tostita's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Grumpy Haeden and sunny Josie, the last of the human women, finally resonate, much to everyone’s surprise and Josie’s horror. Josie is determined to reject the resonance, despite its seemingly irresistible force, because she refuses to raise a child amid strife and hostility like her own traumatic childhood. That is not an easy feat, and her quest for a fate of her own choosing leads to plenty of unexpected discoveries.
This is the first Ice Planet Barbarians book I ever read, so it will always have a special place in my heart. I have no idea how many times I’ve reread it since then. This time, I was preparing for an upcoming book club, and despite reading it many times before I still found new elements and new perspectives.
This is the first Ice Planet Barbarians book I ever read, so it will always have a special place in my heart. I have no idea how many times I’ve reread it since then. This time, I was preparing for an upcoming book club, and despite reading it many times before I still found new elements and new perspectives.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Gore
now_booking's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I feel like there’s grumpy and there’s kind of mean and so feel like Haeden was on the kind of mean spectrum of grumpy and that if not for resonating with Josie, he would have continued to be mean and disrespectful to her. I didn’t “buy” the way it was explained as fear and I just wasn’t super convinced by this match.<br /><br />The premise is that endlessly-bickering pair Josie and Haeden find that they experience resonance for one another and Josie, after a childhood of abandonment, neglect and abuse, who has dreamt of a love match, is devastated to find that she’s matched with Haeden, a joyless sort who seems incapable of love.<br /><br />I think this could have been more convincing but I appreciate that the author kept Haeden in character. Even though thinking of Raahuk who was a similar gruff sort, that felt more of a convincing match to me- this one seems like he’s going to eventually silence her because she talks too loud or too much.
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gore
Moderate: Sexism and Toxic relationship
Minor: Rape, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
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