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mom2three's review
5.0
This story is a dark read, but it's not the darkest Omegaverse story I've read; I would say it falls in the dark grey zone. I think part of that is because Elise is a very in control sort of Omega. She knows what she's getting herself into and keeps a level head about it. This seems to rare in this trope, at least in the stories I've read, and it added an interesting twist to things. She didn't like what was going to happen, but she knew her options and decided to go with the one that left her with a feeling of some control. And that's where most of her control goes out the window. There were a few events in this story that were emotional to keep me connected to Elise without causing any triggers, but there is some non-con so be warned. If you have read any Omegaverse books then you will know what you are getting yourself into, and you won't be disappointed. The characters are easy to become invested in, the plot is nicely developed, and the story moves at a quick pace. It was thoroughly enjoyable and I can't wait for the next one.
inniebin's review
5.0
A little bit of dark with your pleasure.
This is a great book. It had good character development, good world building and the good raw animalistic Alpha's. Just up my alley. :)
It's also got a bit of darkness and it does have a trigger scene or two, but nothing huge. In general the book is not very dark, but a great entrance to syfi omegaverse. :)
This is a great book. It had good character development, good world building and the good raw animalistic Alpha's. Just up my alley. :)
It's also got a bit of darkness and it does have a trigger scene or two, but nothing huge. In general the book is not very dark, but a great entrance to syfi omegaverse. :)
hannas_heas47's review
5.0
Thanks to Kindle Unlimited for a great Omegaverse read. Book one of two, Elise turns herself in to an omega compound hoping for the best and she gets an adventure. Cliffhanger ending and I need part two.
christyjoreads's review
2.5
But, I guess my biggest issue is the MMC never seemed to be an alpha - he could be a pirate or a space captain, but this story never felt like an omega-verse story. He lacked the primal energy I want in an alpha.
mixedishshelby's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
reading_rainy's review
3.0
This is one heavy TW story. Guess the title should have been more of a warning. On-page abuse of so many kinds.
Omegaverse stories usually have a beautiful bonding moment, with kotting, purring, and a ton of heat. This one had some of the emotions, but there wasn't enough of the couple bonding at the end to repair all the brutality stuck in my brain.
Huge spoilers if you want to know the details.
She turns herself in to an omega clinic for the highest alpha bidder. (As required by law)
To prove her virginity, she has a physical. The doctor is a massive creep. He manhandles her, forces her in vulnerable positions, takes photos of her naked and then comes all over her ass.
She's bought by someone we KNOW is going to be awful.
She's kidnapped on her way to buyers planet.
The alpha who kidnaps her is a sort of gentleman? While he's screwing a beta female, he's pleasing the h with his tongue, so she can remain a virgin, but he can still have a taste of her. It's kinda gross but also steamy.
She's then "rescued" by the alpha who had bought her in the beginning. But he beats her, brutally bites her all over, and then violently rapes her. It's horrific to say the least. He's killed many other women this way.
Then she stages a rescue of the alpha that kidnapped her, and they run off into the sunset together after killing the bad guys...
I did like the writing, so I'll give the second book a go!
Omegaverse stories usually have a beautiful bonding moment, with kotting, purring, and a ton of heat. This one had some of the emotions, but there wasn't enough of the couple bonding at the end to repair all the brutality stuck in my brain.
Huge spoilers if you want to know the details.
Spoiler
She turns herself in to an omega clinic for the highest alpha bidder. (As required by law)
To prove her virginity, she has a physical. The doctor is a massive creep. He manhandles her, forces her in vulnerable positions, takes photos of her naked and then comes all over her ass.
She's bought by someone we KNOW is going to be awful.
She's kidnapped on her way to buyers planet.
The alpha who kidnaps her is a sort of gentleman? While he's screwing a beta female, he's pleasing the h with his tongue, so she can remain a virgin, but he can still have a taste of her. It's kinda gross but also steamy.
She's then "rescued" by the alpha who had bought her in the beginning. But he beats her, brutally bites her all over, and then violently rapes her. It's horrific to say the least. He's killed many other women this way.
Then she stages a rescue of the alpha that kidnapped her, and they run off into the sunset together after killing the bad guys...
