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Eok Warriors #1
Venomous Craving
A desperate woman.
An alien warrior whose craving knows no bounds.
A passion that will change the fate of humanity.
In a world where humans have been hunted to near extinction, Rose is captured and on her way to be sold on the lucrative black market. Seizing her only chance, she escapes and finds fate waiting for her in the form of another captive of terrifying strength: a legendary Eok warrior.
Together, Rose and the Eok warrior Karian will fight for their survival – and ultimately for the fate of the entire human race. During that fight, a dangerous attraction is born.
Karian, the unyielding Commander in Chief of the Eok armies, feels his control fading a little more every time he looks at the fragile but headstrong human. Soon, the call to make her his mate torments his body, turning his desires into an imperious craving. She seems to want him, too, but she has no idea of the consequences for her should he claim her.
Will Rose accept him as her bloodmate and seal both their destinies, before everything is lost?
An alien warrior whose craving knows no bounds.
A passion that will change the fate of humanity.
In a world where humans have been hunted to near extinction, Rose is captured and on her way to be sold on the lucrative black market. Seizing her only chance, she escapes and finds fate waiting for her in the form of another captive of terrifying strength: a legendary Eok warrior.
Together, Rose and the Eok warrior Karian will fight for their survival – and ultimately for the fate of the entire human race. During that fight, a dangerous attraction is born.
Karian, the unyielding Commander in Chief of the Eok armies, feels his control fading a little more every time he looks at the fragile but headstrong human. Soon, the call to make her his mate torments his body, turning his desires into an imperious craving. She seems to want him, too, but she has no idea of the consequences for her should he claim her.
Will Rose accept him as her bloodmate and seal both their destinies, before everything is lost?
299 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 13, 2017
805 people are currently reading
488 people want to read
About the author
Mary Auclair
25 books421 followersMary grew up in the quiet peace of a small rural village in the heart of Quebec, Canada.
She spent her childhood chasing butterflies and catching frogs, playing in the mud and generally being as unladylike as she could. Her love of science led her to complete a mechanical engineering degree at the Ecole Polytechnique of Montreal, where she met the love of her life.
Years later, as she enjoyed the role of full time mom to her two wonderful children, she decided to pursue her dream of becoming a writer.
She now write as much as her busy schedule allows to bring to life her inner world, filled with exotic planets, mysterious creatures and off course, hot, alpha heroes and the women who melt their hearts.
When she's not writing, she can be found in the garden, walking her dogs or playing with fire in her kitchen as a part time hit-or-miss chef.
She spent her childhood chasing butterflies and catching frogs, playing in the mud and generally being as unladylike as she could. Her love of science led her to complete a mechanical engineering degree at the Ecole Polytechnique of Montreal, where she met the love of her life.
Years later, as she enjoyed the role of full time mom to her two wonderful children, she decided to pursue her dream of becoming a writer.
She now write as much as her busy schedule allows to bring to life her inner world, filled with exotic planets, mysterious creatures and off course, hot, alpha heroes and the women who melt their hearts.
When she's not writing, she can be found in the garden, walking her dogs or playing with fire in her kitchen as a part time hit-or-miss chef.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
August 24, 2019
Not excellent but not terrible.
Redundant conversations with Karian and his mate Rose caused an incredible lag for me. By the end of the book I felt the topic had been touched about 1000 times (possible exaggeration). Mentioning an issue more than two or three times causes this reader to begin scanning because I have already read this!
Karian and Rose were actually good characters that needed to be placed in a stronger plot. The bad situations they were put in were the same just with different secondary characters which again felt redundant.
The secondary characters were irritating. His family seemed to hate Rose on day one. Day two they acted like the sun rose and set with her. It was such an abrupt change that was never explained. Something was simply missing there.
May or may not continue the series. If the excess had been removed and it was transformed to a novella or if additional action had been added to the plot this would have been a 4 star read.
Redundant conversations with Karian and his mate Rose caused an incredible lag for me. By the end of the book I felt the topic had been touched about 1000 times (possible exaggeration). Mentioning an issue more than two or three times causes this reader to begin scanning because I have already read this!
Karian and Rose were actually good characters that needed to be placed in a stronger plot. The bad situations they were put in were the same just with different secondary characters which again felt redundant.
The secondary characters were irritating. His family seemed to hate Rose on day one. Day two they acted like the sun rose and set with her. It was such an abrupt change that was never explained. Something was simply missing there.
May or may not continue the series. If the excess had been removed and it was transformed to a novella or if additional action had been added to the plot this would have been a 4 star read.
April 6, 2024
Venomous Craving by Mary Auclair
Genre: Adult, Romance, Sci-fi, Suspense
1.5 Stars
1⭐ for the Cover
I admit it.
I couldn't take it any longer.
I finally just skipped to the end.
Have you ever heard of a 'Shaggy Dog' story?
It's a story that goes on and on, repeating itself with no end.
That's what this story felt like.
On that note.... I don't like Shaggy Dog stories, so this is a big 'No' for me.
Genre: Adult, Romance, Sci-fi, Suspense
1.5 Stars
1⭐ for the Cover
I admit it.
I couldn't take it any longer.
I finally just skipped to the end.
Have you ever heard of a 'Shaggy Dog' story?
It's a story that goes on and on, repeating itself with no end.
That's what this story felt like.
On that note.... I don't like Shaggy Dog stories, so this is a big 'No' for me.
February 24, 2025
Interesting and exciting story!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 🖤💙❤️💚
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙📘
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: ☹️😮😋😉🥰
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Dual Narration
The heroine: Rose - In a time where humans no longer resided freely on their home planet of Earth after they were hunted to near extinction by other races of aliens, the only humans left were living in breeding facilities to be sold to wealthy collectors and patrons for extremely large sums. A group of Katalan slavers finds Rose, one of the few wild humans in the galaxy. Her parents and a few others had escaped from a breeding facility when she was young, and she lived in a small hidden settlement. Though after a blizzard, her family was starving and she went out hunting and was captured.
The Hero: Karian - He is the Commander in Chief of the Eok warrior army. The Eok’s are the fiercest and most feared warriors in the ring of planets and he is one of the best. On a day ten years ago, he came upon a slave market on a planet that was run by the Eoks. Slaving was illegal and he decimated the slavers and closed the market, though he had other things on his mind and didn’t see the contingent of Katalan slavers come upon him from behind. He had been their prisoner ever since, kept in a cage in one of their escape pods. The cage was made of the one material that was too strong for an Eok warrior to break out of.
The Story: When the leader of the Katalan slavers decides to rape Rose, she fights back. The slavers aren’t used to that from a human female, since all those that come from the breeding facilities are trained to be meek and docile. Rose is able to get away from him and find an escape pod, launching it into space. It just happens to be the pod that houses Karian. The pod is programmed to go to the nearest life sustaining planet and when Rose finds Karian in the cell, she knows that he is Eok, and she has heard stories about them being the most barbaric and dangerous species, so when she finds the key to his cell, she refuses to release him.
