Barbarian's Prize

"Just another good book in a great series. It’s not my favorite but it still has an interesting story. #spicy #aliens"

"This book is definitely a downgrade from the first in the series, but imo that doesn’t mean it’s awful. However, as a Black person, I can really tell that this story was written by someone who is not Black. The main character isn’t relatable at all. If I was in Tiffany’s situation, I’d feel a little isolated. She’s the only Black person on a planet full of non-Black people and blue aliens, but never does she mention feeling different or other than. I can’t even remember if the Sakh ask about her skin, which is strange since they seem to be curious about everything else about humans. They didn’t want to ask about why the one brown human is brown? Tiffany also doesn’t “act” very Black if that makes sense. Like, the things that Black people think, the things Black people say, aren’t things she thinks or says. If I were her I’d be thinking about how to do my hair or how to moisturize my skin. She doesn’t even talk with a lick of AAVE! Now, tbf, the thing about AAVE is a bit more forgivable. If you’re not from the culture, it’s kinda hard to know how to use it and bad AAVE would just serve to make her sound even more divorced from Black people and Black culture. And that’s a best case scenario. Worst case scenario, bad AAVE could make Tiffany sound like a racist caricature, so I understand why the author didn’t add that into Tiffany’s dialect. However, the lack of it *does* make her sound like every other character in the series, and these characters are all White iirc. Really, the only reminder the audience gets that Tiffany is supposed to be Black, is that sometimes the book will describe her skin as being brown or her hair as being curly, and then that’s it. Overall, this book is OK but the inability to write the Black female lead as a Black female really lowers the score for me… Black girlies, if you were looking for a good book with a Black monster-******, this ain’t the one lol "

"My least favorite of the series so far. I understand PTSD and how it can impact you, but as someone who lives with high anxiety, Tiffany really bothered me. Also should have a trigger warning for rape. "

"Yeah sorry not for me. Wasn’t as fun as the other books and that’s probably due to my own personal trauma. Sorry Ruby Dixon."

"Yeah I’m gonna DNF this one at 20%. I understand Tiffany to a point, but 1. Not really the kind of character and plot I want in my aliens **** and 2. There were so many ways to get the men to leave her alone. Getting them to compete to prove they’re the best? Not even on the list."