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Reifu Rising
This is a sci-fi/vamp story. It's about visitors to a new world, running from their enemies, inhabited by primitive humans living by strict religious rules. After an illegal human hunt Sid, a thief, is taken by the Crown Prince, Loki, as a pet. What ensues is a great adventure encompassing the vampires, the humans who live without technology and a secret group trying to rule over everyone.
Loki was an ilthiyan prince, one of the vampire race who existed uneasily with the humans on the planet of Gaia. In the middle of a hunt on human lands, he captured a spirited young human male. Sid was a thief and an outcast, and to be captured by a vampire seemed only the latest misfortune in a life defined by them. But Loki decided to keep Sid instead of kill him and that decision would thrust them both into a whirlwind of treachery, intrigue -- and love.
Loki was an ilthiyan prince, one of the vampire race who existed uneasily with the humans on the planet of Gaia. In the middle of a hunt on human lands, he captured a spirited young human male. Sid was a thief and an outcast, and to be captured by a vampire seemed only the latest misfortune in a life defined by them. But Loki decided to keep Sid instead of kill him and that decision would thrust them both into a whirlwind of treachery, intrigue -- and love.
424 pages, Online Fiction
First published January 1, 2010
21 people are currently reading
853 people want to read
About the author
Becca Abbott
2 books94 followersAbout Me.
About the Author:
Becca has been writing since the mid-1990s when she started writing fanfiction for various television shows. Her talent has only grown and she has recently started writing original works of fiction. Cethe is her first published novel but expect great things from her as more of her works are published in the coming years.
About the Author:
Becca has been writing since the mid-1990s when she started writing fanfiction for various television shows. Her talent has only grown and she has recently started writing original works of fiction. Cethe is her first published novel but expect great things from her as more of her works are published in the coming years.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
May 1, 2019
Reifu Rising, where have you been all my life, during the times of Twilight when I started despising vampire stories? How much I needed you then. Or during the times I started getting bored with SciFi space romance?
I don't know how this book managed but it took everything that annoyed me in a book: vampires, spaceships, religious bigotry and transformed it in the most pleasurable of reads. Throw in a hunky vampire prince and a human slave caught up in twisted love hate romance and you had me howling.
The book has many flaws though and sometimes those flaws didn't make the book a page turner so it took me a little while until I finished it. Many reviewers complain about the ending. What I complain about is this: the world building was fascinating, the plot was spread like a spider's web, there were political intrigues the likes of the War of the Roses, so why, why, why:
1. the exciting things happened "off camera"? e.g.
2. was the ending so abrupt? I've spent pages and pages building the plot, getting excited and at the end it was all a little anticlimactic. I felt like I've been playing Monopoly for a week expecting in the end to reach Boardwalk and purchase it, but I ended up on a poorer neighborhood instead when Boardwalk was sooo damn close. A fight, even a little skirmish would have done the trick.
3. were the main ilthy villains as dumb and as complex as two sunken sea rocks? They acted like petulant babies the entire book. From the moment they first appeared on the pages I said to myself, "Xia Xia, watch out for these two. They're shady as funk!"
Oh well, at least we didn't see much of them during the book...
...which now brings me to the good stuff. This book was really complex from a plot, world building and character development. The main characters were great for each other and the relationship grew immensely as the book progressed. The writing flow is also something I enjoyed very much.
Yes, true, there were some torture scenes, a little bit of rape and there was the pretty grin of Stockholm syndrome making its presence known, but in comparison with other things I've read in my life these were miiiiiiiild.
Count me as a fan of Reifu Rising, 4 stars for Loki and Sid. May their voyages be filled with wonder.
I don't know how this book managed but it took everything that annoyed me in a book: vampires, spaceships, religious bigotry and transformed it in the most pleasurable of reads. Throw in a hunky vampire prince and a human slave caught up in twisted love hate romance and you had me howling.
The book has many flaws though and sometimes those flaws didn't make the book a page turner so it took me a little while until I finished it. Many reviewers complain about the ending. What I complain about is this: the world building was fascinating, the plot was spread like a spider's web, there were political intrigues the likes of the War of the Roses, so why, why, why:
1. the exciting things happened "off camera"? e.g.
2. was the ending so abrupt? I've spent pages and pages building the plot, getting excited and at the end it was all a little anticlimactic. I felt like I've been playing Monopoly for a week expecting in the end to reach Boardwalk and purchase it, but I ended up on a poorer neighborhood instead when Boardwalk was sooo damn close. A fight, even a little skirmish would have done the trick.
