Instinctual (Rise of the Iliri, #2) in Reverse Harem Readers

Mar 08, 2020 OneDayI'll rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Sal's saga

The scent of lies is everywhere. Learning to let your instincts lead is hard enough after 2 decades of slavery, but when everything smells like lies it's even harder. But the pack has a mission. Two, missions, really. The first is to complete the orders given to them by the CFC. Hard enough with the handicaps they've crippled them with. But the second mission has to be completed under those same prying noses- freeing the Iliri. Their pack has the freedoms the military provides, but eve Sal's saga

The scent of lies is everywhere. Learning to let your instincts lead is hard enough after 2 decades of slavery, but when everything smells like lies it's even harder. But the pack has a mission. Two, missions, really. The first is to complete the orders given to them by the CFC. Hard enough with the handicaps they've crippled them with. But the second mission has to be completed under those same prying noses- freeing the Iliri. Their pack has the freedoms the military provides, but even those come at a cost. They still wear the shackles of their pale skin and sharp teeth. But they're predators. And there's 2 wars being fought. They were made for this. They just have to convince the humans that the creatures they designed are more than capable of doing exactly what they were created to do.

Spoilers ahead.
I've read and reread this series so many times. I thought I'd reviewed it already. Apparently not! Auryn's a genius. This saga has so many layers. The humans fighting humans in the continental war. The humans vs Iliri in their battle over thousands of years of slavery. The changing of opinions on both sides. The humans who want to help Iliri, and the Iliri brainwashed into complacency. Learning Iliri abilities, language, about packs, mates, ... My head always feels so packed after every book. But I keep coming back because the brilliance of the writing. The power to pull you in and feel it all. I don't leave 5 stars, as a rule. But every one of the Iliri series earns them. To reread a book for (I'm guessing here) the dozenth (I made a word) time and still feel everything like it's the first read through? The only other authors that have ever had that effect were Anne McCaffrey, Mercedes Lackey, JK Rowling and Stephen King. Auryn manages to balance 2 wars, hundreds of characters, their abilities and ranks, their relationships (friendship, familial, romantic, whatever), all these interactions, and keep the reader immersed in the story. Oh, and all the little breadcrumbs. Hundreds, and you find a new one each reread! Things you thought you understood, but once you've made it through Hope you realize you didn't really at all. So, don't let the RH title put you off. It's not the focus, it's simply how Iliri bond. ...more

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