Caeli's Daniachew by Crystal Ordonez

Reviewed by emeraldcite

TITLE – Caeli’s Daniachew
AUTHOR – Crystal Ordonez
PRICE - $10.00 ($5.00 download)
GENRE - Romance/Sci-fi
ISBN – 978-1-4116-9425-5
PUBLISHER - Lulu
POINT OF SALE - LuLu


Caeli’s Daniachew
Crystal Ordonez


Caeli’s Daniachew can best be described as a slipstream romance, a novella that bends genre and delivers an interesting story about the interplay between two cultures, those on the Caeli surface, and those of the invaders.

Kaya finds herself as the slave to the dashing Adwin Barry, the Daniachew, or peacekeeper, between the conquerors and the conquered. Adwin is a paragon of politeness and romance. Kaya, who has remained a virgin despite living in an internment camp prior to moving in with her master, is smitten with Adwin, but is pensive around him knowing that he could take her at any time. The romantic tension between them grows as their friendship flourishes. They do not hide their affections for each other as they progress from flirtation to a full-blown relationship.

Kaya follows Adwin around the planet as he negotiates peace between his people, the Swandidi, and Kaya’s people on Caeli. She witnesses the difficulties of maintain a working relationship with her people and his. She faces a number of dangerous situations that could, at any moment, destroy their relationship. Despite these challenges, she does not give up, and neither does he.

Ordonez plays with interesting themes throughout the novella. She broaches the subjects of inter-racial relationships, the clash between cultures and ethnicities, and, in a way, master/slave relationships. It was a good read, quick and enjoyable. Although I never really felt that Kaya was really in much danger, even when her life or virginity seemed threatened, I couldn’t help but like the characters and hope the best for them.

Although rated for Teen on the lulu.com website, the sexual contact between the characters is quite graphic.


RATING: 7/10