll look for 3 because the author has a way of drawing readers in. There's actual plots and the story moved. There's no insta-love/lust like in so many sci-fi romances. But if the same 2 themes keep popping up I may have to abandon the author. Which sucks. Because I would like to see how Lana is doing on her new world, and how Xilya and the humans get home, and whether they stop the hunters, or if Nihl gets the reckoning they deserve.
November 21, 2020
I liked it
So, book one, I adored. Demonic aliens. Yum.
This book was a whole new species, but one of the side characters was the same species as Xerus from book one.
Though he was a cool species, a very rare one to boot, I just didn't love him as much. It took him a while to embrace his true self. At times I just wanted to shake him.
The story line was engaging, but unlike book one, the ending kind of fell a little flat to me, a bit rushed.
I am hoping we either see the home planet of Xerus or get to follow that elusive bounty hunter in book three.
So, book one, I adored. Demonic aliens. Yum.
This book was a whole new species, but one of the side characters was the same species as Xerus from book one.
Though he was a cool species, a very rare one to boot, I just didn't love him as much. It took him a while to embrace his true self. At times I just wanted to shake him.
The story line was engaging, but unlike book one, the ending kind of fell a little flat to me, a bit rushed.
I am hoping we either see the home planet of Xerus or get to follow that elusive bounty hunter in book three.
April 26, 2021
I liked this book????? I actually can’t tell. So, ok, I liked the beginning. Then the last like 20% came. Nihl was.... honestly beyond aggravating. And the fucking brother? I would kill him in a heartbeat if I had gotten the chance. I don’t know. I think the ending and what happens to Aly and Nihl culture just soured the whole book? I don’t even know how to explain it. This is just gibberish at this point. I didn’t like how it ended where it was like on the brother hurt aly, rage, shit happens, they leave and then boom time skip to show HEA. I don’t know it felt so rushed. The pacing was off as I felt the book dragged on in the middle and then just ended. I swear it felt like once you hit the 80% mark (I’m on a kindle so I see percents) it was like “oh shit I need to end this” so BAM bad guy check separation check and oh and they are together check. Ok done! I don’t even know what to rate this. I really really liked the beginning like I would have done 4 stars, but then middle lasted for forever and the end was just... just no. I had picked 3 stars but then I looked what I had as 3 stars and it just feel right so 2 stars it is.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 15, 2021
DNF 69%. I’m sorry but this story just doesn’t do it for me. I give up. The story is lukewarm at the very best. Aly is a very even tempered, boring heroine. There is just nothing interesting about her. Ryziel is as confused as a 14 year old teenager pushing her away when he actually wants to bring her closer. They have no interesting conversations or interactions. They have a sort of mate-like connection going on which seems entirely out of place. Other than that I have no clue why they are attracted to each other. The world they are in makes little sense as well. The mine where the humans are being kept prisoner. As well as the whole other part of the cave system that once housed an ancient civilization. I have no clue what any of these things have to do with the actual story of trying to escape the planets. I completely lost interest. Don’t care to continue.
November 16, 2021
3.5 stars. A lot of build up to an unsatisfying ending. This is my second book by Riley and this seems to be a trend. She's really good at creating the world, but not great with endings.
July 12, 2021
Turns out I’ve read this before and forgot but I reread it anyways. It’s not as good as the first book.
The hero in the first book was strong, capable and mysterious but in this one the hero is .. confused. Confused about his family and confused about his feelings and reactions to the heroine. He pushes her away a few times quite meanly.
The heroine wasn’t horrible but she was an underpowered human among overpowered aliens so she couldn’t do much to save herself.
Also, this book has a trope I hate very, very much. Is it called mars needs women? It’s not part of the main relationship but there is definitely talk of kidnapping earth women for the purposes of breeding and I just can’t stand that.
I hope that’s not where this series is heading but if I read the clues right I think our next hero is actually going to be one of the kidnappers. I so don’t care about anyone having anything to do with that.
A good thing about this book is the world building and they way we just jump into the story without over explanation. I like having to scramble a little at the beginning and pay attention to details instead of yawning through exposition.
The hero in the first book was strong, capable and mysterious but in this one the hero is .. confused. Confused about his family and confused about his feelings and reactions to the heroine. He pushes her away a few times quite meanly.
The heroine wasn’t horrible but she was an underpowered human among overpowered aliens so she couldn’t do much to save herself.
Also, this book has a trope I hate very, very much. Is it called mars needs women? It’s not part of the main relationship but there is definitely talk of kidnapping earth women for the purposes of breeding and I just can’t stand that.
I hope that’s not where this series is heading but if I read the clues right I think our next hero is actually going to be one of the kidnappers. I so don’t care about anyone having anything to do with that.
