Minotaur: Blooded (The Bestial Tribe, #1) By Naomi Lucas
Certainly not for all readers.
I will point out that the author puts a disclaimer in the blurb warning that there are triggers in the book. Please take that to heart. She is being serious. ALL of the negative reviews I saw thus far are people who were triggered.
That being said, I did enjoy this book. Specifically, a certain sentiment throughout the book that gets repeated over and over again seemed to speak to what I liked about it. He’s already inside me. The female MC thinks this over and over again, the meaning changing as how she feels about him changes, how SHE changes. It has nothing to do with sex.
Many people reviewing this speak of Stockholm Syndrome with regard to her. I don't really agree. I've read plenty of books I put down because of glaring Stockholm Syndrome. I read this book to completion, quickly. I know what Stockholm Syndrome is and this is not it. She was drawn to him long before she understood what he was. He never does anything to hurt her without her permission. He makes threats, but they're often empty threats. He does everything he can to protect her. Does he give her a choice? No, but then she was a victim even without him there.
Then there's talk of rape. I don't have the book next to me, so I can't go line by line and look at what he might have done wrong by societal standards, but with novels, we have the advantage of perspective. We can get inside each characters' heads. We know if she wanted it, and she did. We know if she cared about him, and she did. We also can't hold another society to our own standards. This story is set in a fantasy world outside our own societal and physical limitations, where only the strong, the deadly, survive. I'm sure the author could have done a better job making it clear she was willing (which I honestly believe she was), but that's really a minor tweak. She showed over and over again that she wanted to be with him, not for safety, but because she cared.
Sorry, this turned into a rant, but if you're okay with a more aggressive story, one that pushes societal boundaries and mores, where you're dealing with non-human love interests, this is a pretty good one. 292 Minotauro: Sangriento (o de pura sangre, tal vez)
Novela que actualmente no cuenta con traducción al español y que si tuviera que resumir en una frase sería un 50 sombras de Grey, pero con minotauros. O bueno, más menos. ¡Vayamos por parte!
Hace un par de meses atrás comencé a leer Kaz, el minotauro de la saga Dragonlance, que he encontrado bastante disfrutable (por cierto, aún no la termino), por lo que decidí buscar más novelas de temática minotauro, cuando de pronto apareció ésta entre ellas. Comprenderás que una novela erótico-fantástica sobre minotauros no la podía dejar pasar. Así que dije ¡Vamos allá! y he de confesar que ha sido una sorpresa más menos grata.
La trama tienes sus vueltas; en un mundo de temática más menos medieval existe un laberinto envuelto en brumas y sombras, qué año tras año crece de forma misteriosa, invadiendo la tierra de los humanos. Aldora, una muchacha joven que vive en un pueblo colindante al laberinto, un buen día escucha voces del otro lado y en su estupidez decide ponerse a hablar con dicha voz. Voz que más adelante nos enteramos es la de un minotauro que, por supuesto, con solo escucharla se enamora de ella y que también por supuesto tiene un cuerpo escultural y un descomunal bulto de toro entre las piernas. Para mala suerte de Aldora, justo es descubierta por uno de los guardias reales siendo acusada de brujería, ya que supuestamente solo las brujas eran capaces de comunicarse con las criaturas del otro lado. Es entonces que como castigo es sacrificada al laberinto con la idea de aplacar su misterioso avance... es aquí dónde comienza todo el embrollo. El minotauro, allá adentro, la reclama para sí con la idea de engendrar su propia tribu mientras el resto de las criaturas (goblins, orcos, centauros... entre otros) también la reclaman para sus propios propósitos.
Habiendo dicho esto empezaré por lo bueno:
Primero, la construcción de mundo de esta novela es realmente brutal, no detallada, pero sí muy bien hecha. Si algún día Naomi Lucas decide dejar de lado el cachondeo y escribe una novela de temática más seria de seguro podría rivalizar con sagas más conocidas como Sombra y hueso o alguna otra similar.
