The Horde Kings of Dakkar by Zoey Draven is a dystopian and alien sci-fi romance series that is sure to grab the attention of alpha male lovers!
The plot of each novel takes places in the dystopian planet of Dakkar and tells the love story between a Vorakkar (a Dakkari king of a nomadic horde) and a human (or half human in book #6) female. While all the books explore similar tropes and themes of alpha males, fated mates, alien/human romance and pregnancy, each horde king’s personality and love story is vastly different. As a result, I found myself superglued to some of the books in this series (1, 2, 3 and 5), and disappointed by others (4 and 6).
See my ratings and quick thoughts for each book below.
Captive of the Horde King by Zoey Draven (Book 1) (Pub: Mar. 26, 2019)
Verdict: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Subgenres: Alien Romance, Sci-Fi Romance
Tropes/Themes: dystopian, fated mates, alien/human romance, alpha male, kidnapping, claiming, forced marriage, enemies to lovers, virgin heroine, and pregnancy.
Thoughts: Rath Kitala and Luna’s love story is the perfect kick off to this series. Luna is a head strong heroine and Rath Kitala is the epitome of a “barbaric” horde king. He is merciless yet more noble than he appears. This novel is for readers that love a male lead that knows he is destined for the female lead, while the female lead fights against her own feelings.
Claimed by the Horde King by Zoey Draven (Book 2) (Pub: Dec. 4, 2019)
Verdict: RECOMMENDED
Subgenres: Alien Romance, Sci-Fi Romance
Tropes/Themes: dystopian, fated mates, alien/human romance, alpha male, kidnapping, claiming, forced marriage, enemies to lovers, groveling, virgin heroine, and pregnancy.
Thoughts: Similar to the first installment in this series, Nelle is a strong heroine and Rath Tuviri is a rutheless yet noble horde leader. Unlike Rath Kitala, however, Rath Tuviri fights against his attraction to Nelle becaue he knows that making a human his queen could cost him his horde. Be prepared for him to initially make the wrong decision and cue the satisfactory groveling.
Madness of the Horde King by Zoey Draven (Book 3) (Pub: Dec. 8, 2020)
Verdict: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Subgenres: Alien Romance, Sci-Fi Romance.
Tropes/Themes: dystopian, fated mates, magic, alien/human romance, alpha male, tortured hero, slavery, and pregnancy.
Thoughts: Rath Drokka is my favorite of all the Vorakkars. He is the tortured hero and the counterbalance to Vienne, who although fragile and shy, is also brave, loyal, and divinely gifted. Rath Drokka may be a lil’ nutty, but he loves Vienne with the same crazy intensity. This novel introduces elements of magic and angst, and kickstarts what will be the main conflict that will plague the rest of the Vorakkars throughout the remainder of the series.
Broken by the Horde King by Zoey Draven (Book 4) (Pub: June 11, 2021)
Verdict: NOT RECOMMENDED
Subgenres: Alien Romance, Sci-Fi Romance
Tropes/Themes:second chances, unrequited love, rejection, alpha male, virgin heroine, groveling, friends to lovers, and pregnancy.
Thoughts: This novel made me realize that second chance romances are just not for me. While well written and developed (hence the two stars), I did not have it in me to forgive Rath Okkili after all of his many transgressions against Maeva. In his youthful “ignorance”, not only does he kiss Maeva’s SISTER, but also strings Maeva along for YEARS while sleeping with other women. In the end, was I convinced that Rath Okkili loved Maeva and was extremely regretful of his past actions? Yes. Did I care? No. Overall, too much angst for me but some readers may lap it right up!
Taken by the Horde King by Zoey Draven (Book 5) (Pub: Feb. 1, 2022)
Verdict: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Subgenres: Alien Romance, Sci-Fi Romance
Tropes/Themes: dystopian, fated mates, magic, alien/human romance, kidnapping, claiming, forced marriage, alpha male, and pregnancy.
Thoughts: Rath Rowin and Mina’s romance is a revenge to love pipeline. Rath Rowin seeks to punish Mina after she helped kidnap him (but also later to free him) in a nefarious plot concocted by the cruel leader of her human group. Once freed, Rath Rowin claims Mina for his horde against Mina’s adamant wishes. What Rath Rowin cannot fight, however, is his extreme attraction to Mina. Readers will simply swoon when Rath Rowin and Mina make their way towards trusting each other and falling in love.
Throne of the Horde King by Zoey Draven (Book 6) (Pub: July 1, 2022)
Verdict: RECOMMENDED, BUT. . .
Subgenres: Alien Romance, Sci-Fi Romance
Tropes/Themes: dystopian, fated mates, magic, alien/human romance, alpha male, grumpy-sunshine, second chances, groveling, and pregnancy.
Thoughts: Rath Serok is the grumpy to Kara’s sunshine. Together, they find themselves on a journey to getting rid of the evil that has been playing Dakkar, and towards claiming Rath Serok’s place as Dakkar’s king (he is the bastard son of the then current king). While they fall in love and have tons of chemistry, the pressures of Dakkar’s throne results in Rath Serok making a poor decision (cue third act breakup). Yes, he grovels and gets Kara back. But he needed a tad more suffering, IMHO. This novel is also 500+ pages long and felt overly drawn out at times.