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babudarabu's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity, Kidnapping, and Classism
Minor: Death, Drug use, Gore, and Blood
katiekeske's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
This is now one of my favorite alien romances! It has a sense of humor, action, and a slow burn romance with love and attraction that builds over time. Imagine alien abduction meets the Hunger Games in order to win the chance for mating.
If you like a sweet, cinnamon roll that is a little awkward and feels like an outcast in society then you'll enjoy this one, too. Especially if you like aliens that are actually alien-like in appearance and culture.
The heroine is also capable, funny, and loyal. I liked her and her little dog Snaps.
I can't wait to read more in this series!
If you like a sweet, cinnamon roll that is a little awkward and feels like an outcast in society then you'll enjoy this one, too. Especially if you like aliens that are actually alien-like in appearance and culture.
The heroine is also capable, funny, and loyal. I liked her and her little dog Snaps.
I can't wait to read more in this series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Death and Drug use
puddicure's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
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
TL;DR: This is, quite honestly, one of my favorite comedic romance books I have ever read. This book has everything: fake dating, politics, drama, death games, a talking dog, tenderly-blossoming affections, and most importantly, steamy mutual exploration of alien bodies.the highlight? M/F scissoring. This boy’s got HOLES! Queer reader approved, highly recommended. Audio narration is good. Check your local library apps.
Anyway. As a preface to my full review: I’m a lesbian who withers at awkward comedy, and ‘miscommunication as a plot device,’ at least in a romanic context, usually gives me hives. As a result, I can only stomach romance in small doses, usually in dramatic contexts, and preferably, slathered in the more palatable sauce of genre fiction.
So when I checked out this audiobook from Hoopla, I expected very little, especially with the way the summary describes her love interest as “awkward, adorable, and alien as hell.”
What I found here was a veritable delight of shockingly good scifi. Like, I cannot emphasize enough how skillfully Aguirre fleshes out this little corner of the galaxy, the aliens that live there, and the tech at their disposal, all without dropping a ton of technical terms on you at once. Both Beryl and the reader are reminded time and time again, and to comedic effect, that this is an alien planet and an alien culture; and to the credit of the log line, that DOES make her new alien beau come across as quite awkward, mostly because he genuinely doesn’t understand and/or misunderstands a lot of the intent in her behaviors and turns of phrase. (While I’m on the subject: in the first few chapters, where the language barrier is dealt with via alien tech, was the moment I sat up and said out loud: “oh. This is good.” And it sets up SO many good jokes.)
Now onto the part of the story the summary doesn’t really touch on: the ceremony for being able to become mates is, basically, the fucking hunger games. And Beryl is a tiny human competing against other aliens who all have natural weapons to deter giant predators. It absolutely rules.
I won’t go too much into it, because I don’t want to spoil the delightful experience, but hive intrigue and politics also start to come into play, and it really cranks up the stakes.
Lastly, I have an audiobook specific compliment for the voice the narrator does for Snaps- their delivery really punches up his limited dialogue, and made me even more endeared to him than I would normally be. He’s a very good boy.
As far as if I’ll read the sequel…eh. The character they introduced who is the main character of the sequel didn’t get enough screentime for me to really care much about him. I might listen someday in hopes of these characters showing up, though.
Anyway. As a preface to my full review: I’m a lesbian who withers at awkward comedy, and ‘miscommunication as a plot device,’ at least in a romanic context, usually gives me hives. As a result, I can only stomach romance in small doses, usually in dramatic contexts, and preferably, slathered in the more palatable sauce of genre fiction.
So when I checked out this audiobook from Hoopla, I expected very little, especially with the way the summary describes her love interest as “awkward, adorable, and alien as hell.”
What I found here was a veritable delight of shockingly good scifi. Like, I cannot emphasize enough how skillfully Aguirre fleshes out this little corner of the galaxy, the aliens that live there, and the tech at their disposal, all without dropping a ton of technical terms on you at once. Both Beryl and the reader are reminded time and time again, and to comedic effect, that this is an alien planet and an alien culture; and to the credit of the log line, that DOES make her new alien beau come across as quite awkward, mostly because he genuinely doesn’t understand and/or misunderstands a lot of the intent in her behaviors and turns of phrase. (While I’m on the subject: in the first few chapters, where the language barrier is dealt with via alien tech, was the moment I sat up and said out loud: “oh. This is good.” And it sets up SO many good jokes.)
Now onto the part of the story the summary doesn’t really touch on: the ceremony for being able to become mates is, basically, the fucking hunger games. And Beryl is a tiny human competing against other aliens who all have natural weapons to deter giant predators. It absolutely rules.
I won’t go too much into it, because I don’t want to spoil the delightful experience, but hive intrigue and politics also start to come into play, and it really cranks up the stakes.
