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Princesses of the Ironbound #1
Barbarian Outcast
The barbarians of the frozen north live to fight, drink, hunt, and screw, and Ymir is a true son of the Ax Tundra, until a demon curses him with magic. Orphaned by battle and banished by his tribe, Ymir heads south to Old Ironbound, a university where the rich and well-connected learn to master magic. Will Ymir’s traditions and pride lead him to failure? Or will the centuries of knowledge—and the lusty human, elven, orcish, and dwarven noblewomen—give him limitless power? Either way, while his days are all about studying and scheming, his nights are filled with wild sex in the beds of beautiful women. Because in the lands of the South, there are few men, and those Southern women have needs. Barbarian Outcast is a steamy slice-of-life harem adventure in a magic university on another world. The sex scenes are explicit but don’t get in the way of the story as it slowly unfolds. Enter a brand-new world from Aaron Crash, the bestselling author of the American Dragon series.
393 pages, Paperback
Published February 17, 2020
862 people are currently reading
413 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
September 28, 2020
I absolutely enjoyed reading this harem book, it is definitely for a mature audience because of the explicit sex scenes in it, however these are tastefully described. Ymir is a barbarian from the cold North, a prince of the black wolf clan where the northern people of the tundra feared and despised magic as they were a superstitious people, so when Ymir was cursed with magic which he could not control he found himself exiled from his home, family and clan which were the only things meaningful in his life. He travelled in dire conditions to the South to Old Ironbound the University which taught the Southern rich and powerful how to harness their magic and he sat for the open exam. Ymir was arrogant and different in the eyes of the Southern people but where they were expecting a true savage, Ymir proved that he was intelligent and could read and write even if only in pidgin. He made many enemies at the university both amongst his fellow students as well as amongst his professors based on their prejudices however he also made many friends who respected his strength and perseverance. Many feared he had no dusza but he proved them wrong in this perception of him too! Amongst his friends he fell in love with Lillee, the elf princess from Greenhome, who was also an outcast and branded as sullied and Jennybelle, the rich princess from Josen, who was spoilt and as a second daughter only there to find a husband for her elder sister, however, she had not banked on meeting the barbarian. Jennybelle was not an outcast till she decided to throw all caution to the wind and take charge of her own life. In the South after the withering there were hardly any men left and many women could not bear children and when some gave birth it was usually to girls so men were a scarce commodity, and the women were hot and randy and the barbarian suddenly realised that what he had considered a curse might turn into a blessing in more ways than one. A very exciting story, full of heartbreak and love, prejudice and hatred for difference, magic and courage to chose the path in life our three outcasts chose to live breaking with all their different traditions and expectations. I am dying to read book 2 and follow the lives these three will forge as I am sure they are all meant for greatness!
April 13, 2020
This turns out to be a modern "Conan goes to College" and is quite well executed. I was a bit leery of the blurb, but it lives up to the claim that the sex doesn't (much) get in the way of the story. Quite enjoyed this, and I'll read a sequel when/if it comes along.
October 7, 2025
A barbarian “cursed” with magic leaves the tundra and heads to magic school where he has to be a student janitor. He befriends another student custodian that is being slut-shamed by her people, complete with a scarlet letter. Stuff happens, and there are magic rings. Anyway, I think I like this author as he is better with descriptive writing than most in this genre. The world building also feels rich, although we have only seen one location so far. I liked it overall, but maybe the conclusion felt a little forced.
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February 18, 2022🎁 Books 1-4 in the Series are FREE on Amazon today (2/18/2022)! 🎁
February 7, 2025
way way better then i expected !
not only a rich back story for the lands tribes and races. but we learn along the way ymir the Barbarian learns about them so no info dumping !! magic is what it is and not explained you know it needs words and what its called and that its not limited . thats it..I like it we learn mote aboutmagical artifacts and magic imbued clothes that protect you from te rain sprinkled here and there its truly a joy to listen to and the love making parts do not distract from the story its weaved perfectly in to it and shows the customs and society of theran.
and yes its for 18+ and harem fantasy and its the perfect blend of my love for fantasy and my need for smut. and while i like my reverse harem or mm paranormal fantasy i love this high fantasy harem so much. its kinda like nostalgia when your 15 and blushing when you read an r rated but redacted sexy scene knowing there might be only 2 in a 10 book series so you bookmark it and go back to it ever so often
not only a rich back story for the lands tribes and races. but we learn along the way ymir the Barbarian learns about them so no info dumping !! magic is what it is and not explained you know it needs words and what its called and that its not limited . thats it..I like it we learn mote aboutmagical artifacts and magic imbued clothes that protect you from te rain sprinkled here and there its truly a joy to listen to and the love making parts do not distract from the story its weaved perfectly in to it and shows the customs and society of theran.