This book has a good premise, but there are a lot of things that don’t make sense in the story. Firstly, is why the Katalan’s keep Karian alive at all, much less for ten years in solitary confinement. I mean if they weren’t planning on selling him, it would just be a drain on their resources to feed him for that long. Plus we find out that they aren’t above rape or torture, so why would they not just kill him. Secondly, it is known that the Katalan’s will come for Rose since she is worth enough to make all of them wealthy beyond their lifespans, so why aren’t they able to find the pod right away? You would think a fully functional ship could track an escape pod within minutes. Also, it doesn’t make sense that humans are worth so much money. I mean they aren’t all that special even if there are a limited number of them. Even if they are used as sex slaves, by beings with similar like sex organs, how different can humans really be than the females of their species? I could get that they are worth a lot of money, but not enough to make a crew of aliens rich for generations.
Aside from the plot holes described above, the story wasn’t bad. I liked the characters, and though I thought Rose was stupid not to trust Karian sooner, I liked the story. I mean she was afraid that the Katalan’s would find her again and torture her until she finally gave up the location of the human settlement. So why not just trust Karian right away and let him help her hide, or contact his people? If he killed her, well that would be better than getting caught again by the slavers.
This story is different than a lot of alien romances in a few ways. I thought it was funny the Eok’s call the male member a seed stem. The males also have a mating venom which is released during a bite in their mating ceremony and it has aphrodisiac properties. The story also has properties that many other stories have. It has the concept of blood mates, which is like fated mates in many other alien and paranormal books, which I like.
This audiobook was told in multiple points of view and was narrated in dual narration by Tanya Eby and Tyler Donne. Tanya Eby sounds older than Rose should be and she isn’t one of my favorite narrators. It is obvious by her tempo that she is reading. Tyler Donne has a bit of a monotone sounding voice, but it isn’t bad. Neither of these narrators had voices that grated on my nerves like some, but they weren’t my cuppa tea either. They did fine overall.
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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: Rose - In a time where humans no longer resided freely on their home planet of Earth after they were hunted to near extinction by other races of aliens, the only humans left were living in breeding facilities to be sold to wealthy collectors and patrons for extremely large sums. A group of Katalan slavers finds Rose, one of the few wild humans in the galaxy. Her parents and a few others had escaped from a breeding facility when she was young, and she lived in a small hidden settlement. Though after a blizzard, her family was starving and she went out hunting and was captured.
The Hero: Karian - He is the Commander in Chief of the Eok warrior army. The Eok’s are the fiercest and most feared warriors in the ring of planets and he is one of the best. On a day ten years ago, he came upon a slave market on a planet that was run by the Eoks. Slaving was illegal and he decimated the slavers and closed the market, though he had other things on his mind and didn’t see the contingent of Katalan slavers come upon him from behind. He had been their prisoner ever since, kept in a cage in one of their escape pods. The cage was made of the one material that was too strong for an Eok warrior to break out of.
The Story: When the leader of the Katalan slavers decides to rape Rose, she fights back. The slavers aren’t used to that from a human female, since all those that come from the breeding facilities are trained to be meek and docile. Rose is able to get away from him and find an escape pod, launching it into space. It just happens to be the pod that houses Karian. The pod is programmed to go to the nearest life sustaining planet and when Rose finds Karian in the cell, she knows that he is Eok, and she has heard stories about them being the most barbaric and dangerous species, so when she finds the key to his cell, she refuses to release him.
This book has a good premise, but there are a lot of things that don’t make sense in the story. Firstly, is why the Katalan’s keep Karian alive at all, much less for ten years in solitary confinement. I mean if they weren’t planning on selling him, it would just be a drain on their resources to feed him for that long. Plus we find out that they aren’t above rape or torture, so why would they not just kill him. Secondly, it is known that the Katalan’s will come for Rose since she is worth enough to make all of them wealthy beyond their lifespans, so why aren’t they able to find the pod right away? You would think a fully functional ship could track an escape pod within minutes. Also, it doesn’t make sense that humans are worth so much money. I mean they aren’t all that special even if there are a limited number of them. Even if they are used as sex slaves, by beings with similar like sex organs, how different can humans really be than the females of their species? I could get that they are worth a lot of money, but not enough to make a crew of aliens rich for generations.
Aside from the plot holes described above, the story wasn’t bad. I liked the characters, and though I thought Rose was stupid not to trust Karian sooner, I liked the story. I mean she was afraid that the Katalan’s would find her again and torture her until she finally gave up the location of the human settlement. So why not just trust Karian right away and let him help her hide, or contact his people? If he killed her, well that would be better than getting caught again by the slavers.
This story is different than a lot of alien romances in a few ways. I thought it was funny the Eok’s call the male member a seed stem. The males also have a mating venom which is released during a bite in their mating ceremony and it has aphrodisiac properties. The story also has properties that many other stories have. It has the concept of blood mates, which is like fated mates in many other alien and paranormal books, which I like.
This audiobook was told in multiple points of view and was narrated in dual narration by Tanya Eby and Tyler Donne. Tanya Eby sounds older than Rose should be and she isn’t one of my favorite narrators. It is obvious by her tempo that she is reading. Tyler Donne has a bit of a monotone sounding voice, but it isn’t bad. Neither of these narrators had voices that grated on my nerves like some, but they weren’t my cuppa tea either. They did fine overall.
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July 23, 2025🎁 FREE on Amazon today (10/9/2019)! 🎁
May 3, 2019
Yet another story where there is so much promise...and then it falls short. First off you have h who has never left earth, lives primatively, yet seems to know various technology like the weapon used by one of the slavers...'An ionic blade, Rose’s brain screamed'. The author refers to the h's parents telling her things, but considering they were born and raised in a breeding facility until they escaped and then lived in the wilds of Earth, its a VERY weak explanation of how she seems to know everything. Add in that she consistently makes big threats if someone is trying to hurt her, but of course there is no follow through...such as “If you touch me, you’ll never have any other female, period.” Rose glared at him. “I’ll cut off your cock with my teeth if it’s the last thing I do.”...and yet the bad guy touches and hurts her a fair bit!
Overall I just had no use for this character...quite honestly I just wanted to smack her.
This is also another story where the author feels it necessary to include the cliche of basic communication problems between the H and h to build distrust and conflict. To me this seems like a lack of skill and or imagination on the author's part...its like when a Harlequin author writes a book based on a set format (and yes they do)...the future couple meet, one dislikes the other, communication issues, resolve said issues, HEA...the end. Boring!
Overall, this was just an 'ok' story...no book-boyfriend I will dream off, and definetly no book-hangover.
Overall I just had no use for this character...quite honestly I just wanted to smack her.
This is also another story where the author feels it necessary to include the cliche of basic communication problems between the H and h to build distrust and conflict. To me this seems like a lack of skill and or imagination on the author's part...its like when a Harlequin author writes a book based on a set format (and yes they do)...the future couple meet, one dislikes the other, communication issues, resolve said issues, HEA...the end. Boring!
