Reviews

Barbarian's Beloved by Ruby Dixon

azahller's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

In this book we flash back to the past to learn the love story of Ariana and Zolaya. When they first arrived at Not-Hoth, Ariana was the weepy one, if you'll recall. Unfortunately she is also one of the ones who instantly resonated to a male named Zolaya. As Ari tells her kit the PG version of the story, she reflects for us on the true version.

I absolutely adored the mental health rep in this book. Ari's anxiety felt very relatable and real to me. Zolaya, being sweet and wonderful also handled it so well. I loved the metaphor of the avalanche for racing thoughts and how not stigmatized medication and asking for help were. This book truly felt so comforting because of that. We also got an inkling that there may be another alien who is "gifted" in the tribe outside of Rohan which is interesting. I hope we explore that more.

What I did not love about this book was the flash back element. I loved the actual story but the present story was meh. It's okay though. The flash back story did make up for it.

I always recommend these books as little palate cleansers. They are so fun.

allingoodtime's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I originally read this book a couple of months ago and somehow lost the review I had already written, which upsets me because I really loved this book. Instead of skipping posting a review or trying to remember details I decided to reread the book. I’m glad I did because I think Ruby Dixon does a lot with this story.

Ariana has always been a character who was just chilling in the background that everyone seemed to be annoyed by. She cried. A lot. But why was she always crying and keeping herself separate from the others? Turns out Ariana has extreme anxiety issues and, even with medication, could easily go into a spiral. As soon as she realizes what happened to her and that it meant no more medication or talk therapy she cannot calm her brain. Instead of being irritated with her like the rest of the tribe and humans, Zolaya is drawn to her and just wants to make her smile.

Zolaya and Ariana are perfect together. While all the Sa-Khui are protective of the tribe, especially their mates, Zolaya is also a natural caregiver. Because the Sa-Khui don’t have a preconceived notion about mental illness and the struggles that come along with it he never makes Ariana feel bad about her anxieties. In fact, Zolaya becomes her calming presence. And he loves that role. He loves making her smile and knowing he makes her feel safe. I found I have a lot of similarities to Ariana and my husband is my calming presence. The author did a beautiful job of portraying that relationship. The helplessness and frustration Ariana felt for needing someone else and not being able to do it on her own. As well as the peaceful calm she could get from the one person who didn’t judge and understood her mind.

I am very appreciative that Ariana’s anxiety was portrayed as something her body did, not something that she was doing wrong. Zolaya knew that from the start and the healer reiterated that later. Her mental state had to do with her body’s chemistry, not her being weak or unreasonable.

As much as I loved this book for its mental health representation, it also had great chemistry. I love this couple and now look back at our little peeks at them throughout the series a bit differently. This story also introduces the possibility of there being another seer into the tribe via one of the children and I found that part of the story to be fascinating. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

mrs_vanillathunder's review against another edition

fast-paced

3.0

joss_04's review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

toadfairy's review against another edition

funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Okay, I really loved this one. It was cute and sweet and funny and hot. Some shit did NOT make sense (timeline & plot inconsistencies with the other books), but idec. Nobody is reading this for the story. 

daniobsessivelyreads's review against another edition

3.0

I enjoyed this book much better than the last one. This story harkens back to the original books in the series with it's flashbacks. I have always wondered about the couples that Ruby didn't write about. Now I feel like the group is complete.

With the introduction of a whole cast of new characters and new village. I have to make the decision if I will read the spin off series. I don't think I will right now. I may do that in the future. We will see.

linsy_13's review against another edition

informative lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated

3.75

astrodish's review against another edition

2.0

What to say about this series ? Now it's just me rehashing all the same lines. This is like insta love crack. And I'm 100% for it because If i need to shit off my brain these books are here.

shellmarie35's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

bookdeviant86's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0