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3.95 AVERAGE
3.95 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Do I mainly have KU for Ruby Dixon? Yes! I was excited that she was writing Steph and Juth's story, and I had fun. The giant creatures coming out of the water was a true WTF moment, and I loved it! Very sweet love story too. Ruby Dixon is such a comfort read for me - so glad she's out there writing!
I was eagerly awaiting Juth's story since his introduction in [b:Raven's Return|55107996|Raven's Return (Icehome, #12)|Ruby Dixon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1598310017l/55107996._SY75_.jpg|85907915], and I wasn't disappointed. A pairing with Steph seemed very natural, considering her highly empathetic nature and the desire to "fix" or care for others.
The relationship between Steph and Juth was really sweet, and it was enhanced dramatically by the fact that there was something actually happening on the beach--something that didn't have to do with metlaks OR skyclaws! We got some interesting science-y migration/reproductive behavior from big ol' squid things, adding a bit of pique into what has been a rather stagnant environment for the last handful of books.
I really want to get some more concrete tribe-building going on in both places, though. Realistically I know that we're still dealing with cavemen, here, but there are enough technologically advanced people in the mix that we should be able to figure out a method for making stone bricks and some mortar, right? I mean, wattle and daub houses date back thousands of years . . . they've gotta have enough brains amongst them to figure it out.
The biggest issue I had with this installment was Steph's bisexuality. And my problem with this isn't that it exists but that it exists too late and we get passages like this alongside it:
My opinion is very much that if you're going to create a universe as mind-bendingly heteronormative as this one, to the point that your main characters are literally biologically induced to fuck for the purpose of procreation, then you're better served to just keep on truckin' along with that concept rather than shoehorning in an LGBT character on the fringes or one like Steph who, despite being bi, seems to have been only, like, vanilla bi. Not that she actually wanted to have SEX with Flor or anything, yuck! After something like 40 books, it just seems tactless.
I recognize that it's coming from a good place, where Dixon is finally catching onto the whole "hey maybe a universe with pretty much entirely straight people can come across as, like, bad." But at this point, it only draws more attention to itself to course correct.
I hope she can pull off the promise she's making with regards to representation, but based on the way Steph was handled, I'm nervous. I'm also really icked by the idea of there being same-sex couples who then fall prey to resonance with somebody of the opposite sex and must have pretty non-con baby-making sex. So Dixon has a LOT of brainstorming to do to get out of that situation, and I hope she does her research/hires some sensitivity readers before she does it.
The relationship between Steph and Juth was really sweet, and it was enhanced dramatically by the fact that there was something actually happening on the beach--something that didn't have to do with metlaks OR skyclaws! We got some interesting science-y migration/reproductive behavior from big ol' squid things, adding a bit of pique into what has been a rather stagnant environment for the last handful of books.
I really want to get some more concrete tribe-building going on in both places, though. Realistically I know that we're still dealing with cavemen, here, but there are enough technologically advanced people in the mix that we should be able to figure out a method for making stone bricks and some mortar, right? I mean, wattle and daub houses date back thousands of years . . . they've gotta have enough brains amongst them to figure it out.
The biggest issue I had with this installment was Steph's bisexuality. And my problem with this isn't that it exists but that it exists too late and we get passages like this alongside it:
Even my crush on Flor never quite hit sexual levels. I just really liked her and was looking for an outlet--or someone to rescue, if I'm being honest with myself. But now that Juth and I are together. God, I think about sex all the time.I mean come on. As a bisexual woman, major side-eye.
My opinion is very much that if you're going to create a universe as mind-bendingly heteronormative as this one, to the point that your main characters are literally biologically induced to fuck for the purpose of procreation, then you're better served to just keep on truckin' along with that concept rather than shoehorning in an LGBT character on the fringes or one like Steph who, despite being bi, seems to have been only, like, vanilla bi. Not that she actually wanted to have SEX with Flor or anything, yuck! After something like 40 books, it just seems tactless.
I recognize that it's coming from a good place, where Dixon is finally catching onto the whole "hey maybe a universe with pretty much entirely straight people can come across as, like, bad." But at this point, it only draws more attention to itself to course correct.
I hope she can pull off the promise she's making with regards to representation, but based on the way Steph was handled, I'm nervous. I'm also really icked by the idea of there being same-sex couples who then fall prey to resonance with somebody of the opposite sex and must have pretty non-con baby-making sex. So Dixon has a LOT of brainstorming to do to get out of that situation, and I hope she does her research/hires some sensitivity readers before she does it.
adventurous
emotional
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
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
FINALLY. BISEXUAL REPRESENTATION IN THE IPB UNIVERSE. I LOVE IT. Steff and Juth were so cute!!!! and pak 😭😭😭 my baby. I love them. this one knocked it out of the park
Genuinely a 4.5 stars as this couple was so wholesome in my opinion.
Introducing the icehome therapist and the messed up loner outcast. This was a twist on the story I was not expecting. For some reason I didn't get therapist vibes from Stephanie in previous books. But neither did I get bisexual vibes off of her either. If Ruby Dixon hinted at it in her other icehome books it had clearly blown over my head.
What I liked is we got more information about the clans and the outcasts and the social dynamics of how it worked before the smokey mountain. Surprisingly instead of the outcasts forming a united front, it was as if they were also divided in their segregated clan.
What I liked about this book that was different was the adopted son angle. Dealing with a single parent in a budding romance was a new angle not introduced previously for the aliens. All the alien men so far had been single and desperate for a mate whereas Juth was more concerned about Pak then mating a "strange female".
Introducing the icehome therapist and the messed up loner outcast. This was a twist on the story I was not expecting. For some reason I didn't get therapist vibes from Stephanie in previous books. But neither did I get bisexual vibes off of her either. If Ruby Dixon hinted at it in her other icehome books it had clearly blown over my head.
What I liked is we got more information about the clans and the outcasts and the social dynamics of how it worked before the smokey mountain. Surprisingly instead of the outcasts forming a united front, it was as if they were also divided in their segregated clan.
What I liked about this book that was different was the adopted son angle. Dealing with a single parent in a budding romance was a new angle not introduced previously for the aliens. All the alien men so far had been single and desperate for a mate whereas Juth was more concerned about Pak then mating a "strange female".