Segundo, la construcción de personaje del minotauro es increíblemente buena. En ningún momento se nos olvida qué es un hombre toro musculoso que ronda los dos metros, que ha sido criado de manera muy distinta y por tanto actúa de manera muy distinta a cualquiera de nosotros.
Tercero, hay unas cuantas escenas de terror que podrían rivalizar con el mismo Stephen King; Aldora siendo sacrificada al laberinto o la descripción de los no vivos en la ciudad refugio son instancias que realmente me pusieron los pelos de punta ¡Repelus del bueno!.
Bien, ahora vamos con aquello que no me ha gustado:
Primero, entiendo que está sea una novela erótica pero ¡Hey! No es necesario que me recuerdes cada tres o cuatro párrafos cómo se pone la entrepierna de los protagonistas cada vez que el otro hace, o dice, tal o cuál cosa. ¡Realmente innecesario!
Segundo, las escenas de acción son demasiado simplistas en comparación con las escenas eróticas cargadas de detalle. Nuevamente entiendo que esta sea una novela erótica, pero un poquito más de consistencia en ese aspecto no hubiera estado mal. Es más, hubiera mejorado en mucho la calidad de la novela.
Y por último, el final. En lo personal esperaba algún tipo de batalla o algo por el estilo, dado el rumbo que parecían ir tomando las cosas... pero no. El momento culmine de la historia no es otra cosa que sexo, páginas y páginas de sexo. Si tuviera que resumir el viaje erótico de Aldora, es básicamente el mismo que el de la mayoría de las novelas de este tipo; Macho dominante, mujer sumisa que se niega a aceptar su destino hasta que termina sufriendo el síndrome de estocolmo (un 365 días con minotauros básicamente). Si hasta tenemos el típico discurso de No voy a tocarte si no lo deseas, cuándo sabemos que dos páginas después le va a estar metiendo mano como si no hubiera mañana.
¿Sí recomiendo este libro? No a cualquiera. Si eres de las que disfruta de la fantasía y la literatura erótica de seguro valdrá la pena darle una vuelta. Si estás más dentro de lo que es el actual feminismo entonces este libro te parecerá una verdadera aberración.
Cómo curiosidad, tras leer está novela me di cuenta de que hay todo una rama en inglés de este tipo de historias donde las mujeres sexualizan pulpos, extraterrestres, arañas, centauros, orcos... sí, esos bichos feos del Señor de los Anillos. Ahora mismo tengo en mi biblioteca digital uno de hombres lagarto con buena crítica qué tal vez lea más adelante.
Tantos libros, tan poco tiempo. 292 2.5 stars
Minotaur Blooded was an ok read for me. I picked it up strictly because I wanted some smutty goodness but unfortunately it was lacking in that department. What I got was a boring adventure and lots of fighting. On a positive note I did read to the end and thought the writing was good so I will try another book in a different series by this author. 292 My reviews are honest & they contain spoilers. For more, visit:
Minotaur: Blooded is the book 1 of Naomi Lucas’s dark fantasy series The Bestial Tribe. From the title of the story, you should get an idea of what the book may or may not consist of. For me it was more about the blurb. It told me I should check it out. :P I was also in the mood for some... uh, dark and sexy fantasy-type stories. I got a lot more than what I had bargained for.
Minotaur: Blooded is my first book by the author. Her other series looks to be sci-fi romance and I have no interest in aliens, much like I have none in vampires and werewolf (or any other shifter romances). I gave some of those a go by various authors at one point or the other, but never could finish any of them. I won’t explain why because this review is about Naomi Lucas’s book so I’ll just get right into it.
When you talk about fantasy/paranormal romances, I’m more of a girl who prefers stories about ghosts and haunting. I’ve read stories about incubus and Fae (fairies) and enjoyed those too. Mythologies are also a subject I’ve always been intrigued about. In the past, I’ve read romances that were rewritten or based on one mythology or the other. It was one of the reasons why I wanted to check out this book. Also, Minotaur, as a whole, isn’t a mythological character (or creature?) that I’m vastly knowledgeable about. I mean, I know what it is...sort of. Mmm. Okay so I did try to google after I read the book and the pictures I saw didn’t help. They���re kinda scary. It should be a challenge in itself to make a hero out of a Minotaur (or part Minotaur here) IMO but the author here tried just that. Whether she succeeded or not is a matter of complete personal opinion.
The whole setting of Minotaur: Blooded is fantastical. I don’t know where it is, and which era it’s based upon but sounded like medieval-era? But that matters not. Our h, Aldora, lives at a border town called Thetras which is also closer to a maze. A shadowy being on its own, the maze is an ever moving thing. It’s a labyrinth full of dark creatures with darker intents and the humans close to the towns near the border do their best to “appease” them by sacrificing whoever they deem fit to be thrown over the maze, in hopes that the beasts within won’t come out to grab them. It can be anyone from a petty criminal to someone who has been convicted of sorcery. It seemed like everyone was on their toes about this whole thing. Apparently if you rile the townspeople up, they might form a mob and track you down just for that purpose!
Since the labyrinth is ever-moving, it also claims towns as it moves forward. Whole town at a time that gets lost into the darkness of that place, its inhabitants never to be seen again. Most don’t make out of the labyrinth alive. And the few who have (even in Aldora’s own town) would never talk about what happened to them inside. They live an ostracized life on their own and others steer clear of them like they carry the plague.
Aldora has always been warned of the labyrinth by her parents. I think when she was young it was not as closer to her town as it is now so she has to be overly cautious when she’s out and about. The people are forbidden from venturing too close to the walls of the maze but on one fateful evening, Aldora finds herself doing just that. A voice lures her closer as she was returning from the market after selling her family-grown apples. She couldn’t help herself and got caught while talking to something behind it. After that there was no help for her. She was marked as a witch and thrown into the labyrinth for all eternity.
Vedikus Bathyr is our H who has spend an inordinate amount of time, namely since his birth, inside the labyrinth. He knows this place like the back of his hand; at least the most of it. He’s from a tribe of Minotaur that he and his brothers left years ago after they killed their father, the leader. Their human mother, who was a witch/sorceress?, was never seen again and Vedikus and his brothers have no idea where she’s gone. In the years that have passed, they’ve come to terms with it, thinking she’s been killed too. But the whole incident was too much for them (it’s narrated by Vedikus in much more detail later in the story) and the brothers left that tribe to build their own that they’d proudly call the Bathyr. However, to make certain their tribe thrives and grows strong, they need human brides because human blood is so potent that every creature that live inside this dark and dangerous place, wanted to taste it. Some, like Vedikus, wanted to mate with them while some wanted the humans as their food. You’ll read about ogres, hobgoblin, centaurs, barghests etc. as the story progresses.
Vedikus has been roaming the border of the labyrinth for a while now in search of, what I could deduct, of a human mate. He was also seemed to be protecting the border? I’m not entirely sure but since the moment we met, we find him killing and sizing up goblins and stuff, throngs of them at a time. At a point as he was talking to himself, he heard Aldora’s voice. It attracted him so much and called out to him that he hoped he could find that human female whose voice it is and claim her as his own. Soon though, Aldora lands on his lap when the townspeople throw her inside with the help of a pulley. Vedikus instantly knew who it was cause he’d heard of the humans since his mother was one. He’s seen them before. Vedikus also knew that humans ended up inside the labyrinth for various reasons; some thanks to their own people much like Aldora had. Some got inside willingly for adventure and most of the times paid with their life. But Vedikus knew Aldora was a victim who may never get out of this maze again. At any case, his mind was made up about her. He was going to keep her whether she liked it or not. She’d be his mate and have his…uh, little minotaurs :P which would be the beginning of their own Bathyr tribe. He knew his brothers were also looking for their own human mates so Vedikus was glad he’d already found his own.
