Genres:
Novella, Science Fiction, SFR, Holiday, Aliens
Pages:
84
Published:
September 16, 2025
When my alien best friend invites me to the Festival of Souls, I don’t expect for it to be a mash-up of the Day of the Dead, battle royale, and a you-know-what kind of show. Okay, that makes it sound worse than it is, but still! My introverted heart can only take so much.
And it nearly pitter-patters right out of my chest when I meet one of the champions that’s going to battle for a mate. Paladus Ferulis looks cold from afar but has a gremlin’s sense of humor. I secretly wish I could drown in his purr, even if I know he’s untouchable.
But my world is turned upside down in an instant. Thrown to the battlefield, injured and terrified, I can only hope that someone will save me. Will Paladus fight for me? Or will I fall into the hands of a true devil?
✧ Overall Score✧
7/10
I thought this one was really fun and cute! It had good pacing and introduced some fun cultural practices without trying to shove far too much into too few pages. I’m not really a fan of instalove but I do think it kind of worked here, though it would be interesting to explore how they navigate their lives together after something like that.
✧ Enjoyment Score✧
8/10
Silly, lighthearted, and sexy. What more can you want?
✧ Writing Style✧
7/10
Etta Pierce annoys me a bit sometimes with her writing style, but its just romance typical prose. Honestly, she’s one of the better ones out there, even if certain turns of phrase or ways of framing things annoy me from time to time.
✧ Plot✧
6/10
I mean… its a short little erotica story, but it does some pretty good worldbuilding and story telling leading up to the scene. You really can’t ask too much of it, and I think it is a very solid SFR.
✧ Characterization✧
7/10
Most of the characters don’t really get a lot of time to shine due to the length, but I think we get a pretty good view of who they are! The landladies feel like annoying stand-ins “ooo look how inclusive we are” but they’re kinda cute too.
✧ Spice✧
7/10
There isn’t much, but what we do get is quite tasty! Mmmm~ Etta can write a really nice alien love scene for sure. Plus I love the whole fighting and falling in love thing ohohoho quite sexy.