3. were the main ilthy villains as dumb and as complex as two sunken sea rocks? They acted like petulant babies the entire book. From the moment they first appeared on the pages I said to myself, "Xia Xia, watch out for these two. They're shady as funk!"
Oh well, at least we didn't see much of them during the book...
...which now brings me to the good stuff. This book was really complex from a plot, world building and character development. The main characters were great for each other and the relationship grew immensely as the book progressed. The writing flow is also something I enjoyed very much.
Yes, true, there were some torture scenes, a little bit of rape and there was the pretty grin of Stockholm syndrome making its presence known, but in comparison with other things I've read in my life these were miiiiiiiild.
Count me as a fan of Reifu Rising, 4 stars for Loki and Sid. May their voyages be filled with wonder.
June 18, 2014
Two words: space vampires.
Wait, come back! Listen, I thought I'd hate this too, but guess what? It's actually really well done.
I am a total sucker for good world building, and this has got it. It's a world with its own history, geography, and social/tribal structures.
It's good.
Sid, a clan less human (that's a bad thing) is taken as a slave by Loki, the vampire prince. But there's more going on here than that. There's religious fanaticism, there's the story of who the vampires were running from in the first place, and --somewhere out there -- there's a powered-down spaceship just barely hanging in orbit.
This book is also nicely creepy and the epilogue--involving two minor characters not ending up together--was surprisingly bittersweet.
3.5 but rounded up to 4 because it's FREE!!!!
Wait, come back! Listen, I thought I'd hate this too, but guess what? It's actually really well done.
I am a total sucker for good world building, and this has got it. It's a world with its own history, geography, and social/tribal structures.
It's good.
Sid, a clan less human (that's a bad thing) is taken as a slave by Loki, the vampire prince. But there's more going on here than that. There's religious fanaticism, there's the story of who the vampires were running from in the first place, and --somewhere out there -- there's a powered-down spaceship just barely hanging in orbit.
This book is also nicely creepy and the epilogue--involving two minor characters not ending up together--was surprisingly bittersweet.
3.5 but rounded up to 4 because it's FREE!!!!
April 8, 2011
Very gripping and an interesting concept. I just wish that Misha had had a happy ending too.
February 21, 2016
It has everything I like best! AU, vampires, hot sex, master/slave relationship that evolves throughout the story and an engrossing plot with a twist.
June 29, 2013
I couldn't put it down, literally, infuriating my family by reading until 7am. Just about everything I loved about Cethe is here as well: fantastic world-building, two great leads, hot sex, lots of religious and political intrigue.
More Warning than Spoiler: Readers should be aware that this book is if anything more brutal than Cethe, with multiple rapes, torture, slavery etc. It's quite well-done in my opinion but very intense. Abbot definitely doesn't shy away from writing disturbing scenes.
Though I definitely feel the book deserves 5 stars since it is so much more gripping and imaginative than 90% of the books I read, I did feel frustrated by the ending. It's not bad, but you're left with feeling that at least three more novels could and should be written about this world. I had almost this exact reaction to Cethe, which is one of my favorite books, but the problem was worse in Reifu Rising. In general this book feels less finished than Cethe, which is fair enough since it is available free online. On the other hand, it is definitely a story worth finishing and polishing up. Abbot has this great way of giving you hints of the complex culture and history that have brought about the world her books are set in--in part with the brilliant "quotes" from supposed historical texts that preface each chapter--but in Reifu I felt there was more key information missing. Perhaps on rereading the hints will coalesce into something clearer, but I am not very confident.
Bottom line: the author has created another amazing world with characters I became very attached to, and then left the story feeling unfinished. Both deserve sequels and Abbot's fans can only hope that someday she'll decide to put us out of our misery.
More Warning than Spoiler: Readers should be aware that this book is if anything more brutal than Cethe, with multiple rapes, torture, slavery etc. It's quite well-done in my opinion but very intense. Abbot definitely doesn't shy away from writing disturbing scenes.
Though I definitely feel the book deserves 5 stars since it is so much more gripping and imaginative than 90% of the books I read, I did feel frustrated by the ending. It's not bad, but you're left with feeling that at least three more novels could and should be written about this world. I had almost this exact reaction to Cethe, which is one of my favorite books, but the problem was worse in Reifu Rising. In general this book feels less finished than Cethe, which is fair enough since it is available free online. On the other hand, it is definitely a story worth finishing and polishing up. Abbot has this great way of giving you hints of the complex culture and history that have brought about the world her books are set in--in part with the brilliant "quotes" from supposed historical texts that preface each chapter--but in Reifu I felt there was more key information missing. Perhaps on rereading the hints will coalesce into something clearer, but I am not very confident.
