ROAR by Natavia
A Review By: VJJ
Sy’noba, a young female lioness with roots in the African savanna, finds herself battling with her true identity now that she is living in civilization among non-shifters. The pride’s king, Koja, who already has two wives, has his eyes set on Sy’noba, the little sister of his first wife, Asha. With jealousy brewing in the pride, will Asha turn on Sy’noba? Will Sy’noba find herself when her back is against the wall, or will she become Koja’s third wife?
Eze Saber, a young rich man who inherited his family’s business at a young age, crosses paths with a familiar feline from his past, but she doesn’t know of him yet. Will sparks fly when she realizes their true identities? Or will Lynx, Eze’s drop-dead gorgeous roommate, interfere with fate?
Everyone is out for love. Will Sy’noba escape the treacherous lion’s pride and find her king, or will she die trying? Will Asha make a deadly choice for the sake of her cubs? Can love save Lynx from her outrage?
Review Notes:
Audio Book Publication Year: 2021
An installment in a Series? No
Narrator (s): Cary Hite, Eboni Flowers
A King and a Queen from different feline prides were never supposed to be together, but the spirits within were destined for them to do just that and more.
I love how the author wove small bits of African roots into the story, making me visualize heritage and pride with this paranormal fantasy and taking me into a vivid world full of imagination as I traveled back and forth through portals from earth to utopia. One side was a warm paradise, and the other, a winter wonderland/ Where it was cold, I felt the chill, and where it was hot, I felt the heat. The story was romantic, intense and emotional. It kept me engaged and curious. Although it’s about cats, it touches on societal classism and racism within the feline population with them having to fight to survive, fight to love, secure their bloodline and protect the pride and land.
I loved everything about Sy’Noba and Eze, and how they’re able to shape shift from human form to cat form was cool. Their lineage, ancestral plains and spirits that guided them within was haunting but a beautiful tale. She was a queen who didn’t know she had a throne and Eze was a King who was raised to ascend his thrown, but their struggle was real, their history was ingrained and their love and sacrifice that transcended centuries was inevitable and nicely portrayed. Everything about them is intense, their scent, their connection, their fights, the love they shared was aspiring and when they mated, you felt the power in their passion and the ROAR in their screams.
The battle they faced was difficult and their journey into discovering who they were destined to be was wild. The beauty in the characters’ physicality and determination was a thrilling, riveting, romantic, extremely erotic and suspenseful read. There were moments of sadness and a lot of humor to balance the chaos, bringing this story to a happy ending.
The narration by Eboni Flowers and Cary Hite was amazing. They put depth, emotion and feeling into their performances, giving life to the characters and the story.
Reading Recommendation? Yes!
Rating: NORTH STAR RATING
Content Warnings? None
