Review: Priceless Treasure by Natalie Wish

Priceless Treasure by Natalie Wish was one of the first ARCs to be offered to me after I posted my new review policy, and I’m so pleased I said yes and had a sneak peek at this cheeky little tale. It’s not perfect, but it’s a scrappy, queer sci-fi romance with a lot of heart.

On a mission to retrieve valuable rock samples from a desolate planet, Garreth accidentally picks up a stowaway. But what he thinks is his knew pebble-like alien pet, might actually be the love of his life, trapped in a primal form thanks to trauma and starvation. In actual fact, Bellrix is a Saltarian, a race prized for their beauty, who live on a diet of fine jewels and precious metals. Bellrix was groomed his whole life to make the perfect trophy husband to someone with wealth and status, who could provide him with the sustenance he needs to keep up a sparkling appearance. But that can’t be the thoughtful, quick-witted scavenger, Garreth … can it?

The opening of Priceless Treasure is incredibly fast-paced, tripping and stumbling over itself a few times in an endearing race to get to the romance at the core of its story. It’s a little unpolished, which might irk some readers, but I personally found that the small imperfections here and there added to the character of the overall book.

Of course, what really captured my heart in this novella was its undeniable sense of humour: from Garreth judging alien sentience by a creature’s ability to get his jokes, to cracks about Bellrix’s “light show” during sex. Priceless Treasure is goofy as heck and, rather wonderfully, seems to know it. As a result, it often had me cackling and snorting in suprise, which was just what the doctor ordered.

The central romance also has an interesting dynamic. It could potentially have turned problematic (with Bellrix’s whole species effectively selling their companionship and beauty for food sources), but I felt like Wish did an excellent job of balancing the power dynamic. While Garreth (small spoiler) does eventually find a way of providing Bellrix with what he needs, he’s established as a bit of a softy from the outset, so it’s clear from the start he has no ill-intent towards Bellrix. Meanwhile, Bellrix quickly shows himself to have a strong personality, with both dominance and genuine care for Garreth displayed early on. The result is a couple that raise each other up, helping one another to be who they want to be, without squashing anything else. And plenty of fluffy silliness.

This book does contain a few spicy scenes, which are not traditionally my cup of tea, but the alienness of Bellrix and the touches of humour had me chuckling throughout.

To sum this review up, if you’re looking for a sci-fi romance with a spot of absurdity and a couple of main characters that will have you giggling away at midnight, Priceless Treasure is the sweet, sparkly hunk of alien for you! Go grab your copy here.