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greystory's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I suspected Svera and Krisxox's story would be great and I WAS RIGHT. This was amazing. Wholeheartedly loved every minute of it. Now this is what I'm talking about!!
Three sentences in on the first page, Krisxox thinks "Good girl" as Svera responds to his voice and I knew immediately this was gonna be good. Right from the start, Krisxox is having an inner struggle that was noticeable from the outside in Books 1 and 2 only now we get to see him fight his inner battles, overcome his prejudices, and accept a new life. It's a glorious ride! Svera is fighting her own inner battle - albeit one moreso with her faith rather than racism/xenophobia - and also benefits richly from her personal growth on her (mis)adventures with Krisxox.
They are both three dimensional characters with more going on than just the journeys described here - both struggle with family in their own way, their duties/responsibilities, sociocultural differences, traumatic experiences, and so on - and the story is so much better for it. Krisxox as the grumpy male main character gets a bit of a softer, tender side and we see scenes of him with Svera that are very endearing. We see Svera the sunshine female main character losing her cool, cursing, but also standing up for herself, finding her courage, and pushing Krisxox's buttons.
At one point, I actually paused reading and clapped. Out loud. Sitting at home alone by myself, I clapped for this angry alien self-admitted slut who was the first damn male character in this series to actually give a shit about the trauma their female mate has gone through and explicitly talks about consent. Those aren't the words used by any means but he straight up says "You were just assaulted. I shouldn’t.” (UNLIKE THE VA'RAKU/OKKARI/KINAN IN BOOK 2, I'M LOOKING AT YOU ASSHOLE) And he seeks her consent and permission and approval at things besides just sex - he notices what's important to her and he pays attention to things like her wearing her head scarf and gets genuinely hella upset when his actions or lack of knowledge or understanding about its importance causes her any distress.
The two make a fantastic pair and I loved their couple dynamic and bantering. I was highlighting so many bits in this book, it's not even funny. I didn't mention it before but I appreciate the pronunciation and glossary in the beginning of each book as I've found myself referencing it several times during each book. I could have done with a few more words added that weren't fictional ones.
The plot was great. Loved the twists and turns. Loved the mention and hints of so many more alien races and places in this universe. Like, legitimately loved to the point that I paused reading and took a closer look at the rest of the books in the series and got excited to read them. I genuinely started this book thinking I might limit my read of the series to Books 1, 2, and 4 but after finishing this one, I'm eager to dive in to more. Can't wait to find out more about the amazing places and people and technology out there and really looking forward to finally seeing more of these humans spread out in the galaxy.
Three sentences in on the first page, Krisxox thinks "Good girl" as Svera responds to his voice and I knew immediately this was gonna be good. Right from the start, Krisxox is having an inner struggle that was noticeable from the outside in Books 1 and 2 only now we get to see him fight his inner battles, overcome his prejudices, and accept a new life. It's a glorious ride! Svera is fighting her own inner battle - albeit one moreso with her faith rather than racism/xenophobia - and also benefits richly from her personal growth on her (mis)adventures with Krisxox.
They are both three dimensional characters with more going on than just the journeys described here - both struggle with family in their own way, their duties/responsibilities, sociocultural differences, traumatic experiences, and so on - and the story is so much better for it. Krisxox as the grumpy male main character gets a bit of a softer, tender side and we see scenes of him with Svera that are very endearing. We see Svera the sunshine female main character losing her cool, cursing, but also standing up for herself, finding her courage, and pushing Krisxox's buttons.
At one point, I actually paused reading and clapped. Out loud. Sitting at home alone by myself, I clapped for this angry alien self-admitted slut who was the first damn male character in this series to actually give a shit about the trauma their female mate has gone through and explicitly talks about consent. Those aren't the words used by any means but he straight up says "You were just assaulted. I shouldn’t.” (UNLIKE THE VA'RAKU/OKKARI/KINAN IN BOOK 2, I'M LOOKING AT YOU ASSHOLE) And he seeks her consent and permission and approval at things besides just sex - he notices what's important to her and he pays attention to things like her wearing her head scarf and gets genuinely hella upset when his actions or lack of knowledge or understanding about its importance causes her any distress.
The two make a fantastic pair and I loved their couple dynamic and bantering. I was highlighting so many bits in this book, it's not even funny. I didn't mention it before but I appreciate the pronunciation and glossary in the beginning of each book as I've found myself referencing it several times during each book. I could have done with a few more words added that weren't fictional ones.
The plot was great. Loved the twists and turns. Loved the mention and hints of so many more alien races and places in this universe. Like, legitimately loved to the point that I paused reading and took a closer look at the rest of the books in the series and got excited to read them. I genuinely started this book thinking I might limit my read of the series to Books 1, 2, and 4 but after finishing this one, I'm eager to dive in to more. Can't wait to find out more about the amazing places and people and technology out there and really looking forward to finally seeing more of these humans spread out in the galaxy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual content, Trafficking, and Violence
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Racism, Xenophobia, Abortion, Child death, and Sexual assault
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