As for Aldora, she now knew the creature who has been talking to her from behind the maze. He had a more human-like feature and build, though he was a bull. A part human, part Minotaur being. He was tall and well-muscled with horns and a pair of hoofs to complete his looks. His nostrils would relive steam instead of just air and his body was very warm to the touch. His skin, though human-like, was quite tough and webbed with scars from his many battles big and small. Vedikus, as he called himself, appoints himself as her protector the moment they met. Though Aldora tried to run from him at first, soon she knew if she’s to survive this scary place full of monsters she’ll need Vedikus’s protection. She also knew it came at a cost. She’ll be his chosen mate.
Soon Vedikus begins explaining his plans to Aldora. They need to journey to his home, where he and his brothers live. His home was a long way from the border; the journey is full of many perils. One of them is the fact that any human who is exposed to the labyrinth’s environment for too long gets poisoned by it. If he/she is too exposed they can become what I can only call zombies. In the first few hours (then days), Aldora could feel that she was losing any sense of smell and taste. Then her skin began losing any feeling too. Vedikus becomes worried though he knew of the remedy. Their perilous journey is well-narrated by the author, which revolves around a few places where they had to travel to to get the remedy for Aldora. And in the process, Aldora also begins to get a grip about her ‘new’ reality. The fact that this is going to be her home from now on where it’s basically the survival of the fittest, and the smartest too. If you’re not equipped both mentally and physically to survive, you won’t. Vedikus was much much more stronger than any human and his endurance level was also way higher. But he knew that Aldora was much delicate in nature and way more vulnerable since they are indeed attacked by various creatures who wanted a piece of Aldora for their own.
The book is basically the process of Vedikus and Aldora’s journey towards his home. There were odd happenings in between that’d simply leave more questions than answers in your mind, like that zombie village where humans once lived. They became so because they never had the cure. Vedikus makes certain that Aldora got hers since she was already on her way to losing those senses and he knew he was running out of time. There was a temple in the middle of that zombie land that was protected by a human-looking child like figure that Aldora soon figure out was nothing of the sort. It was just the façade of whatever it really was. We never get to know what that thing was though I thought we may later on. This part of the story was especially confusing, but this was also where Aldora gets her remedy, plus their first mating.
At this point, I was getting a bit restless. I can tell you that many things about this story rather went over my head. I had trouble imagining places and characters and the whole of it. I tried my best to go with the flow, but even then at some point my brain has had enough and I had to put it down for a week or so. After a break, I enjoyed the rest of the story. I’m not gonna tell you I loved it 100% cause there indeed were stuff that bothered me. See if I can point them out in the following:
1. The story has loads of killing going on since the beginning. I mean we met Vedikus while he was on a rampage. I had trouble envisioning the blood and the gore and the nastiness of the whole thing. The amount of ‘creatures’ Vedikus was killing around the border left and right was crazy. Would they stink? I think Vedikus mentioned something like that...I can’t quite remember. Not sure if anything magical will happen to spare others off the smell. I’m just a human who thinks like one and it grossed me out rather bad.
2. That brings me to the next point, hygiene of the protagonists. Especially of our hero. They didn’t have many opportunities to bathe and even the one time I read bathing, it was Aldora. I don’t remember Vedikus really thoroughly cleaning himself. Not even after one of his rampages. I mean I don’t know, again human brain processing like one. I can’t imagine...er, the situation (even after they had sex) unless there was magic at play and everything cleaned itself? :/
3. This also brings me to the last point, their mating process. I’ve read quite a few reviews down voting this story as ‘rapey’. All I’ll say is that it’s a matter of your taste and your perspective. Whether you think the sex scenes worked despite the circumstances in a particular story and/or the genre you’re reading. When you read dark erotic books with warning about dubious consent and scream ‘rape’ it’d sound rather ridiculous. Though this book isn’t anything like that I can’t say I enjoyed the sex scenes much, although I thought they definitely could’ve been hotter. One of the things was Aldora constantly claiming Vedikus’s, uh, ‘manbits’ being of extreme proportions like a bull. :| I’ll leave it at that............There was a lot to take in for me, quite literally! LOL
Still, in a really weird way I liked the world-building of Minotaur: Blooded. It’s like something I’ve never read before. The labyrinth was a crazy, multi-dimensional place depending on where you’re at in it. It’s either full of a kind of despair or a type of harshness that’s not always comfortable to read. I didn’t read a place where I’d like to be living in (unless there’s a part of it that’s different than what was portrayed). Even the place Vedikus lives in is a craggy, rocky mountain type area that Aldora had a tough time climbing. As for our H and h, I do think he came to care for her in his own way (which btw may not be like a human since he’s part beast so beware of that). For Aldora, I think she simply accepted him as her protector. She was in a perverse way very attracted to his ‘beastly bits’, for the lack of better word there. :P And by that I mean the characteristics that makes him a part Minotaur. I don’t know if that was love but they seemed to be happy with their arrangement. For me that was enough.
