With less than a month until the release of the fourth book in the series I thought it was high time to go back to the beginning. And I was lucky enough that the audio version just got released as it let me experience the book on workdays. If I had to stick to normal reading it would have taken me at least a week of stolen moments in the mornings and evenings. The audio quality is incredible. I loved Annie Ellicott and Jeff Hays narration and the sound effects were simply great. Jeff’s makes all the male characters come alive. I can’t decide which one I liked most – SOTA or Kellee. Kellee’s voice made me purr – I wish I could find a man with such voice in real life (I have a thing for voices).
Now, onto the book itself. In this book we get introduced to a whole new world filled with amazing tek (SOTA!), magic, Fae and other fascinating species. We also get introduced to two of the main male characters – Marshal Kellee and Talen. Kesh, the main protagonist of the series, is a strange mix of badass and vulnerability, of innocence and cunning. And I love that complexity, that potential for change – change I had the opportunity to observe over the course of the following two books.
A little note on the genre of this book. If you’re expecting a hot dirty smut type of book you’ll be disappointed. The reverse harem develops slowly. Very slowly! But there’s a lot of sexual tension. How would I categorize this book – a sci-fi/fantasy with some romance/erotica sprinkled in. So think carefully before picking this up – if you’re looking for fast and dirty read focused more on the carnal than on plot this book is not for you. But if you’re looking for a slow burn romance with a gradual character development and a lot of action you should definitely give the series a try.