and yes its for 18+ and harem fantasy and its the perfect blend of my love for fantasy and my need for smut. and while i like my reverse harem or mm paranormal fantasy i love this high fantasy harem so much. its kinda like nostalgia when your 15 and blushing when you read an r rated but redacted sexy scene knowing there might be only 2 in a 10 book series so you bookmark it and go back to it ever so often
March 15, 2021
I have very mixed feelings about this book.
I would like to preface this review by stating I am coming into this series from another fantasy book series that literally made me angry and was very frustrated in the story that I read. This might have made me be a little more harsh with this book. Look don't get me wrong it is not like I didn't like this book is just I wasn't truly entertained. To me some of the characters just felt like rethreads of similar characters in a different series by this same author. Also there wasn't enough fight scenes/action scenes in this book. This normally isn't a big deal for me in the start of a fantasy series but as I said earlier the last series I read, had me all kind of fucked up.
To iterate on the point where some characters feel the same I would like to talk about the American dragon series. I really enjoyed that series. It was fun, action packed, had some interesting world building, the lore was captivating (at least I found it to be) and the harem I actually found interesting. Since in that series we get to see the perspective of the girls in the harem, it made me enjoy the character way more than I normally would. On top of that each girl in Steve's core escort was interesting and were very useful and helpful in the story. They had their own personality and fears and brought they own uniqueness to the plot in more ways than one. I thought, since this was the same author I would have gotten that in this story but it felt like he just reskinned characters.
Lillee felt like a watered down version of Tessa. Lillee is sex positive like Tessa, isn't ashamed of it (well Lillee kinda is but isn't at the same time) and likes to make sex jokes. But where they differ, and to me what makes Lillee a worse character is in their personalities. It just felt like if Lillee had her cuffs on she was silent and boring and then as soon as she takes off the cuffs, she just becomes a sex fiend. Next is Jennybelle, she felt exactly like Aria. Both are stuck in a family where the rules in which they have to abide by are making them feel trapped. Both are in a constant war with themselves, whether or not they should be with the MC and near the end they finally give in. Come on that is the same exact storyline for both characters. In this book you may have changed the circumstances a bit but essentially they are the same character.
Due to those reasons, I felt like those characters were the exact same characters and there was minimal action in this book so I didn't enjoy the first book of this series as much as I would have wanted to. Let's hope the next one picks up.
I would like to preface this review by stating I am coming into this series from another fantasy book series that literally made me angry and was very frustrated in the story that I read. This might have made me be a little more harsh with this book. Look don't get me wrong it is not like I didn't like this book is just I wasn't truly entertained. To me some of the characters just felt like rethreads of similar characters in a different series by this same author. Also there wasn't enough fight scenes/action scenes in this book. This normally isn't a big deal for me in the start of a fantasy series but as I said earlier the last series I read, had me all kind of fucked up.
To iterate on the point where some characters feel the same I would like to talk about the American dragon series. I really enjoyed that series. It was fun, action packed, had some interesting world building, the lore was captivating (at least I found it to be) and the harem I actually found interesting. Since in that series we get to see the perspective of the girls in the harem, it made me enjoy the character way more than I normally would. On top of that each girl in Steve's core escort was interesting and were very useful and helpful in the story. They had their own personality and fears and brought they own uniqueness to the plot in more ways than one. I thought, since this was the same author I would have gotten that in this story but it felt like he just reskinned characters.
Lillee felt like a watered down version of Tessa. Lillee is sex positive like Tessa, isn't ashamed of it (well Lillee kinda is but isn't at the same time) and likes to make sex jokes. But where they differ, and to me what makes Lillee a worse character is in their personalities. It just felt like if Lillee had her cuffs on she was silent and boring and then as soon as she takes off the cuffs, she just becomes a sex fiend. Next is Jennybelle, she felt exactly like Aria. Both are stuck in a family where the rules in which they have to abide by are making them feel trapped. Both are in a constant war with themselves, whether or not they should be with the MC and near the end they finally give in. Come on that is the same exact storyline for both characters. In this book you may have changed the circumstances a bit but essentially they are the same character.
