Official Review: The Prisoner by Sara Allyn

Jordan David · Post by **Chelsy Scherba** » 23 Sep 2019, 23:25

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Prisoner" by Sara Allyn.]

3 out of 4 stars

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The Prisoner by Sara Allyn is a science fiction/romance novel. Maria is an above average college student, living an average life. One night, she begins having strange dreams. A talking tree beckons her to go outside. When Maria awakens, she finds herself in what looks like a mental ward. However, she’s no longer on earth. She has come to a strange planet called Olrona, inhabited with a race of people called Pegaseans. In Pegasea, men outnumber women substantially. Females, due to their scarcity, seem to rule this world. These odd creatures threaten to kill Maria unless she becomes a companion to a Pegasean man. The only problem is, the man she’s been matched with, Orook, has no desire to keep a human woman. Orook would prefer to focus on his work than be responsible for teaching Maria the Pegasean rules of etiquette. Yet, his rough exterior houses a soft heart and he decides to save her. Will Maria learn to adapt to this new world full of bizarre threats like ruekar, naverkoo, and vocunines? Or will her feisty demeanor insult the Pegaseans so much, she’ll be subjected to torture and exile? Also, who is the mysterious entity known as “the prisoner” and what does it want from her?

I don’t read a lot of alien novels. When I do, I want them to be exactly like this book. I was hooked pretty much from the beginning. The moment Maria opens her eyes on the planet Olrona, the book never stops being fun. The world of the Pegaseans is fantastically realized with believable history, laws, and culture. Maria and Orook are well-developed, likable characters. Initially, I thought their relationship was reminiscent of Pride and Prejudice. The supporting cast were also three-dimensional for the most part. The connections between some of them were surprising.

One of the things I liked about the book was the lack of explicit sex scenes. Although there is some romance in the book, it is not fetishized with gratuitous amounts of elicit content. When Maria is matched with Orook, she learns that companions and their Pegasean keepers are not allowed to have an intimate relationship. Naturally, this dynamic causes some problems when Maria starts to have feelings for Orook. I loved the witty banter these two exchanged throughout the course of their relationship. Orook is stuffy, while Maria has a flair for the dramatic. Their opposing personalities make for some dynamic clashes.

Maria’s perspective of her status in this new world is also interesting. As a human woman, she initially feels oppressed by the submissive role she must now inhabit as a “lesser” being. She feels resentful of Orook and his control over her life. Maria soon realizes that (in some respects) she actually has more rights than Orook. Maria wants to help Orook, but not before causing him a fair bit of trouble.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. Unfortunately, I had to deduct a star because of the amount of spelling errors. The book itself is worthy of four stars. I can think of nothing I disliked, except for a few F-words scattered here and there. My favorite part of the story was Maria’s relationship with Orook, but I also enjoyed the scenes with “the prisoner”. In spite of how numerous the errors were, they didn’t interfere with my understanding or enjoyment. This is the first book in what is to be a series of novels, so I would definitely continue reading more if given the chance. I recommend the book to any adult who loves science fiction or romance. The scenarios are too mature for kids and young teens, but young adults would enjoy it. If you aren’t interested in romance or learning about a new planet, you might want to skip this book.

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The Prisoner
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Miller56 · Post by **Miller56** » 26 Sep 2019, 13:32

I am generally not a fan of science fiction novels. Occasionally I will pick one up. I am not sure this is one I would enjoy reading, but thanks for the review.

Rachel Lea · Post by **Rachel Lea** » 26 Sep 2019, 16:41

I love the premise of this book! What an interesting idea. Hopefully, another round of editing will correct the spelling errors. Thanks for your awesome review!

Post by **kandscreeley** » 26 Sep 2019, 19:19

How neat! I love alien worlds! The romance sounds fun, and I appreciate the lack of sex scenes. I would enjoy seeing her fit into their world. Thanks!

rexryanh · Post by **rexryanh** » 26 Sep 2019, 23:43

The book has a very nice surrounding with the world of aliens and romance makes it fun and interesting. I'm not a fun of science fiction but the book sounds awesome. Thanks for your incredible review it actually gave an urge to read through this book.

Meg98 · Post by **Meg98** » 27 Sep 2019, 10:04

I typically don't go for these types of books so I think I will pass for now, but I do think it has an interesting and unique premise. Thanks for this great review! Cheers:)

ValerijaJ · Post by **ValerijaJ** » 27 Sep 2019, 15:22

This sounds very interesting. I don't think I have ever read an alien-romance type of book. But it seems like an interesting premise. Thank you for the review!

Erin Painter Baker · Post by **Erin Painter Baker** » 27 Sep 2019, 19:56

"I want the to be exactly like this book." What a wonderful compliment to the author. It is clear how much you enjoyed this book, and it does sound interesting. Spelling errors tend to really bother me though, so hopefully those will be cleared up soon.

KDJ · Post by **KDJ** » 27 Sep 2019, 20:23

Thank you for your review. This novel sounds like a fun read. I really like SciFi and romance novels. I would definitely like to read this one. Your review makes this book sound fun. A new world, cultures, and a prisoner mystery, sounds interesting and engaging. Thank you for your recommendation.

Letora · Post by **Letora** » 28 Sep 2019, 03:56

It's hard these days to find romance novels without the sex scenes. I'm not really one for sci-fi though. Would you consider it a light sci-fi or a heavy sci-fi? I tend to find the novels that go too far into technology or science lose me. My mind can't keep up with them. Thank you for your review!

Helene_2008 · Post by **Helene_2008** » 28 Sep 2019, 06:31

I'd be really interested to read more about the world the author created! It's got to be a pretty cool place if women rule it

Jordan David · Post by **Chelsy Scherba** » 28 Sep 2019, 16:10

Letora wrote: ↑28 Sep 2019, 03:56 It's hard these days to find romance novels without the sex scenes. I'm not really one for sci-fi though. Would you consider it a light sci-fi or a heavy sci-fi? I tend to find the novels that go too far into technology or science lose me. My mind can't keep up with them. Thank you for your review!

I’m very much the same. Although technology is very advanced in this world, it also seems plausible because Maria explains what it looks like and how it operates from her point of view. So, nothing really went over my head. I would say the book is more character-centered for the most part, which is why I enjoyed it so much. I want to connect to the people I’m reading about and the author managed to make that happen.

Jordan David · Post by **Chelsy Scherba** » 28 Sep 2019, 16:13

esp1975 wrote: ↑27 Sep 2019, 19:56 "I want the to be exactly like this book." What a wonderful compliment to the author. It is clear how much you enjoyed this book, and it does sound interesting. Spelling errors tend to really bother me though, so hopefully those will be cleared up soon.

Yes, actually it’s mostly a missing “a” or “the” that commonly popped up as errors, but I think the author can write well. It was just the editing that was a rush job. My copy might have been an early draft though, so the actual book may be more polished than what I read.

sunmuth · Post by **sunmuth** » 29 Sep 2019, 16:10

Thanks for the review! The premise sounds interesting and I think I would like the atmosphere of the story, but I don't generally read books heavy in romance and it seems like this book is heavy in that department.

kdstrack · Post by **kdstrack** » 01 Oct 2019, 09:54

I thought it was hilarious that Maria's first reaction to her new surroundings was that she was in a mental ward! Your comment that the book never stops being fun makes me like this author's writing style! The clean romance between the characters is another plus. This looks good! Thanks for this stimulating review.