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whitneykelley's review against another edition
5.0
Super good slow burn alien romance. I couldn’t put it down. Single POV (F).
The trope is a darker sci-fi version of Taming Demons for Beginners by Annette Marie. (I liked the pacing of this one a little more, though it has a distinct lack of baked goods!) In both cases, I really liked how the main M lead slowly opens up as he starts trusting main F.
Two quibbles:
1. The MF lead has some reservations about some ethical issues....then seems to drop all concerns because....no good reason?
2. The ending is abrupt. I would normally expect an epilogue. But everything resolved so it’s fine, I guess?
The trope is a darker sci-fi version of Taming Demons for Beginners by Annette Marie. (I liked the pacing of this one a little more, though it has a distinct lack of baked goods!) In both cases, I really liked how the main M lead slowly opens up as he starts trusting main F.
Two quibbles:
1. The MF lead has some reservations about some ethical issues....then seems to drop all concerns because....no good reason?
2. The ending is abrupt. I would normally expect an epilogue. But everything resolved so it’s fine, I guess?
gwynt's review against another edition
4.0
interesting read. I thought there were a lot of holes in terms of practical world-building, but engaging and the dialogue was well fabricated. I would read others by her.
escapismseeker's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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
abbey_mundt's review
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
lullalili's review against another edition
3.0
writing this review a few chapters before the actual ending but I got spoiled already from the other reviews I’ve read lol.
Unpopular opinion but I preferred the first half of the book more than the second, even though the second was technically more interesting and fast-paced.
I just feel like the first half of the book actually develops stuff and lives up to the whole “slow burn” thing but second half? random sex for no fuckin reason (i had to skip them bc I just didn’t have it in me to tolerate it), random drama for the sake of action, and I didn’t really feel the chemistry between the MC and ML ngl, it felt extremely one sided but I guess this could be due to the fact the entire novel is in MC’s POV.
There were some few notable “romantic” lines from Simon that would’ve gotten me blushin and shit like a little girl…if I actually got emotionally invested in this story lol (which, for the record, I didn’t really tbh bc Gemma lowkey annoyed me).
Some minor nitpicks (mild spoiler alert?) bc I focus on the wrong details often lol:
The author took the time to write about how Simon regrew his nails from the stubs but nothing about his teeth, so every time Gemma was getting her monster kink on about how sexy or whatever Simon was, I was just like “so is he still toothless orrrr???? Are we just forgetting that he was basically a wrinkly skeletal vegetable for a solid 30% of the book before y’all wanted to start boning him orrrrr???????
Also what happened to Ruby??? I feel like after we just…never hear about Ruby or even her child again lol. Hell, we didn’t even hear about what happened with the Harry Potter Dursley’s ass family that Gemma lived with. Maybe it comes up in the final few chapters but as I write this review, nothin about them lol.
Oh as to why Gemma lowkey annoyed me, I definitely find her more tolerable than your average romance heroine but she’s the typical “way too nice/soft for her own good” MC in a post-apocalyptic world. On the opposite end, the overly “badass not like other girls” MCs also annoy me. Why can’t romance novels ever find an in-between? ugh. Anyways. Gemma, baby girl, you are living in a fucking wastelands, there is no place and time for you to be screaming at ur alien boyfriend for killing people for both his and YOUR survival. SMH.
I found this book through Reddit thread recommendations and I saw that many people considered this a bleak/depressing novel, but I feel like I didn’t feel like that with this?? Perhaps I’m so used to those very long series of books with even worse circumstances, or just chinese length novels which is a whole ‘nother beast lol (1k pages sheesh), but I feel like this book was very tame for a supposedly “dark” or depressing book. Hell I didn’t even tag it under my “dark-but-not-depression” shelf.
Anyways 2.5 stars, but I’ll round it to 3 because it kept me interested enough to actually finish it, rather than drop it like I normally would when I’d get too annoyed to finish the book lol.
Unpopular opinion but I preferred the first half of the book more than the second, even though the second was technically more interesting and fast-paced.
I just feel like the first half of the book actually develops stuff and lives up to the whole “slow burn” thing but second half? random sex for no fuckin reason (i had to skip them bc I just didn’t have it in me to tolerate it), random drama for the sake of action, and I didn’t really feel the chemistry between the MC and ML ngl, it felt extremely one sided but I guess this could be due to the fact the entire novel is in MC’s POV.
There were some few notable “romantic” lines from Simon that would’ve gotten me blushin and shit like a little girl…if I actually got emotionally invested in this story lol (which, for the record, I didn’t really tbh bc Gemma lowkey annoyed me).
Some minor nitpicks (mild spoiler alert?) bc I focus on the wrong details often lol:
The author took the time to write about how Simon regrew his nails from the stubs but nothing about his teeth, so every time Gemma was getting her monster kink on about how sexy or whatever Simon was, I was just like “so is he still toothless orrrr???? Are we just forgetting that he was basically a wrinkly skeletal vegetable for a solid 30% of the book before y’all wanted to start boning him orrrrr???????
