It was okay. I did enjoy Draxton's character and I enjoyed the autism rep. The writing is a bit clunky and I found some of their reactions to be unbelievable. The worldbuilding wasn't very cohesive; there were just a lot of things going on at once. I didn't feel the connection between Draxton and Kellen's relationship.

It was a bit genre-bending, so if that's something you're into you would enjoy this.

Thank you NetGalley for an e copy.

I’m in love with Draxton!🏳️‍🌈❤️🏳️‍🌈 He’s my new book boyfriend. I hope the author keeps him alive because I’m going to be fuming if he disappears 😂.
Kellan is an African-born archaeologist, and Draxton is a speleologist who was raised by his grandfather after his parents were killed while cave exploring themselves. He has autism and lives to find the door to another reality in the Star Caves of South Africa. This is not a conventional MM romance; it's an extraordinary action-adventure with a blend of various genre, and it is vividly written and exciting.
They fall through a portal from inside a cave in South Africa. This is a beautiful interracial story portraying a vast array of characters.
Draxton is impulsive, and Kellan tries to protect him without smothering him. He fails and ends up as a prisoner in a Zelk penal colony.
Callisto and Atlas are Eryn’s children from the New Beginnings Series. You would do better reading the Crossover and appreciating the backstory underlying this better. It ends in an HFN, but the story continues, and I will keep reading because I want to know if they can free Atlas and kill all the Zelk and Apsu.
I have a feeling we are going to see Ishtar and his time machine again. I can't wait to see what the author has in store next.
The overarching plot of these books is incredible and written intelligently, with each character having their own unique voice and personality.

This story is about a main character with autism. It is well written and fits the character’s personality. They stumble upon a cave amid a snowstorm where the last of the human survivors of Anzulla scrape through the layers of a dead volcano to free a dragon. The bear and dragon are King Eryn’s children from the New Beginnings series. This is not your typical fantasy. Not at all. It's a dynasty!

The writing is a bit stilted in places with stiff, unnatural conversations, and I struggled to remain interested. When Draxton and Kellan ended up in the new world, things got even rougher, as no one reacted to the new people wandering into their tent; several men were bare chested in the freezing snow for some reason; the giant polar bear changed size; Kellan is also a member of a near immortal race and happens to be a prince … it’s just a lot of things happening with no one having much in the way of a reaction.

I just found it hard to believe any of what was happening, and the characters weren’t giving me much of a reason to care. The book is heavy on the telling side of things, with Draxton being abrasive and confrontational and Kellan accepting it and snuggling up against him. But it feels calculated rather than natural, and … I just don’t buy the romance. I’m not invested in the characters, the world building is a rough sketch of shapes that don’t come together into anything other than generic “fantasy” and flat.

I’m sorry, this wasn’t the book for me. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.