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Xiveri Mates #3
Taken to Sasor
Mian
Don't run. Don't fight. Just hide. That's all we can do against the Sasor barbarian horde – huge megalithic aliens, born to fight, who can shape shift at will into monsters. We're only human, and me, just a slave among them.
Getting caught is not part of the plan, but when they raid our village, I do the only thing I can think of to spare the whole. I offer myself up to their leader. Infuriating, and strangely funny, I have a lot to learn – his languages and customs, the roles I'm meant to fulfill in his tribe, and how to keep him at arm's length when he's seemingly everywhere, blocking any chances I have to find a mate and keeping me at his side.
Neheyuu
She's funny, this human. A fast learner, already adapting to our language with ease. She's forgiving. Quick to smile, it's easy to smile back. Too easy. She's slipping under my skin, infecting me and my manerak.
The monster that I can become seems more ready to do her will than my own. Like she's controlling it. I should let her go. I should let her find a mate. I should let the tribes that come for her, take her...
My manerak says no. Its defiance is something I've never felt before and I will need to find a way to deny them both – but how can I when my manerak wants her close?
A grumpy, alpha alien snakeshifter meets a sweet, no-nonsense human heroine in Taken to Sasor, a full-length, standalone, interracial, shifter romance. While part of the Xiveri Mates series, Taken to Sasor can be read in any order and stands alone with fresh characters and a guaranteed HEA. YES for fated mates, enemies-to-lovers, world-building, action adventure, and extra steamy bits. NO for cheating, harem or love triangles. Violence, including an attack scene against our heroine, may be trigger warnings for sensitive readers.
Don't run. Don't fight. Just hide. That's all we can do against the Sasor barbarian horde – huge megalithic aliens, born to fight, who can shape shift at will into monsters. We're only human, and me, just a slave among them.
Getting caught is not part of the plan, but when they raid our village, I do the only thing I can think of to spare the whole. I offer myself up to their leader. Infuriating, and strangely funny, I have a lot to learn – his languages and customs, the roles I'm meant to fulfill in his tribe, and how to keep him at arm's length when he's seemingly everywhere, blocking any chances I have to find a mate and keeping me at his side.
Neheyuu
She's funny, this human. A fast learner, already adapting to our language with ease. She's forgiving. Quick to smile, it's easy to smile back. Too easy. She's slipping under my skin, infecting me and my manerak.
The monster that I can become seems more ready to do her will than my own. Like she's controlling it. I should let her go. I should let her find a mate. I should let the tribes that come for her, take her...
My manerak says no. Its defiance is something I've never felt before and I will need to find a way to deny them both – but how can I when my manerak wants her close?
A grumpy, alpha alien snakeshifter meets a sweet, no-nonsense human heroine in Taken to Sasor, a full-length, standalone, interracial, shifter romance. While part of the Xiveri Mates series, Taken to Sasor can be read in any order and stands alone with fresh characters and a guaranteed HEA. YES for fated mates, enemies-to-lovers, world-building, action adventure, and extra steamy bits. NO for cheating, harem or love triangles. Violence, including an attack scene against our heroine, may be trigger warnings for sensitive readers.
410 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 28, 2020
519 people are currently reading
1066 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Stephens
75 books1,468 followersTop 10 USA Today Bestselling author Elizabeth Stephens writes books where beastly men—or sometimes just beasts—always get the girl.
A full-time hybrid indie and traditionally published author, Elizabeth is best known for her Supers in the City series (Montlake) and her indie works like The Bone King and the Starling and Dark City Omega. In all of her books, readers can expect diverse casts, epic world-building, quests with unexpected twists, and women of color being celebrated loudly, Black and biracial women in particular.
When she isn’t writing, you might find Elizabeth enjoying the outdoors of the Pacific Northwest or traveling and making adventures of her own with her husband, tiny humans, and doggo, King Louis.
A full-time hybrid indie and traditionally published author, Elizabeth is best known for her Supers in the City series (Montlake) and her indie works like The Bone King and the Starling and Dark City Omega. In all of her books, readers can expect diverse casts, epic world-building, quests with unexpected twists, and women of color being celebrated loudly, Black and biracial women in particular.
When she isn’t writing, you might find Elizabeth enjoying the outdoors of the Pacific Northwest or traveling and making adventures of her own with her husband, tiny humans, and doggo, King Louis.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 310 reviews
October 25, 2020
Wow, I enjoyed this one massively.
A Completely new author for me but definitely one I’m going to be watching out for and I’m certainly going to check out other books by her in the future.
So the world-building with this was phenomenal like so good.
In fact, my only slight issue here and this was a small one is this did take me a while to get my head around some of the strange names used the world-building here was just that complex.
Once I managed that this was absolute magic and I sailed through this one so easily.
This really was a page-turner and stood out from the crowd.
I do read a lot of sci-fi romance it’s actually my go-to genre of choice and this little baby is at the head of the queue in terms of content and general fabulousness, I was that impressed.
So brief rundown this is book 3 in a series but is a complete standalone and can be read as such.
It’s set on the planet Sasor and though a sci-fi romance at times it felt like an actual fantasy romance.
The story is dual POV and centres on Mian a human slave girl and Neheyuu a native of the dominant species of the planet.
Neheyuu is first of his tribe or Tasmaran.
He’s the leader through his strength and might and one of the youngest to have achieved this level.
He’s also a snake shifter as are most of his people.
When he raids the human settlement where Mian is a slave he instantly feels a connection to her.
She calls to something deep within him and he wants her for his own.
Taking the human slaves to assimilate them into his tribe Neheyuu separates Mian from the other captured human's.
He wants her for himself as his Akimari a sort of banned bed-slave to the first of the tribe.
So this was really interesting and I enjoyed it a lot, it had a very barbarian warrior feel to it all which I did appreciate.
It’s very sexy with lots of intense build-up and oodles of chemistry.
There is quite a bit of push and pull from the two mains here mostly down to Neheyuu’s pigheadedness.
There’s also some OW drama though surprisingly the OW wasn’t a complete cow and there is no actual cheating involved in this from either side.
This also had some amazingly imaginative ideas and I did adore that these were snake shifters really unique.
This was also well written and easily kept my attention.
I definitely recommend this is you like sci-fi or fantasy romance and especially if you like the whole barbarian warrior trope as this screamed that massively.
Overall this was an easy five star read for me and I was very impressed with the quality.
I voluntary reviewed a copy of Taken To Sasor (Xiveri Mates Book 3)
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com
February 26, 2023
Double shifter!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙💚💜❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌎🌍🌏🌎
Character development: 🙂😀🤩😍🥰
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Duet Narration
The heroine: Mian - She is a slave when the Sasor barbarian horde comes to her village. She hides with a few dozen other slaves who were painting a fence when the horde arrives and lays waste to the gates of the village. The slaves are afraid since they have heard that the horde eats humans. When one of the slaves accidentally gives up their hiding place, they are at the mercy of the horde. So she leaves the others hidden and sacrifices herself.
The Hero: Neheyuu - He is a Sasorian shifter and the leader of his tribe, the biggest and strongest on Sasor. He is tall and brutal and he has a monster within him called a manerak, a large snake-like creature the size of a dragon. It is considered a great success to come across a human tribe and decimate it. The males are weak and the females are compatible with his species.
The Story: Neheyuu comes across Mian when he is obliterating her village and he calls her Reisa when she stands up to him and slaps him. It means brave one. They can’t understand each other but he offers her a deal in that if she gives herself to him, he will leave the others be. When one of his warriors challenges him for Mian, Neheyuu wins the challenge and keeps her for himself.
Neheyuu is attracted to Mian from the start and his manerak wants her even more. Neheyuu feels for her when it becomes obvious that she has been starving and he realizes he has never felt hunger like that. Mian eats heartily and sleeps comfortably for the first time in her life.
The world building is good, though I would have liked a bit more descriptive explanations of the manerak from the beginning. Then later in the book, Neheyuu becomes something different, called a naxem, which is an even bigger (giant) snake shifter, big enough to decimate an entire village of maneraks. It took me a while to be able to picture each type of shifter, especially since the maneraks still had arms and legs, but when Neheyuu became a naxem, his arms and legs fused with his body like a mammoth cobra snake.
Though I do love the fact that each book in this series is unique and the worlds are completely different from the one before. They are basically stand-alone books and can be read in any order. The world building and character development is good despite my having a hard time picturing the snake creatures. Also I loved the scene where they finally get to Neheyuu’s home and his former lover is in his house. It is a pretty awesome scene.
This was told in dual points of view via duet narration. It was narrated by Marquis du Sad and Blair LeBlanc. Blair has a youthful voice which is soft and feminine. She portrays emotions pretty well and is pleasant to listen to. Marquis has a deep voice and speaks in a good tempo. I enjoyed the narration quite a bit as soon as I got into the book.