Due to those reasons, I felt like those characters were the exact same characters and there was minimal action in this book so I didn't enjoy the first book of this series as much as I would have wanted to. Let's hope the next one picks up.
February 5, 2020
Awesome new series
This new series is very fun and well thought out. The background and history for the realm is fairly complete. The characters, both main and support, are well deck we with there own history and back story. The hero is somewhat reluctant for his role but slowly is embracing his new place in the world even is he is discover by it. My only comp!ain't should be the lack of definition with the magic of the realm. It seems loose and random. I hope the author adds more definition in the next book like his other series. Looking forward to the next book.
This new series is very fun and well thought out. The background and history for the realm is fairly complete. The characters, both main and support, are well deck we with there own history and back story. The hero is somewhat reluctant for his role but slowly is embracing his new place in the world even is he is discover by it. My only comp!ain't should be the lack of definition with the magic of the realm. It seems loose and random. I hope the author adds more definition in the next book like his other series. Looking forward to the next book.
March 13, 2020
Heck of a lot better than his other books. I enjoyed this one.
August 12, 2025
This review covers areas and themes that go beyond the first book in the series and contains SPOILERS.
This is yet another author who has no understanding about what the harem genre is about. Harem genre is where a man has exclusive relationships with a group of women (reverse harem is where a woman has exclusive relationships with a group of men). The MMC in this series frequently gets NTR'd/cheated on by his supposed partners/lovers, so it's not harem genre but rather some sort of open poly arrangement with very frequent lesbian sex (with the way it's going it will eventually devolve into non-stop lesbian orgies somewhere later in the series). I think sex in erotica is great, but I feel deceived by the author given the direction this story has taken and don't appreciate the subtle undertone of misandry (maybe not so subtle considering he has killed off most men in the world and made them largely irrelevant).
This series is obviously not about love or romance (i.e. erotica) and it eventually just turns into a porno script. The plot of this story makes no sense, is full of plot holes and is highly contrived. Since women so rarely have sex with men in this world there would no longer be any children and most species would be on the verge of extinction. This is especially true in the swamp kingdoms where some women have reverse harems but when that happened with men they were captured and killed. If only 10% of the population is male and some women are hoarding them there is no possible way their civilization wouldn't go extinct. Obviously the whole story is highly contrived to maximize the amount of lesbian sex for the author to jerk off to.
There are lots of different POVs in the story (mostly of characters I don't care about as they are obnoxious and only think about one thing) and I have no idea why the author constantly shows them having sex, seeking to have sex, thinking about sex, fantasizing about sex or remembering past sexual experiences. Oh yeah, this series isn't erotica it's a sleazy porno. The story should be about the MMC finding romance and having sex and it's very off-putting reading about all of these different people thinking about and having sex all of the time.
Della is absolutely the worst...it's like she's a pussy hound walking around with her tongue hanging out drooling and panting over every woman she sees. If she was removed from the series entirely almost nothing of substance would be lost and it would already be a much better story from that alone.
This is one of those stupid series where the author is obsessed with lesbians so even though the main character is a man, he heavily contrives the setting and magically transforms most women into becoming lesbian/bisexual. He then eventually makes it so that all most women can think about is having lesbian sex 24/7. Women in this world are little more than sex objects and are incredibly one-dimensional and shallow...all they think about is having sex with women. It seems like there's no such thing as a committed relationship in this world and I'm guessing it's because that would get in the way of the author writing about lesbians engaging in cunnilingus.
As the story progresses the MMC starts to fall into the background and is overshadowed by other character POVs filling up most of the pages (and thinking about or having lesbian sex most of the time of course). Why not just get rid of the MMC and make the series 100% lesbian porn? I think I'd prefer that over whatever the hell this series turns out to be. Either make the series pure lesbian porn or have the MMC actually get into a relationship with a heterosexual woman that isn't sleeping around all of the time. You know, one who is attracted to him enough that he can give them some sexual satisfaction so they don't constantly sleep around with so many other women.
This is yet another author who has no understanding about what the harem genre is about. Harem genre is where a man has exclusive relationships with a group of women (reverse harem is where a woman has exclusive relationships with a group of men). The MMC in this series frequently gets NTR'd/cheated on by his supposed partners/lovers, so it's not harem genre but rather some sort of open poly arrangement with very frequent lesbian sex (with the way it's going it will eventually devolve into non-stop lesbian orgies somewhere later in the series). I think sex in erotica is great, but I feel deceived by the author given the direction this story has taken and don't appreciate the subtle undertone of misandry (maybe not so subtle considering he has killed off most men in the world and made them largely irrelevant).