A good thing about this book is the world building and they way we just jump into the story without over explanation. I like having to scramble a little at the beginning and pay attention to details instead of yawning through exposition.
July 11, 2025
Yeeeeahhh, this just did not work for me. Definitely some good parts and I was entertained about halfway through I got bored and kind of disliked how quick the romance was and how quick to trust and believe him. I would have had soooo many questions.
September 2, 2025
Ok at times this was slow and I was underwhelmed after the banger that was book 1.
But then, wtf happened in the last 10%?
I wish it had been a bit more fast paced in the second half and a bit slower in the last arc.
But wow did I not see that coming. That got very intense very fast and I loved it.
This was so different from Heart’s Prisoner in some sense, but also ultimately a worthy sequel!
Now we already seem to have met the MMC of book 3 and I can’t wait to find out more about him 😏
But then, wtf happened in the last 10%?
I wish it had been a bit more fast paced in the second half and a bit slower in the last arc.
But wow did I not see that coming. That got very intense very fast and I loved it.
This was so different from Heart’s Prisoner in some sense, but also ultimately a worthy sequel!
Now we already seem to have met the MMC of book 3 and I can’t wait to find out more about him 😏
June 27, 2021
Fascinating story and world. Totally engrossing.
April 16, 2023
This one did not do it for me, unfortunately. 2.5 or 3 maybe?
I liked Nar and Xylia. Some of the other humans were alright, there just wasn't much there.
I didn't connect well with either of the two leads, Aly and Ryziel, and it felt baffling that either one had feelings for the other because... why? What was there to be interested in? We're not really told why they have an interest in each other besides Ryziel's vague biological reaction.
I got the impression Aly was supposed to be a reasonably accomplished adult as part of this amazing space mission but she read more like a naive young adult, like 18-23ish. For all that's written about her, we never really get much of a personality. It's like we were given many bits and pieces but we can't build a clear picture from the crumbs.
It was never clear what her role was as part of the mission. She's said to be drawing but there's no reason why she's an artist, no passion, no passing mention of why it's a hobby she enjoys or how she got into art originally. Her curiosity gets her into trouble but why is she so curious? How does it impact her life in other ways? She had disagreements with her family but what about, really? Something she felt strongly enough to get disowned for and never return to Earth but what was it?? Aly is more or less just stumbling through the plot.
Ryziel also had potential that never seemed to come to fruition. He gets his own terrible family drama and, to his credit, we got way more of an idea about why he's so passionate about it. However, that was the ONLY thing we really get about Ryziel. Ryziel, the "Still Entitled But Not As Entitled As Other Nillium Because he'sBlack Blue."
Surely there's more to him as a person?? And there were opportunities! Why did he rescue Nar? How did he and Xylia meet? How did they come to agree to work together? Nar or Xylia could have given anecdotes about previous experiences with Ryziel. Aly could have noticed more personal items or something that reflects something of his personality in his living quarters. Something. Anything. Nope. I felt like Nar had more personality based purely on his grumpiness and reactions to everyone else.
Don't even get me started on the spice scene. It was SO lackluster, largely in part because of the lack of connection to the characters, but it also felt so off. It was kinda abrupt because there wasn't really a romance building in my opinion. Ryziel's got his whole biological reaction thing except it's not fated mates and he's not immediately into her - he sort of also stumbles through the plot in that regard. When they do hook up for the first time, there's no admitting feelings or discussing anything, it's just a sudden hook up at a totally weird time. Like shouldn't you at least ensure your safety first? Tell the other folks that you're alive? No?? Then. THEN. There's no foreplay. They barely even touch. She comes solely from penetration and it's over mega quickly.
One of the enemies they face is really built up the whole book and then when they face off, the fight is over really fast and they're killed much more easily than I would have thought based on all the buildup.
The last 20% or so got kind of dark. The ending was unsatisfying. I know the series is called Dark World Mates but the first book had more hope and optimism sprinkled in.
I liked Nar and Xylia. Some of the other humans were alright, there just wasn't much there.
I didn't connect well with either of the two leads, Aly and Ryziel, and it felt baffling that either one had feelings for the other because... why? What was there to be interested in? We're not really told why they have an interest in each other besides Ryziel's vague biological reaction.
I got the impression Aly was supposed to be a reasonably accomplished adult as part of this amazing space mission but she read more like a naive young adult, like 18-23ish. For all that's written about her, we never really get much of a personality. It's like we were given many bits and pieces but we can't build a clear picture from the crumbs.
It was never clear what her role was as part of the mission. She's said to be drawing but there's no reason why she's an artist, no passion, no passing mention of why it's a hobby she enjoys or how she got into art originally. Her curiosity gets her into trouble but why is she so curious? How does it impact her life in other ways? She had disagreements with her family but what about, really? Something she felt strongly enough to get disowned for and never return to Earth but what was it?? Aly is more or less just stumbling through the plot.
