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leelee68's review
5.0
Whew this was so good and even better than the first book. You got a little piece of everyone in the first book but this one is even more detailed and you get to know everyone better. I'm not even going to explain what's in the book there is so much going on so you have to read to get everything out of it. I will tell you it's still about the love of family. It was so great though! I did have to keep putting my Kindle down, not because it wasn't good but because I had butterflies and I was so worried and was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I'm already ready for the 3rd book!
teresab78's review
5.0
****Reviewed for Prism Book Alliance****
At the end of Alpha Trine, we left Zeus, Alpha and Dargon newly joined and on their way to Valespia to deliver the Fal’Amorics to the Emperors. Striker jumps you back into action by beginning in with Zeus in the Waters of Poseidon and the ride continues from there.
I read this over two days. It only took me that long as I had to accommodate life happening between stretches of reading. If I could have shut the world out, I would have devoured this book in one sitting. That’s not to say it is short, merely engrossing. The intrigue, suspense and action kept me on the edge of my seat as I waited for Dargon and Alpha to give birth and our crew of characters to make their way to Valespia. We learn more of Alpha’s beginnings and are introduced to new characters along their journey.
I loved the values of family and acceptance this book portrayed. The love shown was not only that of the main triad but also between siblings, and parent & child (biological as well as adoptive). It illustrated the strength that comes from these bonds.
Again, the world was rich, vibrant and diverse. Lexi Ander has a guide on her blog page called “The Universe of Valespia” that illustrates the various races and species that inhabit her world. It is worth checking out!
This will be a re-read for sure!
At the end of Alpha Trine, we left Zeus, Alpha and Dargon newly joined and on their way to Valespia to deliver the Fal’Amorics to the Emperors. Striker jumps you back into action by beginning in with Zeus in the Waters of Poseidon and the ride continues from there.
I read this over two days. It only took me that long as I had to accommodate life happening between stretches of reading. If I could have shut the world out, I would have devoured this book in one sitting. That’s not to say it is short, merely engrossing. The intrigue, suspense and action kept me on the edge of my seat as I waited for Dargon and Alpha to give birth and our crew of characters to make their way to Valespia. We learn more of Alpha’s beginnings and are introduced to new characters along their journey.
I loved the values of family and acceptance this book portrayed. The love shown was not only that of the main triad but also between siblings, and parent & child (biological as well as adoptive). It illustrated the strength that comes from these bonds.
Again, the world was rich, vibrant and diverse. Lexi Ander has a guide on her blog page called “The Universe of Valespia” that illustrates the various races and species that inhabit her world. It is worth checking out!
This will be a re-read for sure!
jugglingpup's review
4.0
To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.
I got an ARC of this book.
I am slowly coming around to the idea of alien sex. It is a whole new world that has been given to me in this series, but this book just did not deliver on hot alien sex. I am a bit disappointed. It was the same sort of alien sex as the first book. It was fine, but there were so many pairings I just needed to see! (read: Isaiah just wants to see an alien gang bang, but is actually pretty happy with the sex scenes as they stand)
This book was much more plot heavy than the first. There were plots for the throne. There were treaties that spanned decades and multiple species. There were so many cool things. I just couldn’t put the book down. I did have to at one point, because I do need to sleep, but it was not willingly! The plot was heavy in a way that kept me enthralled. This is the sort of sci-fi that Star Trek promised me as a child and I wanted so badly, but then Star wars destroyed it. There were different species and cultures clashing. There was family dramas and intergalactic threats. I was so enraptured with the plot that I was a bit surprised. Sci-fi has never really been my thing, but a sci-fi like this I can understand. This is one of my standards of sci-fi books now.
The romance was eh. I am all for instalove, but I am not for instamarraige. Accidental pregnancy and cultural expectations aside, I just don’t have confidence in the couple to be a romantic couple. They have shown no ability to have a romantic relationship yet. They have shown a sexual relationship and that is it. So I am curious if the author can get me behind a romantic relationship or if I will still only care about the relationship when they are having sex. I did feel a bit cheated that there was no sex scene with Dargon’s other form. I feel like that is physically possible, but was shied away from for a reason I can’t pinpoint.