Bottom line: the author has created another amazing world with characters I became very attached to, and then left the story feeling unfinished. Both deserve sequels and Abbot's fans can only hope that someday she'll decide to put us out of our misery.
June 3, 2016
This book was picked for me in a comfort zone challenge. When I started reading this book I didn't think I would like it first I couldn't buy it from any of the sites that I purchase books at so I downloaded it online. Sid is a thief who was caught stealing a pie and the people of the village tied him up in the middle of town. The vampires decide to do an illegal hunt of humans when Sid was captured by the Crown Prince Loki who decides to keep him and make him a pet instead of killing him. This was a dark vampire sci-fi read the type of book that I wouldn't normally read the sci-fi part that is. This book was well written I am not sure why it's not on amazon or some of the other sites. This was my first time reading this authors work the book was free of errors in spelling or grammar. I am looking forward to reading more of her work.
February 26, 2017
The story was so engrossing I couldn't stop reading all day and night. But damn.......the ending was so DISAPPOINTING. The secondary characters and their relationships just petered out or were killed off, which also contradicted the dependency of the vampire bond. And the epilogue didn't even feature the two MCs, but continued on a story point that should have been embedded in the main body. I truly regret the time I spent reading this long fanfic. What a let down! Otherwise, this would have been a 4 star read for me.
The non con developed into a love relationship where the vampire was remorseful for his previous treatment of his human slave.
The non con developed into a love relationship where the vampire was remorseful for his previous treatment of his human slave.
June 4, 2016
Enjoyed this world-building sci-fi m/m vampire/slave story, a bit rushed at the end.
"We're leaving," said Loki in Human. "You can come or you can die." For a moment it seemed the youth would choose death, but he finally uncurled and stood up. Silent, still shackled, he walked out of the cage.
"We're leaving," said Loki in Human. "You can come or you can die." For a moment it seemed the youth would choose death, but he finally uncurled and stood up. Silent, still shackled, he walked out of the cage.
August 19, 2016
Wow, really great! I got this book in a challenge and I would never have even considered reading it otherwise. Once I started it, it was really difficult to put down. Amazing story and I loved the characters and their relationships. Really terrific book.
Only complaint was the poor editing and inconsistency of the spelling in the names, but it wasn't enough to keep me from giving it 5 stars.
Only complaint was the poor editing and inconsistency of the spelling in the names, but it wasn't enough to keep me from giving it 5 stars.
October 9, 2012
My favorite part of this story is
Again I find deeper meanings in Ms Abbott's work. This one dealt with entitlement, poverty, and the responsibilities of governing bodies. And again I am unsure if that was her intention. I have to say, though, that I think it's cool as Hell.
Again I find deeper meanings in Ms Abbott's work. This one dealt with entitlement, poverty, and the responsibilities of governing bodies. And again I am unsure if that was her intention. I have to say, though, that I think it's cool as Hell.
November 19, 2011
4.5
Correct link to book:
http://becca.slashcity.net/site/origi...
Review:
So far it's a little confusing. Katya frowns upon the hunt (killing humans), but looks like just because of her father. She thinks humans are below them, like animals, stupid. And implies that Loki feels differently. That is strange since if he fought of them as intelligent beings and not animals he wouldn't go on a killing spree. Ok, he thinks of them as animals too, so how is his thoughts of humans differ from his sister? She implied that his and her opinions differ on humans place in their world.
Correct link to book:
http://becca.slashcity.net/site/origi...
Review:
So far it's a little confusing. Katya frowns upon the hunt (killing humans), but looks like just because of her father. She thinks humans are below them, like animals, stupid. And implies that Loki feels differently. That is strange since if he fought of them as intelligent beings and not animals he wouldn't go on a killing spree. Ok, he thinks of them as animals too, so how is his thoughts of humans differ from his sister? She implied that his and her opinions differ on humans place in their world.
October 19, 2012
I did like the story but i felt there was much to be desired and much left out. For one, sometimes the chapters seemed to scip ahead to much. the characters would end in one place or at one point in the story then suddenlty end up somewhere else in the next chapter leaving out how they got to that point. The story with Loki and Sid was well developed but i felt that in a way Sid forgave Loki for his abuses to easily considering what he went through, particularly the whole being left at the brothel part which was written like it was tramatic and hurtful to Sid and therfore should have added to his distress with what happens later and been another thing for Loki to atone for conserning Sid's treatment, but instead just seeme to fade away like it didn't even happen. Another thing i was unhappy with was the ending...far to short and abrupt to really give any real sense of closure, particularly with Misha's character who i feel should have had a better ending then then what he got. all in all i give this story 3 stars but it could be much more if it was more focused and more care was given to the build up towards the end and the ending its self.
