The Outcasts

by Alexa Black

Sue Jones is a spacebus driver from a nowhere colony. Yearning for adventure, she pilots a shuttle into uncharted regions—and crash-lands in a harsh world. Kara is an alien whose people are Outcasts who have been banished to this world and survive in Rings above the storm-swept surface.

When Kara rescues her and brings her to the Rings, Sue soon learns that the Outcasts believe humans belong on the surface. As Sue discovers her protector’s secrets, Kara struggles to keep Sue safe and her own feelings at bay. Can love bridge the gap between worlds and heal the deepest of wounds?

Genres: Science Fiction, Lesbian

229 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 17, 2018

About the author

Alexa Black lives in the Washington, DC, area where she works as a peer mentor and advocate for people with disabilities. She has a master’s degree in philosophy from Georgetown University, but has always returned to her passion for writing. Though a philosopher by training, she would rather inflict complicated questions on her characters and take readers along than lecture about them. When not writing, she can be found gaming, seeking out new restaurants to try, or drinking ridiculous, fancy coffee.

Reviews

[Lex Kent · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25 Stars. This is the second book I have read by Black. The first book really bothered me. I found it to be a torture book not BDSM. I’m happy that this book was more toned down than the first, but it still was not something that works to my personal tastes.

I love sci-fi and there never seems to be enough new lesfic sci-fi books coming out. It’s the reason I gave this book a chance even after disliking the first book so much. I knew this was going to be an erotic sci-fi story and I’m fine with that category. The problem is this type of erotica is not the kind I like. Firstly this is an owner/pet relationship. I don’t mind dominant/sub, but ownership kink doesn’t really work for me. The other part is this is cutting/slicing/blood kink which again is not a subject I like in my erotica. Putting two types of erotica together that I don’t care for just does not work for me. One the good side of things Black did tone both of these down a bit from her first book. There seemed to be some actual feelings between the two mains and the bloodletting was more for pleasure than just to cause pain. I was worried and almost DNF’d the book when the main character took off because she wanted to be tortured, luckily that scene went differently and wasn’t horrible like I was worried about.

One thing I did like was how the book took a sci-fi to almost paranormal twist. The world where the main character crash landed is not what I expected and I liked that twist. I don’t remember a sci-fi book doing this before. The problem was the concept did not really hold up well for the rest of the book. And I honestly never got into the characters enough to care what happened to them. I didn’t feel like there was much point to this book beyond the sex scenes.

I have a three book rule I try to give to authors before I decide if they are not for me. I think I’m going to break it and out of fairness to myself and the author, I don’t think I will be reading more of Blacks books. Maybe I’ll change my mind if she writes something besides pet and pain kink, but if she continues in these categories, these books are just not for me.

An ARC was given to me by BSB, for a honest review.

[Joc · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sue Jones, spacebus driver, wakes to find herself not sure where she is. She can remember the sky opening up, a streak of lightning but now all she sees is a humanoid figure, dark with lines of light emanating from it like bioluminescence. Somehow she’s travelled through a worm hole, or something like it, and ended up in a new world with the Outcasts and Kara, the warrior, caring for her.

It sounded like a really interesting premise and combined with a beautiful cover, I really thought I’d enjoy this. But I didn’t. I felt as if I was been told a story rather than allowing me to become immersed in it. Sue is a mystery to me, even now that the book is finished. All I know is that she’s a spacebus driver from a human colony who failed to become a fighter pilot because of a badly injured leg. She’s had a boyfriend and a girlfriend, and a traumatic incident that is said to haunt her.

Kara is taller than Sue with stone skin, horns, claws, fangs, fiery eyes and glowing scars. She doesn’t talk much in the beginning. Sue seems to be attracted to her, concedes to be her pet, and they have sex a number times but I just couldn’t feel the connection between them. Also, when you describe your character as having claws so sharp that they can cut a head of hair, even the concept of intercourse had my legs tightly crossed and my face looking like I had inadvertently bit into a lemon.

The story line, science fiction with biblical overtones, also didn’t grab me. I struggled to finish it but we’re all different so someone may enjoy this much more than I did.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

[whataslacker · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Outcasts by Alexa Black

This review will contain spoilers. If you aren’t afraid of spoilers, please continue to read. If you don’t want spoilers of any kind, stop now.

I did not hate this book, but I feel that I should have. For reasons.

I was expecting a sci-fi romance and what I got was a pseudo bondage fantasy story with overt religious connotations.

The only thing about this book that is remotely sci-fi is the premise that one of the characters is a space bus driver that leaves earth and discovers aliens. But it turns out that the aliens are actually demons (outcast, because they were cast out of heaven) and the planet she landed on is actually hell. She is attracted to the demon Kara and they begin a master/servant relationship. Which included sex, but weird, unfeeling sex. There was no chemistry between the two characters.

We are left with a billion questions that are glossed over or just never answered. We learn very little of the ring dwelling outcast and why they are up there and even less about those that are still on the planet’s surface doing what demons in hell are supposed to do to the eternally damned humans.

Why isn’t the human in the story worried about her own immortal soul after learning there is indeed a hell? Were we ever even told why she was out flying aimlessly in space looking for alien life in the first place?