That cover! It is so much cooler now that I have read the book. I can’t explain why, it would be a HUGE spoiler. Just know that a lot more about Zeus’s culture will be explained. There is also a few good scenes with my favorite mother/empress. I am all for a mother that can make a warrior submit with just a look. That is my sort of representation for a mom.
Overall, I loved the book. It answered some questions I had from the first book and opened more. There are a few plot holes, but not like major ones. I am hoping that these are addressed in book three, but if not know that Zeus is not an adult (the epilogue mentions that his species is barely an adult at 50. He is around 27-ish). So I can’t wait to see if the author untangles that one. I can see the way it would untangle too.
I got an ARC of this book.
I am slowly coming around to the idea of alien sex. It is a whole new world that has been given to me in this series, but this book just did not deliver on hot alien sex. I am a bit disappointed. It was the same sort of alien sex as the first book. It was fine, but there were so many pairings I just needed to see! (read: Isaiah just wants to see an alien gang bang, but is actually pretty happy with the sex scenes as they stand)
This book was much more plot heavy than the first. There were plots for the throne. There were treaties that spanned decades and multiple species. There were so many cool things. I just couldn’t put the book down. I did have to at one point, because I do need to sleep, but it was not willingly! The plot was heavy in a way that kept me enthralled. This is the sort of sci-fi that Star Trek promised me as a child and I wanted so badly, but then Star wars destroyed it. There were different species and cultures clashing. There was family dramas and intergalactic threats. I was so enraptured with the plot that I was a bit surprised. Sci-fi has never really been my thing, but a sci-fi like this I can understand. This is one of my standards of sci-fi books now.
The romance was eh. I am all for instalove, but I am not for instamarraige. Accidental pregnancy and cultural expectations aside, I just don’t have confidence in the couple to be a romantic couple. They have shown no ability to have a romantic relationship yet. They have shown a sexual relationship and that is it. So I am curious if the author can get me behind a romantic relationship or if I will still only care about the relationship when they are having sex. I did feel a bit cheated that there was no sex scene with Dargon’s other form. I feel like that is physically possible, but was shied away from for a reason I can’t pinpoint.
That cover! It is so much cooler now that I have read the book. I can’t explain why, it would be a HUGE spoiler. Just know that a lot more about Zeus’s culture will be explained. There is also a few good scenes with my favorite mother/empress. I am all for a mother that can make a warrior submit with just a look. That is my sort of representation for a mom.
Overall, I loved the book. It answered some questions I had from the first book and opened more. There are a few plot holes, but not like major ones. I am hoping that these are addressed in book three, but if not know that Zeus is not an adult (the epilogue mentions that his species is barely an adult at 50. He is around 27-ish). So I can’t wait to see if the author untangles that one. I can see the way it would untangle too.
iam's review
4.0
Read this review and more on the blog!
Striker picks up seamlessly where [b:Alpha Trine|18158645|Alpha Trine (The Valespian Pact #1)|Lexi Ander|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1373322910l/18158645._SY75_.jpg|21990725] left off and continues the series in the same exciting, fast-paced and convoluted fashion full of intrigue, expansive world-building and wide-spread, loving families.
Content warnings include: violence and graphic injury, alien pregnancy & birth, court martial proceedings; mentions of past abusive relationship, torture, unconsensual surgery on intersex child, kidnapping, human(oid) experiments.
One of the first things I noticed and loved was that Alpha was a POV character this time around. He was kind of neglected in Alpha Trine , only really appearing towards the ending of the book. In Striker it becomes more and more clear what a huge role the Alpha-Zetamites play in the entirety of the universe, and it's hugely fascinating.
Another reappearing POV I loved was Ashari! She is awesome.
I loved all the different aliens in Alpha Trine already, and Striker adds even more. As I mentioned inmy review of book 1, I however couldn't help but notice that some aspects of some alien species reminded me a lot of non-white, non-european, non-western cultures, while the main protagonist, Zeus, is of a people who are white with Greek inspired names.
Another thing I found weird was that while obviously it's possible for interspecies relationships to bear children, there isn't a single character who isn't clearly one species, and only one species.
I also have to mention that not everything made sense. The plot is extremely convoluted with a ton of players and hundreds of years and more of backstory, and I couldn't really follow what the characters were talking about in their plans much more than once. This didn't impede my enjoyment, but I found myself having to pause while reading several times and go back to check if I didn't miss something (which I mostly didn't, but I might not not have 100% meshed with the writing style.)