Blog|Goodreads|Facebook|Instagram|Twitter|BookBub
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙💚💜❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙
World building: 🌎🌍🌏🌎
Character development: 🙂😀🤩😍🥰
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Duet Narration
The heroine: Mian - She is a slave when the Sasor barbarian horde comes to her village. She hides with a few dozen other slaves who were painting a fence when the horde arrives and lays waste to the gates of the village. The slaves are afraid since they have heard that the horde eats humans. When one of the slaves accidentally gives up their hiding place, they are at the mercy of the horde. So she leaves the others hidden and sacrifices herself.
The Hero: Neheyuu - He is a Sasorian shifter and the leader of his tribe, the biggest and strongest on Sasor. He is tall and brutal and he has a monster within him called a manerak, a large snake-like creature the size of a dragon. It is considered a great success to come across a human tribe and decimate it. The males are weak and the females are compatible with his species.
The Story: Neheyuu comes across Mian when he is obliterating her village and he calls her Reisa when she stands up to him and slaps him. It means brave one. They can’t understand each other but he offers her a deal in that if she gives herself to him, he will leave the others be. When one of his warriors challenges him for Mian, Neheyuu wins the challenge and keeps her for himself.
Neheyuu is attracted to Mian from the start and his manerak wants her even more. Neheyuu feels for her when it becomes obvious that she has been starving and he realizes he has never felt hunger like that. Mian eats heartily and sleeps comfortably for the first time in her life.
The world building is good, though I would have liked a bit more descriptive explanations of the manerak from the beginning. Then later in the book, Neheyuu becomes something different, called a naxem, which is an even bigger (giant) snake shifter, big enough to decimate an entire village of maneraks. It took me a while to be able to picture each type of shifter, especially since the maneraks still had arms and legs, but when Neheyuu became a naxem, his arms and legs fused with his body like a mammoth cobra snake.
Though I do love the fact that each book in this series is unique and the worlds are completely different from the one before. They are basically stand-alone books and can be read in any order. The world building and character development is good despite my having a hard time picturing the snake creatures. Also I loved the scene where they finally get to Neheyuu’s home and his former lover is in his house. It is a pretty awesome scene.
This was told in dual points of view via duet narration. It was narrated by Marquis du Sad and Blair LeBlanc. Blair has a youthful voice which is soft and feminine. She portrays emotions pretty well and is pleasant to listen to. Marquis has a deep voice and speaks in a good tempo. I enjoyed the narration quite a bit as soon as I got into the book.
Blog|Goodreads|Facebook|Instagram|Twitter|BookBub
March 10, 2026
3.5 - 4 ⭐️
Elizabeth Stephens really said: what if the hero was a giant snake… and also the most dramatic warlord in the galaxy.
This book grabbed me by the emotional collar, dragged me into the desert, and said:
You will now watch a giant snake warlord ruin his own life for 300 pages.
Because Taken to Sasor delivers exactly the kind of chaos I signed up for:
• giant alien snake shapeshifter warlord
• human heroine with survival instincts
• language barrier that causes maximum misunderstanding
• a hero who spends half the book spiraling and the other half realising he caused the spiral
And somehow all of that turned into one of the most intense romance arcs in the Xiveri series so far.
Was it messy? Absolutely.
Did it emotionally ruin me? Also yes.
Let’s unpack the serpent-shaped chaos.
What Worked For Me
(aka The Serpent Had Me Invested)
Neheyuu - warlord, shapeshifter, and zero coping skills
Neheyuu might be one of the most fascinating heroes in this series.
He’s not polished.
He’s not emotionally intelligent.
He’s not even remotely prepared for the fact that his supposed “bed slave” is actually his fated mate.
What he is, however, is deeply loyal, fiercely protective, and absolutely feral once he realises what Mian means to him.
Watching him struggle between duty, pride, instinct, and genuine emotion was incredibly compelling. The internal conflict between his rational side and his manerak instincts created constant tension, and when that tension finally snapped…
…it snapped spectacularly.
This man spends half the book trying to convince himself he doesn’t want her.
Reader.
He wants her very much.
Mian - resilient human and part-time snake warlord wrangler
Mian was such a strong heroine in a very understated way.
She isn’t physically powerful or magically gifted, but she’s incredibly resilient and observant. She learns the culture, the language, and the politics around her while still maintaining her independence.
More importantly?
She does not let Neheyuu get away with nonsense.
Which is good.
Because he produces a lot of it.
Their dynamic works because she pushes back against him constantly. She refuses to be treated like property, and that friction keeps their relationship grounded even when Neheyuu is spiraling emotionally.
The language barrier (aka the chaos engine)
One of my favorite things about this book was how the language barrier was handled.
Instead of magically solving the problem with alien tech or translators, Mian actually has to learn the language gradually.
This creates some fantastic tension - and a surprising amount of comedy - because so many misunderstandings come from the fact that they literally cannot communicate properly.
And honestly?
It made the emotional payoff stronger when they finally started understanding each other.
The emotional payoff
Elizabeth Stephens is very good at making characters suffer before they get their happy ending.
And this book is no exception.
There’s jealousy.
Miscommunication.
Pride.
Hurt feelings.
Existential alien identity crises.
But when everything finally comes together, the payoff feels earned because both characters have actually grown.
By the end, Neheyuu isn’t just claiming Mian out of instinct.
He’s choosing her.
And that distinction matters.
Where Things Got Messy
(aka Neheyuu’s Self-Sabotage Era)
The world-building feels less established
Because this book introduces a completely new species, language, and desert setting, the world building feels a little less grounded compared to previous books in the series.
We’re dealing with a different alien culture, different biology, different terminology, and a whole new environment all at once, which sometimes makes the setting feel slightly less established than the Xiveri worlds we’ve already spent time in.
It’s not confusing, but there were moments where I felt like I was still trying to orient myself in the rules of this new species and culture.
That said, I do appreciate that Elizabeth Stephens tried something different here with the snake shapeshifter concept - it definitely makes the book stand out in the series.
The middle section leans heavily on miscommunication
While the language barrier was a strength overall, it also caused a stretch of the story where the misunderstandings start stacking up a little too neatly.
There are moments where the reader can see exactly what’s happening while the characters continue spiraling in opposite directions.
Emotionally it works, but narratively it sometimes feels like we’re watching Neheyuu repeatedly step on the same rake.
The internal voice dynamics can get confusing
Throughout the story we’re dealing with three internal forces within Neheyuu: himself, his manerak, and the naxem.
While this concept is interesting and adds depth to his internal struggle, there were moments where it became difficult to clearly distinguish which voice was speaking or influencing him.
At times that made it a little harder to visualise what was happening internally.
The language barrier is occasionally inconsistent
While I loved the choice to keep the language barrier realistic, there were a few moments where Mian seemed to understand Manerak much more easily than expected, and other moments where she barely understood anything.
Those shifts sometimes pulled me out of the story a bit.
The ending feels a little rushed
After spending so much time in the Anti-Neheyuu Era, the final stretch of the book moves pretty quickly.
The emotional payoff is satisfying, but the resolution arrives a little faster than the buildup leading to it.
Final Verdict
Taken to Sasor is intense, emotional, messy in the best way, and full of the kind of feral alien romance energy that makes this series so addictive.
Neheyuu and Mian’s story leans heavily into longing, miscommunication, and pride, and while some of that chaos stretches on a bit longer than necessary, the emotional payoff is still very satisfying.
Was Neheyuu occasionally infuriating? Yes.
Did I threaten to throat-punch him several times while reading?
Also yes.
But I was never bored, and Elizabeth Stephens knows exactly how to pull emotions out of the reader - even if sometimes those emotions are annoyance and the urge to commit fictional violence.
By the end, I was sold on their relationship and their future together.
Which is exactly what I want from this kind of romance.
Final Rating: 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars
The serpent warlord may have been emotionally unstable…
…but the romance?
Still worth the chaos.
Tropes and Vibes:
• Alien / human romance
• Snake shapeshifter hero
• Fated mates / Xiveri mate bond
• Grumpy warlord x stubborn survivor
• Language barrier romance
• Touch her and die energy
• Alien warlord meltdown
• Emotional yearning x serpent-shaped chaos
• Found family / warrior tribe dynamics
• Protective hero (once he gets his act together)
• Emotional damage → emotional healing
• One very feral serpent man learning feelings
*TPAM -BR*
Elizabeth Stephens really said: what if the hero was a giant snake… and also the most dramatic warlord in the galaxy.
This book grabbed me by the emotional collar, dragged me into the desert, and said:
You will now watch a giant snake warlord ruin his own life for 300 pages.
Because Taken to Sasor delivers exactly the kind of chaos I signed up for:
• giant alien snake shapeshifter warlord
• human heroine with survival instincts
• language barrier that causes maximum misunderstanding
• a hero who spends half the book spiraling and the other half realising he caused the spiral
And somehow all of that turned into one of the most intense romance arcs in the Xiveri series so far.
Was it messy? Absolutely.
Did it emotionally ruin me? Also yes.