Overall, this was just an 'ok' story...no book-boyfriend I will dream off, and definetly no book-hangover.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 8, 2019
Awesome Start for a New Series
Loved It! The story was full of conflict, danger, surprises, and steamy hot romance with awesome characters. A beautiful love story that capture your heart and leaves you wanting more. A must buy and keep them coming.
Loved It! The story was full of conflict, danger, surprises, and steamy hot romance with awesome characters. A beautiful love story that capture your heart and leaves you wanting more. A must buy and keep them coming.
August 20, 2025
Humans are nothing but breeding cattle to some of the alien races in the galaxy. But one such human has survived the odds and now becomes a prisoner to some of the cruelest creatures around. Not one to stand for such treatment, Rose fights back and escapes. Little did she know that one Commander of the Eok fleet is held hostage, and she is the one to not only free him but help him find his bloodmate. A thing that seems as if a legend and has not been seen for a long, long time.
It is a good sci-fi romance read to escape from life for a few hours.
It is a good sci-fi romance read to escape from life for a few hours.
April 2, 2019
I won a copy of this in the Birthday Bash of Feeding the Kindle Addiction Goodreads group and thought I'd might as well give it a shot. Now that in no way influences my review, this is purely my opinion.
Woah.
What just happened?!
Why do more people not know about this?
Not the best characters, there were definitely times I wanted to slam the h into the wall and the H is exactly what people refer to when they say, men change after marriage and the side characters *cough*H's parents*cough* were all sorts of hot and cold BUT
I really liked the writing and the plot. And there was a lot of that. Everything was sufficiently elaborated, it wasn't rushed as is common with alien sci-fi romances.
Rose is a free human in a time when all the species is just about extinct and therefore kept under the protection of a Human Breeding Facility. Classic case of "You say protection, I say prison".
She's out hunting one day when she gets captured by slavers, what you need to understand is humans are basically the unicorn, mermaids of the alien universe and this ultra-rare priceless commodity.Hello, Payday! Yeah, we're the shit. xD
Now escaping from the slavers leads her to an escape pod in which Karian, a huge blue fanged and clawed humanoid Eok warrior, is being held in a cage. Together they jettison off the ship and land on the nearest habitable planet, think Sahara desert.
Shit happens, they rescued and the story moves on. If you know me, you know that's all I'm telling you so, get the book :p
Not great character dynamics (I feel it will certainly test your patience) but it deserves a shot and I don't say this lightly.
I'm actually looking forward to reading the next book.
July 30, 2019
This was really enjoyable!!
I loved the characters and the plot! The heroine especially was fantastic. She held her own and didnt let the hero trample over her. She even saves the hero twice, instead of the other way around. Also appreciated the originality of the plot. Usually the first book in an alien romance can be pretty copy and paste but this one stood out.
Safety:
Neither H or h were virigins.
H was celibate for ten years because he was in a prison.
OW drama- shes out to get the H and h killed so she can be head bitch in charge.
No OM drama but there are scenes where the h is abused by the villains in the book.
No cheating. No other people after meeting.
I loved the characters and the plot! The heroine especially was fantastic. She held her own and didnt let the hero trample over her. She even saves the hero twice, instead of the other way around. Also appreciated the originality of the plot. Usually the first book in an alien romance can be pretty copy and paste but this one stood out.
Safety:
Neither H or h were virigins.
H was celibate for ten years because he was in a prison.
OW drama- shes out to get the H and h killed so she can be head bitch in charge.
No OM drama but there are scenes where the h is abused by the villains in the book.
No cheating. No other people after meeting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2019
Lots of potential, but they had so many common sense lacking moments.
The book started fairly slow with a lot of focus on Rose. Finally the H, Karian, is introduced. He seems wonderful and does nothing to seem like he would hurt the h. (Some spoilers included in this review which justifies my low review.)
However, once he explains he needs to disable the wiring for the tracker so the bad guys can’t find them, she keeps refusing to let him out of the cell because of his species. What? She went from trusting her instincts, fighting and seemingly smart to plain ol TSTL! It was so obvious they would be tracking them and she needed to let him out ASAP. But nope. She wanted to be a hard headed moron all of a sudden.
Then the book turned into small drama fighting wild animals after wild animals and bad guys and bad guys.
Over course the over laying main issue besides the repetitive boredom of the fighting drama was the fact that Karian wasn’t giving her all of the information and explaining how the mating ceremony would go on his home world when they got there. So she was all nervous and unsure, but yet she didn’t ask him questions either. She didn’t explain why she wanted to know or push conversation.
So many issues can be avoided with a thing called open COMMUNICATION.
Why do so many couples in books refuse to ask questions and act to afraid to voice their feelings? So. Frustrating.
Then he didn’t believe her about the evil sister in law. That was negative points for Karian.
Then when they go to the Ring meeting, how had it not dawned on her before she was born in the facility? She knew that. Why didn’t she warn them. Geezussss.
And then she kinda ‘wins’ WHY WOULD HE LEAVE HER ALONE AND UNPROTECTED? What in the heck? That made no sense. No mate in their right mind would leave or want to leave their mate when tensions are running so high in society for her species and her danger is in question.
And okay, so they’re supposed to be in a safe techno advanced location. Where the heck was security then?
It was just too much stuff that lacked common sense.
I was still planning to read the next two books that are out so far in the series. But I just read the info and reviews on books and book three involves his brother, Arlen, who had a traitorous and evil mate in this book. HOW AND WHY did the author decide to put him with a mean and unreceptive mate now in book three?! Good gosh. He deserves better than that after what he went through. He should have been with a sweet and loving new mate.
And what’s up with all the A and similar names throughout these books? So based on the info and reviews from the next books and seeing how this one kept having me think, are you freaking kidding me? during this book, I might try them, but certainly not right now.
The book started fairly slow with a lot of focus on Rose. Finally the H, Karian, is introduced. He seems wonderful and does nothing to seem like he would hurt the h. (Some spoilers included in this review which justifies my low review.)
However, once he explains he needs to disable the wiring for the tracker so the bad guys can’t find them, she keeps refusing to let him out of the cell because of his species. What? She went from trusting her instincts, fighting and seemingly smart to plain ol TSTL! It was so obvious they would be tracking them and she needed to let him out ASAP. But nope. She wanted to be a hard headed moron all of a sudden.
Then the book turned into small drama fighting wild animals after wild animals and bad guys and bad guys.
Over course the over laying main issue besides the repetitive boredom of the fighting drama was the fact that Karian wasn’t giving her all of the information and explaining how the mating ceremony would go on his home world when they got there. So she was all nervous and unsure, but yet she didn’t ask him questions either. She didn’t explain why she wanted to know or push conversation.
So many issues can be avoided with a thing called open COMMUNICATION.
Why do so many couples in books refuse to ask questions and act to afraid to voice their feelings? So. Frustrating.
