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a1exander's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
Moderate: Abandonment, Misogyny, Animal death, and Toxic relationship
leandrathetbrzero's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I'm slowly catching up with the backlog of book reviews from the last few months, and this one was read back in March with my friend, Brittany from @Brittany Loves Reading on booktube. Every other month, we host Ice Planet Barbarian reading sprints on a Saturday for 8 hours. As of this review, we are now on book 7, to be read in July 2023!
Having read the first six books in this series so far, this one is still my favorite! I love that it loosely mirrors Beauty & the Beast, featuring a hate-to-love romance. The dynamic between Liz and Raahosh was a lot of fun because, even though she is a chatterbox and he's the grumpy silent type, they are both incredibly stubborn and that made their interactions so funny at times. I still like that Ruby Dixon doesn't take this series too seriously, allowing for humor between intense moments of survival or conflict. It's interesting to think back on this book remembering how little we knew about the planet, its environment, and how finding one's true "mate" works. The series definitely builds on itself and becomes more and more complex!
Having read the first six books in this series so far, this one is still my favorite! I love that it loosely mirrors Beauty & the Beast, featuring a hate-to-love romance. The dynamic between Liz and Raahosh was a lot of fun because, even though she is a chatterbox and he's the grumpy silent type, they are both incredibly stubborn and that made their interactions so funny at times. I still like that Ruby Dixon doesn't take this series too seriously, allowing for humor between intense moments of survival or conflict. It's interesting to think back on this book remembering how little we knew about the planet, its environment, and how finding one's true "mate" works. The series definitely builds on itself and becomes more and more complex!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
lilbookbee's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I've been slowly working on a deep dive into Ruby Dixon's backlog after reading a Risdaverse book I loved. So, despite really not liking Ice Planet Barbarians, I decided to try again with Barbarian Alien. And while I did not love it, I significantly preferred it to the first in the series.
The issue I keep coming up against in these books is the consent issues. Some of them are communication related, some of them are because of not knowing each other's customs, and some are just due to the nature of the khui and this iteration of fated mates. It's the one thing I keep coming up against that stops me from fully immersing myself into the story.
That being said, once we got past most of the consent issues, this book wasn't bad. It was a bit too much insta-love for this length of book, but it was manageable. There was enough tension that I was still able to enjoy it.
I'm probably gonna jump to another Ruby Dixon series for now. But I do think I will make my way back to read another in the Barbarian series. I just need the cushion of the other 'verses to help me enjoy this in-between.
The issue I keep coming up against in these books is the consent issues. Some of them are communication related, some of them are because of not knowing each other's customs, and some are just due to the nature of the khui and this iteration of fated mates. It's the one thing I keep coming up against that stops me from fully immersing myself into the story.
That being said, once we got past most of the consent issues, this book wasn't bad. It was a bit too much insta-love for this length of book, but it was manageable. There was enough tension that I was still able to enjoy it.
I'm probably gonna jump to another Ruby Dixon series for now. But I do think I will make my way back to read another in the Barbarian series. I just need the cushion of the other 'verses to help me enjoy this in-between.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Misogyny, and Violence
Minor: Animal death and Death of parent
fartbart's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Death of parent
Minor: Vomit
singingshooter's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Blood, Animal death, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, and Sexism
yaoipaddle's review
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This series is sci-fi horror and I love dissecting it.
I listened to the audiobook version which I highly recommend.
Barbarian Alien specific review:
The characterization for Liz is all over the place. She was likeable as a headstrong but supportive person in the first book. In the second book she veers from whiny, "not like other girls", love obsessed, rude and vindictive.... she's all over the place. I'm most upset at her characterization because I liked her so much in the first book. Hell even Georgie is barely tolerable in this one. Liz is also so disrespectful to the aliens in this one and it yet again reeks of weird racism.
The sex in this one was better than the sex in the first book.
Liz Quotes:
"There is no ownership. You are mine and I am yours." What the hell.
"As we check the traps, I mentally think of ways I can sexually torture my alien." mentally think???
"If I'm going to be fucking miserable, I'm going to take them all with me." this was moments after she said she was going to fake being happy so as not to drag down her other friends.
"Totally weird, but I'm into the hair pulling." You are being double-penetrated by a 7ft tall alien.
None of that matters. Ice Planet Barbarian is a horror series review.