This series is obviously not about love or romance (i.e. erotica) and it eventually just turns into a porno script. The plot of this story makes no sense, is full of plot holes and is highly contrived. Since women so rarely have sex with men in this world there would no longer be any children and most species would be on the verge of extinction. This is especially true in the swamp kingdoms where some women have reverse harems but when that happened with men they were captured and killed. If only 10% of the population is male and some women are hoarding them there is no possible way their civilization wouldn't go extinct. Obviously the whole story is highly contrived to maximize the amount of lesbian sex for the author to jerk off to.
There are lots of different POVs in the story (mostly of characters I don't care about as they are obnoxious and only think about one thing) and I have no idea why the author constantly shows them having sex, seeking to have sex, thinking about sex, fantasizing about sex or remembering past sexual experiences. Oh yeah, this series isn't erotica it's a sleazy porno. The story should be about the MMC finding romance and having sex and it's very off-putting reading about all of these different people thinking about and having sex all of the time.
Della is absolutely the worst...it's like she's a pussy hound walking around with her tongue hanging out drooling and panting over every woman she sees. If she was removed from the series entirely almost nothing of substance would be lost and it would already be a much better story from that alone.
This is one of those stupid series where the author is obsessed with lesbians so even though the main character is a man, he heavily contrives the setting and magically transforms most women into becoming lesbian/bisexual. He then eventually makes it so that all most women can think about is having lesbian sex 24/7. Women in this world are little more than sex objects and are incredibly one-dimensional and shallow...all they think about is having sex with women. It seems like there's no such thing as a committed relationship in this world and I'm guessing it's because that would get in the way of the author writing about lesbians engaging in cunnilingus.
As the story progresses the MMC starts to fall into the background and is overshadowed by other character POVs filling up most of the pages (and thinking about or having lesbian sex most of the time of course). Why not just get rid of the MMC and make the series 100% lesbian porn? I think I'd prefer that over whatever the hell this series turns out to be. Either make the series pure lesbian porn or have the MMC actually get into a relationship with a heterosexual woman that isn't sleeping around all of the time. You know, one who is attracted to him enough that he can give them some sexual satisfaction so they don't constantly sleep around with so many other women.
October 11, 2023
This is a review of the series.
Huh, way more here than I was expecting. I am probably biased because of how this subverted my exceptions, I judged this on the cover and the pen name, this was unfair. Although I think these kinds of books would have more readers if they had less cringy covers, at the expense of the shallower readers.
There is a decent amount of world building, and a decent amount of time is spent differing the various cultures/races that intermingle in this world. The MC is not a great person, you really need to accept the barbarian prince trope fully. Some early things almost turned me off, the dialog is cringy at points, and the mc has a secret affair, though he knows everyone involved at that point wouldn’t mind. The bad points are balanced with enough endearing behavior to keep me reading. And you should keep reading, some of the things I didn’t like were given plot reasons later.
The POV changes, but it’s at the start of a chapter, and is done is a clear way. The characters are all fleshed out, they have been living for a while and it’s believable. The POV change allows us an insight into a character that likes the MC but is old enough to not lower themselves to sleep with a student, and knowns four years isn’t a long time ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°). Another character has a quirky grammar issue...Lots of boxes ticked here for a good epic fantasy. It’s still more harem than strictly epic fantasy.
After reading up to book 4 and the authors other works, I am confident in saying that they do characters and world building well but is not very good with the climaxes.
Huh, way more here than I was expecting. I am probably biased because of how this subverted my exceptions, I judged this on the cover and the pen name, this was unfair. Although I think these kinds of books would have more readers if they had less cringy covers, at the expense of the shallower readers.
There is a decent amount of world building, and a decent amount of time is spent differing the various cultures/races that intermingle in this world. The MC is not a great person, you really need to accept the barbarian prince trope fully. Some early things almost turned me off, the dialog is cringy at points, and the mc has a secret affair, though he knows everyone involved at that point wouldn’t mind. The bad points are balanced with enough endearing behavior to keep me reading. And you should keep reading, some of the things I didn’t like were given plot reasons later.
