The Realm Reaper's Prey

by Celeste King

There are many names I have called the night crawlers.
But I never thought I'd call one my mate.

The waira are nightmares. No one thought they were real.
Until our hunting party went out…and didn’t come back.
What came back instead was an evil that was older than even the dark elves.
His name is Mael. And his kind turned our camp into a butcher block.

From this carnage, Mael took me and carried me away.

I was brought to his cave to serve him.
Terrified. Heartbroken. Furious.
I never thought I'd find comfort in the arms of this monster.
But I did.
He nurtured me and protected me.
Healed me. Fed me.
And made me realize that he may have taken my brother.
And his kind may have taken my people.

But I had taken his heart.

From the Author: Standalone dark fantasy monster romance with HEA. If you like morally grey males who will do whatever to protect their lady, this is for you!

Genres: Monsters

223 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 6, 2023

About the author

Celeste King is the author behind the Worlds of Protheka, a collection of interconnected series that promise dark fantasy, intense romance, and washboard abs. When it comes to her stories, there are sure to brooding alphas, sassy humans, and plenty of spice to look forward to.

With the ever growing fantasy worlds, the 'what ifs' are endless, and that is what excites her the most. Even she doesn't know just how far these characters will go, but she's gladly along for the ride.

You can always find her fearlessly diving into an adventure (in this world or another), typically with her husband, and partner in crime, at her side.

She helps keep the excitement alive for the rest us with each of her Prothekan works, where there are no heroes coming to save you and being kidnapped...isn't so bad when your captor is this hot.

Reviews

[Kit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read : January 12, 2023
Rating : 2,5 Stars

This is eerily similar to another book I've read last year, with a monster that has a creature skull for a head, a special heart, eats anything and everything and that alters his behaviour , including people, has magic, etc.

I dunno if that's just me having read both quite close together or what but yeah.
That book is :
A Soul to Keep

I enjoyed that one but thought this was a bit of a letdown in comparison, sadly.

[Chelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 66%

This book gave me déjà vu.

Too many similarities between this book and A Soul to Keep by Opal Reyne.

A few that stood out:
-Nightcrawler vs. Duskwalker
-Glowing heart that shows emotion vs Glowing eyes that show emotion
-Even the cover art is too similar, which I brushed off as a coincidence, until I started reading this.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first book in the Waira Monsters of Protheka series. Asra protected her younger brother all her life until a hunting mission went wrong and she lost him to monsters. She gets captured by Mael who is one of the Waira. I enjoyed seeing the story come together. I received a copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kayla · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, I read this even though the description triggered dejavu for me. Turns out, after reading my way through it, I'm not the only one who saw the similarities between this and the series by Opal Reyne. Maybe it's just coincidence? Idk, I get no one owns the idea of 'wendigos' or 'dusk walkers' but just a lot of the scenarios in the story seemed closely to those of Opals story.

[Amber Gotch · Rating 1 out of 5]

Clearly a Duskwalker

Holy cow, this is nearly verbatim a rip off of Opal Reyne's Duskwalker series. Including the cover art. I've been a huge fan of Celeste's for a while, but this is making me reconsider reading her work. Incredibly disappointed.

[Karen Nastasio · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was ok but I’m not a big fan of it but I do love the world of Protheka with all its different species. Mael is a waira that was believed to be the stuff of nightmares but when our hunters go missing the waira come back instead and wipe out of village and eat everyone and even her brother and the leader takes me hostage to be his slave. Asra is a human and has lived a quiet life until there villagers hunters go missing and what comes to the village is pure evil that kills and eats everyone and Asra watches as her brother is killed by the leader and then eaten by others and then she is taken by there leader to serve him however he wants and she finds herself drawn to him but she knows she shouldn’t after losing her brother but she cannot help herself when he looks after her feeds her protects her and cares for her as well. And now there steamy nights together have her falling more for him. There is so much more going on in this book that I’m not sure I could fall for someone who killed my brother and friends but that’s just me.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[LilacBlue · Rating 2 out of 5]

After having read the manga "The Ancient Magus' Bride" and "A Soul to Keep", I decided to give this book a chance. Well, it's a confusing, sloppy mess.
It's like parts of it are missing, or the author forgot the direction she was going in.
.
.
*Spoilers below*

"Rubbing my hands together at my sides" - How does that work?

"My skin flushes as he licks his lips" - Skulls with lips, sure

"His chest is glowing different colors, like a rainbow." - eyeroll

"He smiles in that way he does" - with his smilling SKULL
.
.
She completely forgets about her brother, the reason she goes into the forest.
Instalove.
In a scene Asra makes a comment about how she'll make him new clothes, a few minutes later they talk about how she made him new clothes. No timeskip, same scene.
Instalove.
The book starts with her loving her life in the little village and the people there, and then after a day spent with our "hero" she refuses his offer to take her back.

[Nina Diab · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I was completely captivated from the start. Great world building and wonderful characters. I was completely fascinated by the Waira. All the different species in Protheka are attractive in different ways- some beings I've liked more than others. I have a feeling the Waira will end up ranking higher for me. I can't wait for more. 5 stars.

[DemetraP · Rating 1 out of 5]

The hero is basically an animal who cannot think like a person. They are what they eat so eating small animals keeps them as animals. Eating a human helps them think.

I didn't like the book and didn't finish it.

[Deimer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m really curious to know where this is going, it’s definitely different.

[Jeniver Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Their love is so beautiful.

[Emmy · Rating 1 out of 5]

A Soul to Keep by Opal Reyne.