January 17, 2014
I liked parts of it but I think mostly disliked most of it. It's got that classical yaoi rape-love/rape as a vehicle of romance thing going on. The rest of the plot I was rather indifferent to. It was additionally frustrating because the universe, I though, wasn't well explained. I was left with too many unexplained fabricated-- *ahem* foreign words and concepts that I was, apparently, supposed to take for granted.
It's also a slave fic, definitely not BDSM. Stockholm and all that.
I really wanted Loki to bottom, and not as punishment-rape. But of course, he's a seme, so there's no way he'd become an uke. This is, after all, heterosexualized. It would be ridiculous, after all, to suggest that Sid might top. You might as well claim that a woman might top. *snorts in disgust*
The ending was, in my opinion, a big stupid cop-out. Rushed, petty and vindictive, and pretty pointless-seeming.
Kind of like the rest of the story. No, I'm joking, a bit. It wasn't that pointless-seeming. ...not really.
It's also a slave fic, definitely not BDSM. Stockholm and all that.
I really wanted Loki to bottom, and not as punishment-rape. But of course, he's a seme, so there's no way he'd become an uke. This is, after all, heterosexualized. It would be ridiculous, after all, to suggest that Sid might top. You might as well claim that a woman might top. *snorts in disgust*
The ending was, in my opinion, a big stupid cop-out. Rushed, petty and vindictive, and pretty pointless-seeming.
Kind of like the rest of the story. No, I'm joking, a bit. It wasn't that pointless-seeming. ...not really.
August 19, 2011
very nicely written: complete, well-thought out world; good plot building throughout; depth to characters (both main and peripheral) with clear reasoning behind actions; great ending. highly recommended.
August 24, 2017
This. Putting such fantastic work up on her website for all to read. It amazes me how much talent there is in our community.
Amazing original fiction. So good that dropping some plot points and facts doesn't matter. I was completely engrossed in her worldbuilding.
Amazing original fiction. So good that dropping some plot points and facts doesn't matter. I was completely engrossed in her worldbuilding.
June 1, 2014
Wow! One word..Amazing!! Loved loved this book and to think I was able to read it for free. I am looking forward to read more books from this author and yes I will be purchasing future works by her.
February 28, 2017
This was a very disturbing book. There was a lot of strange things going on with people dying. The vampire was very angsty. He had guilt for past behavior. I think this book could really be better. It needs a editor and tighten up some. The world building was wonderful. The characters were great. I hope there is another book because I want to read what happens next. I liked the book and would recommend it to anyone who likes vampires that act like they should. Blood hungry monsters that might hate themselves for i.
January 10, 2013
Sid, a human in a futuristic Earth, will be at the mercy of a vampire, the aliens now controlling Earth and humankind.
He will be treated by Loki (the vampire) as a servant, the place a human usually must have in this strange situation. Strange because it's not easy to imagine vampires as the space invaders, but it's how this plot will be. Humans are slaves... or food. Very simple.
First let me warm you about the NONCON (yeah, rape) content. This is a online freebie, and when you enter to in the blog to read it (click here) you will see it's an erotic story, but MAYBE you will not know it has RAPE scenes. So be aware, there are, more than one. And VERY brutal rape scenes.
What are the qualities of this freebie
1) it's a freebie (lol)
Well, it's true... I love freebies.
2) The futuristic world is not well described, but I like it anyway. Vampires have technology, humans can't even LOOK at it. To humans it's a sin to even think in learn how to read! So yeah, it's a very retrograde society do humans, and a very well technological to vampires.
3) Vampires are from another planet, and that was AWESOME! I love alien stories, and vampire aliens was soooooo cool. I wish there are more description, more info about their old world, but neither vampires know it well. Just the king and another vampire (can't talk about him, you must read to know it) have knowledge from old times. Loki is a prince, the third son of the king.. but he is not close to his father, and you will read almost NONE interaction between them... but... there will be more in the end. And I enjoy it a lot.
4) A lot of characters to give more action to this story. I can't denied it slow down in the middle (it's a VERY long story), but it was for a short time, so I believe it was a good story. A right balance between slow moments and action.
It's not perfect. I still have many doubts, saw some plot problems, and the writing sometimes were confusing, but I LOVED THIS STORY and can't give less than 5 stars... so yeah
5 stars
He will be treated by Loki (the vampire) as a servant, the place a human usually must have in this strange situation. Strange because it's not easy to imagine vampires as the space invaders, but it's how this plot will be. Humans are slaves... or food. Very simple.