Now I’ll wait for the stories of Vedikus’s brothers. The next book would be out on 2019, though no idea when. I hope it’s not too far away because I’m intrigued to read more. 4 stars. 292 1.5 stars
I kinda liked the premise and there were some interesting parts, but then it got rapey and I am not into that. 292
Aldora lived in a bordertown on the edge of the maze. A labyrinth that spanned an eternity filled with creatures that howled through the night. She was a daughter to farmers that worked the fields and endured a quiet life as a peasant, away from the capital and its nihilistic celebrations; away from all that would look at her and discern her worth. Because to be chosen as a sacrifice was to be chosen to die. Until one night, while at the edge, she heard a husky voice in the darkness.
Vedikus Bathyr.
He prowled the overgrown passages at the farthest edges where the true, intelligent beasts roamed. They were all there for the same reasons: to kill each other and capture the humans that entered the labyrinth.
On one fated night a human girl called out to him. A girl with a voice that quickened his blood. But he wasn’t the only one to hear her call...
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Minotaur is a dark fantasy romance with explicit violence and possible triggers. Mature readers only. Minotaur: Blooded (The Bestial Tribe, #1)
What I thought I was getting into seeing that sexy ass cover:
What popped up when I searched Minotaur:
PLSSSS.
292
4 Stars
KU Book Review
Release Date-28/8/18
There was nothing hearts and roses in any shape or form about this story; in fact, it was more in my opinion about claiming and animalistic lust.
It was also if I'm being honest a trifle strange in content, so you know what it was absolutely inevitable that I was going to bloody love this.
I adore the weird and wacky and that is definitely what we are given here in spades.
This is a strange unapologetic romp filled with bloody gore and extremely graphic and carnal copulation.
Look this is going to be an acquired taste folks a bit like marmite; love or hate it people this is one that your not likely to forget in a bloody hurry.
If your easily offended or shocked then probably better to walk on by here.
Myself being a bit of a perve I found myself a spot and immediately got comfy; immersing myself fully in this unusual and strangely hot story.
Have to say this was my first minotaur romance; I have done centaur (I loved that also; see self-confessed perve here)
But here I did surely pop my cherry in all things, Bull.
I say romance lightly here as we actually have precious little of that, this is much more raw and primal in nature than romantic overtures and heartfelt declarations.
I also didn't actually find this that dub-con in nature this to me just screamed more heavy seduction rather than rapey.
Also, this is in no shape or form bestiality either I mean yeh technically the guy has hooves and a big bull dong and even horns but the dude walks upright and can reason and talk so in my book he's hardly there chewing the cud in a field now is he.
By that token, all shapeshifter romances would be reclassified wouldnt they.
So In Minotaur: Blooded (The Bestial Tribe, #1) the story is relatively simple Aldora living in a border town gets herself thrown into the Labyrinth.
Vedikus a Minotaur in the ways of his people takes Aldora for his own keeping her alive from all that would do her harm (Other than himself of course) within the labyrinth.
Determining to claim her for his mate he is willing to maim and destroy anyone who dares try to take his prize away from him.
And that's it really; its actually quite a simple concept but I really did work.
So Vedikus himself did kind of grow on me and though Aldora did very swiftly accept her fate here I found I didn't have it in me to care that much, this really for me was pure unadulterated fantasy at its very best and I devoured every wicked scenario I was given gladly.
