A review by katskinner
Heart of the Agraak by S.J. Sanders

5.0

Family means everything. That’s why Frankie is going to such extreme lengths to find her sister, hoping she will be safe and happy. If only she knew that in doing so, she would find her own happiness.

THE BLURB

Frankie’s sister was kidnapped years ago, rumours that she’s been forced into breeding alien babies alongside hundreds of other human women. Frankie doesn’t want to believe it, but she’s not about to sit around and wait for her sister to reappear. She’s going to rescue her herself. She goes undercover as a soldier in the Intergalactic Peacekeeper’s fleet. She’s changed everything about herself, including hiding her gender with pheromone sprays. No one know’s she’s a woman, including her closest companions and team.

Kaede is dedicated to the cause of helping those less fortunate than him. He’s spent years discreetly helping others, earning trusts and connections. When he finally get’s the opportunity to investigate the breeding facility outside of the city, he can’t miss his chance. He plans to find out what really is going on there, and help stop the injustice.

He just doesn’t expect to end up protecting the small human female…

TONE OF THE BOOK

Heart of the Agraak is fairly neutral to heavy toned; there is plenty of tension in the story to keep you hooked. If you were after a light-hearted read then The Heart of the Agraak will not be suitable.

This book calls back some of the seriousness of earlier novels in the series with its reference to some sensitive topics. As a reader you will explore encampments that house kidnapped women, used unwillingly to breed. You will read about topics of rape. You will read about gore, such as bloody handprints.SERIES SYNOPSIS

Heart of the Agraak is the sixth major book in The Mate Index series, with a few novellas dotted in between.

The novel is 265 pages long, making it approximately the same length of a standard romance (at 300 pages average).

The novel features a short section from the view point of a new couple. You can read more about the series on The Mate Index Series Review page.

REVIEW

Heart of the Agraak drifts back to some of the more gory details that were seen in the first few chapters of the first novel. Why? Because this novel much of the world plot line and tension that’s been seen in various novels will come to a head. After all, the title of the novel even implies an insight into “the enemy” that’s been hounding all the heroes so far in the series.

This novel is ripe with tension; everything from romantic interest right through to civil unrest. Heavy action scenes dot the entire novel, and I believe its the most heavy-fighting novel in the series so far. And the action is great! You can clearly imagine the monsters that stalk the characters throughout the swamps and the city.

The world building excels, being one of the books in the series with more culturally diverse and in-depth looks at how different the aliens are from humans. I loved how even the Agraak aliens differ depending upon their socio-economic status in society, varying from uptight nobles to humble villagers.

FINAL WORD

Heart of Agraak is an important novel in The Mate Index series, and one that shouldn’t be missed. It closes a world story-arc that’s covered five books as well as introduces several characters that will feature in later novels. It’s heavy action, thrilling and a brilliant read.