Review: Chalice by Amber Kell

Title: Chalice (Planetary Submissives: Book One)

Author: Amber Kell

Pages/Word Count: 65 Pages

At a Glance: Some sci-fi/fantasy and light BDSM, which makes for an enjoyable and quick read.

Reviewed By: Jennifer

Blurb: In order to stop his magic from eating him alive, Chalice seeks out a man strong enough to dominate and control him.

Chalice might be a prince on his planet but his submissive tendencies prevent him from dealing with the incredible energy coursing through his body. Magic users need a second to balance them out, but there has never been a case where the one with the power didn’t hold the dominant position. Chalice’s ability as a rare four elemental magic wielder already marks him as different, though. And with the king in denial of his son’s needs, he has no choice but to look off—planet to find a powerful partner.

He runs into a diplomat on a mission who leads Chalice to agree to be the pet of an emperor—one whose reputation for tossing aside subs is only balanced out by the fact that Chalice thinks he’s the sexiest creature he’s ever seen. Chalice takes the plunge, hoping the biggest gamble of his life won’t prove to be his biggest mistake.

Publisher’s Note: This book was previously released under the same title. It has been re-edited for re-release with Pride Publishing.

Review: The first in a science fiction/fantasy series that also includes some light BDSM (at least, light so far), Chalice was an enjoyable read. For readers who want to read a book with those themes, but aren’t sure whether or not they’d like them, I’d actually recommend this one because it’s light enough in all areas that it shouldn’t make anyone uncomfortable if it doesn’t turn out to be their cup of tea.

Chalice is a prince, but unlike his father and two brothers, he is a submissive, which turns out o to be a problem. In this future world, it seems like all people are either Doms or subs, and pair off accordingly, and all magic users are Dominant. Except for Chalice. His father doesn’t accept this, however, and it’s causing problems for the young prince, who needs someone to help balance his enormous power. Being a four elemental magic user is tough enough, but without someone to ground him, his powers are uncontrollable. So Chalice does what he thinks will be best for him, and he goes off planet to find himself a Master. And when he meets Emperor Terrin, he knows he’s met his match.

While I liked Chalice as a character, at first I didn’t like Terrin. He was overly possessive of the pet he just met (the subs in this universe), and his treatment of Chalice bothered me. But he did grow on me once he explained his reactions to certain things.

Zall was actually the character I liked the most, and I’m happy to see he will be featured in another book. Zall starts off as a slave that Terrin is about to punish, but Chalice steps in, and Zall ends up becoming a sort of valet and bodyguard to Chalice (even though the prince doesn’t really need him as a guard).

At times the pacing of the book felt off, particularly at the end, but overall I enjoyed the progression of the story. I look forward to reading the next two books in the series to see if Chalice and Terrin return, who Zall ends up with, and what other characters are introduced.

TNA_Signature_Jennifer