First let me warm you about the NONCON (yeah, rape) content. This is a online freebie, and when you enter to in the blog to read it (click here) you will see it's an erotic story, but MAYBE you will not know it has RAPE scenes. So be aware, there are, more than one. And VERY brutal rape scenes.
What are the qualities of this freebie
1) it's a freebie (lol)
Well, it's true... I love freebies.
2) The futuristic world is not well described, but I like it anyway. Vampires have technology, humans can't even LOOK at it. To humans it's a sin to even think in learn how to read! So yeah, it's a very retrograde society do humans, and a very well technological to vampires.
3) Vampires are from another planet, and that was AWESOME! I love alien stories, and vampire aliens was soooooo cool. I wish there are more description, more info about their old world, but neither vampires know it well. Just the king and another vampire (can't talk about him, you must read to know it) have knowledge from old times. Loki is a prince, the third son of the king.. but he is not close to his father, and you will read almost NONE interaction between them... but... there will be more in the end. And I enjoy it a lot.
4) A lot of characters to give more action to this story. I can't denied it slow down in the middle (it's a VERY long story), but it was for a short time, so I believe it was a good story. A right balance between slow moments and action.
It's not perfect. I still have many doubts, saw some plot problems, and the writing sometimes were confusing, but I LOVED THIS STORY and can't give less than 5 stars... so yeah
5 stars
May 12, 2015
Such an awesome book; I loved it. Although Sid lives in a world where vampires colonize humans for their food source, Sid is far from being livestock. He is wild and strangely appealing to the vampire prince Loki who captures him. I wondered at first if Stockholm Syndrome was at play, but there seems to be something more biological, like a chemical reaction. If love was a drug, this is the only way to really describe it. I was completely drawn in by Loki's transformation as a character. His ability to put himself in Sid's shoes and to realize the hurt he caused him was heartbreaking and perfect. I was also drawn to Sid's pain and insecurities as well as his ability to submit even though it was not what Loki asked of him. This book was full of action and had a solid plot within a very vivid and appealing world, but the main appeal was the love between Loki and Sid. If only there was a sequel.
June 16, 2020
I'm a big fan of this book. If you've read Cethe, you'll probably fall for this one too. I actually liked this one more than Cethe.
Also, don't be scared away by space vampires! Not a concept I was thinking I'd enjoy, but clearly that was a wrong assumption. Both MCs were strong independent personalities, and there was just enough "no he doesn't actually care for me" to keep me interested in their relationship for 400+ pages.
Oh yeah, lots of politics involved too.
Also, don't be scared away by space vampires! Not a concept I was thinking I'd enjoy, but clearly that was a wrong assumption. Both MCs were strong independent personalities, and there was just enough "no he doesn't actually care for me" to keep me interested in their relationship for 400+ pages.
Oh yeah, lots of politics involved too.
April 27, 2017
Well I couldn't get through this book I didn't like how Sid got treated like shit by everybody I mean really the humans treat him like crap the vampire that he's supposed to have some bond to through saliva barely gives a Rats ass about him. And Sid is just supposed to take it, it's infuriating and the story is confusing. It gives you little or no background knowledge on the planet and their so called beliefs how are the readers supposed to understand these characters mind set. I gave up. Even if at the end Sid and Loki's relationship (if you could call it that) works out I still think Sid would be treated like a second class citizen and that just doesn't do it for me.
January 15, 2015
I really like this world, but I hated the epilogue. I thought she wrote really well, a few mistakes, but as it's unpublished I thought she did really well.
I loved the world building, but there was a lot of rapes and I still don't get why Sid loves Loki. Stockholm syndrome comes to mind but not completely.
I loved the world building, but there was a lot of rapes and I still don't get why Sid loves Loki. Stockholm syndrome comes to mind but not completely.
April 28, 2024
An ambitious undertaking. Great world building, well drawn characters, unique storyline. A close edit would have been nice, as would a more thoughtful ending. Still, it was hard to put down and gut wrenching at times. Not for the faint of heart. Much darker than “Cethe”.
October 30, 2016
I really enjoyed this book. It was a fantastic sci-fi almost disguised as a fantasy novel. I like these type of stories that are completely rooted in tech, but read like a fantasy novel. The premise this story was built off of was really interesting and the backstory kept me as interested as what was going on with the characters. Not going to reveal details, but I enjoyed the button of the epilogue.
Sid wasn't born as part of a clan and thus his life after reaching the age of eight would be forfeit to the mines. Instead Sid ran away from the orphanage and has scrapped and stolen his way in to managing a life on the run. He's faked his clan tattoo which allows him to get by as long as no one looks too closely. But, when you're arrested for thievery most people are going to look closely. Things are not looking good for Sid when an illegal human hunt but the ilthiyan ends with Sid captured and held by a different set of masters.
Prince Loki is bored with a lot of life. As the third born he's not the heir and tries to stay out of his siblings machinations to be named the heir apparent. The ilthiyan's are a space faring race that hundreds of years before became trapped on the planet Gaia and have done what they needed to keep the peace with the native human inhabitants after a long war. Now the vampires even have their own slave race of humans that have been bred into captivity. Wild humans, on the other hand, are a different matter. An accord keeps the peace for the most part, they don't hunt humans and the humans stick to their land with their deep religious fear of tech. Everything is normal until staying neutral between his siblings takes Loki out on illegal raid on a human town. While the rest of the vampires go nuts killing indiscriminately the fight of one particular human catches Loki's attention. Rather than kill him, Loki decides to take him as a pet and tame him as his slave.
So this story definitely has some strong abuse/rape tags, but the whole story of the future coming to a head is very entertaining. This story looses a little bit for me as I'm not really sure why Sid's feelings for Loki change as he has been incredibly mistreated at first. I get why Loki's feelings change. But the bonding in this story isn't as well explained as maybe it could be so Sid's adjustment doesn't feel as organic as it could. But after Sid's I really enjoyed the way their relationship began to change and develop. Loki let Sid in more and his decisions really began to be effected by his feelings for Sid.
I found the religious structure of the humans on the planet to be really interesting. Such a controlled society! It's so rigidly adhered to it has completely stunted the growth of civilization. An interesting idea when most civilizations entire goal is to grow. With the humans there is such a religion based fear of tech and the advancements that came with the ilthiyan.
As fort eh ilthiyan's themselves their history was interesting as well. I liked that they were a space faring race looking for a new home world and ended up getting trapped. Their almost mythical enemies were shrouded in just the kind of mystery you would expect from a culture cut off for the most part from its history. Lost to the bowels of time.
This story was really fascinating to read as the plot unfolded and new elements were discovered. I would love to see this story taken further with a sequel. There was a lot of potential left for both the ilthiyans and the humans as their paths diverge. Really wonderful world building, well written for being self published without, I would assume, much of an editor. I was very happy with this read.
Sid wasn't born as part of a clan and thus his life after reaching the age of eight would be forfeit to the mines. Instead Sid ran away from the orphanage and has scrapped and stolen his way in to managing a life on the run. He's faked his clan tattoo which allows him to get by as long as no one looks too closely. But, when you're arrested for thievery most people are going to look closely. Things are not looking good for Sid when an illegal human hunt but the ilthiyan ends with Sid captured and held by a different set of masters.
Prince Loki is bored with a lot of life. As the third born he's not the heir and tries to stay out of his siblings machinations to be named the heir apparent. The ilthiyan's are a space faring race that hundreds of years before became trapped on the planet Gaia and have done what they needed to keep the peace with the native human inhabitants after a long war. Now the vampires even have their own slave race of humans that have been bred into captivity. Wild humans, on the other hand, are a different matter. An accord keeps the peace for the most part, they don't hunt humans and the humans stick to their land with their deep religious fear of tech. Everything is normal until staying neutral between his siblings takes Loki out on illegal raid on a human town. While the rest of the vampires go nuts killing indiscriminately the fight of one particular human catches Loki's attention. Rather than kill him, Loki decides to take him as a pet and tame him as his slave.
So this story definitely has some strong abuse/rape tags, but the whole story of the future coming to a head is very entertaining. This story looses a little bit for me as I'm not really sure why Sid's feelings for Loki change as he has been incredibly mistreated at first. I get why Loki's feelings change. But the bonding in this story isn't as well explained as maybe it could be so Sid's adjustment doesn't feel as organic as it could. But after Sid's I really enjoyed the way their relationship began to change and develop. Loki let Sid in more and his decisions really began to be effected by his feelings for Sid.
I found the religious structure of the humans on the planet to be really interesting. Such a controlled society! It's so rigidly adhered to it has completely stunted the growth of civilization. An interesting idea when most civilizations entire goal is to grow. With the humans there is such a religion based fear of tech and the advancements that came with the ilthiyan.
As fort eh ilthiyan's themselves their history was interesting as well. I liked that they were a space faring race looking for a new home world and ended up getting trapped. Their almost mythical enemies were shrouded in just the kind of mystery you would expect from a culture cut off for the most part from its history. Lost to the bowels of time.
This story was really fascinating to read as the plot unfolded and new elements were discovered. I would love to see this story taken further with a sequel. There was a lot of potential left for both the ilthiyans and the humans as their paths diverge. Really wonderful world building, well written for being self published without, I would assume, much of an editor. I was very happy with this read.
