Stay with Me is the first book in a new sci-fi series, New World, with four more already planned. In this first instalment, instead of the bot she ordered, Cedra gets a real live woman, fleeing an engagement she wants nothing to do with.

I always have ambivalent feelings about fated love. On the one hand, it can be so freaking romantic but on the other, how consensual is it if you can’t help it? I like that the author addresses the issue, making Cedra, who has all the power in the relationship – at least initially – think it over deeply. By contrast, I didn’t feel completely comfortable with the age gap, not the age difference as such but the fact that Twyla looks young and that it’s repeated a couple of times and amplified by the height difference. All of this can be explained by the fact that Cedra is a Fanger, a modified human. And I may be oversensitive.

Since Lily X is a new author (to me at any rate), I didn’t know what to expect but I found the premise intriguing. There’s more to it than what I wrote, I’m as always careful not to spoil. I enjoyed the various twists, liked both MCs well enough, and got my eye on a couple of secondary characters whom I hope to encounter again. I know one of them is the MC of book two and I look forward to reading her story.

What I liked best was the worldbuilding. It’s the kind of mix I enjoy of new and familiar enough that I don’t feel lost all the time. It also promises a lot of possibilities, which I hope the author will take advantage of in future books. 3.5⭐️

Stay with Me @ amazon

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