Then he didn’t believe her about the evil sister in law. That was negative points for Karian.
Then when they go to the Ring meeting, how had it not dawned on her before she was born in the facility? She knew that. Why didn’t she warn them. Geezussss.
And then she kinda ‘wins’ WHY WOULD HE LEAVE HER ALONE AND UNPROTECTED? What in the heck? That made no sense. No mate in their right mind would leave or want to leave their mate when tensions are running so high in society for her species and her danger is in question.
And okay, so they’re supposed to be in a safe techno advanced location. Where the heck was security then?
It was just too much stuff that lacked common sense.
I was still planning to read the next two books that are out so far in the series. But I just read the info and reviews on books and book three involves his brother, Arlen, who had a traitorous and evil mate in this book. HOW AND WHY did the author decide to put him with a mean and unreceptive mate now in book three?! Good gosh. He deserves better than that after what he went through. He should have been with a sweet and loving new mate.
And what’s up with all the A and similar names throughout these books? So based on the info and reviews from the next books and seeing how this one kept having me think, are you freaking kidding me? during this book, I might try them, but certainly not right now.
February 9, 2019
A book you won’t be able to put down
If you are looking for a hot, steamy romance with plenty of action, moments that bring tears to your eyes, and unending need to see love and blood mates come to an entire set of siblings, this is the book for you. From beginning to end, this book held me captivated. I cheered at every victory and cried at every loss. I especially mourned the loss of Arlen’s mate, not for her sake but for his. I can only hope that the author finds a way for him to be one of the rare few who are able to find his true blood mate after the loss of the imposter. Only time will tell. In the mean time, I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
If you are looking for a hot, steamy romance with plenty of action, moments that bring tears to your eyes, and unending need to see love and blood mates come to an entire set of siblings, this is the book for you. From beginning to end, this book held me captivated. I cheered at every victory and cried at every loss. I especially mourned the loss of Arlen’s mate, not for her sake but for his. I can only hope that the author finds a way for him to be one of the rare few who are able to find his true blood mate after the loss of the imposter. Only time will tell. In the mean time, I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
June 2, 2019
DNF. This could have been an exciting story if the whole male’s rule females obey thing hadn’t started off and honestly advanced space traveling society and women still haven’t earned equality? The Wild human is the first woman to demand it? Really? Nope can’t buy it and honestly I’m sick of it.
September 29, 2023
This has been on my TBR list for a while and it’s the first thing I’ve read by this author I actually enjoyed it a lot. Genre wise It’s an alien sci-fi romance set in a future time. A time when humans have been practically decimated and are now facing extinction. The only remaining humans on the Earth are housed in so-called protective facilities but really they’re just exploited for the highest bidder.
There are no free humans at least thats what the galactic powers of the ring believe but Rose and her family come from a village of free humans who managed to escape their facility when Rose was just a small child.
This begins after Rose is captured by pirates her captor is a Cattelan an alien race who are known slavers. Against all odds, she manages to launch an escape pod but one that also contains an unexpected occupant Karian is also a captive and has been for the last ten years and he’s one from a race with a renowned and terrifying reputation.
Karian is an Eok a race of ferocious aliens that are fearsome predators he is instantly enamoured with the small human whom he names Pretty Thing and recognises her as a potential mate now he just needs to convince Rose to let him out of the cage he is imprisoned in but her fear and distrust of his kind put him at a serious disadvantage.
This had a decent plot and I definitely liked Karian, now Rose I had a few issues with and I’m not surprised that Karian continually became frustrated with her reckless behaviour. She wasn’t an awful character and her heart is definitely in the right place she’s just obsessed with proving her own independence and she had a constant tendency to do the exact opposite of what she is asked. She did see the bigger picture when it was explained but frankly, it really shouldn’t have needed to be, how she has managed to survive all these years is anyone’s guess as she never thinks through the ramifications of any of her actions or how they will affect those around her. In a nutshell, she’s definitely a TSTL girl and they’re definitely not my fave.
Karian could sometimes be a bit dismissive and also somewhat closed off emotionally at least when they first get back to his people. I definitely didn’t like that he didn’t put his trust in Rose’s judgement about a certain individual and wasn’t always fully transparent but besides that, he had the patience of a saint and he definitely fell hard for his pretty thing.
This had a bit of everything there was passion with lots of primal possessiveness, plenty of danger and also some betrayal. It was well-written and an easy engaging read. I’m definitely going to be continuing on I’m just hoping that the heroines are not all like Rose was.
I definitely recommend reading if you like sci-fi romance this one is set all on either spaceships or alien worlds so I’m hoping we get to experience a bit of Earth as we progress forward into this series. For reference, each book in the series is an interconnected stand-alone with a separate couple at its centre.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com
October 29, 2017
I started out liking it...
First off I just wanna say I liked the story and how it was written. The h had her moments to shine as an inner BA so yay for her. The world's and technology were described very well where I was able to picture it fairly easily. The three is for the change in personalities that I didn't care for. On the first world they crashed onto the H's personality was domineering but he seemed to consider her and start to work with her, but when they get to his home planet all softness is thrown out the window, even shown in private (in fact the h mentions the change in him several times and talks about how she's not going to take it) but she doesn't change it she doesn't bring attention to it he just becomes almost cold and closed off and unwilling to bend and he keeps things to himself that shouldn't be. All I saw was her talking about making him change, but I still saw her staying in the house without complaint and not having him talking to her I just, meh. I know I'm not explaining this well but she thought as an independent strong women and in moments she was able to show her capable side, and yet when she got to his world where she should have gotten answers and show she's independent she just kinda fades around him. But good writing liked the author
First off I just wanna say I liked the story and how it was written. The h had her moments to shine as an inner BA so yay for her. The world's and technology were described very well where I was able to picture it fairly easily. The three is for the change in personalities that I didn't care for. On the first world they crashed onto the H's personality was domineering but he seemed to consider her and start to work with her, but when they get to his home planet all softness is thrown out the window, even shown in private (in fact the h mentions the change in him several times and talks about how she's not going to take it) but she doesn't change it she doesn't bring attention to it he just becomes almost cold and closed off and unwilling to bend and he keeps things to himself that shouldn't be. All I saw was her talking about making him change, but I still saw her staying in the house without complaint and not having him talking to her I just, meh. I know I'm not explaining this well but she thought as an independent strong women and in moments she was able to show her capable side, and yet when she got to his world where she should have gotten answers and show she's independent she just kinda fades around him. But good writing liked the author
August 2, 2018
So, I started off loving this. I loved how they met and I loved them and their personalities. I loved the story and everything.
Then they get rescued.
I loved the story. I want to make that clear. The story was great and I loved his family and everything.
However, I did not like their relationship. At all. He was super cold to her once they were rescued. It took him a week. A. Fucking. Week. to see her once he woke up. She was left completely in the dark, worried sick about him and he was just off. He didn't even give her 2 minutes to let her know he was ok.