Lastly, I have an audiobook specific compliment for the voice the narrator does for Snaps- their delivery really punches up his limited dialogue, and made me even more endeared to him than I would normally be. He’s a very good boy.
As far as if I’ll read the sequel…eh. The character they introduced who is the main character of the sequel didn’t get enough screentime for me to really care much about him. I might listen someday in hopes of these characters showing up, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Death, Drug use, Violence, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
To start: this is erotica. Hot, graphic alien/human sex is had multiple times in the book. Kidnapping: Beryl is mistaken for someone else, and that accidental kidnapping is the backbone of this story premise. Violence: I mentioned the hunger games aspect of the Choosing. People die in this competition. Only one or two are lingered upon, to my memory. Several are injured. Drugs: There is a party late in the book where alien party drugs are being used.ednam0dewannabe's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Classism
Moderate: Death and Kidnapping
Minor: Animal cruelty, Child death, Drug use, Gore, and Death of parent
wilybooklover's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
Zylar is just the most adorable cinnamon roll of a hero. He made this book for me. Beryl is also a great heroine: brave, but also a little bit of a hot mess. He accidentally kidnaps her (we all make mistakes, right?) and they decide to make a go of it because he can't exactly get her back to Earth, even though they find each other's appearance a little (or a lot) scary. Together, they made a really great couple who complemented each other's strengths and weaknesses.
The plot is a bit wacky and the alien culture more or less practices eugenics, with some harrowing tests involved in the process. The relationship remains sweet and understanding and low-angst all while they face these trials together, which is one of my favourite things to read.
I loved how alien Zylar was. He's not at all humanoid — closer to a giant bipedal insect. He doesn't have anything like human genitalia (which makes the sex scenes interesting, and perhaps not for everyone). He's adorably formal and awkward. The alien culture is suitably strange and a little bit terrifying.
Oh, and there's a talking dog who gets some of the funniest lines. I adored every page of this.
The plot is a bit wacky and the alien culture more or less practices eugenics, with some harrowing tests involved in the process. The relationship remains sweet and understanding and low-angst all while they face these trials together, which is one of my favourite things to read.
I loved how alien Zylar was. He's not at all humanoid — closer to a giant bipedal insect. He doesn't have anything like human genitalia (which makes the sex scenes interesting, and perhaps not for everyone). He's adorably formal and awkward. The alien culture is suitably strange and a little bit terrifying.
Oh, and there's a talking dog who gets some of the funniest lines. I adored every page of this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, and Classism
Minor: Child death, Drug use, Gore, Infidelity, and Sexual assault
greystory's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I LOVED this book. I can't wait to dive into the next two and I'm glad I purchased all three at once.
The first part of the book was pretty hilarious and had a great amount of sci-fi rom-com vibes but things start to get serious and take a somber turn about half way through. There's still some comedic bits to help lighten the mood, sweet and tender moments, and an eventual, hopeful, mostly happily ever after. The end was pretty satisfying, all the things considered.
I greatly enjoyed so much in this book - the character growth, meeting different characters, the world of Barath and the city of Srila, the complex and brutal sociocultural rules. I really hope we get to see some of the characters again and I look forward to diving into this world further in the next two books.
I do want to share two very important warnings:
1. SA Warning:There is implied non-consensual physical and sexual contact to a non-named character during one of Ryzven's parties. This happens at the very beginning of chapter 15.
2. Violence/Death Warning:The events of the Choosing challenges are often violent and brutal, resulting in the death of several competitors. The worst one is a named minor character whose death is described in chapter 14 and is a major plot point for the remainder of the book.
The first part of the book was pretty hilarious and had a great amount of sci-fi rom-com vibes but things start to get serious and take a somber turn about half way through. There's still some comedic bits to help lighten the mood, sweet and tender moments, and an eventual, hopeful, mostly happily ever after. The end was pretty satisfying, all the things considered.
I greatly enjoyed so much in this book - the character growth, meeting different characters, the world of Barath and the city of Srila, the complex and brutal sociocultural rules. I really hope we get to see some of the characters again and I look forward to diving into this world further in the next two books.
I do want to share two very important warnings:
1. SA Warning:
2. Violence/Death Warning:
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Classism
Minor: Child death, Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
thenerdybookwitch's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
slow-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
4.75
Read this on a recommendation from a friend and I was so pleasantly surprised! Really enjoyed this. And it brings a uniqueness to the Alien Romance genre that I haven’t seen yet. Though to be fair I haven’t read every single one so who knows. All I know is that this is a nice cute one with a cute couple. Highly recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Misogyny, Blood, Grief, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Child death, Drug use, and Gore
jenny_d's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I loved the characters and the story a lot, but I wish there'd been a little more detail in the visual descriptions of pretty much everything.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Infidelity, and Sexual content
Moderate: Drug use, Kidnapping, and Murder
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