People can argue day in and day out about the romance or relationships in this book, but it's useless. They are all victims of the parasite inside of them.
They admit they have no say in the matter of their mate, but they have no say in anything. The parasite controls every aspect of their lives. Not only does it choose their mate based on who will procreate best, but it fucks with their brains. The parasite changes Liz just like everyone else. She can no longer eat cooked meat. Instead it changes her to only enjoy raw meat. It makes food you enjoyed your entire life taste... like nothing because it wants to change you to enjoy eating raw food. (How very like a parasite that lived in a creatures heart before moving onto humans. Remember how the aliens always talk about how the heart is the yummiest part of the kill?)
Liz asks Raakosh if the other tribe will like her. He says they will accept her simply because she is his mate. The parasite rules them all. All it cares about is growing its numbers. Spreading to more and more people. They do not even choose their community. Who they spend time around. They are lucky the parasite doesn't make them rip each others heads off after they can no longer bear young.
I cannot blame any creature in their book for their actions as much as I can blame those bugs that jump to their death in water so the worm growing inside them can escape to mate.
These books are more fun to read if you stick with it for the horror of seeing how their lives are all controlled by a weirdo worm.
also liz seems like shed be racist to someone who didnt speak english well.
I listened to the audiobook version which I highly recommend.
Barbarian Alien specific review:
The characterization for Liz is all over the place. She was likeable as a headstrong but supportive person in the first book. In the second book she veers from whiny, "not like other girls", love obsessed, rude and vindictive.... she's all over the place. I'm most upset at her characterization because I liked her so much in the first book. Hell even Georgie is barely tolerable in this one. Liz is also so disrespectful to the aliens in this one and it yet again reeks of weird racism.
The sex in this one was better than the sex in the first book.
Liz Quotes:
"There is no ownership. You are mine and I am yours." What the hell.
"As we check the traps, I mentally think of ways I can sexually torture my alien." mentally think???
"If I'm going to be fucking miserable, I'm going to take them all with me." this was moments after she said she was going to fake being happy so as not to drag down her other friends.
"Totally weird, but I'm into the hair pulling." You are being double-penetrated by a 7ft tall alien.
None of that matters. Ice Planet Barbarian is a horror series review.
People can argue day in and day out about the romance or relationships in this book, but it's useless. They are all victims of the parasite inside of them.
They admit they have no say in the matter of their mate, but they have no say in anything. The parasite controls every aspect of their lives. Not only does it choose their mate based on who will procreate best, but it fucks with their brains. The parasite changes Liz just like everyone else. She can no longer eat cooked meat. Instead it changes her to only enjoy raw meat. It makes food you enjoyed your entire life taste... like nothing because it wants to change you to enjoy eating raw food. (How very like a parasite that lived in a creatures heart before moving onto humans. Remember how the aliens always talk about how the heart is the yummiest part of the kill?)
Liz asks Raakosh if the other tribe will like her. He says they will accept her simply because she is his mate. The parasite rules them all. All it cares about is growing its numbers. Spreading to more and more people. They do not even choose their community. Who they spend time around. They are lucky the parasite doesn't make them rip each others heads off after they can no longer bear young.
I cannot blame any creature in their book for their actions as much as I can blame those bugs that jump to their death in water so the worm growing inside them can escape to mate.
These books are more fun to read if you stick with it for the horror of seeing how their lives are all controlled by a weirdo worm.
also liz seems like shed be racist to someone who didnt speak english well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
Moderate: Xenophobia, Sexism, Racism, and Violence
hannibanani29's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Sexual content
Moderate: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Sexism, Death of parent, and Cursing
Minor: Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Body shaming, Violence, Grief, and Blood
mermaidsherbet's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Xenophobia, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Pregnancy, Blood, and Vomit
emilycruz1016's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Sexism, and Violence
mollydollydoodah's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
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
3.75
I 100% thoroughly enjoyed this book! I much prefer it over the last book in this series, as I found the characters much more lovable and interesting than the others. I love how fierce and stubborn Liz is, and how she refuses to just roll over and accept the situation she’s been put in, fighting for what she wants instead. It was so cool to see how determined she is & how she can hold her own. Raahosh became more endearing the more we got to know him, and I sincerely enjoy their chemistry and fiery personalities. I also enjoyed the spice, lol.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Kidnapping
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape