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Xiveri Mates #7
Taken by the Pikosa Warlord
Halima
I’m wrenched from a five thousand year sleep into a new world. It was supposed to be uninhabited. Humans were supposed to have died off. Those of us preserved in the stasis tanks were supposed to rebuild.
But there were survivors.
And now those survivors have formed factions. The leading tribes enslave those weaker and language keeps them apart.
Funny, because in my past life I was the interpreter and I intend to bridge the gaps so that when we escape, we do it together. But I have to get past the warlord watching me first.
Ero
Communication between tribes is unheard of. Forbidden. A death sentence. I should kill the little slave that dares defy this edict.
But the signs suggest something unthinkable. That this little creature is mine.
I need to find a way to get rid of her before she dismantles everything, escapes, liberates slaves, brings warring tribes to my doorstep…but to do that, I’ll have rid myself of this weight she hung around my throat like the loop end of a noose.
Want. She makes me want her.
Taken by the Pikosa Warlord is a full length (100k word) barbarian warlord romance that takes place on the war and climate-ravaged Earth that the satellite humans now living in Voraxia and Sasor left behind. It is a complete standalone with a smart tenacious heroine, the violent warlord unsure what to do with her and a happily ever after.
I’m wrenched from a five thousand year sleep into a new world. It was supposed to be uninhabited. Humans were supposed to have died off. Those of us preserved in the stasis tanks were supposed to rebuild.
But there were survivors.
And now those survivors have formed factions. The leading tribes enslave those weaker and language keeps them apart.
Funny, because in my past life I was the interpreter and I intend to bridge the gaps so that when we escape, we do it together. But I have to get past the warlord watching me first.
Ero
Communication between tribes is unheard of. Forbidden. A death sentence. I should kill the little slave that dares defy this edict.
But the signs suggest something unthinkable. That this little creature is mine.
I need to find a way to get rid of her before she dismantles everything, escapes, liberates slaves, brings warring tribes to my doorstep…but to do that, I’ll have rid myself of this weight she hung around my throat like the loop end of a noose.
Want. She makes me want her.
Taken by the Pikosa Warlord is a full length (100k word) barbarian warlord romance that takes place on the war and climate-ravaged Earth that the satellite humans now living in Voraxia and Sasor left behind. It is a complete standalone with a smart tenacious heroine, the violent warlord unsure what to do with her and a happily ever after.
385 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 23, 2021
167 people are currently reading
608 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Stephens
79 books1,379 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 145 reviews
January 5, 2022
So if the previous book seemed in a much lighter vein this one was totally the opposite. It's definitely the darkest one of the series and bloody hell it was good. This is book seven and can be read as a standalone there are no overlapping characters and it’s actually set back here on Earth. A group of selected humans slept the years away expecting to awaken to a ravaged empty earth. One where they were equipped with the skills to survive and rebuild each person had a role or purpose and Halima having a flair for languages is the interpreter of the group. Instead, they awaken many years later but at the mercy and now slaves to the Pikosa a warlike band of warriors evolved or maybe more accurately devolved humans who inhabit a cave system beneath the surface.
My heart was racing throughout this it had such an edge of your seat anything could happen vibe that made me incredibly nervous. Here the villain definitely wins the girl and make no mistake Ero is so far from a good man initially your going to absolutely hate him I guarantee. there’s no instant lust upon meeting Halima no instant epiphany she is mine moment. Ero fights his instincts every step of the way his care for Halima is a brutal gradual thing that evolves during the course of this and he seems as confused and initially reluctant as possible not really understanding why he is drawn to this unimportant slave. It’s his realisation that she can understand and communicate that catches his eye initially and he is definitely wary and even apprehensive about the signs he sees wanting to ignore or even get rid of her the cause rather than acknowledge the possibilities.
Earth today is a dangerous place the surface is perilous with many dangers there’s sandstorms and huge scorpion-like snakes. People have dwindled in numbers and have evolved into different tribes each with their own distinct characteristics. They war against each other and even within their own tribe's solidarity is no more and only the strong seem to survive.
From the first initial meeting with Ero, we get a sense of his ruthless brutality. He’s definitely a warlord and Slaves under his regime are treated badly: they are beaten broken and toyed with sometimes just for amusement. He is initially cruel and lacks any basic empathy. Halimi herself even initially suffers harshly at his hands. Slaves are treated abysmally I mentioned the physical abuse but there also kept dirty with no access to basic cleaning facilities or clothes segregated in the mines and fed on slave rations forced to work for their overlords who will whip them for the slightest transgression or even end up food for the crocs who inhabit the cave system. The only thing really off the table here is actual assault and that’s mostly because of a fear of spreading disease and unwanted pregnancies.
Halina’s presence is the catalyst for change it’s not initially easy far from it and a lot occurs before we even get to this point. She needs to teach Ero that together they are stronger all of them it initially needs a practical display showcasing just what they all bring to the table that despite appearances there not weak and useless and possess skills. The odds are stacked against success and trust is slow. There is also opposition from both sides. But Ero and Halina realise they are stronger together as a team than apart.
This was as expected beautifully written and the language at times felt so profound. I adore this author and each book she writes has its own flavour it’s not the same old plot rehash they each are unique and stand on their own merit. I was actually surprised by the overly dark vibe of this one not expecting it, I’ve got to say it was pulled off splendidly and I fell for the hero who initially seemed unredeemable. I especially liked how true he stayed to his own self whilst also retaining the edge that made him who he was. He mellowed and became much more willing to listen to others. But I never once thought he’d gone soft he was still the same tough and brutal warlord just tempered slightly by his new emotions and somewhat optimistic with what the future could hold.
Ero definitely did a 360 in his treatment of Halina and these two had so much chemistry and believability together the love they eventually felt for each other did shine through. This story actually blew me away with how good it was. The world-building is again first class and the writing flawless This has now joined book three taken to Sasor as my joint-favourite It's the other standalone in the series and for the moment it’s a toss-up between the two. I recommend this series 110% I’m going to be so sad when it ends it really is that good. If you like sci-fi romance with exceptional world-building and multi-dimensional and diverse characters then this is definitely the series for you. I voluntary reviewed a copy of taken by the Pikosa warlord.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com
July 19, 2025
4 1/2 "Together" Stars!
Y'all Elizabeth Stephens and her Xiveri Mates series has a hold on me! I absolutely love these books and Taken by the Pikosa Warloard is no exception!
This book was harsh, action packed, hilarious, and so stinking sweet I could hardly stand it. How ES was able to pull all that off was impressive. Ero is a brute for real. He does some things that were haed to get over. But I did... Halima was good through and through. But she was in no way and by no means a doormat. Nope! She went toe to toe with this warlord.
If you want an untraditional, post apocalyptic, barbarian, culture shock, action packed, show not tell, funny, brutal, sweet, spicy love story, try this one!
It's book seven in the series but can be read as a complete standalone. Happy reading!
Y'all Elizabeth Stephens and her Xiveri Mates series has a hold on me! I absolutely love these books and Taken by the Pikosa Warloard is no exception!
This book was harsh, action packed, hilarious, and so stinking sweet I could hardly stand it. How ES was able to pull all that off was impressive. Ero is a brute for real. He does some things that were haed to get over. But I did... Halima was good through and through. But she was in no way and by no means a doormat. Nope! She went toe to toe with this warlord.
If you want an untraditional, post apocalyptic, barbarian, culture shock, action packed, show not tell, funny, brutal, sweet, spicy love story, try this one!
It's book seven in the series but can be read as a complete standalone. Happy reading!
September 4, 2021
I was expecting a barbarian hero like Khal Drogo from Game of Throne
Basically there are a bunch of different tribes, they all have different hair and eye colors. Humans were sleeping for thousands of years after Earth became a desert. They were woken up to become slaves.
So it's really dark and depressing and whippings and slave stuff and there was not much romance in the first half of the book.
I recommend Golden Dynasty by Kristen Ashley if you want to read about a barbarian warlord hero.
Basically there are a bunch of different tribes, they all have different hair and eye colors. Humans were sleeping for thousands of years after Earth became a desert. They were woken up to become slaves.
So it's really dark and depressing and whippings and slave stuff and there was not much romance in the first half of the book.
I recommend Golden Dynasty by Kristen Ashley if you want to read about a barbarian warlord hero.
August 24, 2021
I received an ARC of this book and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
If you just came back from Lemora and it left you with a warm, fuzzy feeling in your chest, the Pikosa Warlord is going to promptly crush it into dust with the heel of his boot. This is by far the darkest and bloodiest book in the series, and I don’t mean that to exaggerate . There are multiple depictions of mass death and violence against others throughout the book , so if this is something you’re uncomfortable reading about, you might want to skip this one. (And since this book is a standalone in the series, it will be safe to skip if you so choose!)
The opening scene where we meet the h, a woman of Egyptian descent named Halima, is a callback to the first few chapters and the final chapter of Taken to Kor, when Deena and the Niahhoru pirates find the doomed human satellite full of hundreds of humans in stasis tanks, and eventually open them to free the humans inside. An interpreter trained in etymology who has studied languages her entire life, Halima is quite literally dragged into reality and wakes up to a terrifying and confusing world in full-blown chaos. To her horror, a race of humanoid beings has woken her and the rest of her team up earlier than they planned, and are in the process of abducting and enslaving them.
What follows is a prolonged, hellish nightmare not just for Halima, but for the rest of her team . Halima is slight and unassuming enough that she is instantly ruled out as one of the leaders of her team, and therefore not given a second glance, but she has an ace up her sleeve. With her background, she is given a special assignment by her leaders – stay silent, do not communicate with them, and try to determine any weaknesses to exploit so they can escape. Because unbeknownst to the humanoids, known as the Pikosa, Halima can understand their language, as well as the languages of the other species enslaved with them, a feat that spells disaster for the warlord overseeing them all.
The leader of the Pikosa is the H, Ero. A warlord in his prime, he is cruelty and brutality personified . Torture, pillaging, chattel slavery and bloodshed are his very nature, aspects of his way of life to which he doesn’t bat an eye. But despite everything he has done and witnessed, the biggest threat he ever encounters comes in the form of a Tanishi (their word for humans, translating to little ones) woman half his size who can understand his language. The Earth that the Pikosa have inherited is literally a world away from the Earth Halima and her team left behind. In Ero’s world, that Halima can understand him , and potentially communicate with him is an impossibility he can’t afford to ignore. An impossibility made worse by the sudden appearance of a series of signs that indicate that Halima is meant to be his. And while Ero grapples with his budding feelings for Halima , as well as the risk she brings to everything he’s worked to achieve, Halima works to escape not just with her team, but with the other species that have been enslaved by the Pikosa.
What I love about this book is how different it is compared to the rest of the series. It shows us that while the humans who escaped Earth before the climate crisis have been thriving on other planets in other galaxies, things on Earth itself have been much, much worse. And the same goes for the humans who were chosen to stay on-planet to wait out the catastrophe that befell it. It gives us context on why the humans fled to the stars in the first place, and it shows us exactly what they left behind – an uninhabitable planet decimated by catastrophic climate change. And judging by the characters’ reactions to the Pikosa’s existence , it was meant to stay that way for a long, long time. We also get a glimpse at how the humans ended up in the tanks – .
For all its grittiness, there were plenty of moments that made the book very humorous . And as Stephens mentions in the author’s note at the end, this has the potential to segue into a new series featuring the characters we’ve met in this book and the other tribes we’ve met . While this is a standalone, it has a good place in the series. At some point, while reading about the humans on fantastical planets that are definitely not within our galaxy, we have to wonder – what happened to Earth? Why did some humans escape and others end in stasis? How did this happen? And this book fills in the gaps.
The greatest sticking point for me was how Stephens masterfully illustrated Halima's thought-processes during all of her interactions with members of the other tribes, other Pikosa, and eventually Ero. The tribes all speak incredibly evolved (or archaic) versions of the languages that were spoken on Earth pre-climate catastrophe, so in Halima's mind, it's all a jumble of words that sound like they should be familiar to her, but initially are not. But Halima, brilliant that she is, pieces the jumbles together by separating the words in a sentence that does make sense, define them, and form words in the languages she does know to get her answers. In the chapters that were told from Ero's perspective, almost everything Halima says comes out as partially broken, hack-sawed, and at times archaic in the word usage, and it's because of this reason. She pieces together the new world around her, in real-time, using her knowledge of the old world.
Halima’s efforts to free her team and the other enslaved species transcend success. She inadvertently teaches all of them the importance of anidi laye - togetherness. And this becomes the central theme of the book. Halima and her team are together when they were enslaved, , they are together when they reach the surface, , and they are together when they decide to build new lives on the Earth they now inhabit. This is completely different to the Pikosa isolating themselves and not believing in communicating with other tribes for any reason, and in a way, it's indicative of how the societies on Earth collapsed. In the end, every one of the characters in each of the tribes recognizes the importance of being together. The phrase "strength in numbers" is quite literally put to the test multiple times, and it was beyond empowering to see them realize this in real-time .
And for all its differences, this does bear some similarity to the last book. Both the H's in Lemora and Pikosa start out as unlikable to a degree . What brings them anidi laye is how they change throughout the story and become at least somewhat likable versions of the people they were in the beginning. Ero reminds Halima, himself and others that he, by no means, is a good man. Not just because of what he's done, but who he is. And Halima is written so intelligently that she recognizes this in the beginning, doesn't lose sight of it for one minute, and doesn't forget about it throughout the book, no matter what Ero did that might have convinced her otherwise. But there's reconciliation by the end of it – Ero recognizes the violence that made him who he is as part of his nature that won't ever go away, but with Halima at his side, he will no longer need it.
I absolutely loved this book. It reminded me in some parts of Zoey Draven's Horde Kings of Dakkar series with the depictions of the Pikosa and the other tribes. But the sheer amount of bloodshed and violence was an immediate throwback to War by Laura Thalassa, and that book has the same tropes as this one: inner conflict between who you are and growing romantic feelings for someone who severely disapproves of your very nature, along with the drive to change for the sake of that person alone. A definite 5/5 stars from me. A very powerful reminder that when we're alone, we are vulnerable; but anidi laye, we are not.
If you just came back from Lemora and it left you with a warm, fuzzy feeling in your chest, the Pikosa Warlord is going to promptly crush it into dust with the heel of his boot. This is by far the darkest and bloodiest book in the series, and I don’t mean that to exaggerate . There are multiple depictions of mass death and violence against others throughout the book , so if this is something you’re uncomfortable reading about, you might want to skip this one. (And since this book is a standalone in the series, it will be safe to skip if you so choose!)
The opening scene where we meet the h, a woman of Egyptian descent named Halima, is a callback to the first few chapters and the final chapter of Taken to Kor, when Deena and the Niahhoru pirates find the doomed human satellite full of hundreds of humans in stasis tanks, and eventually open them to free the humans inside. An interpreter trained in etymology who has studied languages her entire life, Halima is quite literally dragged into reality and wakes up to a terrifying and confusing world in full-blown chaos. To her horror, a race of humanoid beings has woken her and the rest of her team up earlier than they planned, and are in the process of abducting and enslaving them.
What follows is a prolonged, hellish nightmare not just for Halima, but for the rest of her team . Halima is slight and unassuming enough that she is instantly ruled out as one of the leaders of her team, and therefore not given a second glance, but she has an ace up her sleeve. With her background, she is given a special assignment by her leaders – stay silent, do not communicate with them, and try to determine any weaknesses to exploit so they can escape. Because unbeknownst to the humanoids, known as the Pikosa, Halima can understand their language, as well as the languages of the other species enslaved with them, a feat that spells disaster for the warlord overseeing them all.
The leader of the Pikosa is the H, Ero. A warlord in his prime, he is cruelty and brutality personified . Torture, pillaging, chattel slavery and bloodshed are his very nature, aspects of his way of life to which he doesn’t bat an eye. But despite everything he has done and witnessed, the biggest threat he ever encounters comes in the form of a Tanishi (their word for humans, translating to little ones) woman half his size who can understand his language. The Earth that the Pikosa have inherited is literally a world away from the Earth Halima and her team left behind. In Ero’s world, that Halima can understand him , and potentially communicate with him is an impossibility he can’t afford to ignore. An impossibility made worse by the sudden appearance of a series of signs that indicate that Halima is meant to be his. And while Ero grapples with his budding feelings for Halima , as well as the risk she brings to everything he’s worked to achieve, Halima works to escape not just with her team, but with the other species that have been enslaved by the Pikosa.
What I love about this book is how different it is compared to the rest of the series. It shows us that while the humans who escaped Earth before the climate crisis have been thriving on other planets in other galaxies, things on Earth itself have been much, much worse. And the same goes for the humans who were chosen to stay on-planet to wait out the catastrophe that befell it. It gives us context on why the humans fled to the stars in the first place, and it shows us exactly what they left behind – an uninhabitable planet decimated by catastrophic climate change. And judging by the characters’ reactions to the Pikosa’s existence , it was meant to stay that way for a long, long time. We also get a glimpse at how the humans ended up in the tanks – .
For all its grittiness, there were plenty of moments that made the book very humorous . And as Stephens mentions in the author’s note at the end, this has the potential to segue into a new series featuring the characters we’ve met in this book and the other tribes we’ve met . While this is a standalone, it has a good place in the series. At some point, while reading about the humans on fantastical planets that are definitely not within our galaxy, we have to wonder – what happened to Earth? Why did some humans escape and others end in stasis? How did this happen? And this book fills in the gaps.
The greatest sticking point for me was how Stephens masterfully illustrated Halima's thought-processes during all of her interactions with members of the other tribes, other Pikosa, and eventually Ero. The tribes all speak incredibly evolved (or archaic) versions of the languages that were spoken on Earth pre-climate catastrophe, so in Halima's mind, it's all a jumble of words that sound like they should be familiar to her, but initially are not. But Halima, brilliant that she is, pieces the jumbles together by separating the words in a sentence that does make sense, define them, and form words in the languages she does know to get her answers. In the chapters that were told from Ero's perspective, almost everything Halima says comes out as partially broken, hack-sawed, and at times archaic in the word usage, and it's because of this reason. She pieces together the new world around her, in real-time, using her knowledge of the old world.
Halima’s efforts to free her team and the other enslaved species transcend success. She inadvertently teaches all of them the importance of anidi laye - togetherness. And this becomes the central theme of the book. Halima and her team are together when they were enslaved, , they are together when they reach the surface, , and they are together when they decide to build new lives on the Earth they now inhabit. This is completely different to the Pikosa isolating themselves and not believing in communicating with other tribes for any reason, and in a way, it's indicative of how the societies on Earth collapsed. In the end, every one of the characters in each of the tribes recognizes the importance of being together. The phrase "strength in numbers" is quite literally put to the test multiple times, and it was beyond empowering to see them realize this in real-time .
And for all its differences, this does bear some similarity to the last book. Both the H's in Lemora and Pikosa start out as unlikable to a degree . What brings them anidi laye is how they change throughout the story and become at least somewhat likable versions of the people they were in the beginning. Ero reminds Halima, himself and others that he, by no means, is a good man. Not just because of what he's done, but who he is. And Halima is written so intelligently that she recognizes this in the beginning, doesn't lose sight of it for one minute, and doesn't forget about it throughout the book, no matter what Ero did that might have convinced her otherwise. But there's reconciliation by the end of it – Ero recognizes the violence that made him who he is as part of his nature that won't ever go away, but with Halima at his side, he will no longer need it.
I absolutely loved this book. It reminded me in some parts of Zoey Draven's Horde Kings of Dakkar series with the depictions of the Pikosa and the other tribes. But the sheer amount of bloodshed and violence was an immediate throwback to War by Laura Thalassa, and that book has the same tropes as this one: inner conflict between who you are and growing romantic feelings for someone who severely disapproves of your very nature, along with the drive to change for the sake of that person alone. A definite 5/5 stars from me. A very powerful reminder that when we're alone, we are vulnerable; but anidi laye, we are not.
September 1, 2021
Pikosa kinda unredeemable??
I absolutely love this author! And I've loved her books so far, But this one I just didn't care for. I think I just couldn't get past what ero did. Idk if I personally could have fell in love with a man like ero after he physically burned the H, whipped her. These ppl were brutal and down right cold blooded. I really couldn't get over any of the things they did. they really loved hurting and making others bleed. Yeah, our H was a way better person then me, because these ppl were seriously monsters.
I absolutely love this author! And I've loved her books so far, But this one I just didn't care for. I think I just couldn't get past what ero did. Idk if I personally could have fell in love with a man like ero after he physically burned the H, whipped her. These ppl were brutal and down right cold blooded. I really couldn't get over any of the things they did. they really loved hurting and making others bleed. Yeah, our H was a way better person then me, because these ppl were seriously monsters.
November 15, 2021
=( my least favorite of the series and very different then the other ones. wasn't into this one
August 30, 2021
This is a new author to me, and this absolutely enthralling, somewhat dark dystopian Sci-Fi romance definitely surpassed my expectations & kept me captivated from beginning to end. The plot flowed smoothly throughout the storyline and has excellent world building with well-described intense situations and/or events. The characters are well-depicted with extremely complex personalities & the two main characters (a human female, Halima) & (a Pikosa warlord, Ero) come from opposing cultures and as time passes, they slowly came to terms with the explosive attractions between them. In particular, I was impressed by the sheer determination of Halima as she tried to the best of her ability to improve the lives of her fellow slaves and also how Ero gradually became more compassionate towards Halima & the slaves.
It is about: a young human female interpreter (Halima) is part of a selected group of humans that was in cyro sleep tanks then they were forcibly awoken only to be taken as slaves by a warlike group of warriors (Pikosa warriors) sadly Halima is especially cruelly treated by the Pikosa Warlord (Ero) until he discovers what she means to him.
There is: various tribes & cultures, strange dangerous creatures, slavery, action, adventure, drama, intrigue, suspense, twists & turns, deceit, betrayal, vulnerability, threats, cruelty, brutality, torture, death, rebellion, compromises, hope, love, steamy scenes & a well-deserved satisfy conclusion. I look forward to future books from this talented author with great anticipation & would recommend this book
It is about: a young human female interpreter (Halima) is part of a selected group of humans that was in cyro sleep tanks then they were forcibly awoken only to be taken as slaves by a warlike group of warriors (Pikosa warriors) sadly Halima is especially cruelly treated by the Pikosa Warlord (Ero) until he discovers what she means to him.
There is: various tribes & cultures, strange dangerous creatures, slavery, action, adventure, drama, intrigue, suspense, twists & turns, deceit, betrayal, vulnerability, threats, cruelty, brutality, torture, death, rebellion, compromises, hope, love, steamy scenes & a well-deserved satisfy conclusion. I look forward to future books from this talented author with great anticipation & would recommend this book
May 15, 2022
I want to give this book 4 stars, but I have a hard time forgiving the male for the torture he enacted on the main character. He burned her with a hot knife and whipped her, leaving scars both times. He changes and by the end of the book he’s a good character, but fuck if I could ever forgive his initial character. I get it though—the world they live in is so harsh and violent that they feel violence is the only way to survive it. It’s how he’s conditioned to think. But understanding it and forgiving it are two different things.
September 9, 2021
I received an e-ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review. Review can also be found on *Milky Way of Books*
In this next installment of the series, we go back to Earth. After 6 books of alien worlds, amazing cultural settings, and unique aliens, we go back to where it all began, where the planet is ravaged by climate destruction (which seems all too real) and the few humans that had survived evolved thousands of years later into tribes which do not speak to each other and hostility rules survival.
Halima awakens from her sleep as part of a project whose purpose was similar to that of Noa's Ark and finds herself among her other fellow colonists-survivors, as slaves to Ero's tribe. He is the leader of it and rules with an iron fist.
But Halima is an interpreter and knows many languages which strangely lead her and Ero into finding a way to communicate with one another. The language which was the barrier becomes the means for all tribes hopefully to learn of each other and leave behind any hostilities among them.
I loved the unique and alien environment Halima discovered. The 'crocs', the sun diseases the mining, and water needs all created a harsh world and even harsher people.
It took some time for me to warm up to Ero but as he discovers that Halima is far more precious than being a slave he will also realize his feelings for her. I would love to see more of Earth on the next books too and hopefully, there may be a time when all the other humans from the previous books may come back to Earth. Hopefully.
In this next installment of the series, we go back to Earth. After 6 books of alien worlds, amazing cultural settings, and unique aliens, we go back to where it all began, where the planet is ravaged by climate destruction (which seems all too real) and the few humans that had survived evolved thousands of years later into tribes which do not speak to each other and hostility rules survival.
Halima awakens from her sleep as part of a project whose purpose was similar to that of Noa's Ark and finds herself among her other fellow colonists-survivors, as slaves to Ero's tribe. He is the leader of it and rules with an iron fist.
But Halima is an interpreter and knows many languages which strangely lead her and Ero into finding a way to communicate with one another. The language which was the barrier becomes the means for all tribes hopefully to learn of each other and leave behind any hostilities among them.
I loved the unique and alien environment Halima discovered. The 'crocs', the sun diseases the mining, and water needs all created a harsh world and even harsher people.
It took some time for me to warm up to Ero but as he discovers that Halima is far more precious than being a slave he will also realize his feelings for her. I would love to see more of Earth on the next books too and hopefully, there may be a time when all the other humans from the previous books may come back to Earth. Hopefully.
August 20, 2025
4.5 stars rounded up to 5 for Halima and Ero’s gritty and dark dystopian romance. ♥️ This takes place in a far off future for Earth, where the water wars have taken place, and much of it is unrecognizable. Halima is awoken from her pod to the Pikosa tribe having enslaved her people, along with others. This book puts the enemies in enemies to lovers, as Ero is literally a warlord and Halima is enslaved.
There was such incredible world building in this book. The redemption arc was beyond compare. And Halima as a heroine was absolutely ✨ breathtaking ✨. She had such a strong moral compass, she was community minded and self sacrificing, and there was just so much GOODNESS throughout the book. Did I mention she’s also incredible intelligent and quickly picks up on multiple languages? I mean just the coolest heroine 💪🏼Ero would not have his redemption arc without such an unblemished counterpart. And he truly needed one. He hurts Halima on multiple occasions (leaving literal scars on her, so these aren’t small hurts either), speaks poorly of her in his internal monologue and overall just is terrible. But I felt like this was explained as we learned more of the “survival of the fittest” mentality of the Pikosa. Women don’t raise boys, they raise warriors, is a line that sums up just how harsh that world is.
Halima is a game changer though 😭 she literally unites the slaves, she brings in new technology, and she teaches Ero what it means to be apart of community 😩 she forgives so many people throughout this story, and I was so taken with her 👏🏼
What I liked:
-dystopian sci fi romance, 🪐🚀that provides so much context into the other stories and how the humans ended up where they did
-Halima being an overall bad ass heroine who forces the growth of so many characters ♥️
-Halima being so multi-lingual and the many languages featured throughout the book. You could tell it was well researched and developed
-earth being unrecognizable with “crocs” that are closer to dragons 👀 and huge sand snakes.
-the redemption arc. Ero grows so much and he facilitates the freeing of slaves, the growth of community, and our guy does a HUGE turnaround. All inspired by his woman 😤
-finding out how Halima came to be in the pod was so heartbreaking and simultaneously beautiful 🥺 her parents were so influential, self sacrificing, and loving
-the scenes where Halima interacted with the other slaves. She cared so much about others
-the scene where Halima escaped through the poop shoot 😂 girl yesss. I love how ingenious she was.
-each time Ero saw the “signs” aka scars on Halima’s body he was shooketh
-how Ero wanted to stay away from Halima but couldn’t. Our guy had it sooo bad. And the readers knew it before he did 💀
-that Halima punished Ero and made him wait before he got access to the goods again 😂
-that final spicy scene where Ero ain’t afraid of a bit of 🩸
What I didn’t like:
-it was hard to read and reconcile who Ero was at the beginning of the book versus the middle and end. It’s not a comfortable read, but honestly it wouldn’t have made sense or worked as well as it did any other way 😭
-the ending was a bit drawn out but overall I loved the pacing of this book.
FAQ:
Dual POV writing style
No OW/OM drama
No third act break up
No pregnancy but future one implied (for a long time Halima doesn’t have her cycle)
TLDR;
An uncomfortable read at times, but so freaking good. The world in this book is fantastically rich and the only thing more beautiful is the love story.
There was such incredible world building in this book. The redemption arc was beyond compare. And Halima as a heroine was absolutely ✨ breathtaking ✨. She had such a strong moral compass, she was community minded and self sacrificing, and there was just so much GOODNESS throughout the book. Did I mention she’s also incredible intelligent and quickly picks up on multiple languages? I mean just the coolest heroine 💪🏼Ero would not have his redemption arc without such an unblemished counterpart. And he truly needed one. He hurts Halima on multiple occasions (leaving literal scars on her, so these aren’t small hurts either), speaks poorly of her in his internal monologue and overall just is terrible. But I felt like this was explained as we learned more of the “survival of the fittest” mentality of the Pikosa. Women don’t raise boys, they raise warriors, is a line that sums up just how harsh that world is.
Halima is a game changer though 😭 she literally unites the slaves, she brings in new technology, and she teaches Ero what it means to be apart of community 😩 she forgives so many people throughout this story, and I was so taken with her 👏🏼
What I liked:
-dystopian sci fi romance, 🪐🚀that provides so much context into the other stories and how the humans ended up where they did
-Halima being an overall bad ass heroine who forces the growth of so many characters ♥️
-Halima being so multi-lingual and the many languages featured throughout the book. You could tell it was well researched and developed
-earth being unrecognizable with “crocs” that are closer to dragons 👀 and huge sand snakes.
-the redemption arc. Ero grows so much and he facilitates the freeing of slaves, the growth of community, and our guy does a HUGE turnaround. All inspired by his woman 😤
-finding out how Halima came to be in the pod was so heartbreaking and simultaneously beautiful 🥺 her parents were so influential, self sacrificing, and loving
-the scenes where Halima interacted with the other slaves. She cared so much about others
-the scene where Halima escaped through the poop shoot 😂 girl yesss. I love how ingenious she was.
-each time Ero saw the “signs” aka scars on Halima’s body he was shooketh
-how Ero wanted to stay away from Halima but couldn’t. Our guy had it sooo bad. And the readers knew it before he did 💀
-that Halima punished Ero and made him wait before he got access to the goods again 😂
-that final spicy scene where Ero ain’t afraid of a bit of 🩸
What I didn’t like:
-it was hard to read and reconcile who Ero was at the beginning of the book versus the middle and end. It’s not a comfortable read, but honestly it wouldn’t have made sense or worked as well as it did any other way 😭
-the ending was a bit drawn out but overall I loved the pacing of this book.
FAQ:
Dual POV writing style
No OW/OM drama
No third act break up
No pregnancy but future one implied (for a long time Halima doesn’t have her cycle)
TLDR;
An uncomfortable read at times, but so freaking good. The world in this book is fantastically rich and the only thing more beautiful is the love story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2021
He Loves💕 to Hate Her💃💋
ADULT Dystopian 🌎 and Violent Alpha Barbaric Warlord🐺🍆⛲👊💪🔪 Romance💕 and Adventure.🔪
Quantity is not quality.
The book ran much too long with repetitive violent and murderous thoughts and actions by the Pikosa Alpha Warlord, Ero🐺🍆⛲👊💪🔪, towards his enemies , the human surface dwellers, which includes human woman Halima. The humans have come from stasis tubes, and were asleep for thousands of years!
All the while dystopian 🌎Earth has been devolving and changing into violent warring primitive tribes, who do not trust or align themselves with others. The humans are to rebuild society, but may never get the chance if they are all killed off by the violent tribes!
Ero is drawn to Halima, but most of the time he thinks about ways to kill her and torture her. He's a cruel monster👹 in a humanoid body! It became tiresome.
This is a book that is mostly descriptions and dialogue interspersed at times with some action scenes, many against weird creatures that evolved after Earth fell.
World 🌎 Building is outstanding, though! The author thoughtfully describes in the beginning, the various people's that inhabit this futuristic dystopian 🌎 Earth, that has devolved into barbaric tribes , slavery, and primitive living conditions.