Let’s unpack the serpent-shaped chaos.
What Worked For Me
(aka The Serpent Had Me Invested)
Neheyuu - warlord, shapeshifter, and zero coping skills
Neheyuu might be one of the most fascinating heroes in this series.
He’s not polished.
He’s not emotionally intelligent.
He’s not even remotely prepared for the fact that his supposed “bed slave” is actually his fated mate.
What he is, however, is deeply loyal, fiercely protective, and absolutely feral once he realises what Mian means to him.
Watching him struggle between duty, pride, instinct, and genuine emotion was incredibly compelling. The internal conflict between his rational side and his manerak instincts created constant tension, and when that tension finally snapped…
…it snapped spectacularly.
This man spends half the book trying to convince himself he doesn’t want her.
Reader.
He wants her very much.
Mian - resilient human and part-time snake warlord wrangler
Mian was such a strong heroine in a very understated way.
She isn’t physically powerful or magically gifted, but she’s incredibly resilient and observant. She learns the culture, the language, and the politics around her while still maintaining her independence.
More importantly?
She does not let Neheyuu get away with nonsense.
Which is good.
Because he produces a lot of it.
Their dynamic works because she pushes back against him constantly. She refuses to be treated like property, and that friction keeps their relationship grounded even when Neheyuu is spiraling emotionally.
The language barrier (aka the chaos engine)
One of my favorite things about this book was how the language barrier was handled.
Instead of magically solving the problem with alien tech or translators, Mian actually has to learn the language gradually.
This creates some fantastic tension - and a surprising amount of comedy - because so many misunderstandings come from the fact that they literally cannot communicate properly.
And honestly?
It made the emotional payoff stronger when they finally started understanding each other.
The emotional payoff
Elizabeth Stephens is very good at making characters suffer before they get their happy ending.
And this book is no exception.
There’s jealousy.
Miscommunication.
Pride.
Hurt feelings.
Existential alien identity crises.
But when everything finally comes together, the payoff feels earned because both characters have actually grown.
By the end, Neheyuu isn’t just claiming Mian out of instinct.
He’s choosing her.
And that distinction matters.
Where Things Got Messy
(aka Neheyuu’s Self-Sabotage Era)
The world-building feels less established
Because this book introduces a completely new species, language, and desert setting, the world building feels a little less grounded compared to previous books in the series.
We’re dealing with a different alien culture, different biology, different terminology, and a whole new environment all at once, which sometimes makes the setting feel slightly less established than the Xiveri worlds we’ve already spent time in.
It’s not confusing, but there were moments where I felt like I was still trying to orient myself in the rules of this new species and culture.
That said, I do appreciate that Elizabeth Stephens tried something different here with the snake shapeshifter concept - it definitely makes the book stand out in the series.
The middle section leans heavily on miscommunication
While the language barrier was a strength overall, it also caused a stretch of the story where the misunderstandings start stacking up a little too neatly.
There are moments where the reader can see exactly what’s happening while the characters continue spiraling in opposite directions.
Emotionally it works, but narratively it sometimes feels like we’re watching Neheyuu repeatedly step on the same rake.
The internal voice dynamics can get confusing
Throughout the story we’re dealing with three internal forces within Neheyuu: himself, his manerak, and the naxem.
While this concept is interesting and adds depth to his internal struggle, there were moments where it became difficult to clearly distinguish which voice was speaking or influencing him.
At times that made it a little harder to visualise what was happening internally.
The language barrier is occasionally inconsistent
While I loved the choice to keep the language barrier realistic, there were a few moments where Mian seemed to understand Manerak much more easily than expected, and other moments where she barely understood anything.
Those shifts sometimes pulled me out of the story a bit.
The ending feels a little rushed
After spending so much time in the Anti-Neheyuu Era, the final stretch of the book moves pretty quickly.
The emotional payoff is satisfying, but the resolution arrives a little faster than the buildup leading to it.
Final Verdict
Taken to Sasor is intense, emotional, messy in the best way, and full of the kind of feral alien romance energy that makes this series so addictive.
Neheyuu and Mian’s story leans heavily into longing, miscommunication, and pride, and while some of that chaos stretches on a bit longer than necessary, the emotional payoff is still very satisfying.
Was Neheyuu occasionally infuriating? Yes.
Did I threaten to throat-punch him several times while reading?
Also yes.
But I was never bored, and Elizabeth Stephens knows exactly how to pull emotions out of the reader - even if sometimes those emotions are annoyance and the urge to commit fictional violence.
By the end, I was sold on their relationship and their future together.
Which is exactly what I want from this kind of romance.
Final Rating: 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars
The serpent warlord may have been emotionally unstable…
…but the romance?
Still worth the chaos.
Tropes and Vibes:
• Alien / human romance
• Snake shapeshifter hero
• Fated mates / Xiveri mate bond
• Grumpy warlord x stubborn survivor
• Language barrier romance
• Touch her and die energy
• Alien warlord meltdown
• Emotional yearning x serpent-shaped chaos
• Found family / warrior tribe dynamics
• Protective hero (once he gets his act together)
• Emotional damage → emotional healing
• One very feral serpent man learning feelings
*TPAM -BR*
August 18, 2020
First of all I was very confused for most of this book.
I have no idea of the relationship between this book and the previous ones in the series. And no idea what was going on at times or where they were.
It could have done with a prologue to update the reader on events so far.
There is constant pushing away from the Hero, push/pull so much so it was really irritating, it went on too long.
Plenty of other woman drama and interest from other males for the heroine too though there are no intimate scenes other than the Hero and heroine.
Virgin heroine.
Equivalent to man-whore type Hero as he has previously enjoyed his spoils of battle and women flock to him due to his position.
There were times when the Hero laughed or the heroine giggled and I didn't find the situation funny.
The worse thing about the book is obviously there are cultural differences and a huge language difference which can be interesting in a book but to have an alien Hero saying 'I dunno' really made me feel there was a lack of imagination on the author's part.
Big events happened and there was no discussion about what happened or what it meant as it was all kept for the big secret reveal later but it was unrealistic.
And the Hero is an idiot. I wished at one point she'd accept an offer from another male.
Lots of secondary characters that have potential for future storylines but not sure if that's on the cards.
This book felt, to me anyway, totally unrelated to the previous books in series.
HEA. But it's one of those books I felt the heroine might have been happy with someone else.
ARC. Sorry but it didn't work for me.
I have no idea of the relationship between this book and the previous ones in the series. And no idea what was going on at times or where they were.
It could have done with a prologue to update the reader on events so far.
There is constant pushing away from the Hero, push/pull so much so it was really irritating, it went on too long.
Plenty of other woman drama and interest from other males for the heroine too though there are no intimate scenes other than the Hero and heroine.
Virgin heroine.
Equivalent to man-whore type Hero as he has previously enjoyed his spoils of battle and women flock to him due to his position.
There were times when the Hero laughed or the heroine giggled and I didn't find the situation funny.
The worse thing about the book is obviously there are cultural differences and a huge language difference which can be interesting in a book but to have an alien Hero saying 'I dunno' really made me feel there was a lack of imagination on the author's part.
Big events happened and there was no discussion about what happened or what it meant as it was all kept for the big secret reveal later but it was unrealistic.
And the Hero is an idiot. I wished at one point she'd accept an offer from another male.
Lots of secondary characters that have potential for future storylines but not sure if that's on the cards.
This book felt, to me anyway, totally unrelated to the previous books in series.
HEA. But it's one of those books I felt the heroine might have been happy with someone else.
ARC. Sorry but it didn't work for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2024
This started off really strong, but I didn’t really care for the direction it went in. Had a lot of similarities to horde kings but not quite as good.
• audiobook is good.
•Black fmc
• audiobook is good.
•Black fmc
September 1, 2020
**** 4.5 stars ****
ARC received in exchange of an honest review
I have been followed this author for quite some time now. I even loved the previous books in the series.
And this book again is amazing!!
I am amazed at how easily she creates a whole new world in every book that too with the unimaginable story + characters + plotting.
The characters are completely different from the previous ones. He is a snakeshifter for God sake!!
And the heroine is a strong half human who SLAPPED the big monster in front of her!!
Characters were my favourite point in the whole story ❤️
I must say the names and the scientific terms where a bit confusing than the previous ones. The whole new world at one point became too much to grasp. But somehow I coped up with it and loved it as well!!
ARC received in exchange of an honest review
I have been followed this author for quite some time now. I even loved the previous books in the series.
And this book again is amazing!!
I am amazed at how easily she creates a whole new world in every book that too with the unimaginable story + characters + plotting.
The characters are completely different from the previous ones. He is a snakeshifter for God sake!!
And the heroine is a strong half human who SLAPPED the big monster in front of her!!
Characters were my favourite point in the whole story ❤️
I must say the names and the scientific terms where a bit confusing than the previous ones. The whole new world at one point became too much to grasp. But somehow I coped up with it and loved it as well!!
August 21, 2020
I received an e-ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. Review can also be found on *Milky Way of Books*
I have been following this author since my fellow GoodReads friends recommended her books to me. And boy was I surprised? I enjoyed the first two books which featured strong heroines and aliens of all shapes and kinds as all of them navigated intergalactic politics, cultural misunderstandings and their growing feelings.
While each book is loosely connected to each other, I do have a sense that all the couples will meet at some point. The protagonists of this specific book are Mian and Neheyuu. Mian is a human slave to what I think was a human settlement in this planet while Neheyuu is a snake-like shifter who is a chief of his clan.
When he raids Mian's slave camp, he kind of bargains with her as both don't know each other's language and she follows him in his home. As both try to learn about each other and also fall in love, Mian will grow as a woman who is beautiful and strong and brave despite what others thought of her.
This is a really good series which also strives to develop an intricate world-building with diverse and amazing alien forms
I have been following this author since my fellow GoodReads friends recommended her books to me. And boy was I surprised? I enjoyed the first two books which featured strong heroines and aliens of all shapes and kinds as all of them navigated intergalactic politics, cultural misunderstandings and their growing feelings.
While each book is loosely connected to each other, I do have a sense that all the couples will meet at some point. The protagonists of this specific book are Mian and Neheyuu. Mian is a human slave to what I think was a human settlement in this planet while Neheyuu is a snake-like shifter who is a chief of his clan.
When he raids Mian's slave camp, he kind of bargains with her as both don't know each other's language and she follows him in his home. As both try to learn about each other and also fall in love, Mian will grow as a woman who is beautiful and strong and brave despite what others thought of her.
This is a really good series which also strives to develop an intricate world-building with diverse and amazing alien forms
August 27, 2020
Elizabeth Stephens blew my mind again with a steamy and immersive sci-fi romance that I couldn’t put down. I love her Xiveri Mates series, and Taken to Sasor is no exception. The story follows Mian and Neheyuu, a life-long slave and a snake-shifting clan leader who find themselves questioning everything they believe in the name of love.
Mian is an incredibly brave woman. A slave her entire life, she bravely offers herself to save fellow slaves when a raiding party invades their village. Neheyuu, the leader of the raiding party and chief of his clan, takes her, allowing the other slaves to remain hidden. His manerak feels an instant connection to the fierce and brave slave. However, Neheyuu is conflicted. His desire to grow his clan and gain power among the other clans comes with certain expectations, and these expectations don’t leave room for his feelings for Mian. Mian, in turn, struggles with her desire for Neheyuu and her desire for safety and security with a kind partner, something Neheyuu cannot guarantee.
The story is told from both Mian and Neheyuu’s points of view. I like the use of dual narration and feel it adds to the character development. You get to understand Mian’s conflicting feelings and how she acclimates to this new and different world. Neheyuu is just as interesting since he is constantly battling his manerak almost to the brink of insanity.
In one of my previous reviews, I wrote about Stephens’ skill in creating a vivid and immersive universe. She continues this in Taken to Sasor, presenting not just a new world, but new cultures, traditions, and languages. As Mian learns the language, the reader does as well. Now, I can say things like, “yes,” “no problem,” and “f*ck of,” which I think is really sviking cool!
Something else I really liked about the book is the tremendous growth displayed by so many of the characters, especially Neheyuu and Mian. Neheyuu shows an incredible amount of growth and development as he struggles with his growing feelings for Mian, his sense of duty to his people, and his desire to lead and gain power. As the youngest clan leader, Neheyuu has a lot to prove. However, he acts rashly and doesn’t always think things through, which causes even more conflict. He also fights his feelings out of a sense of duty. Neheyuu has a lot to learn about being a leader and being true to himself before he can be a good partner to Mian, and his personal journey is fascinating.
Mian grows as well. She is a woman who suffered abuse and maltreatment as a slave for years. She is smart, kind, and curious, but she struggles with self-worth. Mian often considers herself unworthy of friendship, love, and affection even though she longs for security, safety, and a kind partner. As she becomes more ingratiated and accepted in Neheyuu’s tribe, she learns what it feels like to be part of a community and to be respected and cared for. Chimara, who is half-human, is one of the few who can easily communicate with Mian. The females develop a lovely friendship and support each other throughout the book, and I think Chimara contributes to Mian’s sense of worth. Of course, her growing feelings for Neheyuu and their powerful bond contributes to her growth the most. As the story progresses, Mian becomes more confident and self-assured, which is fantastic to see.
Finally, I have to talk about the super-steamy romance! The chemistry between Mian and Neheyuu is on fire! Attraction is certainly not their problem. Mian and Neheyuu are drawn to each other, and their connection is profound. Past experiences, social expectations and implications, and fear are Mian and Neheyuu’s biggest obstacles. Plus, there is an outside force that threatens their happiness and future as well.
A richly developed and steamy sci-fi romance, Taken to Sasor is a fabulous addition to the Xiveri Mates series. Even though it’s the third book in the series, it can totally be read as a standalone. However, I recommend you read the entire series because each story is amazing! Thanks so much to Elizabeth Stephens for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
Mian is an incredibly brave woman. A slave her entire life, she bravely offers herself to save fellow slaves when a raiding party invades their village. Neheyuu, the leader of the raiding party and chief of his clan, takes her, allowing the other slaves to remain hidden. His manerak feels an instant connection to the fierce and brave slave. However, Neheyuu is conflicted. His desire to grow his clan and gain power among the other clans comes with certain expectations, and these expectations don’t leave room for his feelings for Mian. Mian, in turn, struggles with her desire for Neheyuu and her desire for safety and security with a kind partner, something Neheyuu cannot guarantee.
The story is told from both Mian and Neheyuu’s points of view. I like the use of dual narration and feel it adds to the character development. You get to understand Mian’s conflicting feelings and how she acclimates to this new and different world. Neheyuu is just as interesting since he is constantly battling his manerak almost to the brink of insanity.
In one of my previous reviews, I wrote about Stephens’ skill in creating a vivid and immersive universe. She continues this in Taken to Sasor, presenting not just a new world, but new cultures, traditions, and languages. As Mian learns the language, the reader does as well. Now, I can say things like, “yes,” “no problem,” and “f*ck of,” which I think is really sviking cool!
Something else I really liked about the book is the tremendous growth displayed by so many of the characters, especially Neheyuu and Mian. Neheyuu shows an incredible amount of growth and development as he struggles with his growing feelings for Mian, his sense of duty to his people, and his desire to lead and gain power. As the youngest clan leader, Neheyuu has a lot to prove. However, he acts rashly and doesn’t always think things through, which causes even more conflict. He also fights his feelings out of a sense of duty. Neheyuu has a lot to learn about being a leader and being true to himself before he can be a good partner to Mian, and his personal journey is fascinating.
Mian grows as well. She is a woman who suffered abuse and maltreatment as a slave for years. She is smart, kind, and curious, but she struggles with self-worth. Mian often considers herself unworthy of friendship, love, and affection even though she longs for security, safety, and a kind partner. As she becomes more ingratiated and accepted in Neheyuu’s tribe, she learns what it feels like to be part of a community and to be respected and cared for. Chimara, who is half-human, is one of the few who can easily communicate with Mian. The females develop a lovely friendship and support each other throughout the book, and I think Chimara contributes to Mian’s sense of worth. Of course, her growing feelings for Neheyuu and their powerful bond contributes to her growth the most. As the story progresses, Mian becomes more confident and self-assured, which is fantastic to see.
Finally, I have to talk about the super-steamy romance! The chemistry between Mian and Neheyuu is on fire! Attraction is certainly not their problem. Mian and Neheyuu are drawn to each other, and their connection is profound. Past experiences, social expectations and implications, and fear are Mian and Neheyuu’s biggest obstacles. Plus, there is an outside force that threatens their happiness and future as well.
A richly developed and steamy sci-fi romance, Taken to Sasor is a fabulous addition to the Xiveri Mates series. Even though it’s the third book in the series, it can totally be read as a standalone. However, I recommend you read the entire series because each story is amazing! Thanks so much to Elizabeth Stephens for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
August 25, 2023
*4.5 stars
Taken to Sasor is about two characters we have not met yet in this series: Neheyuu and Mian. They meet when Neheyuu and his people raid the camp where Mian and many others are slaves. He finds her and takes her with him to his people. His people are like these Naga creatures who are able to shift into snake creatures, it was super cool! Their attraction is immediate, but there is a language barrier between the two. There's a problem though. Neheyuu planned on marrying a daughter to a well-off tribe in order to raise the standing of his. But his plans are wrenched when all he wants is this small human woman.
This was such an addictive read! I could not stop listening to this audio!
The audiobooks in this series slap so hard! I am a little sad this is the last one that is out at this moment, so I'm going to read them as ebooks instead.
This isn't a full five stars from me, because this hero just kept pissing me off lol.
