I have never read or watched Sailor Moon before, and I enjoyed this first volume so much! The art style is gorgeous and the characters are all so unique and lovely. I cannot wait to read more and delve deeper into the story.

If you enjoy science fiction, strong female protagonists, and hot aliens, then this is the book for you. The story is more focused on intimate scenes than on developing the plot, which can lead to slower pacing at times. However, for a reader who doesn’t mind a bit of a detour, this was quite an enjoyable read. The special edition cover is absolutely gorgeous, and the additions of the epilogue stories, author’s note, and tribal introduction guide are highly appreciated by a new reader stepping into this world for the first time. I am looking forward to venturing further into this series and seeing the development of future characters.

If you enjoyed the first installment of Ice Planet Barbarians, you are sure to enjoy this one. I found the story more interesting than the last, almost to the point of not being able to put the book down. The protagonist of this second book, Liz, is so incredibly different from the protagonist of the previous book, Georgie. They are both strong women, but each in their own unique way. They are divided by differing interests, talents, and opinions, but are still fierce women loyal to each other’s friendship. Liz’s love interest, Raahosh, is not only insanely devoted to her, but admires her strength and encourages her fighting spirit. When she acts stubborn, he does not force her down. He finds a middle ground. The dynamic between them is adorable, even if she can be too quick to forgive at times.

This book almost defeated me. Truly. Marissa Meyer has long been one of my favorite authors, and I was eager to read her new stand alone novel as soon as it released, but I struggled to get through this story. Over the past two years, I have started and abandoned this book over and over again. And while I can finally proudly proclaim that I finished this book, I am ultimately unsure whether the effort was worth it.

The main character is an absolute pain. Prudence is selfish, narcissistic, and bordering on abusive. This book is supposed to be a story of her character development, how she was taught a lesson by the world around her, recognized her flaws, and became a better person. However, it is a slow, agonizing, and torturous journey for the reader. It isn’t until more than halfway through the book that Prudence becomes somewhat tolerable, and by that point, I was absolutely exhausted by her.

Additionally, I found the ‘instant karma’ aspect of the story to be underwhelming. I don’t feel that it was utilized enough throughout the book to be necessary. This story could have been told just as decently without that element. It wasn’t essential to the plot, and it felt that the moments in which it did appear were written as an afterthought.

More than anything, I am disappointed.