This very ADULT and Violent novel is part of a series but is a standalone story. It has a happy ending.
ARC Provided by Hidden 💎Gems.
I also got this ebook from Amazon 📚with KU.
ADULT Dystopian 🌎 and Violent Alpha Barbaric Warlord🐺🍆⛲👊💪🔪 Romance💕 and Adventure.🔪
Quantity is not quality.
The book ran much too long with repetitive violent and murderous thoughts and actions by the Pikosa Alpha Warlord, Ero🐺🍆⛲👊💪🔪, towards his enemies , the human surface dwellers, which includes human woman Halima. The humans have come from stasis tubes, and were asleep for thousands of years!
All the while dystopian 🌎Earth has been devolving and changing into violent warring primitive tribes, who do not trust or align themselves with others. The humans are to rebuild society, but may never get the chance if they are all killed off by the violent tribes!
Ero is drawn to Halima, but most of the time he thinks about ways to kill her and torture her. He's a cruel monster👹 in a humanoid body! It became tiresome.
This is a book that is mostly descriptions and dialogue interspersed at times with some action scenes, many against weird creatures that evolved after Earth fell.
World 🌎 Building is outstanding, though! The author thoughtfully describes in the beginning, the various people's that inhabit this futuristic dystopian 🌎 Earth, that has devolved into barbaric tribes , slavery, and primitive living conditions.
This very ADULT and Violent novel is part of a series but is a standalone story. It has a happy ending.
ARC Provided by Hidden 💎Gems.
I also got this ebook from Amazon 📚with KU.
August 30, 2021
Taken by the Pikosa Warlord is one SCARY GOOD and unique entry in the Xiveri mate’s timeline.
The story takes place on an Earth that has been decimated by a climate apocalypse, and the water wars that followed. For the survival of the human species a group of Earths most talented people, experts in their respective fields were placed in cryo sleep to be awakened in the future tasked with rebuilding an unpopulated world.
Halima the group’s interpreter wakes to find thousands of years have passed and the world that was supposed to be unpopulated instead isn’t, and they are now breeching the security of the groups Sucere Chamber.
Ero, leader of the Pikosa tribe is a brutal and ruthless man who leads with an iron fist yet secretly fears the changes that Halima may bring to his tribe.
When Ero looks at Halima he sees patterns in the scars he’s made to her body, signs meant only for him which has been his only reason for not as yet outright killing her.
The tribes do not interact or speak with each other those are the rules. There is a hierarchy of the three most powerful tribes and then the tribes beneath them used as slaves. It has always been and will remain so, that is Ero’s world, until Halima!
There is soooo much going on in this story and I loved every minute of the vividly created world that is now Earth and the tribes who occupy a corner of it.
The writing flows smoothly and is peppered with moments of humor, characters that leap from the pages, and a superbly nuanced, cascading sweep of beautifully descriptive usage of languages reflecting the power of both its written and spoken forms.
Then there is the love that develops slowly and deeply between the two protagonists, emotionally tender utterly real.
Go ahead and immerse yourself within the pages of this fabulously told story, savior it slowly like…
Le bon vin qu'il est sûrement! You’ll be glad you did. HEA
I received a free copy of this book for review and all opinions expressed are my own.
The story takes place on an Earth that has been decimated by a climate apocalypse, and the water wars that followed. For the survival of the human species a group of Earths most talented people, experts in their respective fields were placed in cryo sleep to be awakened in the future tasked with rebuilding an unpopulated world.
Halima the group’s interpreter wakes to find thousands of years have passed and the world that was supposed to be unpopulated instead isn’t, and they are now breeching the security of the groups Sucere Chamber.
Ero, leader of the Pikosa tribe is a brutal and ruthless man who leads with an iron fist yet secretly fears the changes that Halima may bring to his tribe.
When Ero looks at Halima he sees patterns in the scars he’s made to her body, signs meant only for him which has been his only reason for not as yet outright killing her.
The tribes do not interact or speak with each other those are the rules. There is a hierarchy of the three most powerful tribes and then the tribes beneath them used as slaves. It has always been and will remain so, that is Ero’s world, until Halima!
There is soooo much going on in this story and I loved every minute of the vividly created world that is now Earth and the tribes who occupy a corner of it.
The writing flows smoothly and is peppered with moments of humor, characters that leap from the pages, and a superbly nuanced, cascading sweep of beautifully descriptive usage of languages reflecting the power of both its written and spoken forms.
Then there is the love that develops slowly and deeply between the two protagonists, emotionally tender utterly real.
Go ahead and immerse yourself within the pages of this fabulously told story, savior it slowly like…
Le bon vin qu'il est sûrement! You’ll be glad you did. HEA
I received a free copy of this book for review and all opinions expressed are my own.
August 26, 2021
Awakened from cryo sleep to the new Earth of the future, Halima is convinced that she's in hell and the barbarian Ero is the devil!
Witnessing his cruelty and torture not only against others but experiencing it firsthand. She decides not only is she not dying here but neither are any of the other slaves being held captive. She will kill him.
Ero demands obedience and submission, strength is what rules his world. Yet, there is one, that when she talks, others rally around. Is she talking their language?! Several of different slave tribes seem to understand her. This cannot happen, there can be NO UNITY! He must kill her.
But suddenly things change and passions flair. Can she forsake the people she's vowed to help escape, just to bask in the fire he stokes inside of her? Can the barbarian change everything he's known all his life for the small one who causes him these "feels"?
This story does not start of like any of the others in this series. But, it ended up being one of my favorites! At the beginning, Ero is, , ,Well, I guarantee you WILL hate him. Yet he changed so completely by the middle of the book, he's her big (yet still rough) teddy bear.
Halima is no "oh help me I just a woman" character, she's brave even in her fear she's tenacious.
This story made me laugh out loud, the "poop chute" escape and touched my heart, Leanna's arm!
It's fast paced with twist and turns that you won't see until your there.
Steamy with a HEA that will have you saying, can we have some more?
Witnessing his cruelty and torture not only against others but experiencing it firsthand. She decides not only is she not dying here but neither are any of the other slaves being held captive. She will kill him.
Ero demands obedience and submission, strength is what rules his world. Yet, there is one, that when she talks, others rally around. Is she talking their language?! Several of different slave tribes seem to understand her. This cannot happen, there can be NO UNITY! He must kill her.
But suddenly things change and passions flair. Can she forsake the people she's vowed to help escape, just to bask in the fire he stokes inside of her? Can the barbarian change everything he's known all his life for the small one who causes him these "feels"?