TROPES: alien romance, dual narration, audiobooks, fated mates, KU, language barrier, maga creature, possessive hero, savior, shifter
Taken to Sasor is about two characters we have not met yet in this series: Neheyuu and Mian. They meet when Neheyuu and his people raid the camp where Mian and many others are slaves. He finds her and takes her with him to his people. His people are like these Naga creatures who are able to shift into snake creatures, it was super cool! Their attraction is immediate, but there is a language barrier between the two. There's a problem though. Neheyuu planned on marrying a daughter to a well-off tribe in order to raise the standing of his. But his plans are wrenched when all he wants is this small human woman.
This was such an addictive read! I could not stop listening to this audio!
The audiobooks in this series slap so hard! I am a little sad this is the last one that is out at this moment, so I'm going to read them as ebooks instead.
This isn't a full five stars from me, because this hero just kept pissing me off lol.
TROPES: alien romance, dual narration, audiobooks, fated mates, KU, language barrier, maga creature, possessive hero, savior, shifter
February 22, 2025
+/- 3 "I'm torn." Stars.
UGH! I don't know how to rate and review this book. I'm going to try to keep this short so I don't ramble. I loved this story. I loved Mian. She was definitely the superstar and the hero of this book. I thought Neheyuu was very immature and that he was an idiot. That was a part of the plot, but dang, it never ended. Also, this book needed an editor. It's confusing at times. And this world was so very different from the first two books in the series, which I was just getting the hang of all the terms and language stuff. Anyway, I will not ramble. I liked this story a lot, I think it needed work for the execution. Yes, I will be continuing the series... Happy reading!
UGH! I don't know how to rate and review this book. I'm going to try to keep this short so I don't ramble. I loved this story. I loved Mian. She was definitely the superstar and the hero of this book. I thought Neheyuu was very immature and that he was an idiot. That was a part of the plot, but dang, it never ended. Also, this book needed an editor. It's confusing at times. And this world was so very different from the first two books in the series, which I was just getting the hang of all the terms and language stuff. Anyway, I will not ramble. I liked this story a lot, I think it needed work for the execution. Yes, I will be continuing the series... Happy reading!
January 26, 2022
Quite honestly....I'm confused. This was by far one of the worst sci fi romances I've ever read. Seeing some of the other reviews for this book has me thinking that it's just me though. But I'll at least state my case.
I'm going to endeavor not to be cruel, because I really really wanted to like this book. But there were a number of things that I just couldn't bring myself to like about it. And then there was just nothing to like about it.
First, our main character. Mian.
She started off likable enough to me. Sweet, innocent, self sacrificing. What is there not to like. And there, was in which, lied the problem. She's a little special snow flake that can do no wrong. She's perfect, desired by our 1 dimensional alpha male (whom I will reframe from further commenting on, because he was just that boring), and every other male. She giggles all the time (incessantly) and she is just the sweetest thing in the universe.
And I'm sorry, but I hate female MC's like this. Especially when they remain this way the majority of the book. It makes them look shallow, underdeveloped, and unrealistic as a character. On top of that the writing was very cheesy. I wish I had counted how many time our male MC said he wanted to "mark" her, "rut" her, violate her with his massive snake shifter c*ck!!
These things usually don't bother me. I like alien romances. I like authors who think outside the box a little bit. But this was just done very poorly and without finesse. The sex scenes felt crude and awkward. I felt like I'd gone down the porn rabbit hole and ended up on a genre that I never knew existed and was promptly disturbed by.....
And I'm not blaming my lack of open mindedness; I've read some weird shit. Shit where sexual interaction between both love interests wasn't even physically possible, but the couple made it work. But in that rare scenario, these two characters had debt, relatability, and a friendship and love that transcended the physical that had been slowly developed over the course of four books.
That's not what I was asking for in this book at all. What I'm asking for is some slow, genuine, development between the characters. Yes, this is a sci fi erotica, but a little character development wouldn't hurt. These characters were just lacking on every level. I couldn't feel for them in the way I believe a reader should when reading a novel.
On top of that, the story was predictable (something I usually don't mind in an erotica, but damn this was bad), and the writing was meh.
Once again. I hated to give this book such a low rating, but despite trying to coach myself into liking it (even putting it down for a while and attempting to read it again), I just couldn't. Please take this review with a grain of salt, because this is simply my very biased opinion, and my standards for good sci fi romances is very high. 1 star.
February 24, 2023
Even if she does not believe it, she is the star I revolve around. The only star in my entire universe.4 stars
This is the third book in the Xiveri Mates series and though I've been reading them in faithful order, this can be read on its own with absolutely no loss of anything; it actually feels out of the realm of Books 1, 2, and 4—I haven't read 4 yet, but I know the couple from previous books.
So far, this is my favorite in the series. I liked the relationship between the hero and heroine the best and that they didn't just jump into bed together; it actually takes awhile for them to sleep together—well, sleep together they do quite early and often, but you know what I mean ... lol. Although there is more of a language barrier between them than the other couples in Books 1 and 2, the connection between them seemed more vital somehow and more touching; I loved how Mian and Neheyuu were with one another from almost the beginning and appreciated the tenderness to their relationship. I also liked seeing Neheyuu develop as First and in how he organized his tasmaran, though he really does go overboard at one point in the story and it's almost painful to watch.
I did get a little tired of the constant talk about his manerak and naxem and the three of him and the back and forth conversation between them. And found the manerak very difficult to picture and understand at first (continued to be difficult to picture for me).
August 28, 2020
Amusing. Clever. Sexy.
‘Taken to Sasor’ has everything from intense battles to scorching hot love scenes. I had intended to read this over a couple days. Once the story got going, I couldn’t put it down. It is a page turner!
Throughout the book various battles were fought. The alpha males vying for mates and status. The amusing battles between Mian and Neheyuu. The internal struggle between Neheyuu and his altered forms.
Elizabeth Stephens cleverly includes themes of diversity and empowerment within her stories. Mian’s freedom to choose was stressed throughout the book. Mian is appreciated for her strong character throughout the book. Things like this make me wish I had books like this when I was a young adult.
One aspect in particular made ‘Taken to Sasor’ a great read: humour. Bits of laugh out loud hilarity were interspersed throughout the story. Below is one of my favourite lines:
“From the moment you hit me in the face, I liked you.”
All in all it was sviking awesome book!
‘Taken to Sasor’ has everything from intense battles to scorching hot love scenes. I had intended to read this over a couple days. Once the story got going, I couldn’t put it down. It is a page turner!
Throughout the book various battles were fought. The alpha males vying for mates and status. The amusing battles between Mian and Neheyuu. The internal struggle between Neheyuu and his altered forms.
Elizabeth Stephens cleverly includes themes of diversity and empowerment within her stories. Mian’s freedom to choose was stressed throughout the book. Mian is appreciated for her strong character throughout the book. Things like this make me wish I had books like this when I was a young adult.
One aspect in particular made ‘Taken to Sasor’ a great read: humour. Bits of laugh out loud hilarity were interspersed throughout the story. Below is one of my favourite lines:
“From the moment you hit me in the face, I liked you.”
All in all it was sviking awesome book!
October 20, 2021
One of my top five books of this year! Outstanding world building, and excellent character arcs.
There are 17 tribes that live on Sasor. The people living within these tribes are called Manerak. These tribes worship the goddess of sky and stars called Sasorana.
It has been foretold that only the goddess Sasorana, has the power to free a Naxem (giant snake shifter) from the body of a Manerak. Because this hasn't happened in recent history, this legend isn't believed by many.
This is a unique story of shifters, with layers upon layers of world and character history. This story had more of a 'barbarian romance' feel to it than the previous two books.
I loved the female friendship in the story. Yes, there was the obligatory annoying ow, but the female friendship really shown through and felt incredibly heartfelt and genuine. Despite all the barbarian attitudes, this story is filled with women empowering women, and that is not something you often read about in books like this, or at all.
The writing!! As soon as I started to sympathize with one character, and was irritated with the other, the writing would shift and suddenly I was rooting for the character that just irritated me! I loved watching this couple mature and grow.
Highly recommended for fans of sci-fi, sci-fi romance, and barbarian love stories. It's magic, faded mates, goddesses, lady warriors, giant snake shifters, friendship, free love, and smokin hot sex.
"I call her ya reesa....little brave one.”This was a beautifully woven tale of two polar opposites, complete with power struggles and language barriers. It begins like most sci-fi romance books, but by the end of the story, these characters are equally as powerful in very different ways.
There are 17 tribes that live on Sasor. The people living within these tribes are called Manerak. These tribes worship the goddess of sky and stars called Sasorana.
It has been foretold that only the goddess Sasorana, has the power to free a Naxem (giant snake shifter) from the body of a Manerak. Because this hasn't happened in recent history, this legend isn't believed by many.
This is a unique story of shifters, with layers upon layers of world and character history. This story had more of a 'barbarian romance' feel to it than the previous two books.