If there had been more character building and more world building, I might have enjoyed this more. I finished the book, so it wasn’t awful, just not that great. I will give it 2 out of 5 stars.

Time to nitpick about the cover. I know, I know, don’t judge a book by the cover. I’m not. For the most part I like this cover. It just bothers me when the cover artist hasn’t read the character or book description before creating the cover. (I wrote a book and did not have much say in my own cover. So I know I can’t blame the author here.) Okay, back to my nitpicking. The Outcasts are described as having cracks all over their bodies not craters. The effect the artist used here does give an alien or otherworldly feel to the character, but it isn’t the character that I read about in this story. While I can say, good job Sheri Halal (cover artist), it just doesn’t hit the mark (at least not for me).

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in return for an honest review.

[Jane Shambler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book won't be for everyone but wow it was right up my alley. Five stars isn't enough in my opinion.

It offers a new twist to sci-fi romance and also has a paranormal feel about it. That's if you consider the devil as paranormal. The main question that I felt needed to be answered wasn't answered. If you go to church you are told the need for forgiveness. Do I need to say more?

Think good and evil, heaven and hell then add outer space.

It isn't an easy read but well worth the effort.

*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley*

[Carly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll be honest: this is one of the first LGBTQ sci-fi romances I've read, and I went into it optimistically, but I think my issues mostly had to do with the believability of the romance and the fact that the plot didn't really feel like it went anywhere. The concept itself was something I was really into (a lot of Biblical overtones with a slight BDSM element), but when it came down to the main romantic pairing, I wasn't entirely sold on that relationship. And then the book just... ended! I was expecting a little more in the way of story, so this was only an okay read for me.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Nicholas Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book but I understand why not everyone would; it has BDSM in addition to romance and if you were expecting typical sci-fi you might not like the twist. The concept is very interesting and the sex/BDSM scenes are well written; I especially enjoy how Sue comes to accept the dynamic in her relationship with Kara. I would have liked to learn more background about the society of the surface and the rings and Kara's people as well as how Earth came to have colonies in this universe. Sue's character was interesting but could be more well-rounded. The part where she decides whether to stay with Kara or go back home especially needed work and her decision seemed sudden and unmotivated by what is shown in the narrative. Subjectively I loved this book, but based on literary merit I am giving it 3/5 stars.

[Dr E · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decent concept, but the writing wasn’t up to the complexity of the story. The characters are thinly portrayed and there’s no build up to the relationship, which makes the sex unrealistic. They hook up far too soon, and for no discernible reason. There’s no engagement and it’s hard to care about anyone. It’s mainly sex, whipping and repentance. I was bored a few pages in and that continued through to the end.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely not your standard sci-fi romance. Ms. Black's books are raw and emotion provoking erotica with a BDSM bias. Sue and Kara star in this particular story which is intriguing and gripping and not for the "lily-livered". I was hooked and read through the night. Fiction, fiction!
4 stars
I rec'd an ARC from NetGalley/Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars
Interesting and provoking, the idea was a really good one with lots of potential, but impoverished a lot by the not mature enough writing style. There was more sex than romance and that was at the expense of character development. Consequently not as good as it could be, which is too bad. But still worth a read.
eARC via NetGalley

[Sami Finn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining and thought provoking lesfic sci-fi allegory. Sue and Kara discover reality never presents us with an absolutely unavoidable ‘either-or’ and the kernel of what each is seeking is there to explore and accept. They bedevil and enlighten each other into growth and togetherness.

[Sam Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this book gave me very mixed feelings. Some elements have promise and the base story works OK - but execution is limited. There is an interesting concept here trying to get out, but it can’t escape. I’m not sure if it due to the author or the editor but this book could have done with quite a few more words. Science fiction, or generally speculative fiction, can handle that much more than romance – readers want world building, descriptions of cultures and an internal coherence. This book left too many things half done.
Slight spoilers here: I am not a fan of anything with biblical touches especially in what is billed as science fiction. I was not expecting it. If the concept had been taken further in the “science and aliens” direction it would have been better all round. This story seems to use science fiction as a thin cover for something else.
So, overall, I can’t really recommend it. It didn’t work for me despite an interesting concept underneath it all.

[Corinne Sparks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This hits all the spots! Lesbian erotica Scifi fantasy fiction? Yes please!

(and I say fantasy sci-fi as it starts in space... And then turns into something quite different)

Sue is a space bus driver who slips through a wormhole, and is rescued? Captured? By a lithe and unknowable alien woman, seemingly carved from stone. Many sexy times occur. She discovers not all is what it seems in the planet she crash landed on.
What more could you want? This is a slice of sweet fluffy lesbian fiction, and I enjoyed every mouthful. It's cute, and sexy, and just long enough for an evening read.

It's never going to be hailed as the next literary classic alongside the Bronte sisters or Dickens, but sometimes you don't wanna read serious, sometimes you just wanna read something light and fun, and this book has that in spades.

Serious points for a f/f relationship, something that is sadly lacking in this genre.
I'd read more from this author.

Recommend.

[MEC]

Did not finish. Too many reasons why.