This story does not start of like any of the others in this series. But, it ended up being one of my favorites! At the beginning, Ero is, , ,Well, I guarantee you WILL hate him. Yet he changed so completely by the middle of the book, he's her big (yet still rough) teddy bear.
Halima is no "oh help me I just a woman" character, she's brave even in her fear she's tenacious.
This story made me laugh out loud, the "poop chute" escape and touched my heart, Leanna's arm!
It's fast paced with twist and turns that you won't see until your there.
Steamy with a HEA that will have you saying, can we have some more?
August 30, 2021
This book starts with humans being woken up and taken out of their stasis tanks, thousands of years in the future. I know right, kind of a wild ride. The tribe that finds them are ruthless warriors and are descendants of the humans that survived on Earth, when they thought nobody would except for the people they preserved. No idea how a character I started out loathing ends up being my favorite character in the book. And one of my favorite characters in the series, you know because my Rhorky Bear is my favorite. Shit if I know how it happened, but it did happen, Ero definitely made me a huge fan. He is smart, ruthless, protective, and even though he doesn’t speak the same language, he can read everything…smart and lethal…an intoxicating combination. Halima is definitely the light to his dark, she just brings out the good in him, and thankfully he embraces it, and sees it for what it is. They both need each other in different ways, but they are definitely Xiveri soulmates for sure. And even though he protects her at every turn, she has his back too.
Safe read. Great fast paced storyline, with a lot of action and twists. There’s a little dirty dancing, yeah you read that right. Once these two get together, they can’t get enough of each other, especially her, since he was her first, she’s kinda insatiable. I also laughed so hard every time the tribe calls an animal a familiar name, but it most certainly is not the animal the Tanishi aka humans associate with the name…it’s so funny, and it happens a lot. HEA.
Safe read. Great fast paced storyline, with a lot of action and twists. There’s a little dirty dancing, yeah you read that right. Once these two get together, they can’t get enough of each other, especially her, since he was her first, she’s kinda insatiable. I also laughed so hard every time the tribe calls an animal a familiar name, but it most certainly is not the animal the Tanishi aka humans associate with the name…it’s so funny, and it happens a lot. HEA.
August 23, 2021
Taken to Pikosa woooooo! 😌 it was more of a dark Xiveri romance this time around and on earth. With a whole new population of humans and the former humans. It’s old earth meets new earth remix. The main characters in this book are Halima (human) and Ero (human evolved). Ero is a Pikosa tribe king that enslaved the humans awoken from cryo and other evolved humans. This last batch of humans from cryo had a linguist Halima. He had burned and beaten her for being able to speak to the other slaves human and human evolved. Those scars from the beating though had messages for him. He tried to hide those messages and the one person that could unite all the people in his bed chamber. Halima had heart! She’d been burned and refused to let go of her comrade. Took a beaten that was for some one else and still was able to use skills in linguistics as weapon! This lady helped plot an escape from the slavers and negotiate the treatment of her people. She was such an innocent and forgiving person. She was slowly changing the views and heart of a monster. The monster of a king fell in love and through that love she was able to get him to unite his tribe, other tribes, and the humans. This book is full with just the right amount of adventure, hope, violence, and love. Their story was like reading a romance from an dark alternate dimension of earth and her new inhabitants.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 12, 2021
Ero was soooo horrible for about 1/2 the book. He would murder people, whip them, burn them - even women. He burned the heroine so badly, she passed out. He even fed people to crocodiles. He only didn't allow rape because he thought it spreads diseases. Yet, he planned to weed out the weak captives and then "break" the stronger women and then force them to breed. He was a primitive, arrogant, cruel, spoiled brat. I was curious to get his point of view and see how he redeemed himself because I HATE HATE HATED him and his tribe. Again, very hard to stick with the book in the beginning.
The heroine, Halima helped me keep going because I really liked her. When she attempted an escape through the toilet and the Pikosa warrior people ran from her causing her to laugh - I laughed too. It was hilarious!
Eventually Ero started to be kind and care about Halima but only because she showed physical "signs"/words on her body he took as omens. Then as he got to know her, he discovered her spunk, defiance, bravery, intelligence, kindness and protectiveness. He also discovered she spoke numerous languages including his.
Ero does learn and grow through Hamila. Also, seeing the slaves fight when they escape proved to him that slavery is wrong, they have value, and his tribe can learn from them. He is helplessly devoted to Hamila but is still a kind of a dick. He liked seeing her burn marks and other scars on her but did apologize. It was his culture and how he was raised but with Hamila's love he got a lot better over time.
I LOVED this book. It was an emotional roller coaster. I got pissed. I was at times heartbroken. I laughed and was happy. It was action packed and unpredictable. I loved Hamila with all her traits and that she wasn't a pushover. I even eventually liked Ero. (O.O)
The heroine, Halima helped me keep going because I really liked her. When she attempted an escape through the toilet and the Pikosa warrior people ran from her causing her to laugh - I laughed too. It was hilarious!
Eventually Ero started to be kind and care about Halima but only because she showed physical "signs"/words on her body he took as omens. Then as he got to know her, he discovered her spunk, defiance, bravery, intelligence, kindness and protectiveness. He also discovered she spoke numerous languages including his.
Ero does learn and grow through Hamila. Also, seeing the slaves fight when they escape proved to him that slavery is wrong, they have value, and his tribe can learn from them. He is helplessly devoted to Hamila but is still a kind of a dick. He liked seeing her burn marks and other scars on her but did apologize. It was his culture and how he was raised but with Hamila's love he got a lot better over time.
I LOVED this book. It was an emotional roller coaster. I got pissed. I was at times heartbroken. I laughed and was happy. It was action packed and unpredictable. I loved Hamila with all her traits and that she wasn't a pushover. I even eventually liked Ero. (O.O)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2024
Another great book by Elizabeth Stephens. I almost didn't read this one. It started off a bit differently than other books and wasn't what I was in the mood for that day. But, because I've enjoyed this series so much, I went back to it a few weeks later. And like all of her books, I finished it in one sitting. Looking forward to book 8!
October 13, 2024
Read as part of Xiveri Mates Collection 3. This is probably the darkest so far of a fairly dark series. And it’s one of the best examples of a morality chain that I’ve come across in a while. On to book 8!
November 12, 2024
Really enjoyed this. Enjoyed the twists and turns.
July 29, 2025
2.5 out of 5 stars
September 5, 2021
This book, like all her books, was amazing! I just keep loving the next one more and more.