The POV changes, but it’s at the start of a chapter, and is done is a clear way. The characters are all fleshed out, they have been living for a while and it’s believable. The POV change allows us an insight into a character that likes the MC but is old enough to not lower themselves to sleep with a student, and knowns four years isn’t a long time ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°). Another character has a quirky grammar issue...Lots of boxes ticked here for a good epic fantasy. It’s still more harem than strictly epic fantasy.
After reading up to book 4 and the authors other works, I am confident in saying that they do characters and world building well but is not very good with the climaxes.
January 23, 2020
A complicated book, but I still enjoyed it
Book 1 of any series tries to set the tone fo the series and gives the reader an impression of what is to come. That being the case each reader will have a slightly different interpretation of the story based on how they read, what they are feeling and even by the recent books they have read. That being the case I was more in the mood for a simple pulp harem story, with fish out of water situations. This didn’t meet my expectations as the story is a lot more complex, with intrigue, lies, backstabbing, new words to learn for sex organs, and an MC who is not much like a simple muscle bound barbarian but a quick witted thoughtful but extremely confident warrior. Several fairly explicit sex scenes are scattered through the book, which is typical for this author and fit well with the story. Imagine a Conan like Harry Potter with James Bond like quick thinking and confidence with the ladies and you have this story’s MC. I will need to be in the mood to read book 2, but looking forward to it, and I won’t dock a star from my review just because it wasn’t entirely what I expected.
Book 1 of any series tries to set the tone fo the series and gives the reader an impression of what is to come. That being the case each reader will have a slightly different interpretation of the story based on how they read, what they are feeling and even by the recent books they have read. That being the case I was more in the mood for a simple pulp harem story, with fish out of water situations. This didn’t meet my expectations as the story is a lot more complex, with intrigue, lies, backstabbing, new words to learn for sex organs, and an MC who is not much like a simple muscle bound barbarian but a quick witted thoughtful but extremely confident warrior. Several fairly explicit sex scenes are scattered through the book, which is typical for this author and fit well with the story. Imagine a Conan like Harry Potter with James Bond like quick thinking and confidence with the ladies and you have this story’s MC. I will need to be in the mood to read book 2, but looking forward to it, and I won’t dock a star from my review just because it wasn’t entirely what I expected.
July 2, 2023
Vague magic
I loved the characters, the nuance of the factions and people, the neat spin on elves. My entire problem with the book is the magic. It feels so underwhelming. We did not see a single awe inspiring display of power by any character with which to gauge hopes and scale for our protagonist. We only got to read about the vauge measurements of power and the off hand comments about being out of magic. Can they gain more magic as time goes on or are they at a fixed amount? Jenny cast like 3 spells at the end and was drained but she’s supposed to be relatively gifted. There was far too much useless exposition and talking in metaphor for my liking. But the biggest problem remains the vague concept of magic that the entire premise of the book revolves around. I’m going to read the second, but if the magic system is not fleshed out I will stop. Since as it stands magic users do not seem to be especially troublesome at all considering magicless barbarians can be enough of a threat for everyone to be worried.
I loved the characters, the nuance of the factions and people, the neat spin on elves. My entire problem with the book is the magic. It feels so underwhelming. We did not see a single awe inspiring display of power by any character with which to gauge hopes and scale for our protagonist. We only got to read about the vauge measurements of power and the off hand comments about being out of magic. Can they gain more magic as time goes on or are they at a fixed amount? Jenny cast like 3 spells at the end and was drained but she’s supposed to be relatively gifted. There was far too much useless exposition and talking in metaphor for my liking. But the biggest problem remains the vague concept of magic that the entire premise of the book revolves around. I’m going to read the second, but if the magic system is not fleshed out I will stop. Since as it stands magic users do not seem to be especially troublesome at all considering magicless barbarians can be enough of a threat for everyone to be worried.
May 9, 2021
Intriguing narrative with interesting characters
Enjoyed this book and the characters because they have flaws and hangups as well as courage and common sense. The main antagonistic surprised me when they revealed their true (and deadly) colors although there was foreshadowing, in retrospect. The secondary antagonist (toad summoner) was somewhat surprising but the MC's method of putting her on notice was curious. Not sure why he would do that. The love interests' cultural baggage was intriguing and the consummation of their relationship was above the standard fare for the genre. After the same old, same old l normally skip thru those scenes, but here l actually read thru them because they were far more interesting due to the characters "emotional baggage". I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. All in all this was a very enjoyable read in the genre and the second series I've read by the author. Both were creative, well paced and enjoyable.
