Reviews

Barbarian's Taming by Ruby Dixon

lilypilly's review against another edition

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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? No

3.0

cute! i like how their resonance didn’t happen until the end, it made their connection feel more genuine and i felt sorry for Hassen when he said that all he’s ever wanted is a mate. Maddie felt a little bit inconsequential and i didn’t feel like we got more character information from her really. i liked the cave in and the idea of finding a new cave, i like how the old civilisation might lead to future plot points. i hope the next book is about stacy and passhov because i’d like to see how that works. 

anabooks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny lighthearted tense medium-paced

4.5

tisawizard's review against another edition

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4.0

NOT THE CAVE 😭

hannah_reads_a_lot's review

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adventurous challenging fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

bumpkinhouse's review

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4.0

I did like this pairing a bit more except the whole lonely on e new planet thing has already been done. I also felt like other parts of the book were drawn out. The earthquake and new city were exciting. 

voldemin's review against another edition

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3.0

The beginning was awful. I disliked everything. Maddy and Hassen were the most toxic couple in this series so far. Then the second half came, even a small plottwist and it went better after that but it still remains one of my least favorite ones.

smalljillian's review

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2.5

2.5

…In exactly one week I have read the first 8 books in this series. Wtf is wrong with me?

Anyways, I am stepping away from this world for a little bit, even though it is arguable getting interesting. 

Maddie and Hassen are not my favorite. Maddie’s main character trait seems to be that she is pushy and fat…not sure why we need to harp on that so much. I’m still mad at Hassen for what happened with Lila, so I don’t need a redemption arc for him. They’re fine together, not one of my favorite couples but both annoying so they work well together. 

Plot wise a lot is happening on ICB that is genuinely interesting, what with the earthquakes and all but I’m also lowkey mad that things are being upended? 

kileyrose's review

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emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

4.0

Falling in love even though she hates the guy…. I love 

nikala_brooke's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.75

missposabule's review against another edition

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4.0

Or, as I like to call it, "Barbarian's Touch: THE RECKONING."

Y'all, Maddie and Lila are not in a good place.

The tribe isn't too keen on Maddie, and she isn't much of a fan of them, either. So she's had a hard time. "bUt MaDdIe WaS sUcH a BiTcH iN tHe OtHeR bOoK!" some people may say, and I suppose that's one way of looking at it. The way I see it, in the past month, she woke up on a dangerous ice planet, witnessed her sister's kidnapping, was powerless to help, and alienated the entire tribe while in a state of fear and rage. Then Lila rejoined the tribe, and instead of any kind of return to normalcy, Maddie gets to move in with depressed Asha and overhear people make cheeky jokes about Lila and Rokan boning.

Yeah, that sounds totally awesome.

Maddie is lonely, raw, and bristling with anger and resentment at her new life. Lila has blossomed into a strong young woman, secure in herself and her place in the tribe. Despite a rough start on Not-Hoth, Lila's had adventures, fallen in love, and been warmly welcomed her new family. She has a beautiful life ahead of her. Maddie has nothing.

I want to address the main problem in this book: Lila sucks. She wasn't great in the previous book, and seeing her through the eyes of Maddie doesn't actually improve her, in my opinion. Instead, Lila is portrayed as almost untouchably perfect, even though I thought she was kind of selfish and ungrateful.

Lila was the one who ditched Maddie to hook up with Rokan. Lila has done almost nothing to encourage Maddie to integrate with the tribe. And Lila deliberately excluded Maddie from the trip to the fruit cave. It's been weeks since I've read this dumb book, and I'm still pissed about that fruit cave thing. Seriously, Lila, it's not like you booked tickets for a girls' weekend in Scottsdale. It's a fucking fruit cave. So you think your sister, who's made you the center of her universe, wouldn't want to see some fruit? Or hang out with you?

Strangely enough, I have been both a Maddie and a Lila. I'm an older sister, and I have felt the sadness of realizing your younger sister is moving on and doing great things without you. But, on the other hand, I have also been the Lila, so I know that ditching the people who love you the most, even if they're a little prickly, isn't cool.

Lila has every right to establish boundaries with her sister. Was I deeply unimpressed with Rokan? Yeah, totally. He's dumb and a little creepy. His main character trait is clairvoyance. Also, the man is freaking 40 years old, and his girlfriend is fresh out of college. Ew. However, despite my extreme aversion to their age difference and overall smug-couple-ness, Lila has the right to make a life with him and the right to do whatever she wants to be happy in her new life.

Unfortunately, this placed the burden of healing their relationship solely on Maddie's shoulders. As a result, only Maddie struggles in this book. Only Maddie grieves over the loss of her old life. Maddie has to contend with the complexity of loving someone and being happy for them while also feeling miserable. Maddie constantly berated herself for being a "terrible big sister" but frequently thought about Lila's needs and well-being. While reading this book, I expected honestly expected Lila to reach out and apologize to Maddie for not being there for her. Maddie had organized her entire life around Lila, filling in the role of sibling and parents, and Lila barely waited a week before fucking-off to the fruit cave with her new friends, leaving Maddie behind. This apology never came. Instead, Lila has one cool moment: she forgives Hassen for kidnapping her, embracing him as a brother-in-law so he and Maddie can be happy. That was nice.

Rokan continues to be lame in this book. I had such high hopes for him, and I admit that he treats Lila well and seems to respect her enough, but you can't entirely judge a guy by how he treats his mate. Because Rokan sucks as a brother-in-law. Rokan was almost useful and warned everyone to get out just as the rocks began to fall. Then he picked up his child-bride and ran out of there. Leaving Maddie trapped in the cave-in.

Plotwise, this book is great. Dixon made a bold choice to collapse the tribal caves and force the tribe into a state of homeless uncertainty, but it worked! It was exciting and fresh and made the ultimate discovery of Croatoan village all that more impactful.

I really enjoyed getting to know Hassen's perspective, seeing his feelings of loneliness and regret. Understandably, he becomes obsessed with Maddie once sees her strength and perseverance. And her general willingness to get down-and-dirty in supply caves only increased her awesomeness in my eyes. Maddie was super cool - she knew what she wanted and went for it. You go, girl. You get that weird ribbed alien dong.

Maddie and Hassen's relationship was sweet and loving. The two genuinely cared for each other and found comfort and purpose together. I think it's a little hilarious that Hassen didn't regret kidnapping a woman so much as kidnapping Lila over Maddie. He was the only person forced to spend time alone with Lila and was like, "Yikes, no thanks. Should have grabbed the other one." Yeah, he really should have. I would have liked that a lot more.

When the caves were falling in, Hassen risked his life to save Maddie and Asha. The book briefly touches on the drama between Hemalo and Asha, but I loved that he was right there to help Hassen. Hemalo is kind of an idiot, but his heart is in the right place, and I'm so glad that he and Asha eventually get together a few books later.

I assume during this scene, Rokan was outside doing fuck-all with Lila, while Maddie felt the walls of the cave close in around her. Rokan, you need to get it together. Maddie learned to like you despite everything; maybe you could return the favor for her?

I'm happy Maddie got such a loving, devoted mate in Hassen. I loved watching her confidently assert herself when revealing Croatoan's discovery, doing anything to secure Hassen's place in the tribe. I also liked this book took the series in a new direction, expanding the world of Not-Hoth and the possibilities within it. Although I had considered no longer reading the books after "Barbarian's Touch," I'm glad I stayed with the series because it only improved from here.