Speaking of writing, please @ all writers... if you absolutely have to use the word "orb" to describe a humanoid body, please decide before writing if you want to use it for eyes or for testicles - using "orbs" for both does not really work out and can lead to quite a bit of confusion.
I didn't always have to pause out of confusion though. There were so many twists and turns, many unexpected, but all satisfying and exhilarating. I was engaged throughout the entire book from the very first page, and it was hard to put the book down. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read that made time fly by incredibly fast.
So far I adore this series, and I'm looking forward to the next book, despite it having different protagonists. Striker didn't just introduce so many new characters I wanted to follow and furthered the overarching plot, its epilogue was also long and exhaustive and satisfying, though I still found myself wanting more of Zeus, Alpha and Dargon.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
Striker picks up seamlessly where [b:Alpha Trine|18158645|Alpha Trine (The Valespian Pact #1)|Lexi Ander|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1373322910l/18158645._SY75_.jpg|21990725] left off and continues the series in the same exciting, fast-paced and convoluted fashion full of intrigue, expansive world-building and wide-spread, loving families.
Content warnings include: violence and graphic injury, alien pregnancy & birth, court martial proceedings; mentions of past abusive relationship, torture, unconsensual surgery on intersex child, kidnapping, human(oid) experiments.
One of the first things I noticed and loved was that Alpha was a POV character this time around. He was kind of neglected in Alpha Trine , only really appearing towards the ending of the book. In Striker it becomes more and more clear what a huge role the Alpha-Zetamites play in the entirety of the universe, and it's hugely fascinating.
Another reappearing POV I loved was Ashari! She is awesome.
I loved all the different aliens in Alpha Trine already, and Striker adds even more. As I mentioned inmy review of book 1, I however couldn't help but notice that some aspects of some alien species reminded me a lot of non-white, non-european, non-western cultures, while the main protagonist, Zeus, is of a people who are white with Greek inspired names.
Another thing I found weird was that while obviously it's possible for interspecies relationships to bear children, there isn't a single character who isn't clearly one species, and only one species.
I also have to mention that not everything made sense. The plot is extremely convoluted with a ton of players and hundreds of years and more of backstory, and I couldn't really follow what the characters were talking about in their plans much more than once. This didn't impede my enjoyment, but I found myself having to pause while reading several times and go back to check if I didn't miss something (which I mostly didn't, but I might not not have 100% meshed with the writing style.)
Speaking of writing, please @ all writers... if you absolutely have to use the word "orb" to describe a humanoid body, please decide before writing if you want to use it for eyes or for testicles - using "orbs" for both does not really work out and can lead to quite a bit of confusion.
I didn't always have to pause out of confusion though. There were so many twists and turns, many unexpected, but all satisfying and exhilarating. I was engaged throughout the entire book from the very first page, and it was hard to put the book down. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read that made time fly by incredibly fast.
So far I adore this series, and I'm looking forward to the next book, despite it having different protagonists. Striker didn't just introduce so many new characters I wanted to follow and furthered the overarching plot, its epilogue was also long and exhaustive and satisfying, though I still found myself wanting more of Zeus, Alpha and Dargon.
I received an ARC and reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
moux's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book though, like my previous review of the first book, the book is a little hard to follow (for me at least) with there being so many different alien characters, it was tough to keep track of who was who, and who was what and what they looked like and where they fit into the story. Regardless, I did enjoy the overall story.
I can imagine this series doing really well as graphic novels as the story is so very visual and interesting.
I can imagine this series doing really well as graphic novels as the story is so very visual and interesting.
samanatha's review
4.0
4/5
Great fight scenes and a good amount of dramatic action. For a book 2 of 3, there was a lot of closure to the ending. This would not be enjoyable to anyone who had not read book 1.
Loved the epilogue almost as much as the tribunal scenes. It was good getting to have Zeus stand up to those who did him wrong in the past.
Great fight scenes and a good amount of dramatic action. For a book 2 of 3, there was a lot of closure to the ending. This would not be enjoyable to anyone who had not read book 1.
Loved the epilogue almost as much as the tribunal scenes. It was good getting to have Zeus stand up to those who did him wrong in the past.
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