Broken Earth by S.J. Sanders

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Veral’monushava’skahalur is an oddity among his species, a lone Argurma cyborg divorced from his own kind by choice and to escape termination as a malfunctioning unit.

Wandering the fringes of space as a salvager, he comes across a planet beyond the boundaries of the federation, rich in metals remnant of a dead civilization. Or so he thought. Confronted by cannibalistic mutations of the indigenous species, his salvage has suddenly become a lot more complicated. Even more so when he encounters a female surviving on her own. 

She is strong and fearless, begrudgingly earning his admiration. Terri is hardened by a life of hunger and watchfulness, and yet is moved by a compassion that he’s never possessed. When his admiration turns into the first signs of a forming mate-bond, he knows his fate is sealed. Unlicensed mating is forbidden – if his malfunctioning wasn’t already a death sentencing, taking her for her mate would be. Yet, he finds that letting her go is no longer an option.

Broken Earth

A Post Apocalyptic Alien Monster Romance

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙💛💚❤️🖤
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏🌍
Character development: 😋🙂😁😛
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Duet Narration

Character Backgrounds and Plot Summary

Broken Earth drops readers into a brutal post apocalyptic Earth where survival is measured one day at a time. Terri has spent years avoiding violent gangs, scavenging for supplies, and refusing to give up even after losing nearly everyone she cared about. Her determination is obvious from the beginning, especially when she risks her own safety instead of looking the other way. Veral, whose full name is thankfully shortened throughout most of the book, is an Argurma salvager and cyborg who arrives on Earth expecting to recover valuable technology from a dead world. Instead, he discovers mutated creatures, hostile humans, and one stubborn woman who completely changes the course of his mission.

One of my favorite early moments was when Terri chose to rescue Veral after he was captured, even though escaping on her own would have been the safer option. That decision established exactly who she was. I also loved how quickly she bonded with Krono, Veral’s loyal alien companion, because it showed her compassion long before Veral fully understood it himself. Their partnership begins as a practical agreement. Terri will help him salvage the planet if he takes her somewhere safer. Watching that arrangement slowly evolve into trust, admiration, and eventually love felt earned instead of rushed. I especially enjoyed seeing Veral struggle with emotions that his own people would consider evidence of a dangerous malfunction, all while knowing that forming a mate bond with Terri could mean a death sentence if his people ever found out.

Highlights and Limitations

The strongest part of this book is how genuinely alien Veral feels. He never comes across as a human with blue skin or pointed ears. His thought process is logical, blunt, and shaped by a culture that regulates emotions and even mating. It made every small sign of affection feel meaningful. When his protective instincts slowly emerged and he became increasingly possessive of Terri’s safety, those moments landed because they developed naturally over time rather than appearing out of nowhere.

I also appreciated that the romance unfolded alongside constant danger. Between the cannibalistic mutants, the Red Reaper gang hunting Terri, and the difficult salvage missions, there was always something raising the stakes. The world itself felt harsh and hopeless without becoming repetitive.

If I had one criticism, it would be that the story occasionally lingers a little too long on the travel and scavenging portions. I understood why those scenes mattered because they built the relationship, but I found myself wishing the pace would pick up in a few places. The violence can also be surprisingly graphic, so readers expecting a lighter alien romance should know this leans heavily into survival horror before settling into its romantic core.

Narration

Jessica Threet and Christopher Boucher made an excellent team. Jessica captured Terri’s resilience without making her sound hardened beyond emotion. She balanced the fear, determination, and occasional humor in a way that kept Terri relatable even during the bleakest scenes.

Christopher Boucher had the more difficult job because Veral is so different from a human hero. His measured, controlled delivery fit Veral’s analytical personality perfectly, and I liked that the emotional changes remained subtle. As Veral’s attachment to Terri deepened, the performance reflected that gradual shift instead of flipping a switch. Together they made the growing connection between the characters feel believable, and their performances added a lot to the slower emotional scenes.

Final Opinion

Broken Earth surprised me because it committed fully to making its alien hero feel truly alien instead of simply exotic. I came for the romance, but I stayed because I became invested in Terri and Veral building a future together against impossible odds. The scene where Terri risks everything to free Veral, and the quiet moments afterward where they slowly learn to trust one another, ended up meaning more to me than the action scenes.

This is definitely a darker romance with plenty of violence and unsettling moments, but the emotional payoff made the journey worthwhile. If you enjoy slow burn alien romances with excellent world building, genuinely nonhuman characters, and a heroine who survives through grit as much as courage, I think this audiobook is well worth the listen. I have been loving the post-apocalyptic alien romance genre lately and this is a great example of that.

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