Review: I really liked--even if it's HEAVY sci-Fi
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 15, 2014
I received a copy of this book via Goodreads' Don't Buy My Love program in exchange for an honest review.This is the second book in the Valespian Pact series. Books should be read in order. A quick catch up:Zeus is a Fal/Amoric prince. This is news, because he'd grown up believing he was Terran--even though he was raised by the Mar'Sani emperor--who fully adopted him and it is with this race that Zeus associates. He has always felt loved and cherished by his adoptive family, but there are factions of Mar'Sari who despise Terrans--the Galactouc scourge--and by extension hate Zeus.Zeus has bonded with a symbiote Dar Massaga--Dargon and Alpha--both males who had never connected with another Dar Massaga and can't imagine pairing with a Terran--but they mate. It is through this mating that they determined Zeus' Fal'Amoric race, becasue all Fal'Amoric males are hermaphrodites--and Alpha becomes impregnated by capturing Zues' eggs and combining them with his and Dargon's sperm.Also, there is galactic war brewing against the V'Saar, a bug-like species that is brutal and carnivorous, and this war can only be stopped if the Galactic Princes can find their missing third--the Fal'Amoric prince Prometheus. Prometheus has been missing for two decades and, lacking a better candidate, Zeus may be pressed into service-paired the the other Galactic princes--in order to maintain the magical power to keep the V'Saar out of the alliance's galactic space.OKAY!So, Alpha's about to deliver kits--to be raised in Dargon's marsupial pouch for a year. This is a super tricky exchange and requires a stable environment--not easy to achieve while on board a ship carrying the Fal'Amoric royal family exiles back to their home on Valespia.In order to survive, the refugee ship travels with a military convoy of Mar'Sani--containing Zeus' Mar'Sani brothers, one of whom is the heir apparrant of the Mar'Sani emperor. Together they hunt allies--Feteine robots who can help defeat the V'Saar that chase them to Valespia.Zeus and Dargon are injured gravely at the power of the Qrxzl--which not only cements a Feteine partnership, but also reunites Alpha with his first offspring, Star Eater. Together this coalition survives the trip to Valespia, but there they face a battle royale, one that results in extreme danger for both Alpha and the kits. Zeus is an amazing tactician, and an unexpected partner arrives with a host of warriors tipping the balance in Zeus' favor.Political alliances are further challenged, but the truth wins out, yay! The books resolves, with an ongoing plotline to carry forth--still ont he hunt for Prometheus.There is a LOT going on here, and the pace is brisk. I enjoyed this book better than the first one, as we really get a better sense of Zeus and his valor. His family is completely supportive, and Dargon and Alpha are tremendous in their role as partner to Zeus. I am not a fan of Sci-fi, but this book series has held my interest completely. The smexytimes are brief and understated, allowing the emotional context to be the foundation of the romantic landscape.