Enjoyed this book and the characters because they have flaws and hangups as well as courage and common sense. The main antagonistic surprised me when they revealed their true (and deadly) colors although there was foreshadowing, in retrospect. The secondary antagonist (toad summoner) was somewhat surprising but the MC's method of putting her on notice was curious. Not sure why he would do that. The love interests' cultural baggage was intriguing and the consummation of their relationship was above the standard fare for the genre. After the same old, same old l normally skip thru those scenes, but here l actually read thru them because they were far more interesting due to the characters "emotional baggage". I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. All in all this was a very enjoyable read in the genre and the second series I've read by the author. Both were creative, well paced and enjoyable.
May 27, 2025
I've been reading a lot of boarding school/university books recently so it seemed appropriate to sample the trashier end of the genre. I found this book to be well-paced, which is a common complaint for me with the genre. The relationships are given a reasonable span to play out. As far as world-building goes, it's hard not to compare this to the massively popular Fourth Wing, which I also just finished. Honestly, this has a fairly comparable amount of attention to the setting to that book and other more "legitimate" books.
Like the age-old adage about an artist needing to know the rules before they can break them, this has the feel of an author who knows how to write a reasonably competent fantasy novel and chooses to write a trashy one. It's trashy in content, not in quality. If you like romances with an affable lunk in the starring role, a la Ice Planet Barbarians et al, this series is a solid pick.
Like the age-old adage about an artist needing to know the rules before they can break them, this has the feel of an author who knows how to write a reasonably competent fantasy novel and chooses to write a trashy one. It's trashy in content, not in quality. If you like romances with an affable lunk in the starring role, a la Ice Planet Barbarians et al, this series is a solid pick.
February 12, 2020
Good start
I will be honest, when I saw the book summary, I thought this was going to be like Liam Lawson's "An Orc at College" but seeing as the author was the same from American Dragon, decided to give this a shot.
Now the beginning of this book I am sad to say was slow and struggle to keep my attention to it. Also was kinda getting tired of the way the MC was being treated.
It was only at the middle of the book that my interest finally was picking up and the characters around the MC, especially Lillee and Jenny; were getting development and interesting. The interest held all the way to the end of the book and now I really want to read what happens next.
Either way for the first book in a new series, it was good.
Will give the next book a shot if it comes out.
I will be honest, when I saw the book summary, I thought this was going to be like Liam Lawson's "An Orc at College" but seeing as the author was the same from American Dragon, decided to give this a shot.
Now the beginning of this book I am sad to say was slow and struggle to keep my attention to it. Also was kinda getting tired of the way the MC was being treated.
It was only at the middle of the book that my interest finally was picking up and the characters around the MC, especially Lillee and Jenny; were getting development and interesting. The interest held all the way to the end of the book and now I really want to read what happens next.
Either way for the first book in a new series, it was good.
Will give the next book a shot if it comes out.
April 3, 2020
Ymir is a barbarian from the Ax Tundra, but he's not going to take any grief from the people who think they're more civilised than he is.
He doesn't have much choice but to try and make a new life for himself by receiving training in magic at Old Ironbound, a university for wizards.
He's not too popular with some people, and he doesn't just have to struggle to learn magic, but face off against some people who are dumb enough to think a young barbarian wouldn't slap them around.
Ymir proves popular with some ladies to one degree or another and there's enough sex to keep you interested if that's part of what you're hear for. It's explicit but not all that obscene.
I'll be reading the whole series and I love the author's American Dragon series too.
He doesn't have much choice but to try and make a new life for himself by receiving training in magic at Old Ironbound, a university for wizards.
He's not too popular with some people, and he doesn't just have to struggle to learn magic, but face off against some people who are dumb enough to think a young barbarian wouldn't slap them around.
Ymir proves popular with some ladies to one degree or another and there's enough sex to keep you interested if that's part of what you're hear for. It's explicit but not all that obscene.
I'll be reading the whole series and I love the author's American Dragon series too.
November 27, 2021
Excellent beginning
When I first started reading the sample, I stopped, thinking the MC was just a muscle head and the story would be silly.
Boy, I stand corrected.
Picking it back up, I got through enough to start to get an idea into why he thinks the way he does, and the author shifts perspective so you get a glimpse into others. The world setting is interesting, the different terminology and culture thought out rather interesting.