I loved the female friendship in the story. Yes, there was the obligatory annoying ow, but the female friendship really shown through and felt incredibly heartfelt and genuine. Despite all the barbarian attitudes, this story is filled with women empowering women, and that is not something you often read about in books like this, or at all.
The writing!! As soon as I started to sympathize with one character, and was irritated with the other, the writing would shift and suddenly I was rooting for the character that just irritated me! I loved watching this couple mature and grow.
Highly recommended for fans of sci-fi, sci-fi romance, and barbarian love stories. It's magic, faded mates, goddesses, lady warriors, giant snake shifters, friendship, free love, and smokin hot sex.
August 20, 2023
This third book in the series was very much a standalone. And at first, this made me nervous because I’d gotten so invested in the plot arc of books one and two..
Until I realized that this hero was the stupidest Himbo I’ve ever seen. Absolutely dumb as bricks. And I was living 🤣
We had:
💛 alien barbarian tribes
💛 language barrier
💛 a blonde alien hero with literally one brain cell
💛 forked tongue snake shifters (where the shifted “selves” were separate personalities inside his head)
💛 a heroine whose 🎶 name is NO, sign is NO, number is NO
This book was just a blast and the unhinged drama had me face palming and groaning—in the best way possible.
You can’t go wrong starting with either book three or book one of this series. The worldbuilding is great, love all the little details, and the alien language words (you know I love a book that comes with a glossary). The fated mates obsession is truly unhinged. And the grittier plot points just make the grovel that much sweeter.
Until I realized that this hero was the stupidest Himbo I’ve ever seen. Absolutely dumb as bricks. And I was living 🤣
We had:
💛 alien barbarian tribes
💛 language barrier
💛 a blonde alien hero with literally one brain cell
💛 forked tongue snake shifters (where the shifted “selves” were separate personalities inside his head)
💛 a heroine whose 🎶 name is NO, sign is NO, number is NO
This book was just a blast and the unhinged drama had me face palming and groaning—in the best way possible.
You can’t go wrong starting with either book three or book one of this series. The worldbuilding is great, love all the little details, and the alien language words (you know I love a book that comes with a glossary). The fated mates obsession is truly unhinged. And the grittier plot points just make the grovel that much sweeter.
February 18, 2022
What is the point of this book in the series? It had nothing to do with the ones that came before it except book 2 mentioned in passing that there were humans elsewhere.
Also, there was a real lack of continuity in the communication. In the previous books, the aliens say “pleasure expression” instead of smile as if they know absolutely nothing, whereas these aliens say things like “I don’t want her getting cut on this shit.” But they have their own sviking curses? Also Tekevanki, the shunned other woman, gives Mian this great big speech about what a sessemara is and what happens, etc like Mian wasn’t just understanding one alien word at a time just a couple paragraphs ago.
I am very meh about this book and the H/h, but if it turns out none of this is relevant and only kept us one more book from Krisxox and Svera I’m gonna be super mad.
Also, there was a real lack of continuity in the communication. In the previous books, the aliens say “pleasure expression” instead of smile as if they know absolutely nothing, whereas these aliens say things like “I don’t want her getting cut on this shit.” But they have their own sviking curses? Also Tekevanki, the shunned other woman, gives Mian this great big speech about what a sessemara is and what happens, etc like Mian wasn’t just understanding one alien word at a time just a couple paragraphs ago.
I am very meh about this book and the H/h, but if it turns out none of this is relevant and only kept us one more book from Krisxox and Svera I’m gonna be super mad.
November 24, 2023
I'm loving this series. This one was a bit more drawn out but I liked some of the differences.
4 stars
3 on the spice scale
4 stars
3 on the spice scale
August 18, 2020
I received an ARC of this book last Friday, and by Sunday night I was finished. I completely devoured this book, all 600+ pages. I might have even gone into early Monday morning while reading it, I can’t remember. Time did not exist where this book was concerned.
From the world-building to the extremely vivid creature descriptions, this book absolutely sucked me in and held me in an iron grip. I typically pace myself with books, stopping at a reasonable time to start a new chapter, especially if it's a long one. This book left me no choice, I HAD to see what was going to happen next. It kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.
The characters are extremely lifelike and relatable. Mian is a former slave who had been abused for years, and is unsure of herself and her worth among the tasmaran, the nomadic group of raiders she becomes a part of. She finds comfort (and friendship not long after) in Chimara, a female warrior of the tasmaran who happens to be half-human. Despite her heritage, she’s tough as nails and not afraid to bite. And their leader, Neheyuu, is young, brash and confident, which often leads to recklessness that he shows numerous times throughout the book.
The pacing is not only realistic, but it fits the story very well. Many romances have an "insta-love" plot where the characters meet and fall in love in the same breath. The pacing in this novel not only gives the characters time to get to know Mian, and allow Mian time to learn their language, but it also lets her discover her position within the tasmaran and make a place for herself.
The imperfections of each character are what make them great characters, particularly Neheyuu. This isn’t a romance where hardships and conflict are brief, Neheyuu repeatedly makes mistakes, ending in bad consequences, but in the end, he learns from them, and works his ass off to fix them. He is successful in the end, and it makes the romance between him and Mian that much more rewarding – it really felt like he earned her.
And to make things even better, Mian herself wasn’t easy to win over. She didn’t forgive him easily for things he’d done or let them slide. She was quick to put her foot down without hesitation and let him know he messed up, letting her anger and disappointment show plainly .
The introduction of the rival female love interest was refreshingly done, too. It’s very common for rivals of the female lead to grow jealous to the point of irrationality and even brashness. However, while the rival tries to win Neheyuu over and take matters into her own hands with Mian, she soon realizes it’s a losing battle. And rather than staying and trying to sabotage the budding relationship between him and Mian, she recovers her loses and leaves at the upcoming sessemara, an elaborate mating ceremony. It’s a level of maturity and dare-I-say growth from an adversary that we often don’t see in other novels, and it worked out brilliantly in this one.
The banter between Neheyuu and his manerak was incredibly amusing. They knew more than he did, and were quick to call him out for being stupid when he acted like it.
I was rooting for Mian the entire way, and then ending happened, and I rooted for Chimara just as strongly. My God, that ENDING . Just when we think the plot twists are all over with, especially with two chapters left in the book, Stephens comes at us with a curveball. Without spoiling the ending, I will say that it is incredibly chilling, satisfying, and it serves to empower Mian more than any of her previous experiences had before.
Ultimately, this book is about a young woman finding inner strength (and then some), romance and everlasting friendship in the face of adversity and uncertainty, and coming out a brand new person as a result. Mian’s story was inspiring, moving, and most of all brave, entirely befitting a little brave one.
From the world-building to the extremely vivid creature descriptions, this book absolutely sucked me in and held me in an iron grip. I typically pace myself with books, stopping at a reasonable time to start a new chapter, especially if it's a long one. This book left me no choice, I HAD to see what was going to happen next. It kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.
The characters are extremely lifelike and relatable. Mian is a former slave who had been abused for years, and is unsure of herself and her worth among the tasmaran, the nomadic group of raiders she becomes a part of. She finds comfort (and friendship not long after) in Chimara, a female warrior of the tasmaran who happens to be half-human. Despite her heritage, she’s tough as nails and not afraid to bite. And their leader, Neheyuu, is young, brash and confident, which often leads to recklessness that he shows numerous times throughout the book.
The pacing is not only realistic, but it fits the story very well. Many romances have an "insta-love" plot where the characters meet and fall in love in the same breath. The pacing in this novel not only gives the characters time to get to know Mian, and allow Mian time to learn their language, but it also lets her discover her position within the tasmaran and make a place for herself.
The imperfections of each character are what make them great characters, particularly Neheyuu. This isn’t a romance where hardships and conflict are brief, Neheyuu repeatedly makes mistakes, ending in bad consequences, but in the end, he learns from them, and works his ass off to fix them. He is successful in the end, and it makes the romance between him and Mian that much more rewarding – it really felt like he earned her.
And to make things even better, Mian herself wasn’t easy to win over. She didn’t forgive him easily for things he’d done or let them slide. She was quick to put her foot down without hesitation and let him know he messed up, letting her anger and disappointment show plainly .
The introduction of the rival female love interest was refreshingly done, too. It’s very common for rivals of the female lead to grow jealous to the point of irrationality and even brashness. However, while the rival tries to win Neheyuu over and take matters into her own hands with Mian, she soon realizes it’s a losing battle. And rather than staying and trying to sabotage the budding relationship between him and Mian, she recovers her loses and leaves at the upcoming sessemara, an elaborate mating ceremony. It’s a level of maturity and dare-I-say growth from an adversary that we often don’t see in other novels, and it worked out brilliantly in this one.
The banter between Neheyuu and his manerak was incredibly amusing. They knew more than he did, and were quick to call him out for being stupid when he acted like it.
I was rooting for Mian the entire way, and then ending happened, and I rooted for Chimara just as strongly. My God, that ENDING . Just when we think the plot twists are all over with, especially with two chapters left in the book, Stephens comes at us with a curveball. Without spoiling the ending, I will say that it is incredibly chilling, satisfying, and it serves to empower Mian more than any of her previous experiences had before.
Ultimately, this book is about a young woman finding inner strength (and then some), romance and everlasting friendship in the face of adversity and uncertainty, and coming out a brand new person as a result. Mian’s story was inspiring, moving, and most of all brave, entirely befitting a little brave one.
August 17, 2020
This is book 3 in Xiveri mates series. This one felt like the start of new series and not part of the current one. I enjoyed the heroine and enjoyed the fish out of water aspect in this book. Reading her find friends and family for the first time was great. There are some really great female side characters that I would be interested in seeing get their own book. Now, to the hero. The 1st half of the book I wanted to strangle him at times and I'm glad his animal took him to task as well as some of the female warriors. The book does have a HEA so he gets his act together and figures out how to be who Mian needs.
March 27, 2024
Very different vibe from the other books in the series
September 1, 2020
In my top favorites of 2020!
This was my first alien shifter romance and I loved it! Elizabeth Stephens has created this fictional world I could definitely see on the big screen. This enemies-to-lovers romance grabbed my attention and I couldn't put it down. The author vividly describes these places, characters, and language, to where I see and feel them as if I am a part of their story. It was so fascinating to immerse myself into these characters and their stories. I highly suggest you give this author and series a try! You won’t regret it!
This was my first alien shifter romance and I loved it! Elizabeth Stephens has created this fictional world I could definitely see on the big screen. This enemies-to-lovers romance grabbed my attention and I couldn't put it down. The author vividly describes these places, characters, and language, to where I see and feel them as if I am a part of their story. It was so fascinating to immerse myself into these characters and their stories. I highly suggest you give this author and series a try! You won’t regret it!
March 5, 2026
This is a stand-alone in the Xiveri Mates series, although it is set up in book two. I wish I had skipped it and gone right on to Svera's book, and maybe picked it up when I had finished all the others. Mian is a slave, traded or stolen from master to master (so very low ranked for having had so many, as evidenced by her many masters' tattoos on her skin). She is discovered by the shifter Neheyuu during a raid when she sacrificed herself to save the other hiding slaves.
So of course he is drawn to her fated mates-style while constantly denying it and thinking of her as just another slave for him to rut and return to the pens. Anyone who reads a shifter romance lives for the whole, we have to stop early for the day riding and "It has nothing at all to do with the fact that even though she has ridden well, I can tell that she is struggling and I am worried. Tszk, it has nothing to do with that. Nothing at all." and "Shame washes through me that Erkan is treating his female better than I am treating mine. She isn't mine. She's just a slave, and will soon be just another faceless member of our tribe." This goes on for a while, while we see his top aide repeatedly laughing at him and his delusions. It's always fun.
Neheyuu plans on mating a top female from another tribe to gain prestige and join forces. He's just keeping Mian as a bed slave, even though he already has one, he figures he'll keep both. What follows is an overly long (by a good 50 pages) section of this whole denial on his part while they have hot bed action, and her integrating herself with the tribe and being so nice and useful that she becomes a valued member. Like we sure get a feel for the slow process of becoming used to local cultures and mores, because it spools out over a lot of pages.
Here's what I liked a lot about this book. The world building is, as usual, intricate and interesting, including mythology, language, and three different shifter forms with different personalities. The centering of female friendships and the roles of women in the tribe. The cultural weight and societal prestige of different shatter abilities. The way that Mian was a vital and important member of the tribe before her secret status was revealed.
Here's what I found a little more challenging as a reader. First off, Neheyuu. Not only is he a guy who regularly takes humans as prizes (the norm) but uses them to relax after a raid with a good round of rutting "I'd let my warriors rut themselves into oblivion [...] I'd be among them, cock deep in the female I'd chosen. Whatever female appealed to me the best." I mean being an enslaver who SA's his prizes isn't *great* but I guess its the culture? He takes Mian with every intention of adding her to the rotation. Even once he's in love, he's kinda a jerk. He's not a particularly good leader, favoring those with the highest shifter status for training as warriors, sloppy in execution, doesn't plan strategically, doesn't inspire loyalty. When he makes changes its all "seem like smart steps. seem like calculated ones. [...] Not anything our first is known for. But maybe it's just random. Who knows." He also pulls the old, here's an ultimatum and if you don't take it immediately then I don't want anything to do with you, wait come back! more than once. He won't claim her but he makes sure no one else will want her either. His aide speaks for me when she says "I always knew that your being stupid would be a problem for the tasmanian, but I didn't realize how big of a problem. Or how stupid."
A huge plot point that I also never fully bought is that (this is not a huge spoiler but I'll tag it just in case)
I'm taking a break from this series and then I'll pick back up with Svera's book.
So of course he is drawn to her fated mates-style while constantly denying it and thinking of her as just another slave for him to rut and return to the pens. Anyone who reads a shifter romance lives for the whole, we have to stop early for the day riding and "It has nothing at all to do with the fact that even though she has ridden well, I can tell that she is struggling and I am worried. Tszk, it has nothing to do with that. Nothing at all." and "Shame washes through me that Erkan is treating his female better than I am treating mine. She isn't mine. She's just a slave, and will soon be just another faceless member of our tribe." This goes on for a while, while we see his top aide repeatedly laughing at him and his delusions. It's always fun.
Neheyuu plans on mating a top female from another tribe to gain prestige and join forces. He's just keeping Mian as a bed slave, even though he already has one, he figures he'll keep both. What follows is an overly long (by a good 50 pages) section of this whole denial on his part while they have hot bed action, and her integrating herself with the tribe and being so nice and useful that she becomes a valued member. Like we sure get a feel for the slow process of becoming used to local cultures and mores, because it spools out over a lot of pages.
Here's what I liked a lot about this book. The world building is, as usual, intricate and interesting, including mythology, language, and three different shifter forms with different personalities. The centering of female friendships and the roles of women in the tribe. The cultural weight and societal prestige of different shatter abilities. The way that Mian was a vital and important member of the tribe before her secret status was revealed.
Here's what I found a little more challenging as a reader. First off, Neheyuu. Not only is he a guy who regularly takes humans as prizes (the norm) but uses them to relax after a raid with a good round of rutting "I'd let my warriors rut themselves into oblivion [...] I'd be among them, cock deep in the female I'd chosen. Whatever female appealed to me the best." I mean being an enslaver who SA's his prizes isn't *great* but I guess its the culture? He takes Mian with every intention of adding her to the rotation. Even once he's in love, he's kinda a jerk. He's not a particularly good leader, favoring those with the highest shifter status for training as warriors, sloppy in execution, doesn't plan strategically, doesn't inspire loyalty. When he makes changes its all "seem like smart steps. seem like calculated ones. [...] Not anything our first is known for. But maybe it's just random. Who knows." He also pulls the old, here's an ultimatum and if you don't take it immediately then I don't want anything to do with you, wait come back! more than once. He won't claim her but he makes sure no one else will want her either. His aide speaks for me when she says "I always knew that your being stupid would be a problem for the tasmanian, but I didn't realize how big of a problem. Or how stupid."
A huge plot point that I also never fully bought is that (this is not a huge spoiler but I'll tag it just in case)
I'm taking a break from this series and then I'll pick back up with Svera's book.
August 17, 2020
3.5 stars: This was a strange book for me. The first half felt disconnected from the rest of the series initially. Mian's character was a bit flat and Neheyuu's wishy washy attitude went on too long. Even though there is eventually a happy ending, it seemed throughout most of the book that Mian would've rather been with someone else. Then, suddenly the writing all came together.
Part of what makes this series enjoyable is that every book is unique. The characters and settings are different with the background story arc carrying throughout. Stronger female characters usually interest me more but I can see with Mian's past why she'd be meek. I think my favorite scene was Dandena slugging Neheyuu. Her reaction speaks for all of us. "Dandena is holding onto her hair like she's worried the unshaved half will fly off her head. 'I always knew that your being stupid would be a problem... but I didn't realize how big a problem or how stupid'" I literally laughed out loud.
Even if you hate snakes, as I do, (that's a hint) I'd still suggest reading it as I love Elizabeth Stephens writing and Xiveri Mates series. I am waiting on pins and needles for Svera's story (which is next)!
Part of what makes this series enjoyable is that every book is unique. The characters and settings are different with the background story arc carrying throughout. Stronger female characters usually interest me more but I can see with Mian's past why she'd be meek. I think my favorite scene was Dandena slugging Neheyuu. Her reaction speaks for all of us. "Dandena is holding onto her hair like she's worried the unshaved half will fly off her head. 'I always knew that your being stupid would be a problem... but I didn't realize how big a problem or how stupid'" I literally laughed out loud.