The only reason I marked this down to a four rather than a five is I would have liked to have seen a bit more of them actually settled as a couple when they reached Vedikus's home other than that I was a happy camper.
I will definitely be indulging in the next book in this series Minotaurs are now my new flavour of strange but sexy.
I borrowed Minotaur: Blooded (The Bestial Tribe, #1) with my KU subscription.
All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm.
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com 292 Crazy retelling of the Minotaur in the Labyrinth story!
Aldora is a farm girl who is on her way home when she hears a voice from inside the Labyrinth. She fears that a human sacrifice somehow survived and is still trapped so she calls out and starts talking, only to find out she is not talking to a human at all. When the authorities catch her, they think she is a witch and so she is the next to be sacrificed.
She is caught and saved by the Minotaur Vadikas, who fights a bloody battle to keep her against all the other creatures that would use her for breeding, for her blood which has magical powers against the cursed fog or to eat her. Vadikas wants her because he was intrigued by her voice and also because his mother was human and he wants a human mate to help make his tribe strong again.
The story is pretty good, but it has a crazy ending that hits you out of nowhere. It was like what?????? Where did that come from?
Blog|Goodreads|Facebook|Instagram|Twitter|BookBub 292 This is the book that introduced the author to me and made me what to read more books by her. So, after I read her other books, I think that she has written better books than Minotaur: Blooded.
Still this is a very interesting story. I loved the magical feeling of the labyrinth with all the strange creatures.
Aldora is a simple girl from a farmers' family. She will be considered a witch and will be thrown inside the labyrinth as a sacrifice.
Vedikus is a minotaur, i.e. half bull and half man who lived inside the labyrinth and basically he was the one who tricked Aldora and made the other people consider her a witch.
So, when she is thrown inside the labyrinth, he will not hesitate to fight all the other magical, mythical creatures in order to snatch her first.
A human woman inside this world is a rare finding.
Be warn that the book has lots of violence and some parts of bestiality that some readers may find unsettling.
292 This is exactly what you think it is, but slightly better
Every now and then, I like to try something totally out there like, say, human women getting it on with Minotaurs (which I had to Google bc I had no idea what that was). Seems to be set in either a post apocalyptic era or “a long time ago in a galaxy far, far way” as the h is an apple farmer’s daughter selling the family wares at market on her way home when she hears a human-sounding voice coming from the other side of the wall. The other side is where monsters roam and humans are sacrificed, and lately, the wall has crept closer and the associated mists have absorbed some nearby towns to where our h resides. When she hears the talking, she answers back believing it is a sacrifice who is somehow still alive, but it isn’t... And when one of the overzealous guards overheard her talking to the beings over the wall, he declares her a witch and has her tossed over as a sacrifice... where the beast to whom she was speaking is lying in wait.
Upon being tossed over, our h is caught by the male whose voice she recognizes as the one that lured her and caused the trouble to begin with. Though she tries to make a break for it, she learns that he is the lesser of the many evils that swarmed the sacrifice site in the hopes of obtaining the valuable commodity of human blood, sampling a tasty meal, and/or gaining a breed mate. Her “rescuer” seeks the later as his brothers and he must regain their rule, beginning with a filling of the family stables. But with treachery and danger lurking around every corner from where they meet to where the Minotaur resides, will they be able to make it safely and can they learn to coexist as human and beast?
What I liked:
—- Very different/original
What I didn’t like as much:
—- Complicated world-building that I really didn’t get enough info about to feel like I understood what was happening
Overall, smutty weirdness collides.
Plot —- 2.5/5
Main Characters —- 3/5
Supporting Characters (there weren’t many, or at least they weren’t around for long!) —- 2/5
Steam Level —- 4/5 (of you’re into bestiality and/or ginormous self-lubricating dicks, this one is for you!)
Violence —- yep
Language —- some
POV —- 3rd
*Note that steam level is not a rating so much as a how hot was it: 0/5 - clean; 1/5 - mild; 2/5 - sensual but nothing descriptive; 3/5 - now we're getting somewhere; 4/5 - yes please! ; 5/5 - they did EVERYTHING in this one, y'all 292