Also what happened to Ruby??? I feel like after
Spoiler
arlo got killed and Simon escapes the prisonOh as to why Gemma lowkey annoyed me, I definitely find her more tolerable than your average romance heroine but she’s the typical “way too nice/soft for her own good” MC in a post-apocalyptic world. On the opposite end, the overly “badass not like other girls” MCs also annoy me. Why can’t romance novels ever find an in-between? ugh. Anyways. Gemma, baby girl, you are living in a fucking wastelands, there is no place and time for you to be screaming at ur alien boyfriend for killing people for both his and YOUR survival. SMH.
I found this book through Reddit thread recommendations and I saw that many people considered this a bleak/depressing novel, but I feel like I didn’t feel like that with this?? Perhaps I’m so used to those very long series of books with even worse circumstances, or just chinese length novels which is a whole ‘nother beast lol (1k pages sheesh), but I feel like this book was very tame for a supposedly “dark” or depressing book. Hell I didn’t even tag it under my “dark-but-not-depression” shelf.
Anyways 2.5 stars, but I’ll round it to 3 because it kept me interested enough to actually finish it, rather than drop it like I normally would when I’d get too annoyed to finish the book lol.
bookish_caprice's review against another edition
5.0
Remarkable story!
I loved this book! The slow world and character building made the connection with MC much more deeper. I love it when the authors are able to make you feel all the kinds of emotions with their writing.
This book is for someone who likes plot first and romance second. This is not a book where it's all about romance and smut.
This author is now my favourite! I'm very happy to see new book release set in the same world - Sky Song.
I loved this book! The slow world and character building made the connection with MC much more deeper. I love it when the authors are able to make you feel all the kinds of emotions with their writing.
This book is for someone who likes plot first and romance second. This is not a book where it's all about romance and smut.
This author is now my favourite! I'm very happy to see new book release set in the same world - Sky Song.
nessa_d33's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
britlitnerd's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
birbpal's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
⭐️⭐️.75 Stars
When I read the synopsis for the book, I was immediately drawn to the fact that this would be a sci-fi romance taking place on earth. Most of the sci-fi/alien romances I have read always feature the MCs not on Earth. I was also excited for the darker tone this book had. I have lately read a lot of books in this genre where they don't take themselves too seriously. That's great, honestly. But I was looking for a change of pace. I was hopeful this book would fit the bill.
At first, I was enjoying the slow pace and slow burn for the romance. My expectations were building, along with the hype! Gemma as a FMC was interesting. I found the lack of esteem yet determination to survive very interesting. I also loved how empathetic she was, especially in a world where empathy is hard to come by. That paired with Simon was a nice contrast as well. I really was excited to see how their romance would unfold with these differences, along with them being entirely different species.
I kept reading. And waiting. Waiting for stuff to happen and for the romance to finally unfold. Honestly, a lot happened in this book, and yet nothing at all? It's so weird! One minute, Simon is apathetic to Gemma and only shows brief moments of care. Suddenly, he loves her? But not really, because love is a "human" emotion. And yet, he has undying loyalty to her???☠️
Long story short; Simon's feelings are never clearly spelled out for Gemma by the time the book is finished. You kinda just have to assume he loves her. Speaking of the ending, it sucks. The book literally ends midcoversation with no satisfying epilogue. Instead of a HEA ending, it felt more like a HFN one. I mean... not getting into spoiler territory, but I have to hope Gemma and Simon are finally safe and happy and that somehow, Gemma integrates well into his culture.🤷♀️
I was hoping the next book was gonna be a sequel. Sadly, it isn't. I won't be reading it, but I hope the author has found this book to be a good learning experience and that the MCs in the second book get an actual ending, lol.🐥💕
When I read the synopsis for the book, I was immediately drawn to the fact that this would be a sci-fi romance taking place on earth. Most of the sci-fi/alien romances I have read always feature the MCs not on Earth. I was also excited for the darker tone this book had. I have lately read a lot of books in this genre where they don't take themselves too seriously. That's great, honestly. But I was looking for a change of pace. I was hopeful this book would fit the bill.
At first, I was enjoying the slow pace and slow burn for the romance. My expectations were building, along with the hype! Gemma as a FMC was interesting. I found the lack of esteem yet determination to survive very interesting. I also loved how empathetic she was, especially in a world where empathy is hard to come by. That paired with Simon was a nice contrast as well. I really was excited to see how their romance would unfold with these differences, along with them being entirely different species.
I kept reading. And waiting. Waiting for stuff to happen and for the romance to finally unfold. Honestly, a lot happened in this book, and yet nothing at all? It's so weird! One minute, Simon is apathetic to Gemma and only shows brief moments of care. Suddenly, he loves her? But not really, because love is a "human" emotion. And yet, he has undying loyalty to her???☠️
Long story short; Simon's feelings are never clearly spelled out for Gemma by the time the book is finished. You kinda just have to assume he loves her. Speaking of the ending, it sucks. The book literally ends midcoversation with no satisfying epilogue. Instead of a HEA ending, it felt more like a HFN one. I mean... not getting into spoiler territory, but I have to hope Gemma and Simon are finally safe and happy and that somehow, Gemma integrates well into his culture.🤷♀️
I was hoping the next book was gonna be a sequel. Sadly, it isn't. I won't be reading it, but I hope the author has found this book to be a good learning experience and that the MCs in the second book get an actual ending, lol.🐥💕