A review by pagepixie
Barbarian's Touch by Ruby Dixon

adventurous emotional lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I did not expect to actually, genuinely enjoy this book. I’ve read a lot of these because they’re weirdly addicting and entertaining. However, this one was kind of also a good story. 

The main character, Lila, is deaf. Waking up on an alien planet full of many different threats means she has to adapt her other senses to survive. EDIT: I had the privilege of communicating with a deaf sensitivity reader who advised that Lila is not an accurate or reliable deaf character and she would not consider her to be a good deaf rep mc. 

In the beginning Lila is shy and scared of everything. This is not unreasonable. It feels like a normal reaction to me but also stems from her past on Earth and how isolated she was growing up. Throughout the story, her character develops a lot of confidence. 

I also loved her and Rokan. Rokan was a favorite alien of mine. He was so gentle and kind and patient (a trait most of them lack). I loved how he so desperately wanted to learn “hand speak” for Lila and always talked about how perfect she was. His sixth sense, “knowing” was he called it, was also a cool tidbit. 

Overall probably my favorite, followed closely by Kira’s book.