Scan barcode
_thatbooklife's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
therealjessicaaustin_2002's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Pedophilia, and Torture
Minor: Rape
clearlyunhinged's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Cannibalism, Car accident, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Medical content, and Grief
Minor: Animal death and Death of parent
kbairbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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? No
5.0
Speechless. Read this book. READ THE TRIGGER WARNINGS. Be careful. And pay attention to the rules of population and you MIGHT survive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Genocide, Medical content, Mental illness, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Kidnapping, Torture, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, Rape, Colonisation, Confinement, Abandonment, Ableism, Animal death, Cursing, Death of parent, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Blood, Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Grief, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, War, Infidelity, Vomit, and Car accident
birbpal's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
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
3.75
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75 Stars
I feel conflicted after finishing this book. In the first half, I was absolutely hooked and could not put the book down. FMC Abel was not only a badass but a secretly tender one that made me really feel for her. The dynamic between her and Kane was electric. I love how naturally they worked together. Whether it be against enemies or on a dance floor, they were so atune to one another.💞
The plot was straight to the point and compelling; Abel's sister was taken from her, and she is on a John Wick-esque mission to kill everyone in her path to get Ashlyn back. In order to make it through Population alive, she reluctantly allies with Kane, who happens to be a powerful alien.
The second half is where I felt the story fell off. Abel went through brutal event after brutal event to now get Kane back. It was hard to read at some points, but I knew what I was getting into, so that didn't bother me too bad. My biggest issue is the fact that I had to suspend my disbelief for the majority of the second half. Abel should have died 5 times at least, but she somehow lives every flippin time.
Even at the end, Abel comes back alive as deus ex machina to ensure the book ends in a HEA. I love HEAs but seriously?😒 I rolled my eyes and groaned, reading how this book ended.
I also felt weird about her and another character's relationship. I won't spoil who that character is, but I seriously didn't like how easily Abel forgave him for his actions. It felt like it all got brushed to the side, personally.
Despite my complaints, I still liked the book to the point that I will be continuing with the series. Hopefully, the FMC in the next book will be a little more believable because otherwise, I loved most everything else in this book!🐥💕
I feel conflicted after finishing this book. In the first half, I was absolutely hooked and could not put the book down. FMC Abel was not only a badass but a secretly tender one that made me really feel for her. The dynamic between her and Kane was electric. I love how naturally they worked together. Whether it be against enemies or on a dance floor, they were so atune to one another.💞
The plot was straight to the point and compelling; Abel's sister was taken from her, and she is on a John Wick-esque mission to kill everyone in her path to get Ashlyn back. In order to make it through Population alive, she reluctantly allies with Kane, who happens to be a powerful alien.
The second half is where I felt the story fell off. Abel went through brutal event after brutal event to now get Kane back. It was hard to read at some points, but I knew what I was getting into, so that didn't bother me too bad. My biggest issue is the fact that I had to suspend my disbelief for the majority of the second half. Abel should have died 5 times at least, but she somehow lives every flippin time.
Even at the end, Abel comes back alive as deus ex machina to ensure the book ends in a HEA. I love HEAs but seriously?😒 I rolled my eyes and groaned, reading how this book ended.
I also felt weird about her and another character's relationship. I won't spoil who that character is, but I seriously didn't like how easily Abel forgave him for his actions. It felt like it all got brushed to the side, personally.
Despite my complaints, I still liked the book to the point that I will be continuing with the series. Hopefully, the FMC in the next book will be a little more believable because otherwise, I loved most everything else in this book!🐥💕
mean_momma86's review
5.0
This story was so much better than I expected!!
Abel is a everything you could want in a lead female character. Kane is everything you want in the misunderstood sexy leading character. This story grabs from the beginning and keeps you locked in until the very in. Intense. All the feels. Can't wait to continue the journey.
Abel is a everything you could want in a lead female character. Kane is everything you want in the misunderstood sexy leading character. This story grabs from the beginning and keeps you locked in until the very in. Intense. All the feels. Can't wait to continue the journey.
adrierising's review
4.0
was it entertaining?
very much so. i love a good dystopian romance. add in aliens, a black FMC that likes to fight, and a scathing commentary on how truly evil humans can be and i'm sold. i'm always wary of book recommendations i get from social media but i actually like the story here. there's a lot of emphasis on the size difference trope which doesn't bother me so much but it did come up a lot. if you like adventure novels, this will probably be right up your alley. there's...so much trekking and walking to places but it doesn't drag like i've seen in other books. 5/5
was it enjoyable?
it was. and then it wasn't. as i said, i love a good dystopian romance -- even when the dystopian part outweighs the romance part -- but this was extremely violent. towards the middle of the book there is just once graphic depiction of extreme violence after another, interspersed with a completely random sexual assault that i find objectionable. the reasoning for it made little to no sense to me and it functioned entirely as a plot device. this is especially egregious because the FMC has only ever had two other experiences with sex -- one of which was another assault as a child. i just couldn't find a reason for it to be there -- or described in detail.
besides that, it dragged in the second half with what felt like a rushed 3rd act confrontation. i know that this was supposed to be a combination of 2 books but i think a clear delineation between the two would have gone a long way. without it, it just feels like the book rambles to an end. i also hated the ending. sorry. it was violent and then
nitpicky things from this point on. i think this would have been better categorized as a paranormal romance than an alien story. there's also continuity issues sprinkled throughout that caught me off-guard. at one point, the FMC points out that she's never heard of the princess bride but she makes a robocop reference, by name, a few chapters later. it's jarring. 1/5
was it well-written?
i want to say yes. i don't remember anything particularly egregious. 5/5
overall, i liked the premise but it was too violent for me to look at the rest of the series. i also really resent the comparison between this author and jr ward because ward’s books are just internalised misogyny wrapped up in black leather and sloppy writing. 3.7/5 stars
very much so. i love a good dystopian romance. add in aliens, a black FMC that likes to fight, and a scathing commentary on how truly evil humans can be and i'm sold. i'm always wary of book recommendations i get from social media but i actually like the story here. there's a lot of emphasis on the size difference trope which doesn't bother me so much but it did come up a lot. if you like adventure novels, this will probably be right up your alley. there's...so much trekking and walking to places but it doesn't drag like i've seen in other books. 5/5
was it enjoyable?
it was. and then it wasn't. as i said, i love a good dystopian romance -- even when the dystopian part outweighs the romance part -- but this was extremely violent. towards the middle of the book there is just once graphic depiction of extreme violence after another, interspersed with a completely random sexual assault that i find objectionable. the reasoning for it made little to no sense to me and it functioned entirely as a plot device. this is especially egregious because the FMC has only ever had two other experiences with sex -- one of which was another assault as a child. i just couldn't find a reason for it to be there -- or described in detail.
besides that, it dragged in the second half with what felt like a rushed 3rd act confrontation. i know that this was supposed to be a combination of 2 books but i think a clear delineation between the two would have gone a long way. without it, it just feels like the book rambles to an end. i also hated the ending. sorry. it was violent and then
Spoiler
there's a magical resurrection everyone explains away casually.nitpicky things from this point on. i think this would have been better categorized as a paranormal romance than an alien story.
Spoiler
the aliens in this are basically big vampires, some of which have glowing orbs in their chest. if it wasn't for the FMC constantly calling them aliens, i would have forgotten about it honestly.was it well-written?
i want to say yes. i don't remember anything particularly egregious. 5/5
overall, i liked the premise but it was too violent for me to look at the rest of the series. i also really resent the comparison between this author and jr ward because ward’s books are just internalised misogyny wrapped up in black leather and sloppy writing. 3.7/5 stars