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emmalthompson85's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book. I felt the writimg was good, pacing was nice, and the plot flowed well. There were no strange, illogical twists. I loved the characters and I loved how they evolved from the earlier books and the continued growth and healing we see in Liam. I felt, at times, that the focus on a plot that didn't drectly relate to Liam and Ondri's relationship took some kf the emotional intensity out of the book, which is what I liked so much about the earlier books.
tashas_books's review against another edition
5.0
1st read: August 2, 2015
4.5 stars
Wow, this was really good! I can't wait for the next book (please say there's going to be more books in this series!)
4.5 stars
Wow, this was really good! I can't wait for the next book (please say there's going to be more books in this series!)
teresab78's review against another edition
5.0
****Reviewed for Prism Book Alliance****
4.5 Stars - Assimilation, Love, and Other Human Oddities picks up where Claimings, Tails and Other Alien Artifacts left off. It had been awhile since I had read the first book in the series and it took a little while to remember where that was. However, once I recalled the important facts, I was quickly immersed in the story.
I really enjoyed the contrast in how Rownt viewed mating and sex as compared to humans, and how that made Ondry and Liam’s relationship non sexual, even though they shared, by human standards, a sexually pleasurable relationship. They were partners, two halves that fit together without being “mates” and yet there was love and romance too. There were scenes of tail sex (which were sexy) but they were few and not the core of this relationship.
In addition to the sweet, intimate moments between the two, there was a good story and fantastic world building. I loved the look into human psychology as compared, once again, to the Rownt way of life. The way Lyn Gala used the dialogue to illustrate the basic differences just by how human common tongue and the Rownt language differed; each was missing words for important ideas to others culture. This fascinated me and I loved the depth of detail provided. It came across very organic and flowed well, carrying the story along. Amidst all that was a little action and danger to keep things well rounded.
I highly recommend this book to fans of sci-fi as well as non-traditional m/m romance.
4.5 Stars - Assimilation, Love, and Other Human Oddities picks up where Claimings, Tails and Other Alien Artifacts left off. It had been awhile since I had read the first book in the series and it took a little while to remember where that was. However, once I recalled the important facts, I was quickly immersed in the story.
I really enjoyed the contrast in how Rownt viewed mating and sex as compared to humans, and how that made Ondry and Liam’s relationship non sexual, even though they shared, by human standards, a sexually pleasurable relationship. They were partners, two halves that fit together without being “mates” and yet there was love and romance too. There were scenes of tail sex (which were sexy) but they were few and not the core of this relationship.
In addition to the sweet, intimate moments between the two, there was a good story and fantastic world building. I loved the look into human psychology as compared, once again, to the Rownt way of life. The way Lyn Gala used the dialogue to illustrate the basic differences just by how human common tongue and the Rownt language differed; each was missing words for important ideas to others culture. This fascinated me and I loved the depth of detail provided. It came across very organic and flowed well, carrying the story along. Amidst all that was a little action and danger to keep things well rounded.
I highly recommend this book to fans of sci-fi as well as non-traditional m/m romance.
indiekay's review against another edition
4.0
Solid continuation of the first book! It adds a lot more world-building and shows more of the relationship.
greystory's review
4.0
The romance/spice in this is alright but I'm seriously reading this for the interesting sociocultural divide and navigation because it's cool as fuck.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Animal death and Abandonment
Minor: Mental illness, War, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
blandrea_reads's review against another edition
4.0
This series has some pretty complicated takes on ethics, identity, first contact politics and social structures.
I think the part that I love is that Liam and Ondry are a solid team. And that makes for a safe and comfortable place from which to explore all the other vagaries of the story.
I think the part that I love is that Liam and Ondry are a solid team. And that makes for a safe and comfortable place from which to explore all the other vagaries of the story.
iam's review against another edition
4.0
I gotta stop reading this series's blurbs, they give such a wrong impression about the books?!
Content warnings include: political machinations, humans in gernal being stupid and self-centered, attack of a wild animal that is then killed in self-defense, BDSM (mostly non-sexual D/s, light bondage), sex on-page; mentions of rape, sexual abuse and assault, sex work, respecting someone less for working as a sex worker, neglect and parent kicking out a child.
