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It took me a while to get around to reading Nexus Alpha: Unbroken but after reading Katie’s review I knew that I had to give it a shot. It turns out that nobody else knew how to recommend this one to me, because I’d been given a completely different impression that didn’t convey just how fun and just how hot this whole book is.
It might be a surprise that I feel so positively about Nexus Alpha given my review of WARHOUND, but despite sharing a number of surface-level similarities the two could not be more different in execution. I want to be clear that I do not think either of these approaches is necessarily better than the other, just that one of them worked significantly better for me. The biggest difference is in characterization. Epoc and Antimony are wonderfully realized, something that helps elevate their relationship beyond a kink dynamic into something special. Nexus Alpha is incredibly hot, don’t get me wrong, but there was never a moment where the sex felt like it was taking precedent over the narrative, an issue I’ve had with other “mechsploitation” stories. Nexus Alpha explores many of the same concepts as these stories from a completely different angle, one that maintains the inherent eroticism of piloting a mech and the sexual dynamic between pilot and handler without sacrificing their humanity. It’s really some good shit.
Nexus Alpha is incredibly fast paced, and while the book stays remarkably engaging as it bounces from idea to idea I would have loved some more time to flesh things out. It’s a minor issue, though, because the pacing really plays to the book’s strengths. Bambust’s writing is incredibly engaging (and—I feel obligated to mention—hot) to the point that I felt enraptured by parts of the story that would have otherwise done nothing for me (i.e. the petplay.) More than anything, I just wish there was more, which is always a great sign for part one in a trilogy.
All of the character writing here is absolutely top notch. Ela does a great job blending character development and deeper conversations into otherwise incredibly horny scenes, something that helps flesh out the side cast—particularly Diana and Devah—despite their limited screentime.
It’s been a while since I picked up a book and immediately fell in love with it, but Nexus Alpha: Unbroken delivered on everything I could have hoped for and then some. There are a lot of other stories that are kind of like this one, but there’s nothing quite like it. It took everything in me to hold off on starting part two until I could get myself together enough to write this review, and if that isn’t a sign that this one’s worth a read I don’t know what is.
It took me a while to get around to reading Nexus Alpha: Unbroken but after reading Katie’s review I knew that I had to give it a shot. It turns out that nobody else knew how to recommend this one to me, because I’d been given a completely different impression that didn’t convey just how fun and just how hot this whole book is.
It might be a surprise that I feel so positively about Nexus Alpha given my review of WARHOUND, but despite sharing a number of surface-level similarities the two could not be more different in execution. I want to be clear that I do not think either of these approaches is necessarily better than the other, just that one of them worked significantly better for me. The biggest difference is in characterization. Epoc and Antimony are wonderfully realized, something that helps elevate their relationship beyond a kink dynamic into something special. Nexus Alpha is incredibly hot, don’t get me wrong, but there was never a moment where the sex felt like it was taking precedent over the narrative, an issue I’ve had with other “mechsploitation” stories. Nexus Alpha explores many of the same concepts as these stories from a completely different angle, one that maintains the inherent eroticism of piloting a mech and the sexual dynamic between pilot and handler without sacrificing their humanity. It’s really some good shit.
Nexus Alpha is incredibly fast paced, and while the book stays remarkably engaging as it bounces from idea to idea I would have loved some more time to flesh things out. It’s a minor issue, though, because the pacing really plays to the book’s strengths. Bambust’s writing is incredibly engaging (and—I feel obligated to mention—hot) to the point that I felt enraptured by parts of the story that would have otherwise done nothing for me (i.e. the petplay.) More than anything, I just wish there was more, which is always a great sign for part one in a trilogy.
All of the character writing here is absolutely top notch. Ela does a great job blending character development and deeper conversations into otherwise incredibly horny scenes, something that helps flesh out the side cast—particularly Diana and Devah—despite their limited screentime.
It’s been a while since I picked up a book and immediately fell in love with it, but Nexus Alpha: Unbroken delivered on everything I could have hoped for and then some. There are a lot of other stories that are kind of like this one, but there’s nothing quite like it. It took everything in me to hold off on starting part two until I could get myself together enough to write this review, and if that isn’t a sign that this one’s worth a read I don’t know what is.