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A review by torilovesheas
Bull Moon Rising by Ruby Dixon
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I. Loved. This. Book. Ruby Dixon just does it for me every time. And with such a unique fantasy concept + a minatour hero + a tall, fat FMC with glasses, I devoured this.
I don’t have to have intricate worldbuilding to enjoy a book. If anything, intricacy without purpose hurts my head. But Ruby managed to deliver a unique, interesting fantasy world with gods and ruined cities and power struggles for magical objects AND a feudal political system (which I don’t see enough of!). Digging for magical artifacts in tunnels made my breath hitch a few times because being deep inside the earth horrifies me, but the idea of a guild dedicated to diving for these coveted magical artifacts was so COOL. And I love that we get the realization from our FMC that they’re uh…robbing graves and what all that entails.
Aspeth is the kind of FMC I love. She’s got great intentions but no real clue how to accomplish her goals except to just do it. She’s probably going to struggle (and does with the guild school training) but damned if she doesn’t try her best. Which means marrying Hawk. Which means a complicated relationship with her new husband/teacher. Which means navigating an inconvenient attraction to her convenient husband. Win some, lose some.
But Hawk and Aspeth are so FUN together. Horny, as only Ruby can give us, and emotionally complicated, which I feel is a Ruby specialty. It’s absolutely opposites attract because Aspeth flies by the seat of her pants and hopes for the best and it drives her very careful husband up the WALL. I lived.
Hawk may not be my favorite Ruby MMC because I’m used to a bit more feral dedication from her fellas. But Aspeth and her menagerie of equally oddball friends and schoolmates and the fascinating artifact hunting made up for his suspicious nature. And…y’know a feral moon struck rut can never be wrong in my book.
Thanks to Berkeley for an ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own!
I don’t have to have intricate worldbuilding to enjoy a book. If anything, intricacy without purpose hurts my head. But Ruby managed to deliver a unique, interesting fantasy world with gods and ruined cities and power struggles for magical objects AND a feudal political system (which I don’t see enough of!). Digging for magical artifacts in tunnels made my breath hitch a few times because being deep inside the earth horrifies me, but the idea of a guild dedicated to diving for these coveted magical artifacts was so COOL. And I love that we get the realization from our FMC that they’re uh…robbing graves and what all that entails.
Aspeth is the kind of FMC I love. She’s got great intentions but no real clue how to accomplish her goals except to just do it. She’s probably going to struggle (and does with the guild school training) but damned if she doesn’t try her best. Which means marrying Hawk. Which means a complicated relationship with her new husband/teacher. Which means navigating an inconvenient attraction to her convenient husband. Win some, lose some.
But Hawk and Aspeth are so FUN together. Horny, as only Ruby can give us, and emotionally complicated, which I feel is a Ruby specialty. It’s absolutely opposites attract because Aspeth flies by the seat of her pants and hopes for the best and it drives her very careful husband up the WALL. I lived.
Hawk may not be my favorite Ruby MMC because I’m used to a bit more feral dedication from her fellas. But Aspeth and her menagerie of equally oddball friends and schoolmates and the fascinating artifact hunting made up for his suspicious nature. And…y’know a feral moon struck rut can never be wrong in my book.
Thanks to Berkeley for an ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Moderate: Death of parent and Classism