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A review by iam
Striker by Lexi Ander
4.0
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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.