Then! He kept throwing the "don't worry about it" or "I'll tell you later" and even his family would tell her "don't worry, he will tell you" and she wouldn't be told shit. She was kept in the dark about everything.
When she was attacked, that's when he showed her some affection, only to not believe her story. Then he switched and started acting like a mate should. But it was like a switch just flipped and all of a sudden he was an awesome mate. To me, you don't treat someone that you are head over heels for and claim to love and want to spend the rest of you life with like they don't matter.
Which he did to her for a good part of the book. Because of of that, I give this a 3.5 rating (rounded up to 4, because we can't give half stars)
Then they get rescued.
I loved the story. I want to make that clear. The story was great and I loved his family and everything.
However, I did not like their relationship. At all. He was super cold to her once they were rescued. It took him a week. A. Fucking. Week. to see her once he woke up. She was left completely in the dark, worried sick about him and he was just off. He didn't even give her 2 minutes to let her know he was ok.
Then! He kept throwing the "don't worry about it" or "I'll tell you later" and even his family would tell her "don't worry, he will tell you" and she wouldn't be told shit. She was kept in the dark about everything.
When she was attacked, that's when he showed her some affection, only to not believe her story. Then he switched and started acting like a mate should. But it was like a switch just flipped and all of a sudden he was an awesome mate. To me, you don't treat someone that you are head over heels for and claim to love and want to spend the rest of you life with like they don't matter.
Which he did to her for a good part of the book. Because of of that, I give this a 3.5 rating (rounded up to 4, because we can't give half stars)
June 5, 2019
Venomous Craving is the first book of a trilogy about the Eoks, an alien race who are deadly warriors.
Humans are kept in a breeding facility because they are on the brink of extinction. No one knows that some have escaped and are living free, hiding in Earth’s Forest. While out hunting for her family, Rose, a human, is captured by the Cattalans, an alien race who sell humans on the black market. Rose manages to flee in an escape pod with an Eok warrior who is caged because he has also been captured. The story is about their relationship and evading their captors.
I don’t often read sci-fi romance so I did enjoy this as a change of pace. Rose is independent and fiesty and Karian is an alpha male - need I say more?!
Humans are kept in a breeding facility because they are on the brink of extinction. No one knows that some have escaped and are living free, hiding in Earth’s Forest. While out hunting for her family, Rose, a human, is captured by the Cattalans, an alien race who sell humans on the black market. Rose manages to flee in an escape pod with an Eok warrior who is caged because he has also been captured. The story is about their relationship and evading their captors.
I don’t often read sci-fi romance so I did enjoy this as a change of pace. Rose is independent and fiesty and Karian is an alpha male - need I say more?!
March 26, 2018
I received a copy of this book via Booksprout
I enjoyed this book. The plot was interesting and a bit different. I liked the main characters but I think their relationship could have been a bit better developed. I hope there will be more books in this series as I'd like to see more from other characters that were featured in this story.
I enjoyed this book. The plot was interesting and a bit different. I liked the main characters but I think their relationship could have been a bit better developed. I hope there will be more books in this series as I'd like to see more from other characters that were featured in this story.
October 21, 2017
THERE WAS NO PLACE FOR THE WEAK IN THIS SURVIVAL GAME
I enjoyed this intense and suspenseful sci-fi story. Once you get into the story, it will hold you capture and at times keep you on the edge of your seat with all the suspense. The two main characters both understand the fight for survival and are willing to do whatever it takes, at all cost, even if it is to the death. For Karian, he has been held captive for ten long years; freedom is his first goal. For Rose, it isn’t just gaining freedom; it is the survival of her family and the other humans on earth that are hunted.
In this battle of the galaxies, Earth has been nearly wiped out of its inhabitants, and most are contained in a Human Preservation Breeding facility and treated like lab animals. They are not considered free but as slaves. When she was three, her family and many others escaped and had lived in the forest. For twenty years, she has known freedom but must always remain vigilant to prevent capture. Unfortunately, while hunting, she will become the captured prey. A free female human is one of the most valuable commodities and worth the fortune of entire planets.
Karian was the Commander in Chief of the Eok armies when he was captured by Cattelans and has been held in a cage for the past ten years. What a shock when a human female enters the escape pod, and together they escape the Cattelan ship, but for how long.
“Humans are like unicorns and mermaids. Only fools claim they have seen one.” “She was a unicorn, a mermaid, and a golden goose if there ever was one.”
The plot will have Rose and Karian escaping their Cattelan captures, but for how long. All escape pods have a beaconing signal. Convincing Rose to free him from his cage prison will take precious days that endanger them to be recaptured. She will finally give in and free him, and they will butt heads countless times, she is a huntress and doesn’t take orders well. He wants to protect her, and her smaller body cannot handle the harsh climate of the Saarmok moon. Together, they will have to learn to trust each other.
“Karian’s terrible warrior face was drenched with the blood of his enemy, his fangs exposed and bloodied. He wasn’t a creature of nightmares. He was the creature nightmares were terrified of.”
Together, they will fight to the death defending each other from predators, until Karian’s people can rescue them. But the fight has only begun as Trade Minister Knut claims he has claims over Rose as a human of Earth. Because Rose saved Karian’s life, he has pledged his to her, a life for a life. When he publically claims he in a mating ceremony as his mate, he shocks everyone, claiming her as a bloodmate, one that is not only for life but includes his own life.
The story has betrayal, deceit, good versus evil, control, kidnap and capture, life and death, survival, passion, determination, and a love story. There are a few sex scenes, but not overly explicit.
“They were tired by more than just flesh. His soul was branded into her, his bones knitted into hers. They were two parts of the same soul. “
I enjoyed this intense and suspenseful sci-fi story. Once you get into the story, it will hold you capture and at times keep you on the edge of your seat with all the suspense. The two main characters both understand the fight for survival and are willing to do whatever it takes, at all cost, even if it is to the death. For Karian, he has been held captive for ten long years; freedom is his first goal. For Rose, it isn’t just gaining freedom; it is the survival of her family and the other humans on earth that are hunted.
In this battle of the galaxies, Earth has been nearly wiped out of its inhabitants, and most are contained in a Human Preservation Breeding facility and treated like lab animals. They are not considered free but as slaves. When she was three, her family and many others escaped and had lived in the forest. For twenty years, she has known freedom but must always remain vigilant to prevent capture. Unfortunately, while hunting, she will become the captured prey. A free female human is one of the most valuable commodities and worth the fortune of entire planets.
Karian was the Commander in Chief of the Eok armies when he was captured by Cattelans and has been held in a cage for the past ten years. What a shock when a human female enters the escape pod, and together they escape the Cattelan ship, but for how long.
“Humans are like unicorns and mermaids. Only fools claim they have seen one.” “She was a unicorn, a mermaid, and a golden goose if there ever was one.”
The plot will have Rose and Karian escaping their Cattelan captures, but for how long. All escape pods have a beaconing signal. Convincing Rose to free him from his cage prison will take precious days that endanger them to be recaptured. She will finally give in and free him, and they will butt heads countless times, she is a huntress and doesn’t take orders well. He wants to protect her, and her smaller body cannot handle the harsh climate of the Saarmok moon. Together, they will have to learn to trust each other.
“Karian’s terrible warrior face was drenched with the blood of his enemy, his fangs exposed and bloodied. He wasn’t a creature of nightmares. He was the creature nightmares were terrified of.”
Together, they will fight to the death defending each other from predators, until Karian’s people can rescue them. But the fight has only begun as Trade Minister Knut claims he has claims over Rose as a human of Earth. Because Rose saved Karian’s life, he has pledged his to her, a life for a life. When he publically claims he in a mating ceremony as his mate, he shocks everyone, claiming her as a bloodmate, one that is not only for life but includes his own life.
The story has betrayal, deceit, good versus evil, control, kidnap and capture, life and death, survival, passion, determination, and a love story. There are a few sex scenes, but not overly explicit.
“They were tired by more than just flesh. His soul was branded into her, his bones knitted into hers. They were two parts of the same soul. “
March 28, 2018
She's A Unicorn🐎, A Mermaid, In An Alien Universe 💫
Alpha Alien Male🐺🍆🌋 Adult Sci-fi Adventure.
Rose👩💋, a human woman, is captured by a big green Cattelan Alien Slaver, Arrik👹🔪🔫, while she is out hunting 🐇rabbits on Earth🌍, the subsistence planet🌍 she lives on. Now the rest of her family will die, because she was the soul provider. The other few humans left are in a secured compound kept as breeding slaves. Because they are so rare now, humans bring astronomical prices💰 when sold.
Rose👩💋gets into a knock down drag out fight with Arrik👹🔪🔫 on on his ship and is able to get to the escape pod. Inside the escape pod is another alien being, an Eok, Karian🐺🍆🌋🔪. He's in a cage and was captured at an 🚫illegal slave auction on Eok.
Karian🐺🍆🌋🔪, a huge blue fanged and clawed humanoid warrior, is instantly infatuated with Rose💋👩, she is the rarest of rare, a unicorn🐎, a mermaid, she is a young human woman! She is worth a huge fortune, because humans are basically extinct on 🌎, overtaken by stronger races. The Cattelans👹🔪🔫 will hunt relentlessly for her.
Karian🐺🍆🌋🔪 is already smitten with her. He will protect her with his life! Nothing will ever be the same! Eoks are the most feared warrior race in the Ring💫, the known universe. This is why he is caged. They are supposed to be monsters👹, killers💀, merciless and cold blooded.🐲
Rose👩💋 is afraid of Karian🐺🍆🌋🔪 but she knows he is essential to their survival, so she finally lets him out of the cage. Karian🐺🍆🌋🔪 has recognized Rose👩💋 as his one true mate, because his fangs start dripping venom, but he is determined to hide it from her.
Karian🐺🍆🌋🔪 is a sexy bad boy biter. He's a true Alpha, a leader of his people. As usual, Rose👩💋 wants to go home but Karian🐺🍆🌋🔪 can't and won't let her. She is his mate👰 now forever , and so valuable he can't let her out of his sight, because the Cattelans👹 will go to any extreme to get their prize🏆 back.
ARC Provided by BookSprout for a Voluntary and Honest Review.
This is a great book! It's a well written and thought out Adult Alien abduction novel📑, written from dual points of view. Highly recommend for fans of the genre! It's way above average!
The only problem I had with the book, was why Karian🐺🍆🌋🔪 was held ten years by the Cattelans👹. Ten years in a cage. That didn't make sense. The why was never explained, or else I missed it.
Alpha Alien Male🐺🍆🌋 Adult Sci-fi Adventure.
Rose👩💋, a human woman, is captured by a big green Cattelan Alien Slaver, Arrik👹🔪🔫, while she is out hunting 🐇rabbits on Earth🌍, the subsistence planet🌍 she lives on. Now the rest of her family will die, because she was the soul provider. The other few humans left are in a secured compound kept as breeding slaves. Because they are so rare now, humans bring astronomical prices💰 when sold.
Rose👩💋gets into a knock down drag out fight with Arrik👹🔪🔫 on on his ship and is able to get to the escape pod. Inside the escape pod is another alien being, an Eok, Karian🐺🍆🌋🔪. He's in a cage and was captured at an 🚫illegal slave auction on Eok.
Karian🐺🍆🌋🔪, a huge blue fanged and clawed humanoid warrior, is instantly infatuated with Rose💋👩, she is the rarest of rare, a unicorn🐎, a mermaid, she is a young human woman! She is worth a huge fortune, because humans are basically extinct on 🌎, overtaken by stronger races. The Cattelans👹🔪🔫 will hunt relentlessly for her.
Karian🐺🍆🌋🔪 is already smitten with her. He will protect her with his life! Nothing will ever be the same! Eoks are the most feared warrior race in the Ring💫, the known universe. This is why he is caged. They are supposed to be monsters👹, killers💀, merciless and cold blooded.🐲
Rose👩💋 is afraid of Karian🐺🍆🌋🔪 but she knows he is essential to their survival, so she finally lets him out of the cage. Karian🐺🍆🌋🔪 has recognized Rose👩💋 as his one true mate, because his fangs start dripping venom, but he is determined to hide it from her.
Karian🐺🍆🌋🔪 is a sexy bad boy biter. He's a true Alpha, a leader of his people. As usual, Rose👩💋 wants to go home but Karian🐺🍆🌋🔪 can't and won't let her. She is his mate👰 now forever , and so valuable he can't let her out of his sight, because the Cattelans👹 will go to any extreme to get their prize🏆 back.
ARC Provided by BookSprout for a Voluntary and Honest Review.
This is a great book! It's a well written and thought out Adult Alien abduction novel📑, written from dual points of view. Highly recommend for fans of the genre! It's way above average!
The only problem I had with the book, was why Karian🐺🍆🌋🔪 was held ten years by the Cattelans👹. Ten years in a cage. That didn't make sense. The why was never explained, or else I missed it.
October 30, 2023
Venomous Craving is the first book in the Eok Warriors series, and we are introduced to the whole world. Humans have been hunted to near-extinction, and now live in 'protected facilities'. They are basically breeders, although a small group managed to escape over twenty years ago, and have been surviving since then. However, things are tough for them, and it is a tough time when Rose is captured. Taken away to be sold as a slave, she constantly worries for the family she had no choice but to leave behind. When she sees her chance to escape, she takes it but finds herself with another person too.
This was a well-thought-out, intricate, science-fiction romance. There is plenty of action, with political twists and turns, plus personal betrayal. For those wanting sexy times, don't worry! There are plenty of those, but they don't detract from the story.
This is only book one, so I am hopeful the questions I still have unanswered will be answered in either the next book or future books. With no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt my reading flow, plus excellent story and character building and a whole host of supporting characters I want to hear more about, I have no hesitation in recommending this book. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 16, 2018
This was a well-thought-out, intricate, science-fiction romance. There is plenty of action, with political twists and turns, plus personal betrayal. For those wanting sexy times, don't worry! There are plenty of those, but they don't detract from the story.
