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shaykay's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I'm not shocked that I circled back to this series so fast. In the second book, we are focused on Liz and Raahosh, and it's a forced proximity romance since he kidnaps her right after the women get infected and take her to his hidden cave. This book still has some hilarious moments between the two because Raahosh acts like he can't understand Liz during the first third of the book, but that doesn't stop her from talking. He says she would talk to a wall because she never stops talking. But when the two finally start talking, we learn that the only thing Liz really wants is the ability to decide her own choices, and I really love that. It's so relatable; she even explains that nothing has been her choice since she was kidnapped from Earth and that all she wants is to make her own decisions. I read these books for laughs because this one was just as funny as the first one. In addition, this book had just as many steamy moments as in the first. I feel like the books will eventually start feeling repetitive. However, I'm still curious about the rest of the books in this series. The next one follows Rina, and she doesn't match with anyone, but she kind of has a crush on an alien. I'm curious how that one will play out because so far, our first two couples resonated with their aliens and then got pregnant super fast. So I'm curious if she will end up with him, if she will resonate with him, and if they don't, will they still get pregnant?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism and Sexual content
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent
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: Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death and Death of parent
karouty's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
I liked the book but not as much as the first one. I can't pinpoint exactly what didn't make love it as much but still, it was a great ride!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal death
melitta's review against another edition
Consent between the two was too dubious for me. It was basically rape, but the author twisted the characters to make it seem not so bad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, and Kidnapping
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: Animal death, Sexism, Blood, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
charhollyx's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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? No
4.5
I really liked the first but I enjoyed this one a lot more. Quality humour and funny one liners with a light hearted, shockingly interesting plot - great read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Sexism and Pregnancy
Minor: Kidnapping and Death of parent
yaoipaddle's review against another edition
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: Animal death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Violence, and Xenophobia
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: Sexual content and Kidnapping
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Sexism, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Alcohol
emilycruz1016's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
rensreading's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
i wanted to like this book. it had a strong beginning but i truly could not push past the stockholm syndrome shit going on. it was even worse than in the first book. liz rags on georgie’s relationship a lot without taking a closer look at her own and that irritated me so much because she’s such a strong and stubborn character. but she isn’t perfect and she fell for the dark, tall, and brooding man with the tragic past and parental issues that kidnapped her after she had just escaped another set of kidnappers. way to really stick to your own independence there, liz.
i did like that she mentioned all the shitty and unexplained things the sa-khui are keeping from the humans, unknowingly or not. especially this line: “I thought we were supposed to be equals but maybe the goal is to keep us all barefoot and pregnant and sewing.” bc that is essentially what the sa-khui are doing. she’s aware enough to stir up dissent but not self-aware enough to look at her own relationship and see that its toxic and unhealthy. raahosh is a very shy guy when you get down to it but we can’t just write off the fact that he forced their relationship on liz by shoving the khui into her when she was unwilling. whatever happened to people’s right to die on their own terms? mates a big thing in this universe dixon created, obviously, but they’re also the cause for a lot of dubious consent and plain, unforgiving non consensual sexual assaults too.
again, just more violence against women.
dixon’s writing is also very inconsistent and juvenile too. liz knows the name of the sa-khui’s language without ever being told it by georgie. raahosh acts like the concept of love is normal in their culture and then mentions later that its a big deal to liz without ever mentioning who he learned that from since it wasn’t from vektal or liz, the two most likely to explain that to him. in the epilogue raahosh turns from this mine-mine-mine possessive dude to oh-my-god-what-if-she-hates-my-guts kind of dude and the shift in his character was drastic enough to really catch me off-guard. there was so much being waved away and then explained later but, in the process, it made the first instance all the more confusing since you’re left wondering how characters even know that information.
the spice was alright. it was the only reason i finished this but i wont be continuing with this series any longer and will probably unhaul the copies i got too.
i did like that she mentioned all the shitty and unexplained things the sa-khui are keeping from the humans, unknowingly or not. especially this line: “I thought we were supposed to be equals but maybe the goal is to keep us all barefoot and pregnant and sewing.” bc that is essentially what the sa-khui are doing. she’s aware enough to stir up dissent but not self-aware enough to look at her own relationship and see that its toxic and unhealthy. raahosh is a very shy guy when you get down to it but we can’t just write off the fact that he forced their relationship on liz by shoving the khui into her when she was unwilling. whatever happened to people’s right to die on their own terms? mates a big thing in this universe dixon created, obviously, but they’re also the cause for a lot of dubious consent and plain, unforgiving non consensual sexual assaults too.
again, just more violence against women.
dixon’s writing is also very inconsistent and juvenile too. liz knows the name of the sa-khui’s language without ever being told it by georgie. raahosh acts like the concept of love is normal in their culture and then mentions later that its a big deal to liz without ever mentioning who he learned that from since it wasn’t from vektal or liz, the two most likely to explain that to him. in the epilogue raahosh turns from this mine-mine-mine possessive dude to oh-my-god-what-if-she-hates-my-guts kind of dude and the shift in his character was drastic enough to really catch me off-guard. there was so much being waved away and then explained later but, in the process, it made the first instance all the more confusing since you’re left wondering how characters even know that information.
the spice was alright. it was the only reason i finished this but i wont be continuing with this series any longer and will probably unhaul the copies i got too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Cursing, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Abandonment
Minor: Sexual assault
so much violence against women is in this.