The smut was solid, it'll be interesting to see if the author can keep it fresh.
Overall, almost 5 star worthy, a few grammatical errors though and the MC arrogance while mostly threading the fine line between confident sexy and boorish arrogant slips over to grate. Still, I'll read the next.
When I first started reading the sample, I stopped, thinking the MC was just a muscle head and the story would be silly.
Boy, I stand corrected.
Picking it back up, I got through enough to start to get an idea into why he thinks the way he does, and the author shifts perspective so you get a glimpse into others. The world setting is interesting, the different terminology and culture thought out rather interesting.
The smut was solid, it'll be interesting to see if the author can keep it fresh.
Overall, almost 5 star worthy, a few grammatical errors though and the MC arrogance while mostly threading the fine line between confident sexy and boorish arrogant slips over to grate. Still, I'll read the next.
January 24, 2020
Hot damn, this is a masterpiece of awesomeness.
I have to hand it to Mr. Crash, this story was amazingly entertaining from beginning to end. I havent been able to put it down since I bought it.
Not to put in spoilers but this story has some amazing action scenes, I loved the way the magic system was built in this world and I have to say I did enjoy the sex scenes also.
This was a brilliant take on the Barbarian lifestyle and how he approached his circumstances.
Without a doubt I will be eagerly awaiting the 2nd in this series and HIGHLY recommend that everyone read this story.
I have to hand it to Mr. Crash, this story was amazingly entertaining from beginning to end. I havent been able to put it down since I bought it.
Not to put in spoilers but this story has some amazing action scenes, I loved the way the magic system was built in this world and I have to say I did enjoy the sex scenes also.
This was a brilliant take on the Barbarian lifestyle and how he approached his circumstances.
Without a doubt I will be eagerly awaiting the 2nd in this series and HIGHLY recommend that everyone read this story.
March 29, 2020
It is all about expectations.
You have certain expectations when reading a harem book with adult situations, as opposed to a dungeon core book or a reborn in a game world book, these expectations are not much. You want a decent story with good flow, interesting characters and smutt of good quality. This was lacking in all counts. The story was boring and set in a convoluted world trying to make up for a lack in substance with complexity. The characters were stereotypes or caricatures of stereotypes depending on how bad they got. And the smutt was simplistic at best. Just bad all around, I got a little better than half way through before I called it.
You have certain expectations when reading a harem book with adult situations, as opposed to a dungeon core book or a reborn in a game world book, these expectations are not much. You want a decent story with good flow, interesting characters and smutt of good quality. This was lacking in all counts. The story was boring and set in a convoluted world trying to make up for a lack in substance with complexity. The characters were stereotypes or caricatures of stereotypes depending on how bad they got. And the smutt was simplistic at best. Just bad all around, I got a little better than half way through before I called it.
January 28, 2021
I was very impressed with the world-building here. More interesting is the main character's culturally instilled notions of consent and devotion to it. Personally, this concept of content in this book I feel is the best aspect of the book (some romance/erotica stores I have seen can get a little, well rapey). The sex scenes in this book were a little dull and a tiny bit cliche. I also found the premise a bit cliche as well. Having said this the story did a nice job of being a little cliche, while still keeping story elements that are fresh so it came off as familiar (in feel) but original in context. All in all, I would give this book a 3.7/5 (I always round down).
September 8, 2022
This has a lot going for it: an interesting main character; a fantasy world with a lot of colour, some actual romance between the main character and his first female acquisition.
But I didn't finish it. Maybe half way through, the problem was I just didn't care. Perhaps the author fails to set up a threat or goal with stakes high enough to matter. Perhaps the "Conan the Barbarian goes to Hogwarts" aspect of it just put me off. I don't know, it seems like a missed opportunity for something that started with a lot of potential.
But I didn't finish it. Maybe half way through, the problem was I just didn't care. Perhaps the author fails to set up a threat or goal with stakes high enough to matter. Perhaps the "Conan the Barbarian goes to Hogwarts" aspect of it just put me off. I don't know, it seems like a missed opportunity for something that started with a lot of potential.
February 10, 2020
Excellent Beginning
A barbarian outcast taking on a whole school of foreign students and professors who both fear and admire him makes for a great story. Especially when the school is in a land where there is a shortage of men and he feels he has to make up the difference. Well written adult fantasy. Easy reading, plenty humor, loveable characters and tough situations keep the story moving. Looking forward to Book 2.