Ryziel also had potential that never seemed to come to fruition. He gets his own terrible family drama and, to his credit, we got way more of an idea about why he's so passionate about it. However, that was the ONLY thing we really get about Ryziel. Ryziel, the "Still Entitled But Not As Entitled As Other Nillium Because he's
Surely there's more to him as a person?? And there were opportunities! Why did he rescue Nar? How did he and Xylia meet? How did they come to agree to work together? Nar or Xylia could have given anecdotes about previous experiences with Ryziel. Aly could have noticed more personal items or something that reflects something of his personality in his living quarters. Something. Anything. Nope. I felt like Nar had more personality based purely on his grumpiness and reactions to everyone else.
Don't even get me started on the spice scene. It was SO lackluster, largely in part because of the lack of connection to the characters, but it also felt so off. It was kinda abrupt because there wasn't really a romance building in my opinion. Ryziel's got his whole biological reaction thing except it's not fated mates and he's not immediately into her - he sort of also stumbles through the plot in that regard. When they do hook up for the first time, there's no admitting feelings or discussing anything, it's just a sudden hook up at a totally weird time. Like shouldn't you at least ensure your safety first? Tell the other folks that you're alive? No?? Then. THEN. There's no foreplay. They barely even touch. She comes solely from penetration and it's over mega quickly.
One of the enemies they face is really built up the whole book and then when they face off, the fight is over really fast and they're killed much more easily than I would have thought based on all the buildup.
The last 20% or so got kind of dark. The ending was unsatisfying. I know the series is called Dark World Mates but the first book had more hope and optimism sprinkled in.
November 23, 2020
This is the second book I've read from this author, the second in a new series by a budding author, and holy cow did it deliver. At over 600+ pages it took me almost a week to read, but the story is richly detailed, incredibly engaging and so very worth it. As mentioned, this book is the second in a new series, but it can be read as a standalone, as the events from the first book are referenced only fleetingly in this book and reading the first isn't required to understanding the second (though I highly encourage you to do so if you have not, as the first book is amazing).
I will admit, in the beginning, the story dragged on for me, and the first few chapters felt like info dumps. But it set the pace for the rest of the story as well as the story's timeline and characters itself.
But unlike Heart's Prisoner, the horror aspect isn't as straight-forward . It's gradual and leaves a pool of dread in your stomach when it finally arrives. In Dark's Savior, a team of human researchers, originally on a mission searching for another alien species, are captured and kept captive in a brutally hellish mining planet for reasons they would later learn to be far more horrifying than they could have imagined. I won't spoil the ending, nor will I reveal the twist where the team learns the real reason why they've been kept on the mining planet for so long , but I will say that if you've ever seen the movie Don't Breathe, it's similar to the plot twist at the end. Riley did a fantastic job in building up the horror aspect in this book. By the time I got to that part in the story, I felt their terror as if it were my own.
Let me start off by saying the world-building in this book is absolutely phenomenal. We're talking dozens of species having their own set of traits, cultures, appearances, you name it. Whole galaxies of planets and star systems. What I loved most about this was the description of Yurza's Keep, every nook and cranny of it . I found similarities to Yurza's Keep and several places in the video game Bloodborne, particularly the old city of Yharnam and the secret area where you encounter Yharnam's optional boss fight. The imagination and creativity of this author are a real treat.
Secondly, and this is true with the first book, the dialogue between the team members is genuine and authentic. These guys are researchers and scientists, some are engineers, highly educated, desperate to get off the planet and go home, and the dialogue shows it. The reactions they have to the events happening to and around them are realistic and believable. None of them are TSTL (too stupid to live) and there are many scenes where their feelings of hopelessness and desperation jump through the page . And there aren't any moments where the character(s) would say or do something that left the reader scratching their heads, or cringing at how awkward it was .
One of my first criticisms of the first book by this author was the lack of info-building in relation to Earth and the rest of the planets that had been found. It was obvious by the people's reactions, knowledge and military presence that humans had long since realized that they were not alone in the universe, and that Earth had established something of a task force dedicated to studying the various alien species they either captured or encountered. But there was no buildup in terms of how and when this happened, how long it had taken, where it all started, etc. I'm happy to report that some of the critical background info missing from Heart's Prisoner has been filled in with this book with the referencing of the events in Heart's Prisoner , as well as the info dumps found throughout the book. We now know, at the very least, that Earth is sending teams of researchers and scientists to study alien species on their home planets, much like anthropologists would go out into the field to study cultures and peoples.
The sex scenes in this book are an improvement from Heart's Prisoner, with a lot more detail and description of their feelings, emotions and reactions. They paint a more vivid picture than what had been previously described in the first book. In addition to this, we have equal POVs from both the main character and her love interest. Heart's Prisoner only had the main character's POV, with Xerus's POV given in one chapter towards the end. Here, there's no guessing what Ryziel is feeling or thinking, it's given voice and adds depth to not only his character but the rest of the story.
