Title: Forbidden Planet
Series: Rise of the Gladiator #1
Author: Cheree Alsop
Genre: Science Fiction, Science Fantasy, SF Romance
Publisher: Indie
Format: eBook
BN ID: 2940164242152
ASIN: B081PTLGPZ
Summary: When Captain Nova Ardis acquires the services of a dangerous, tattooed gladiator, she knows she’s taking a risk—but she would do anything for family.
Kove has survived most of his life in the gladiator arena and now, on the eve of winning his freedom, he is sold once again. At least being the captain’s bodyguard shouldn’t be too hard compared to the bloody life he’s lived.
When she takes him to the forbidden planet and embarks on a mission to rescue her brother, Kove will have to call upon all his skills to keep himself—and the woman he’s falling for—alive.
What I Loved
This book’s concept was unlike anything I’ve read in a very long time. Alsop brilliantly wove the grit and gore of a gladiator arena with a highly technological universe of species and starship, all wrapped in the culture of royals, courts and balls. The trifecta of these three tropes slid together so seamlessly it was surprising I haven’t run into it before.
The main character of Kove is brilliant and deep, and yet underneath his hardcore exterior is a man who has held onto his human qualities.
Also…
ALSO… the magic system between the skull beetles and Smiren tattoos was absolutely incredible. I could have read an entire dictionary just on this magic system. I loved it and want more!
The Romance
This part of the plot started off strong – boy meets girl, unusual attraction, and the attempt to learn more and try to trust this stranger.
However, toward the end of the story the romance unraveled in a big way. Clicking spoiler will give away a big piece of the romance.
WHYYYYYYY? The romance was growing stronger, the characters were really starting to trust one another, and I was all ready to see how they ended up together.
But then THE LOVE INTEREST SOLD THE MAIN CHARACTER.
This is a man who has been in prison his whole life, and instead of making a “plan” with the main character, she just dumps him on a prison world.
Now, I might have been okay with this if the two characters had talked about this and come up with the shitty plan… but nothing was said. She just DUMPED him.
To me, that was an unforgivable act, even if she did turn around and go back. Anyways…. enough bittering.
Why this book lost some stars
I loved this story…. I loved the concept. But sadly the romance wasn’t the only thing that fell apart.
One of the biggest struggles I had with this story is how much the author jumped scenes with no warning. The story started strong, but then about a quarter of the way through the book, the characters began jumping from one location to another mid-chapter with no warning.
This was really frustrating during the ball when the two lovers were just starting to get cozy, then bam, next line they’re on a starship and a whole bunch of events have happened.
This was also really unnerving when Nova makes plans to sneak out one of the maids to her starship, and then all of this is skipped over until several chapters later when she pops into existence on the starship.
This was absolutely the biggest frustration for me with the story. Everything was so gorgeous, and skipping over these bits made it feel like an unfinished story. It just needed more fleshing out to even the pacing.
Overall
Even with some of the larger problems this story had, I still enjoyed the hell out of it. In fact, I already have book 2 on my kindle and I hope some of the pacing issues are smoothed out.
If you’re looking for a gritty space romance that spends more time doing gladiator killings than smooching, this story is for you. It’s a clean read, medium heat, and I’ve got my fingers crossed that book 2 has some damn heat between these lovers.
Verdict
Reviewer Bio
K. J. Harrowick is a freelance developer, graphic designer, technical coach, and author of the science fantasy novel, Bloodflower. You can find her reviews on Goodreads, Hàlon Chronicles, Bookish Valhalla, and occasionally Amazon and Book Sirens.