I did like the writing, so I'll give the second book a go!
mx_manda's review
4.0
TW/CW: Sexual abuse and rape
Darker than the second book in the series, Used is the unhappy tale of an Omega who eventually gets her happy ending. But. She suffers quite a bit before she's allowed to get there, and her Alpha does too. (Not R. Lee Smith levels of suffering, by any means, but definitely more than I've seen in any of Ryan's other books that I've read.) Even so, as far as het OV goes, this still isn't a dark book.
I found I enjoyed this one quite a bit more than I expected to.
Used is a slow starter. We're solely with Elise until 25% of the way in. There was a lot of world building happening—The Curse of the First Book in a Series—and it did bog things down for a while. It's hard to say if it was necessary and worth the space taken: it had a lot of impact on Elise's personal story, but very little in the second book, where much of it is barely mentioned for why the Center made some of the changes it did.
The Alpha in this story, Leir, seems to be the big point of contention in the reviews—. But he's pretty easy to like after a short while, and he's far from the worst Alpha in this story. He's one of the better ones, simply because he has some basic decency and cares. Not only about Elise, but also about all the members of his crew, their families, and his community. Even the "comfort" women on board are allegedly treated pretty respectfully, given their profession. Most of his creep factor is biological OV shenanigans trying to override his brain with instincts, and that's just par-the-course for the genre.
Our Omega, Elise, is not terribly distinctive as a character—Generic Nice Omega strikes again—but she has a good head on her shoulders, and it was rather heartbreaking how hard she tried to do the right thing to get a positive outcome in her life, how hard she had worked for it, only to be treated so badly and repeatedly abused. This world is a really shit one to be an Omega in, no matter what you do. She gets a big dose of, "be careful what you wish for," in this tale, to be sure. But she's very likable and easy to read, with no forced, obnoxious, unrealistic personality to create conflict for "drama factor."
So. If you're already an OV fan, this is totally worth reading. It will seem pretty tame and light compared to a lot of the genre offerings. If you're new to OV, this isn't a bad place to dip your toes in. It's not the sweetest end of the OV spectrum, but it's far from the darkest.
Darker than the second book in the series, Used is the unhappy tale of an Omega who eventually gets her happy ending. But. She suffers quite a bit before she's allowed to get there, and her Alpha does too. (Not R. Lee Smith levels of suffering, by any means, but definitely more than I've seen in any of Ryan's other books that I've read.) Even so, as far as het OV goes, this still isn't a dark book.
I found I enjoyed this one quite a bit more than I expected to.
Used is a slow starter. We're solely with Elise until 25% of the way in. There was a lot of world building happening—The Curse of the First Book in a Series—and it did bog things down for a while. It's hard to say if it was necessary and worth the space taken: it had a lot of impact on Elise's personal story, but very little in the second book, where much of it is barely mentioned for why the Center made some of the changes it did.
Spoiler
I really do not think we needed to spend so much time reading about Suri's naive belief in the BS the Center was shoveling about vetting Alphas and hand-picking safe ones, days upon days of sitting in a room, or so much time picking out clothes, is all I'm sayin'. What was even the point of the pages spent describing the process of taking her headshots and the stalkery Alpha there? This whole front section could have been tightened up and helped move things along. A lot of information was unnecessarily repetitive or had no impact on the story.The Alpha in this story, Leir, seems to be the big point of contention in the reviews—
Spoiler
he has an early sexual interaction that is mislabeled as "cheating" (How does one cheat on a person they are not in a relationship with, and doubly so, if that person is part of the act in question?), and while it certainly is exploitive and creepy, the harmed party isn't Elise, it's the random, unnamed Beta woman who was used as a surrogateOur Omega, Elise, is not terribly distinctive as a character—Generic Nice Omega strikes again—but she has a good head on her shoulders, and it was rather heartbreaking how hard she tried to do the right thing to get a positive outcome in her life, how hard she had worked for it, only to be treated so badly and repeatedly abused. This world is a really shit one to be an Omega in, no matter what you do. She gets a big dose of, "be careful what you wish for," in this tale, to be sure. But she's very likable and easy to read, with no forced, obnoxious, unrealistic personality to create conflict for "drama factor."
So. If you're already an OV fan, this is totally worth reading. It will seem pretty tame and light compared to a lot of the genre offerings. If you're new to OV, this isn't a bad place to dip your toes in. It's not the sweetest end of the OV spectrum, but it's far from the darkest.
jodie_marina12's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Slavery, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence