Ziri Mokuru has lived her entire life in the rural village of Arden Hollow on the planet Tersi. While her parents are off having adventures and being Very Important People, she’s struggled simply to find a place where she belongs. One night, she investigates a disturbance in her home and discovers an armor-clad man sorting through her belongings. Her first thought is for her parents’ safety, not to question why this man is in her home late at night without even the courtesy of knocking. After all, no one among the trusting Tersii breaks into someone else’s home without a good reason.
The Choosing
Ryn abid Alna has an excellent reason for sneaking into Ziri’s home. After years spent scraping together enough vud for the bride price, he’s finally ready to steal a wife. One look at Ziri’s sweet smile and Ryn decides no other woman will do. She can fix anything she touches, so why not the loneliness he’s lived with since he was enslaved as a young boy?
Though Ziri longs for love, she’s not so sure she’s ready to settle down with the man who kidnapped her, especially after he jumps her into a nest of Sweepers, a sinister alien race bent on mayhem and destruction. As the day draws near when she faces Ryn’s family on the Choosing field, Ziri ponders the hardest decision of her life: Fight for Ryn and the place he’s made for her in his heart or choose another man as a life mate and risk never knowing love.
One Reluctant Bride, One Determined Alien
The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙💛💚
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📙
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌏
Character development: 😋😉😎
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration Type: Dual Narration
Characters and Plot Summary
Ziri Mokuru has spent her life in Arden Hollow on the planet Tersi, trying to find somewhere she truly belongs. With her parents frequently away on their own adventures, she has learned to make a life for herself, including working in a bookstore, but she still longs for the kind of love and family she has never quite found. Ryn abid Alna has a very different background. Having been enslaved as a child, he has spent years working toward the life he wants, saving enough money to pay the bride price and establish a home of his own.
The problem? The Pruxnae have far fewer women than men, and their custom is to travel to other worlds to claim brides. When Ryn sneaks into Ziri’s home and takes her with him, he is convinced she is the woman he wants. Ziri, understandably, isn’t nearly as enthusiastic about being kidnapped and carried off to an unfamiliar world!
What I liked is that Ryn isn’t the brutal, domineering alien I might have expected from this setup. He tries to give Ziri space, treats her gently, and makes an effort to win her over rather than simply demanding her affection. Their journey isn’t a smooth romantic escape, though. They encounter the dangerous Sweepers, a hostile alien race, and Ziri has to navigate an entirely unfamiliar culture while figuring out what she wants. With the Pruxnae’s Choosing ceremony approaching, she must decide whether to fight for a future with Ryn or consider another man as her life mate.
Highlights and Limitations
My favorite part of this story was the contrast between Ryn’s determination to make Ziri his wife and his surprisingly patient approach to earning her trust. He has worked so hard to build a home and secure a future, yet he understands that Ziri has been taken away from everything familiar. Their early interactions, complicated by the fact that they don’t initially share a language, have some genuinely charming moments. The gestures, awkward attempts at communication, and gradual development of affection made their relationship feel more earned than an instant-love story would have.
I also enjoyed Ziri as a heroine. She isn’t simply swept along by Ryn’s plans. She has her own desires and reservations, and the Choosing gives her a meaningful decision to make, even within a society whose customs she never asked to join. The alien worldbuilding, the Pruxnae’s traditions, and the attacks by the Sweepers give the romance some welcome science-fiction adventure. I especially liked that the story balances domestic details about Ryn’s hoped-for future with genuine danger along the way.
Where I struggled was with the misunderstandings between Ziri and Ryn, particularly once they can communicate more clearly. I could understand Ziri’s uncertainty because Ryn has literally taken her from her home, but there were moments when I wanted both of them to stop guessing what the other was thinking and have an honest conversation. The situation surrounding another man’s interest in Ziri also creates hurt feelings that felt unnecessarily prolonged. I sympathized with Ryn, who has invested so much hope in this relationship, but I didn’t always have the patience for the emotional back-and-forth.
I also wanted a little more explanation of the Pruxnae’s society, especially why their shortage of women has shaped their customs so dramatically. The world is intriguing, but some of its bigger questions remain unanswered.
Narration
Angel Clark and Matthew Josdal make a good pairing for this audiobook. Having two narrators helps distinguish the characters and makes it easier to follow the shifting emotional perspectives. Angel Clark brings out Ziri’s warmth, uncertainty, and determination, while Matthew Josdal suits Ryn’s quieter, more vulnerable side. I particularly appreciated that Ryn’s character doesn’t come across as nothing more than an overconfident alien warrior. His longing for a home and someone to love is an important part of who he is, and the narration supports that softer dimension.
The performances also help carry the scenes where Ziri and Ryn struggle to understand one another. Those early interactions could easily have become tedious, but the narration gives their awkwardness and growing familiarity some personality. Overall, I found the audiobook easy to follow, and the two narrators complement each other well.
Final Thoughts
The Choosing was an enjoyable blend of alien romance, adventure, and a slow-building relationship. Ryn won me over with his patience and his genuine desire to create a loving home, while Ziri kept things interesting by refusing to make his dream come true without wrestling with what she wanted for herself.
I appreciated that Lucy Varna took a familiar bride-kidnapping premise and gave it a more tender romantic center. At the same time, I wish Ziri and Ryn had communicated their feelings more effectively in the latter part of the story. There were moments when I wanted to reach into the audiobook and tell them to talk to each other!
Even with that frustration, I enjoyed watching these two work toward understanding one another. The Choosing ceremony adds an interesting dimension to the romance, and the threat posed by the Sweepers leaves me curious about the wider Pruxnae universe. I would have welcomed a little more time with Ziri and Ryn after their major decisions, but the story still delivers a satisfying combination of romance and science-fiction adventure.
My verdict: A sweet, adventurous alien romance with a patient hero, an independent heroine, and enough danger to keep things moving. I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy slow-burn relationships, unfamiliar alien cultures, and heroes who want to be loved rather than merely obeyed.