June 11, 2017
Both did and didn't like it. Definitely felt it was thinking about become a series
Good - the world of the book, interesting characters
Bad - and like Cethe kind of dropped you into the world without much foreplay to ease into said world
Good - the world of the book, interesting characters
Bad - and like Cethe kind of dropped you into the world without much foreplay to ease into said world
June 22, 2022
Could have been shorter. Too much world building.
July 28, 2023
Pretty clumsy writing and choppy plot. Race as a device to move the story sucks. Meh.
June 29, 2015
I liked this more than I thought I would. I liked it more solely for the actual world and plot and imagination of the author than the actual romance. I do not want to get into much but the characters basically fall in love through magic. I mean it's okay, but it's not why I read the romance genre. Though this is mostly sci/fi or fantasy, I picked it up mostly due to the fact that it was romance.
I liked both characters and I thought their emotional journeys were intriguing, though what was not intriguing was their falling in love. It was mystical and more of deus ex machina coming in to save the day for the lovers. No talking or hashing their crap out. Just I love you, no need to talk about how you sent me to a brothel and had me screwed six ways from sunday all in the name of training.
The plot and political intrigue was interesting. Though many questions I had were unanswered. What the hell did the Duke do to be exiled. I am pretty confused. Why the hell is the Duke up in space at the end when he said he would stay with Misha. When the whole irthi thing came to the forefront, I thought it meant the humans were actual irthi that drove the ilthi away. In a way I can't imagine I am wrong after all their technology is there and they were the ones who populated the planet. Maybe it was a small sect of irthi who thought the wars were horrid on their previous planet. However, none of this is spelt out and no one gives actual speculation to this. In fact the theory from the characters is that the irthi are still searching for them and that it was the planet was trap so that the irthi could come get them at a later date. Which is weird, and makes me quite confused since its not a first person story which makes me question my own perception of the story.
Anyways good read. I wish the author had done other books from the universe. Mostly because I am interested in the actual culture/people. Even if it was a human/human pairing or vampire pairing. Or another pairing on the new planet that the two landed on.
I feel mostly unsatisfied about it, and that is why it's a 4/5 instead of a 5 (also the romance was tepid).
I liked both characters and I thought their emotional journeys were intriguing, though what was not intriguing was their falling in love. It was mystical and more of deus ex machina coming in to save the day for the lovers. No talking or hashing their crap out. Just I love you, no need to talk about how you sent me to a brothel and had me screwed six ways from sunday all in the name of training.
The plot and political intrigue was interesting. Though many questions I had were unanswered. What the hell did the Duke do to be exiled. I am pretty confused. Why the hell is the Duke up in space at the end when he said he would stay with Misha. When the whole irthi thing came to the forefront, I thought it meant the humans were actual irthi that drove the ilthi away. In a way I can't imagine I am wrong after all their technology is there and they were the ones who populated the planet. Maybe it was a small sect of irthi who thought the wars were horrid on their previous planet. However, none of this is spelt out and no one gives actual speculation to this. In fact the theory from the characters is that the irthi are still searching for them and that it was the planet was trap so that the irthi could come get them at a later date. Which is weird, and makes me quite confused since its not a first person story which makes me question my own perception of the story.
Anyways good read. I wish the author had done other books from the universe. Mostly because I am interested in the actual culture/people. Even if it was a human/human pairing or vampire pairing. Or another pairing on the new planet that the two landed on.
I feel mostly unsatisfied about it, and that is why it's a 4/5 instead of a 5 (also the romance was tepid).
September 5, 2024
March 2021
2.5 stars
The engaging story started off at 4 stars.
😠 Then Chapter 12 happened. Sid is taken to Armistice to stay at the brothel and be trained. I hated that part. It was made clear that being someone's "Rhora," doesn't mean they're going to treat you well.
From 35% to 49%, I had to skim to get past all the abuse and torture. A star was taken off the rating for that.
At 65%, it went down to 2 stars. The story dragged, as the plot got more and more convoluted. It was a headache to read. 🤕 I skimmed to the end.
Sid and Loki are enemies who come to care for each other. The sex scenes are written well, with enough details to satisfy. (There aren't enough scenes, though.) Unfortunately, their relationship takes a backseat to everything else going on. There'd be a few pages of Sid & Loki together, then many pages of other things happening, then back to a brief interaction between Sid & Loki. I didn't like that at all. 👎
I was disappointed that "Rhorani," wasn't as amazing as it initially sounded. I thought it meant they were soulmates, and would be together forever. Turns out, it's not. It's more like falling in love, where you can be with someone else if things don't work out. There are a few characters who've had more than one.
An example of this not being special: Loki is away from Sid for a long time, and Sid doesn't mind. He also planned on He changes his mind at the very end. It's definitely NOT special! 😤
I get the feeling the author is a history buff. Unfortunately, I'm not. I gave up trying to understand it all. I didn't want to learn about: Gaian history (the planet and its original people), the history of the ilthi, or about their strange religion. Maybe if it had been explained better with less confusing (made-up) words, I would've liked it better. 🤷♀️
A BIG annoyance: From start to finish - "the Man" is used. I cringed every time I read this. 😬
2.5 stars
The engaging story started off at 4 stars.
😠 Then Chapter 12 happened. Sid is taken to Armistice to stay at the brothel and be trained. I hated that part. It was made clear that being someone's "Rhora," doesn't mean they're going to treat you well.
From 35% to 49%, I had to skim to get past all the abuse and torture. A star was taken off the rating for that.
At 65%, it went down to 2 stars. The story dragged, as the plot got more and more convoluted. It was a headache to read. 🤕 I skimmed to the end.
Sid and Loki are enemies who come to care for each other. The sex scenes are written well, with enough details to satisfy. (There aren't enough scenes, though.) Unfortunately, their relationship takes a backseat to everything else going on. There'd be a few pages of Sid & Loki together, then many pages of other things happening, then back to a brief interaction between Sid & Loki. I didn't like that at all. 👎
I was disappointed that "Rhorani," wasn't as amazing as it initially sounded. I thought it meant they were soulmates, and would be together forever. Turns out, it's not. It's more like falling in love, where you can be with someone else if things don't work out. There are a few characters who've had more than one.
An example of this not being special: Loki is away from Sid for a long time, and Sid doesn't mind. He also planned on He changes his mind at the very end. It's definitely NOT special! 😤
I get the feeling the author is a history buff. Unfortunately, I'm not. I gave up trying to understand it all. I didn't want to learn about: Gaian history (the planet and its original people), the history of the ilthi, or about their strange religion. Maybe if it had been explained better with less confusing (made-up) words, I would've liked it better. 🤷♀️
A BIG annoyance: From start to finish - "the Man" is used. I cringed every time I read this. 😬
July 31, 2018
DNF.
The blurb was interesting but what this blurb fails to mention is that one of the MCs, Loki, is an ugly, vile rapist and abuser. He loves rape, in fact he's incapable of any other type of sex even when he went to a brothel he still made sure to be brutal and rape the poor slave there. Abusing people makes him happy. Loki loves all types of abuse, mental and physical and he wastes no time brutally abusing the other MC, Sid, who becomes his slave. Every interaction they have is abuse of some sort. At first, Sid is very spirited and a fighter, he attempts a daring and risky escape and I was really cheering for him there. But very quickly, his spirit is broken and he becomes a doormat void of personality in a space of a few chapters he goes from fighting to calling his rapist and captor, "Your Highness" and saying things like, "if you please." Truly nauseating and when I see the blurb mentions - "But Loki decided to keep Sid instead of kill him and that decision would thrust them both into a whirlwind of treachery, intrigue -- and love." - it's vomit inducing. Love?! LOVE!? With his rapist who brutally abuses him the whole entire time?! Are you kidding me. Hope the author gets their head checked asap because they have some very ugly and sick view on love. There can be no love between the abuser/rapist and the victim! Of course there's no way I could finish reading this vile crap.
The blurb was interesting but what this blurb fails to mention is that one of the MCs, Loki, is an ugly, vile rapist and abuser. He loves rape, in fact he's incapable of any other type of sex even when he went to a brothel he still made sure to be brutal and rape the poor slave there. Abusing people makes him happy. Loki loves all types of abuse, mental and physical and he wastes no time brutally abusing the other MC, Sid, who becomes his slave. Every interaction they have is abuse of some sort. At first, Sid is very spirited and a fighter, he attempts a daring and risky escape and I was really cheering for him there. But very quickly, his spirit is broken and he becomes a doormat void of personality in a space of a few chapters he goes from fighting to calling his rapist and captor, "Your Highness" and saying things like, "if you please." Truly nauseating and when I see the blurb mentions - "But Loki decided to keep Sid instead of kill him and that decision would thrust them both into a whirlwind of treachery, intrigue -- and love." - it's vomit inducing. Love?! LOVE!? With his rapist who brutally abuses him the whole entire time?! Are you kidding me. Hope the author gets their head checked asap because they have some very ugly and sick view on love. There can be no love between the abuser/rapist and the victim! Of course there's no way I could finish reading this vile crap.
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