I read this one a bit slower, not because I wanted too, but because of life. It didn't make it easy on me either, because after about 40% IT. DOESN'T STOP! The action just goes and goes.
Halima was such a great character! She's part of a group of humans who awake thousands of years in the future with no memories of their past. Except that as time goes on they slowly begin to coming back.
Ero is a violent Warlord. He needs to be in order to keep a semblance of peace among his warrior people.
I loved they way these two came together. Watching Halima slowly gentle the warlord beast, showing him that it was possible to be different. And it was the fact that he wanted to be different, not just for her but for himself, that really moved me.
All the stars for TbtPW!
I read this one a bit slower, not because I wanted too, but because of life. It didn't make it easy on me either, because after about 40% IT. DOESN'T STOP! The action just goes and goes.
Halima was such a great character! She's part of a group of humans who awake thousands of years in the future with no memories of their past. Except that as time goes on they slowly begin to coming back.
Ero is a violent Warlord. He needs to be in order to keep a semblance of peace among his warrior people.
I loved they way these two came together. Watching Halima slowly gentle the warlord beast, showing him that it was possible to be different. And it was the fact that he wanted to be different, not just for her but for himself, that really moved me.
All the stars for TbtPW!
August 2, 2024
I guess we've now jumped thousands of years into the future *shrug*
March 4, 2025
Ok it took me 10 months to read but I ended up loving it.
September 28, 2022
Start was promising. But 30% in, the leads were already starting to get together. Pacing not for me.
April 2, 2023
3.75 stars
September 6, 2021
This is an intense read. I will admit the first several chapters had me questioning if I really wanted to put the effort into continuing to read this book, and then the storyline just clicked for me.
Ero is definitely not a good man, at the beginning of the book he is an outright monster. The Pikosa tribe is brutal and considers other tribes vastly inferior. The Halima’s trine, the Tanishi, are held as captives and considered slaves by Ero’s tribe. They are treated harshly and kept in less than good living conditions.
Halima is a translator and through her aptitude with languages, she learns the Pikosa language surprising Ero and his tribe with her ability to speak their language. Her interactions with Ero are less than positive and he thinks she is the weakest being he has ever encountered. He surprisingly begins to respect her and see her strengths.
A tenuous relationship develops between Ero and Halima, and as their relationship grows the storyline shifts and becomes non-stop action and drama that totally captivated me and had me wondering what could possibly happen next.
Ero actually is redeemed through his emotional connection with Halima. He begins to grow and change as he is exposed to her and the other Tanishi’s. I was surprised at how much I came to enjoy the relationship between Halima and Ero. From the initial brutality came a tender and passionate relationship with a HEA.
I received an ARC from Hidden Gems and the author, and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
Ero is definitely not a good man, at the beginning of the book he is an outright monster. The Pikosa tribe is brutal and considers other tribes vastly inferior. The Halima’s trine, the Tanishi, are held as captives and considered slaves by Ero’s tribe. They are treated harshly and kept in less than good living conditions.
Halima is a translator and through her aptitude with languages, she learns the Pikosa language surprising Ero and his tribe with her ability to speak their language. Her interactions with Ero are less than positive and he thinks she is the weakest being he has ever encountered. He surprisingly begins to respect her and see her strengths.
A tenuous relationship develops between Ero and Halima, and as their relationship grows the storyline shifts and becomes non-stop action and drama that totally captivated me and had me wondering what could possibly happen next.
Ero actually is redeemed through his emotional connection with Halima. He begins to grow and change as he is exposed to her and the other Tanishi’s. I was surprised at how much I came to enjoy the relationship between Halima and Ero. From the initial brutality came a tender and passionate relationship with a HEA.
I received an ARC from Hidden Gems and the author, and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 2, 2022
Actual rating: 3.5
It really threw me off and took me out of the story every time Jia spoke in Korean. The romanized Korean that is used in this book is not accurate and I think it hurt the story telling. If you're going to use a language you're not familiar with, please do proper research. I think this makes me so irritated is that there are official rules for the romanization of Korean that are easily accessible. If there are also inaccuracies with the other languages that are used in the book, I cannot speak to them since I have no knowledge of them.
It's really disappointing to me since I really liked this book and the development of the characters. But being taken out of the story like this is jarring. And therefore resulted in it getting a lower rating.
Some examples:
In chapter 1, Jia is counting in Korean, and the romanization of the numbers are either incorrect or missing letters. i.e two in Korean is dul, not du, and five is daseot, not daseos. and what number is yug? It is implied to mean six, but six is actually yeoseot
In chapter 14, when Jia tells Halima the Korean proverb, the romanization that is used doesn't make sense phonetically, again its a case of using incorrect letters to represent certain sounds
It really threw me off and took me out of the story every time Jia spoke in Korean. The romanized Korean that is used in this book is not accurate and I think it hurt the story telling. If you're going to use a language you're not familiar with, please do proper research. I think this makes me so irritated is that there are official rules for the romanization of Korean that are easily accessible. If there are also inaccuracies with the other languages that are used in the book, I cannot speak to them since I have no knowledge of them.
It's really disappointing to me since I really liked this book and the development of the characters. But being taken out of the story like this is jarring. And therefore resulted in it getting a lower rating.
Some examples:
In chapter 1, Jia is counting in Korean, and the romanization of the numbers are either incorrect or missing letters. i.e two in Korean is dul, not du, and five is daseot, not daseos. and what number is yug? It is implied to mean six, but six is actually yeoseot
In chapter 14, when Jia tells Halima the Korean proverb, the romanization that is used doesn't make sense phonetically, again its a case of using incorrect letters to represent certain sounds
February 6, 2022
Taken by the Pikosa warlord
I'm not sure about this one, i really liked the whole warlord and captive thing and her slowly changing the way he saw things and the protective instinct, but it was really really wordy. Long inner monologues that got repetitive and a slow build to their interactions. I'm just in the fence.
I'm not sure about this one, i really liked the whole warlord and captive thing and her slowly changing the way he saw things and the protective instinct, but it was really really wordy. Long inner monologues that got repetitive and a slow build to their interactions. I'm just in the fence.
January 2, 2022
I don't know what was wrong with this book, but I had to literally force myself to finish it. I liked the first five books of the series very much, but last two have been disappointments. There were some good elements in this book, that's why ⭐⭐ instead of just ⭐.
September 1, 2021
3.5 stars
If I'm honest it took a little while to get into this story and I almost dnf but I decided to press on and in the end it was ok. Not the best book in the series but ok
If I'm honest it took a little while to get into this story and I almost dnf but I decided to press on and in the end it was ok. Not the best book in the series but ok
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