Even if you hate snakes, as I do, (that's a hint) I'd still suggest reading it as I love Elizabeth Stephens writing and Xiveri Mates series. I am waiting on pins and needles for Svera's story (which is next)!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2024
HELLO, HOT TOXIC SNAKE ALIEN MAN.
this is by far my favorite of the xiveri mates series. where most of the books in this series lean a bit darker than i tend to enjoy, taken to sasor was fun, toxic in the kind of way that speaks to my soul (possessive, i-don’t-want-you-but-i-do-but-i-don’t-want-anyone-to-know love interest is delicious every time), with an interesting in-world plot that makes this a strong standalone independent of what’s going on on the other planets in this universe – making it easy enough to skip ahead to if you also struggled with a few of the other books in this series.
if you love hot toxic alien hate sex and aren’t afraid of giant snakes, add to your tbr, especially if you’re a fan of zoey draven’s horde king series because the worldbuilding vibes are very similar.
i’m genuinely sad this is a standalone because there’s so much storytelling potential here in-world with other characters. manifesting more sasor stories in 2025 because i miss them already.
this is by far my favorite of the xiveri mates series. where most of the books in this series lean a bit darker than i tend to enjoy, taken to sasor was fun, toxic in the kind of way that speaks to my soul (possessive, i-don’t-want-you-but-i-do-but-i-don’t-want-anyone-to-know love interest is delicious every time), with an interesting in-world plot that makes this a strong standalone independent of what’s going on on the other planets in this universe – making it easy enough to skip ahead to if you also struggled with a few of the other books in this series.
if you love hot toxic alien hate sex and aren’t afraid of giant snakes, add to your tbr, especially if you’re a fan of zoey draven’s horde king series because the worldbuilding vibes are very similar.
i’m genuinely sad this is a standalone because there’s so much storytelling potential here in-world with other characters. manifesting more sasor stories in 2025 because i miss them already.
March 15, 2025
4.5 rounded up!
Okay so this story is in a galaxy away from my crew. We finally have an alien who is very Earth male dummy coded hahaha
The shifter voices inside his head were so funny because they were dragging Neheyuu up and down for how he was FUMBLING our girl. Mian is so much a sweetie and truly should not have to be yoked with such a grump. Imma be honest, he really did not deserve her, but since everybody and they mama knew this to be true, it still works hahaha
Anywho, this book honestly got 4 of the stars from the bestiehood. Chimara is HER! The bestie love story between Chimara and Mian was so sweet. Chimara did NOT play about Mian and BACKED IT ALL THE WAY UP repeatedly!
Also round of applause for my other girl Dandena who was OVER the whole male species and stayed with her foot on their necks. Love her forever and ever!!
Even if this wasn't my favorite love story in the series, Elizabeth still delivered a fun tale full of so much heart💕
Okay so this story is in a galaxy away from my crew. We finally have an alien who is very Earth male dummy coded hahaha
The shifter voices inside his head were so funny because they were dragging Neheyuu up and down for how he was FUMBLING our girl. Mian is so much a sweetie and truly should not have to be yoked with such a grump. Imma be honest, he really did not deserve her, but since everybody and they mama knew this to be true, it still works hahaha
Anywho, this book honestly got 4 of the stars from the bestiehood. Chimara is HER! The bestie love story between Chimara and Mian was so sweet. Chimara did NOT play about Mian and BACKED IT ALL THE WAY UP repeatedly!
Also round of applause for my other girl Dandena who was OVER the whole male species and stayed with her foot on their necks. Love her forever and ever!!
Even if this wasn't my favorite love story in the series, Elizabeth still delivered a fun tale full of so much heart💕
August 16, 2020
Wow! I was anticipating the next book in the Xiveri Mates collection and I was Not disappointed! Even if you have not read the other stories, you will be sucked in by the phenomenal world building Elizabeth Stephens creates! You feel the hunger and fear as well as the anticipation and hope. This story is about a human woman, Mian, who has been a slave all of her life. Neheyuu, the leader of a raiding party, finds her during a raid and keeps her, allowing the slaves she was hiding with to remain hidden. The indigenous people are able to shift into a snake-like form that still has 2 arms and 2 legs. The humans they capture are taught their language and customs and encouraged to assimilate. However, Neheyuu does not want Mian to be with anyone but himself.
I didn’t want to put the story down until I finished it! If I could give more stars I would. That is how much I enjoyed the storytelling.
I didn’t want to put the story down until I finished it! If I could give more stars I would. That is how much I enjoyed the storytelling.
August 31, 2024
4.5 wreath stars
My favorite of this series yet (it can be read as a stand alone, previous knowledge of the series will not majorly affect understanding of this book). I adored reading the MMC POV. His internal struggles with his other forms were precious. I loved the character growth of both the FMC and the MMC, and the evolution and slow acceptance of their relationship.
It was however a bit too long, some parts could have been cut down.
My favorite of this series yet (it can be read as a stand alone, previous knowledge of the series will not majorly affect understanding of this book). I adored reading the MMC POV. His internal struggles with his other forms were precious. I loved the character growth of both the FMC and the MMC, and the evolution and slow acceptance of their relationship.
It was however a bit too long, some parts could have been cut down.
Read
October 28, 2024DNF
The writing style made the story somewhat difficult to follow. Quickly lost interest.
The writing style made the story somewhat difficult to follow. Quickly lost interest.
August 28, 2020
Absolutely freaking fantastic!!
These aliens have me 100% hooked and each book I promise myself I will take my time & make it last - I never do. I binge them in a day. This is book 3 in the series but could definitely be read as a stand-alone.
This one is a little different to the first two, in terms of what kind of alien the hero is. He’s definitely less”human.” But it’s still a beautifully written love story which is character focused and full of rich imagery. You feel like you’re part of this other world.
Mian and Neheyuu’s story had me smiling so much. He is so unintentionally funny I was constantly laughing. I loved the secondary characters and the depth they brought to the story and the ending left me with a happy smile on my face. Cannot wait for more in this series.
I received an arc of this book.
These aliens have me 100% hooked and each book I promise myself I will take my time & make it last - I never do. I binge them in a day. This is book 3 in the series but could definitely be read as a stand-alone.
This one is a little different to the first two, in terms of what kind of alien the hero is. He’s definitely less”human.” But it’s still a beautifully written love story which is character focused and full of rich imagery. You feel like you’re part of this other world.
Mian and Neheyuu’s story had me smiling so much. He is so unintentionally funny I was constantly laughing. I loved the secondary characters and the depth they brought to the story and the ending left me with a happy smile on my face. Cannot wait for more in this series.
I received an arc of this book.
September 2, 2024
I badly wanted to like this because this features a jealous possessive male afraid to lose his female but something in it feels wrong- like how wrong it would actually feel in real life if someone’s derangely possessive towards a person 😅
Mian is a human slave discovered by Neheyuu, from a species of aliens that can transform into maneraks or snakemen, and took her for himself. Additionally, among their tribes is a myth or legend regarding Naxem, a form of full, powerful snake that is worshipped by the alien tribe.
I appreciate the world building in this planet, since it’s vastly different from the first two books, and has a different language, and a different goddess that they worship. The concept of Xiveri mates is not as widely acknowledged as is in the previous, but it’s there.
Somewhere along reading this book I got so frustrated with Neheyuu for his denial and selfishness, both of which he is aware of, which make things all the more grating. I also feel there was a missed opportunity in writing in his grovelling, because it felt unsatisfying because Mian was so forgiving. Sigh.
Plus, I hate that he was finding another female in their tribe attractive, and even considered sleeping with her if she wasn’t kin…!!!!! And this was during his insane meltdown when he thought he lost Mian and wanted to win her back. Like wtf?????? That line in itself immediately dropped my rating to two stars! But the friendship between Chimara and Mian touches me, hence it’s 2.5 stars rounded off.
I’m diving into the next one, the one I’m really looking forward to reaidng- Krisxox and Svera. Now I want to be blown away, Elizabath!!!
Mian is a human slave discovered by Neheyuu, from a species of aliens that can transform into maneraks or snakemen, and took her for himself. Additionally, among their tribes is a myth or legend regarding Naxem, a form of full, powerful snake that is worshipped by the alien tribe.
I appreciate the world building in this planet, since it’s vastly different from the first two books, and has a different language, and a different goddess that they worship. The concept of Xiveri mates is not as widely acknowledged as is in the previous, but it’s there.
Somewhere along reading this book I got so frustrated with Neheyuu for his denial and selfishness, both of which he is aware of, which make things all the more grating. I also feel there was a missed opportunity in writing in his grovelling, because it felt unsatisfying because Mian was so forgiving. Sigh.
Plus, I hate that he was finding another female in their tribe attractive, and even considered sleeping with her if she wasn’t kin…!!!!! And this was during his insane meltdown when he thought he lost Mian and wanted to win her back. Like wtf?????? That line in itself immediately dropped my rating to two stars! But the friendship between Chimara and Mian touches me, hence it’s 2.5 stars rounded off.
I’m diving into the next one, the one I’m really looking forward to reaidng- Krisxox and Svera. Now I want to be blown away, Elizabath!!!
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