The Rycke by Lily Mayne
Genres: M/M Romance, Monster Romance, Post Apocalyptic
Pages: 330
Cover: Kindle
Age rating: 18+
Buy on: Amazon, Kindle
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Life as a raider in the Wastes, where monsters roam and the military lurks, is as easy as it sounds.
I’ve been out here for a long time, and the fear that courses through my blood every time I have to step outside our camp walls to scavenge never fades. No matter how many monsters you face—and have to run for your life from—it doesn’t ever get easier.
But when I come across a bound and injured monster in an abandoned military base, I can’t leave him behind. His presence in our camp is causing tension, but I can’t bring myself to care when I get to see a different side to him—when he starts to show me who he is, beneath the pain and lingering trauma.
But despite his gentle nature, I soon discover why others are so desperate to own him. Why the military, and now this stranger lurking outside our camp, want to put him back in chains and take him away from me.
There’s something hiding under his skin. Something that threatens to upend my entire life, the one I’ve spent my years carefully protecting out here.
There’s a reason why all other monsters fear him.
Review:
​​​Characters and Plot
THIS WAS SO CUTE!!! I am IN LOVE WITH THE RYCKE, sweet sweet Aury. Now I want a rycke, where's my rycke??? Aury, the Rycke, the most feared monster in the Waste, is just a shy, sweetie, patootie, gentle and kind. Sure, he goes in berserk mode when his mate gets hurt, but hey, that is the standard. His relationship with Ghost was so adorable, they gentle moment, how Aury slowly comes out of his shell when he's with Ghost.
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Normally, I don't like attractions at first sight in romance, which is what happened in this book, but Lily Mayne makes it work so well. The chemistry was on fire. I think my heart melted when Ghost knit the coat for Aury, like HELLO??? That was cuteeeee. Aury being scared, anxious, and worried for Ghost all the time was adorable, and it's funny because Ghost felt the same thing for Aury. I love the side characters as well. Rig and Lilac had my whole heart. Rig was hella hilarious, his friendship with Ghost was peak, and Lilac is an introverted guy who is secretly a softie inside. I also love Ghost's chickens. I did not expect him to be a chicken's parent and had a bunch of chickens running around in his yard, but they are freaking adorable.
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However, despite how fluffy and sweet this book was, the chapter where Aury turns into a goblin shark-like monster and destroys everything because he thought Ghost was in danger was unsettling. The gore description was... heavy, I didn't expect that, don't get me wrong, I totally get Aury, but reading those bloody descriptions in such vivid details was not helping with my wild imagination.
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I love that we got more lore about the world in this book. Especially the revisit with the monsters that were pulling the RV in the last book, and we got our main villain here, who heavily reminds me of Umbridge. Turns out she's capturing monsters and bringing them back to her house for display for rich people...
Conclusion
Overall, Aury might just become my favorite monster for now. I love all of them, and I am so excited to read the next book. I'm sure it is just as sweet and amazing as this one. I lowkey miss Danny and Wyn, they are my OG, hope that I will see more of them in the next books.
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