As far as spelling and grammar, I caught a few instances where a word had been spelled wrong and it gave the sentence a warped meaning , but there was nothing major enough that it detracted or took away from the story.
Overall, this book was amazing. Not a quick read by any means, but engaging enough that time is of little consequence where the story is concerned. The plot, characters, world and galaxy are extremely well-thought out and put together. I would rate this a 4.5/5 stars, a vast improvement from a great first book and a great addition to a series I am really starting to look forward to reading in the future.
I will admit, in the beginning, the story dragged on for me, and the first few chapters felt like info dumps. But it set the pace for the rest of the story as well as the story's timeline and characters itself.
But unlike Heart's Prisoner, the horror aspect isn't as straight-forward . It's gradual and leaves a pool of dread in your stomach when it finally arrives. In Dark's Savior, a team of human researchers, originally on a mission searching for another alien species, are captured and kept captive in a brutally hellish mining planet for reasons they would later learn to be far more horrifying than they could have imagined. I won't spoil the ending, nor will I reveal the twist where the team learns the real reason why they've been kept on the mining planet for so long , but I will say that if you've ever seen the movie Don't Breathe, it's similar to the plot twist at the end. Riley did a fantastic job in building up the horror aspect in this book. By the time I got to that part in the story, I felt their terror as if it were my own.
Let me start off by saying the world-building in this book is absolutely phenomenal. We're talking dozens of species having their own set of traits, cultures, appearances, you name it. Whole galaxies of planets and star systems. What I loved most about this was the description of Yurza's Keep, every nook and cranny of it . I found similarities to Yurza's Keep and several places in the video game Bloodborne, particularly the old city of Yharnam and the secret area where you encounter Yharnam's optional boss fight. The imagination and creativity of this author are a real treat.
Secondly, and this is true with the first book, the dialogue between the team members is genuine and authentic. These guys are researchers and scientists, some are engineers, highly educated, desperate to get off the planet and go home, and the dialogue shows it. The reactions they have to the events happening to and around them are realistic and believable. None of them are TSTL (too stupid to live) and there are many scenes where their feelings of hopelessness and desperation jump through the page . And there aren't any moments where the character(s) would say or do something that left the reader scratching their heads, or cringing at how awkward it was .
One of my first criticisms of the first book by this author was the lack of info-building in relation to Earth and the rest of the planets that had been found. It was obvious by the people's reactions, knowledge and military presence that humans had long since realized that they were not alone in the universe, and that Earth had established something of a task force dedicated to studying the various alien species they either captured or encountered. But there was no buildup in terms of how and when this happened, how long it had taken, where it all started, etc. I'm happy to report that some of the critical background info missing from Heart's Prisoner has been filled in with this book with the referencing of the events in Heart's Prisoner , as well as the info dumps found throughout the book. We now know, at the very least, that Earth is sending teams of researchers and scientists to study alien species on their home planets, much like anthropologists would go out into the field to study cultures and peoples.
The sex scenes in this book are an improvement from Heart's Prisoner, with a lot more detail and description of their feelings, emotions and reactions. They paint a more vivid picture than what had been previously described in the first book. In addition to this, we have equal POVs from both the main character and her love interest. Heart's Prisoner only had the main character's POV, with Xerus's POV given in one chapter towards the end. Here, there's no guessing what Ryziel is feeling or thinking, it's given voice and adds depth to not only his character but the rest of the story.
As far as spelling and grammar, I caught a few instances where a word had been spelled wrong and it gave the sentence a warped meaning , but there was nothing major enough that it detracted or took away from the story.
Overall, this book was amazing. Not a quick read by any means, but engaging enough that time is of little consequence where the story is concerned. The plot, characters, world and galaxy are extremely well-thought out and put together. I would rate this a 4.5/5 stars, a vast improvement from a great first book and a great addition to a series I am really starting to look forward to reading in the future.
February 7, 2023
DNFd. Slow as molasses. There is so much not happening between dialogue encounters. I kept finding myself skimming trying to get the story to move. I don’t mind quieter books but everything needs to be moving somewhere and this felt like no progress was being made.
I also found the FMC unlikable. I tried to care about her predicament but she’s annoying. She doesn’t listen, she’s flippant of boundaries, and she’s not all that interesting. The author uses her carelessness to set up interactions with the MMC and it just doesn’t land.
I also found the FMC unlikable. I tried to care about her predicament but she’s annoying. She doesn’t listen, she’s flippant of boundaries, and she’s not all that interesting. The author uses her carelessness to set up interactions with the MMC and it just doesn’t land.
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