A barbarian outcast taking on a whole school of foreign students and professors who both fear and admire him makes for a great story. Especially when the school is in a land where there is a shortage of men and he feels he has to make up the difference. Well written adult fantasy. Easy reading, plenty humor, loveable characters and tough situations keep the story moving. Looking forward to Book 2.
January 6, 2021
Stunningly brilliant and amazing!
An interesting concept, having a character who is taught to hate magic cursed with the very thing he hates.
Combined with gorgeous and horny women at a magical academy in a foreign land, the books is a bunch of plots, thrills and awesome discoveries.
I loved reading this book, seeing the characters develop and relationships grow. Already downloading the next!
An interesting concept, having a character who is taught to hate magic cursed with the very thing he hates.
Combined with gorgeous and horny women at a magical academy in a foreign land, the books is a bunch of plots, thrills and awesome discoveries.
I loved reading this book, seeing the characters develop and relationships grow. Already downloading the next!
February 25, 2022
Good Read
Ymir is a strong, compelling character, as are his women. He is cursed with magic in a country that fears it. He is ostracized, so he goes south to a magic university where he hopes to get rid of it to return home. Alas, he finds many beautiful women and falls in love. Intrigue, prejudice, and lust ensue. I like the action, humor, intrigue, and romance. I look forward to the next book.
Ymir is a strong, compelling character, as are his women. He is cursed with magic in a country that fears it. He is ostracized, so he goes south to a magic university where he hopes to get rid of it to return home. Alas, he finds many beautiful women and falls in love. Intrigue, prejudice, and lust ensue. I like the action, humor, intrigue, and romance. I look forward to the next book.
May 31, 2022
Author places too much emphasis of the main character's p*nis. Main character is a giant barbarian from the north Tundra, in a world that has very little men because of genetical-magical reasons. Main character is aggressive and sexually centered.
Main character travels south, to a magical university, to have them take away his magical prowess. It seems that the Barbarians from the Northern Tundra, find anyone with magical prowess weak and undesirable.
Main character travels south, to a magical university, to have them take away his magical prowess. It seems that the Barbarians from the Northern Tundra, find anyone with magical prowess weak and undesirable.
March 8, 2020
Excellent work!
Good effort Aaron. Much more my cup of tea than the American dragons although I did enjoy the series. I’m much more into barbarians and fantasy writing. I’ve got to say you did a great job with it even if you had some help from others with the ideas. Can’t wait for the next installment.
Good effort Aaron. Much more my cup of tea than the American dragons although I did enjoy the series. I’m much more into barbarians and fantasy writing. I’ve got to say you did a great job with it even if you had some help from others with the ideas. Can’t wait for the next installment.
March 23, 2020
Very Nicely Done!
A story where the characters (esp the MC) stay true to their history and personalities, where magic is something you fight for or against, and where the world is changing. Soon. Quite a lot of depth for a harem story, and with very thoughtful world-building. Can’t wait to see more! Recommended!
A story where the characters (esp the MC) stay true to their history and personalities, where magic is something you fight for or against, and where the world is changing. Soon. Quite a lot of depth for a harem story, and with very thoughtful world-building. Can’t wait to see more! Recommended!
May 11, 2020
Barbarian Excellence
Crash has brought another great harem adventure into play with some very clever world building to boot.
The premise is well done the action fulfilling Nd a nice bit of treachery, suspense and deeper plots at play for those with a destiny to match.
Great read and another to add to my list.
Crash has brought another great harem adventure into play with some very clever world building to boot.
The premise is well done the action fulfilling Nd a nice bit of treachery, suspense and deeper plots at play for those with a destiny to match.
Great read and another to add to my list.
November 1, 2020
Impressive
I highly enjoyed this book. There's plenty of plot development with twists and turns to Intrigue you. The character development is also well done and I particularly enjoyed the way we learn the backstory on the various characters. Definitely looking forward to the next book
I highly enjoyed this book. There's plenty of plot development with twists and turns to Intrigue you. The character development is also well done and I particularly enjoyed the way we learn the backstory on the various characters. Definitely looking forward to the next book
May 21, 2025
3.5 stars. A little long and repetitive in some parts in regards to reminding the reader of story elements from the previous chapter. The adult parts were done well and I enjoyed the spin on naming the parts of the body in fantasy terms to add to the immersion. I'll probably continue reading this series as this was my first book in the adult genre.
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