This is only book one, so I am hopeful the questions I still have unanswered will be answered in either the next book or future books. With no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt my reading flow, plus excellent story and character building and a whole host of supporting characters I want to hear more about, I have no hesitation in recommending this book. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Aug 16, 2018
June 9, 2019
Stubborn as all get out
Sooo Rose is a prime example of stubborn women. We pretty much all are even if we let our men think they won. It’s pretty inherent in women I think. Or at least all the women I know. I really liked this story. Rose didn’t make me irrationally irritated with how she acted because it wasn’t irrational. And Karian didn’t make me mad either because his over protectiveness wasn’t irrational.
I could understand both stances without the want to slap someone. Rose and Karian were simply perfect for each other and Maral was like the perfect women scorned. Although I can’t necessarily feel her point since she was just power hungry. I feel for Arlen though. But now he gets to choose a new mate I hope since Maral sucked balls of every kind. I am excited to see how Arlen’s life progresses after the She devil he stuck himself with.
Sooo Rose is a prime example of stubborn women. We pretty much all are even if we let our men think they won. It’s pretty inherent in women I think. Or at least all the women I know. I really liked this story. Rose didn’t make me irrationally irritated with how she acted because it wasn’t irrational. And Karian didn’t make me mad either because his over protectiveness wasn’t irrational.
I could understand both stances without the want to slap someone. Rose and Karian were simply perfect for each other and Maral was like the perfect women scorned. Although I can’t necessarily feel her point since she was just power hungry. I feel for Arlen though. But now he gets to choose a new mate I hope since Maral sucked balls of every kind. I am excited to see how Arlen’s life progresses after the She devil he stuck himself with.
April 22, 2019
Awesome rescue story.
Imagine sometime in the future humans have been hunted, killed and enslaved to near extinction by aliens. In their benevolence, a human conservation project is initiated in the hopes of bringing this endangered species back from the brink. Rose has been brought up free of such a place as her parents escaped shortly after she was born. When she was captures by slavers, her entire freedom and that of her free villlage hangs in the hands of a fellow prisoner and whether they can escape in time. Great writing style, smooth transitions from pov and realistic chemistry between all characters. You got action, romance, envious back biting and danger all in here. Great story!
Imagine sometime in the future humans have been hunted, killed and enslaved to near extinction by aliens. In their benevolence, a human conservation project is initiated in the hopes of bringing this endangered species back from the brink. Rose has been brought up free of such a place as her parents escaped shortly after she was born. When she was captures by slavers, her entire freedom and that of her free villlage hangs in the hands of a fellow prisoner and whether they can escape in time. Great writing style, smooth transitions from pov and realistic chemistry between all characters. You got action, romance, envious back biting and danger all in here. Great story!
May 6, 2019
OMG, why have I not heard about this author before...
This story grabbed a hold of me and didn't let go. Rose is a very strong and stubborn human female and she feels responsible for protecting her family. She reminds me a little of Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games. She meets Karian while escaping her alien kidnappers and slowly, the trust builds between them. The chemistry between these 2 is scorching hot and the plot was interesting with many twists and turns. I wish I had an Eok warrior of my very own :D
This story grabbed a hold of me and didn't let go. Rose is a very strong and stubborn human female and she feels responsible for protecting her family. She reminds me a little of Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games. She meets Karian while escaping her alien kidnappers and slowly, the trust builds between them. The chemistry between these 2 is scorching hot and the plot was interesting with many twists and turns. I wish I had an Eok warrior of my very own :D
December 14, 2017
The story started off okay, but when it transitioned from two people working together to survive to "couple time" something went missing. The alpha male posturing was over the top and the venom was ... not sexy & a bit cliched. Wasn't sure I would finish it, but I plugged along. Not to my tastes.
April 18, 2019
Wow
This was a little intense especially with humans being locked up. The way she escaped was cool and the alien was awesome. The dynamic of the couple was off for me because I didn't really see a connection at times. I hope we see more of this couple in later books
This was a little intense especially with humans being locked up. The way she escaped was cool and the alien was awesome. The dynamic of the couple was off for me because I didn't really see a connection at times. I hope we see more of this couple in later books
June 10, 2019
Solid sci-fi romance. Enough character development and originality to the story that I was absorbed and wanted to read more in the series.
February 12, 2020
It's so frustrating when a read has potential and falls so very short of it. This work seriously rubbed me the wrong way, all because a well-written female character is so damn hard to find.
Instead of writing my usual long take down of this, I'm going to do myself a favor and try to keep it as tight as I can. Commence with the bullet points. Rant ahoy!
✏︎ FMC was born in captivity to humans born in captivity (likely from more humans born into captivity and so on, since this has been the case for over 100 years at the point our story begins and generational turnover is likely fast), yet somehow she knew all about everything from symbols on space ship doors to Eok Warriors.... because... stories. This makes no flippin' sense at all. At the rate technology progresses, everything she knew 3rd or 4th hand would have been antiquated at best. And with that duration of time? The telephone effect would have been pretty substantial. I doubt the breeding facility humans had archives and libraries to keep a non-changing written record of what they had known. This is all oral tradition from sources increasingly farther from the original source material. Just. COME ON.
✏︎ FMC is somewhere in her mid to late 20s (26 if everything is lining up correctly with the given timeline) in a primitive survivalist situation where one would need to grow up quickly, yet she's the brattiest TSTL with the worst self-preservation instincts. Extended adolescence is not a privilege she would have been treated to. There's no way she survived that long with the level of judgment she demonstrated with her terrible decision making skills. Add the stereotypical Hothead Trait with the Obsessive Desire To Prove Competence Via Recklessness and add Insists On Doing Everything Alone With Warped Ideas About Independence... and yeah, she was dead years before this story actually began. A bear ate her, most likely.
✏︎ Related, FMC had a bizarre obsession with insisting she knew best about everything, especially situations she had no exposure to ever. And apparently if one gets help from a Penis Person, it means she is no longer independent and obviously incompetent, rather than, I dunno...maybe deferring to someone with more experience and using it as a learning experience. I just. WHAT? It smacked of terrible 90s' Straw Feminism and left a bad taste in my mouth. I kept envisioning the terrible Strident Token Feminist from MacGyver during these scenes. (There was also a really ham fisted out of character scene for MMC to fail at a task he should have breezed through so FMC could be in the right for nearly getting herself killed for the 2nd or 3rd time at that point.)
✏︎ Since humanity desperately needs more free humans, and so many others are accomplishing this task, why would FMC be single with no mention of potential mates at her age? No relationships at all minus a mention of familial members, and not even how she gets on with any of them. They live with no technology, no medicine, are hunting big game with sharpened sticks, are always short on food, and always have way too much stress. You know they're not living to be more than 5o-55, max. So she's way past the age she would have been paired up and helping build the *small* community. It's pretty clear there are young men available...so what's her actual story besides? Seriously, who the hell IS Rose? I read almost 300 pages, and I can't tell you much about her besides she's a flat trope of bad personality traits.
✏︎ A lot of this book is wasted dragging out the same rehashed argument: "I CAN DO IT MYSELF!" vs "YOU'RE GOING TO GET KILLED!" 50-100 pages lighter, this would have been a more impactful story, and possibly less annoying. But the two mains fight about this from the minute they escape to the very end of the story. It never stops.
✏︎ The villains are all flat, dull, uninspired, and unoriginal. It basically comes down to jealousy, lust, and greed. I bet you can guess the sex of who was which.
✏︎ The Mating causes a bunch of negative reactions that are never actually explained, because MMC never gets around to properly explaining what actually happened. And it's not obvious from context why so many people were angry, including another couple in the exact same situation. Also: this blood bond devotion only truly seems to goes one way. I was getting no real emotional read off our FMC and nothing more than instinct off MMC. It was so unsatisfying.
Um. So things I liked? This did have potential.
✦ A wide variety of species mentioned of differing sizes, abilities, and cultures. The most fascinating part of this book was the brief mentions of them. More of this, less of the tired drama relationship, please.
✦ If you can get over the eye-rolling terrible oral history of the group, the plight of humanity is quite interesting. What happened and when that 7.7+ BILLION of us disappeared? Who hunted humanity on such a scale? And what about this "hidden" village? How was it hidden that all of these advanced alien species couldn't find it? Even ones that are known as the best trackers couldn't find a bunch of smelly humanity with no tech or more than primitive dwellings. OK, this just morphed into another con of the story. This was in no way believable.
Anywho. I have no desire to continue with the other books in this series. Maybe if another author tackled a similar idea and fleshed everything out?
Instead of writing my usual long take down of this, I'm going to do myself a favor and try to keep it as tight as I can. Commence with the bullet points. Rant ahoy!
✏︎ FMC was born in captivity to humans born in captivity (likely from more humans born into captivity and so on, since this has been the case for over 100 years at the point our story begins and generational turnover is likely fast), yet somehow she knew all about everything from symbols on space ship doors to Eok Warriors.... because... stories. This makes no flippin' sense at all. At the rate technology progresses, everything she knew 3rd or 4th hand would have been antiquated at best. And with that duration of time? The telephone effect would have been pretty substantial. I doubt the breeding facility humans had archives and libraries to keep a non-changing written record of what they had known. This is all oral tradition from sources increasingly farther from the original source material. Just. COME ON.
✏︎ FMC is somewhere in her mid to late 20s (26 if everything is lining up correctly with the given timeline) in a primitive survivalist situation where one would need to grow up quickly, yet she's the brattiest TSTL with the worst self-preservation instincts. Extended adolescence is not a privilege she would have been treated to. There's no way she survived that long with the level of judgment she demonstrated with her terrible decision making skills. Add the stereotypical Hothead Trait with the Obsessive Desire To Prove Competence Via Recklessness and add Insists On Doing Everything Alone With Warped Ideas About Independence... and yeah, she was dead years before this story actually began. A bear ate her, most likely.
✏︎ Related, FMC had a bizarre obsession with insisting she knew best about everything, especially situations she had no exposure to ever. And apparently if one gets help from a Penis Person, it means she is no longer independent and obviously incompetent, rather than, I dunno...maybe deferring to someone with more experience and using it as a learning experience. I just. WHAT? It smacked of terrible 90s' Straw Feminism and left a bad taste in my mouth. I kept envisioning the terrible Strident Token Feminist from MacGyver during these scenes. (There was also a really ham fisted out of character scene for MMC to fail at a task he should have breezed through so FMC could be in the right for nearly getting herself killed for the 2nd or 3rd time at that point.)
✏︎ Since humanity desperately needs more free humans, and so many others are accomplishing this task, why would FMC be single with no mention of potential mates at her age? No relationships at all minus a mention of familial members, and not even how she gets on with any of them. They live with no technology, no medicine, are hunting big game with sharpened sticks, are always short on food, and always have way too much stress. You know they're not living to be more than 5o-55, max. So she's way past the age she would have been paired up and helping build the *small* community. It's pretty clear there are young men available...so what's her actual story besides? Seriously, who the hell IS Rose? I read almost 300 pages, and I can't tell you much about her besides she's a flat trope of bad personality traits.
✏︎ A lot of this book is wasted dragging out the same rehashed argument: "I CAN DO IT MYSELF!" vs "YOU'RE GOING TO GET KILLED!" 50-100 pages lighter, this would have been a more impactful story, and possibly less annoying. But the two mains fight about this from the minute they escape to the very end of the story. It never stops.
✏︎ The villains are all flat, dull, uninspired, and unoriginal. It basically comes down to jealousy, lust, and greed. I bet you can guess the sex of who was which.
✏︎ The Mating causes a bunch of negative reactions that are never actually explained, because MMC never gets around to properly explaining what actually happened. And it's not obvious from context why so many people were angry, including another couple in the exact same situation. Also: this blood bond devotion only truly seems to goes one way. I was getting no real emotional read off our FMC and nothing more than instinct off MMC. It was so unsatisfying.
Um. So things I liked? This did have potential.
✦ A wide variety of species mentioned of differing sizes, abilities, and cultures. The most fascinating part of this book was the brief mentions of them. More of this, less of the tired drama relationship, please.
✦ If you can get over the eye-rolling terrible oral history of the group, the plight of humanity is quite interesting. What happened and when that 7.7+ BILLION of us disappeared? Who hunted humanity on such a scale? And what about this "hidden" village? How was it hidden that all of these advanced alien species couldn't find it? Even ones that are known as the best trackers couldn't find a bunch of smelly humanity with no tech or more than primitive dwellings. OK, this just morphed into another con of the story. This was in no way believable.
Anywho. I have no desire to continue with the other books in this series. Maybe if another author tackled a similar idea and fleshed everything out?
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October 22, 2024Nope. Nothing spectacular here, and it's either a YOU LOVE IT OR DON'T KIND OF STORY, because when I see the 5 stars reviews...well, that speaks for itself, but when I see the other 3 Stars reviews, I find other readers were quite annoyed with the TSTL heroine.
Yeah, and the fact that this hit too close to insta-love -WHY CAN'T AUTHORS JUST WRITE A PROPER ROMANCE? It's unrealistic to fall in love at first sight...lust, yes, LOVE? Hell no.
DROPPED. I hope the final book of the series I bookmarked will be better.
Yeah, and the fact that this hit too close to insta-love -WHY CAN'T AUTHORS JUST WRITE A PROPER ROMANCE? It's unrealistic to fall in love at first sight...lust, yes, LOVE? Hell no.
DROPPED. I hope the final book of the series I bookmarked will be better.
February 21, 2021
This was the first book like this that I tried and wont be my last loved it
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January 1, 2022DNF @ 51%
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