Alien Exile by Ursa Dax

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“I know that I may be frightening, my mate. But beneath all that makes me strange to you, my heart recognizes yours…”

Zoey

I’ve spent most of my time on this alien planet alone in the wrecked human ship. Now that I’m living with the other girls and the barbarian warriors at the Cliffs of Uruzai, I’m finding it hard to adjust. These Sea Sand guys are just so… alien.

They’re nothing compared to the beast that comes stalking out of the shadows of the cliffs one night. He has a snout, claws, and a massive spiked tail. He’s more monster than a man, and even worse than that, he claims he has a human mate. When his dark eyes settle on me, I know with a sinking feeling exactly who it is he’s been looking for.

I want to stay as far away from this nine-foot-tall lizardman as I possibly can. When a mission across the sands throws us together, I find myself spending a lot more time with him than I’d bargained for. And I find myself starting to grow closer to him than I ever would have imagined.

As my feelings for him grow, so does my fear. Because this mission we’re on? It could be the end of him. The end of both of us before we even begin.

Kor

I have traveled days upon days to find my soft, strange mate. Now that I have found her, she recoils from me. I am the in-between, the exile caught halfway between the sea and the sands, and the only one of my kind. I am aware that I am strange, but I never thought my own beautiful mate would regard me as a monster.

The Sea Sand men tell me my mate does not feel the mate bond for me. If I am to have her, I must somehow win her. Before I can figure out how to do that, we are forced into a journey to the Bitter Sea. The Sea Sand tribes need me to find my father’s people, a race of beings I have never even seen.

Crossing the Bitter Sea is the most dangerous thing I’ve ever done. But it is in service of my mate so I will do it. And I will not hesitate.

I would do anything to keep her safe—even if that means tearing myself from her side forever.

Alien Exile

Zoey’s Inner Monologue Needs a Nap

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💚💜💙❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 😋🙂☺️😘
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Dual Narration

🦸🏼‍♀️ Heroine: Zoey

Zoey’s journey begins in isolation—stranded in a wrecked spaceship, surviving alone on an alien planet. Her recent move into the Sea Sand settlement marks a shift from solitude to uneasy community. Unlike the other human women who’ve bonded with the alien warlords, Zoey remains guarded, overwhelmed by their towering physiques and unfamiliar customs. Thanks to a mysterious white goo, she now understands their language, but emotional fluency proves harder. Just as she begins to feel safe, a human drone appears in the village—shattering her fragile sense of security.

🦸🏻‍♂️ Hero: Kor

Kor is no Sea Sand warlord. He’s a hybrid—part Sea Sand, part unknown race—raised in secrecy by a mother who feared the violence of her own kind. When the Kell grants him a vision of Zoey, he knows she’s his mate and sets out across treacherous terrain to find her. Kor’s appearance is striking: reptilian blue skin, claws, a spiked tail, and a height that dwarfs even the Sea Sand warriors. He’s a walking contradiction—feared as a monster, yet driven by reverence, restraint, and a deep yearning for connection.

🔥 Plot Snapshot

Kor’s backstory adds emotional weight: a stolen mother who grew to love her captor, a childhood spent in hiding, and a mate bond that calls him to risk everything. His approach to Zoey is cautious, shaped by his parents’ fraught history. When a drone threatens her, Kor reacts instinctively, destroying it with a spear and revealing himself to the Sea Sand warriors. Their response is tense but respectful; Kor invokes the lavrika, a sacred calling they recognize. It’s a moment that blends myth, danger, and destiny.

❤️‍🔥 What Worked

• Kor’s emotional depth is a standout. Despite his beastly exterior, he’s tender, thoughtful, and self-aware. The author does a great job of letting Zoey—and the reader—see past the scales and claws.
• The romance unfolds through a journey, both physical and emotional. I’m always here for a dangerous trek that forces characters to rely on each other and grow together.

🤨 Room for More

• Kor’s appearance veers so far into the monstrous that it strains the imagination. I found myself mentally reshaping him into something more humanoid just to stay engaged—which pulled me out of the story.
• Zoey’s fixation on Kor’s looks became repetitive. Her internal monologue circled the same points so often that it dulled the emotional impact. A little less “he’s so huge and scary” and a little more “who is he really?” would’ve gone a long way.

🎧 Narration Vibes

Patrick Zeller and Aletha George deliver a solid dual performance. George’s voice is youthful and clear, perfectly capturing Zoey’s vulnerability and resilience. Zeller’s deep cadence suits Kor’s alien gravitas, adding texture to his internal conflict. While neither narrator cracked my top tier, they both brought sincerity and polish to the story.

📝 Final Thoughts

This audiobook blends alien romance with emotional introspection, giving us a heroine who’s learning to trust and a hero who’s desperate to be seen. While the physical descriptions sometimes overwhelm the emotional arc, the story finds its footing in the bond between two outsiders. If you enjoy mate bonds, dangerous journeys, and love that defies appearances, this one’s worth the listen—just be prepared to mentally dial down the claws.

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