Welcome to X-Clan and the year 2099 – where the world has gone to hell for humans, and super naturals have filled the void. And oh, what an amazing job these shifters have done to fill it.
First and foremost, there is a reason this book begins with a warning: there are plenty of triggers, so be prepared. Everything in this work is done tastefully, but you need to be prepared ahead of time for the reality that this isn’t some beautiful sweet boy meets girl, falls in love and lives happily ever after. This is a raw, dark, heartbreaking, yet emboldening ride wrapped in content so steamy that cold showers won’t even cool you off. Lexi does all of this in such a way that the heroine avoids coming across as some abused meek female, breaking stereotypes of omegas, and the hero, while being a truly gorgeous possessive alpha, finds a way to not simply look like a patriarchal king. And the way Lexi uses various POVs makes every character deeply personal, well rounded and somehow relatable despite living in a societal structure that is completely unlike our own. I found myself empathizing with all the characters in play; understanding their moves as they made them despite not always agreeing with the paths they take.
And because this world is so very different than the one we live in, I found the immersion extremely satisfying, while some of my own darkest personal fantasies played out on the pages (audio!) before me. Truly, Lexi has done an amazing job yet again in creating a world that I can escape into time and time again.
Now, let’s get down to the audio. There is a reason why some of the most fun paranormal romances are voiced by Sarah Puckett. Sarah Puckett is truly a voice that can make every character come to life. The emotion in her voice, and the tones she uses makes it feel like the scenes are actually playing out before me. She makes characters sound natural, and her range of different voices makes each character distinct in their own way and remains consistent, so even without the identification of who is talking in the actual script, you can tell who is who. She is also one of the few vocal actors I think can make a steamy scene sound natural, and not ridiculously over the top forced or awkward. Truly, Sarah never disappoints, and this is absolutely no exception.
And let’s not forget about Mr. Kale Williams. Talk about vocal and emotional range! Some of his character voices make me honestly wonder if they secretly brought in a third person to voice. He also has a way to make his characters sound absolutely drop dead gorgeous, spelling out their presence in tones that captivates to audience (okay, fine, I’m the audience) and make me seriously wish I was an omega living in his alpha dominated world.
This work, as always from Lexi, is a fun and exhilarating ride. But keep in mind, this world is not for everyone; and you need to be prepared for a dominant/submissive style relationship that is based around animals (and no, I’m not talking 50 shades BDSM over here). Shifters are, at their base, animals inhabiting humanoid forms, so do not expect modern societal norms. With that said, every character is believable, fun and amazing; so much so that I wish this weren’t a standalone.