I loooooooved that this book included Ondry as a POV character! Reading from his POV was delightful, and I even enjoyed the cultural barriers that kept him from understanding what Liam was doing - and sometimes that was even hard for me to interpret - and vice versa.
The plot made me anxious at time but never truly escalated, which I appreciated. It kept just the right tension, creating suspense without ever actually making me sad about what was happening.
At times it did feel like things were going terribly convenient for Ondry and Liam, though, to the point where it almost felt unbelievable. But just almost, it never truly went past that tipping point that would have broken suspension of disbelief, and included enough drama and ups and downs to distract from it through excitement.
I loved learning more about Rownt culture, and I'm hoping to learn more about the other alien species in the next book, and that the humans .... well, that there are less humans and that those who are there cause less trouble. (Not that I think my hopes will be met. But, eh, hope dies last...)
In general I think this series excells at all the culture clash and mainly focussing on a culture and society that is so different from humans. It's truly delightful to read, but also make you question what you assumed to be normal, logical or natural while reading.
Upon rereading, this book has some of my least favourite moments of the series, but I love it for giving us Ondry's POV for the first time, and it makes a lot of necessay steps and introctions that become vital for the development of the plot of the overall series plot.
Content warnings include: political machinations, humans in gernal being stupid and self-centered, attack of a wild animal that is then killed in self-defense, BDSM (mostly non-sexual D/s, light bondage), sex on-page; mentions of rape, sexual abuse and assault, sex work, respecting someone less for working as a sex worker, neglect and parent kicking out a child.
I loooooooved that this book included Ondry as a POV character! Reading from his POV was delightful, and I even enjoyed the cultural barriers that kept him from understanding what Liam was doing - and sometimes that was even hard for me to interpret - and vice versa.
The plot made me anxious at time but never truly escalated, which I appreciated. It kept just the right tension, creating suspense without ever actually making me sad about what was happening.
At times it did feel like things were going terribly convenient for Ondry and Liam, though, to the point where it almost felt unbelievable. But just almost, it never truly went past that tipping point that would have broken suspension of disbelief, and included enough drama and ups and downs to distract from it through excitement.
I loved learning more about Rownt culture, and I'm hoping to learn more about the other alien species in the next book, and that the humans .... well, that there are less humans and that those who are there cause less trouble. (Not that I think my hopes will be met. But, eh, hope dies last...)
In general I think this series excells at all the culture clash and mainly focussing on a culture and society that is so different from humans. It's truly delightful to read, but also make you question what you assumed to be normal, logical or natural while reading.
Upon rereading, this book has some of my least favourite moments of the series, but I love it for giving us Ondry's POV for the first time, and it makes a lot of necessay steps and introctions that become vital for the development of the plot of the overall series plot.
piddlepiddle's review against another edition
4.0
Reread October 2023:
Yes I did decide to reread the whole series (or at least the books I enjoyed in the series). I just love the relationship development we see in this and I am a sucker for a book focused on an established relationship so I had no doubts I was going to enjoy rereading this.
Yes I did decide to reread the whole series (or at least the books I enjoyed in the series). I just love the relationship development we see in this and I am a sucker for a book focused on an established relationship so I had no doubts I was going to enjoy rereading this.
sleepey's review against another edition
4.0
Really solid follow-up to "Claimings", moving forward with the world & concepts established in the first book. I was gripped the whole way through & actually ended up reading it all in one long sitting.
There are some issues though - I thought their conversations about certain things went around in circles a few too many times before coming to a point (hey did you know there's no Rownt word for war??), & the last few chapters feel less like the conclusion to this story, and more like just moving pieces around the board to set up the next one.
It's all still very interesting, & I still love the characters, but after the big climactic scene (which happens earlier than you'd expect), things just sort of taper off in a weird way. It's very much a middle instalment in a series, for better or worse.
There are some issues though - I thought their conversations about certain things went around in circles a few too many times before coming to a point (hey did you know there's no Rownt word for war??), & the last few chapters feel less like the conclusion to this story, and more like just moving pieces around the board to set up the next one.
It's all still very interesting, & I still love the characters, but after the big climactic scene (which happens earlier than you'd expect), things just sort of taper off in a weird way. It's very much a middle instalment in a series, for better or worse.