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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
Free on Amazon unlimited, not doing anything for me except irritating me with a protagonist who does silly things to move the plot along. The matriarchy/patriarchy idea could be interesting but isn't hugely the way this is done, and the writing is very much everything and what they had for breakfast. Some things you don't have to spell out.
A post-apocalyptic future divided by gender
So I have to agree with several reviews I saw that said this book is competently written, but lacking much dramatic tension. There is little to distinguish the morality of the cruel matriarchy of Matrus from the misogynistic patriarchy of Patrus. The protagonist grew up in matriarchal Matrus, lost her little brother to the harsh policies of her homeland, and is sent as an agent on a secret mission in Patrus, where she is required to be married - and the property of a man - in order to function in society. I enjoyed it.
So I have to agree with several reviews I saw that said this book is competently written, but lacking much dramatic tension. There is little to distinguish the morality of the cruel matriarchy of Matrus from the misogynistic patriarchy of Patrus. The protagonist grew up in matriarchal Matrus, lost her little brother to the harsh policies of her homeland, and is sent as an agent on a secret mission in Patrus, where she is required to be married - and the property of a man - in order to function in society. I enjoyed it.
Lost in another world
This is the second time I’ve read the first book of the series. Enjoyed every minute of it. On to the rest!
This is the second time I’ve read the first book of the series. Enjoyed every minute of it. On to the rest!
The premise seemed soooo good. I thought the author was going to make deep connections about gender and stereotypes but when the book wrapped up with no big resolutions about gender and stereotypes. The author could have done so much more with the book.
The main character Violet was your stereotypical teenager. I was annoyed at her for continuing to make stupid decisions but it was on par for her character. For a seemingly dystopian world I couldn’t pinpoint what time period the story was set in. Future? Past? All the action stalled in the middle of the book as it almost turned into a romance and focused on the relationship between Viggo and Violet. There were so really unrealistic parts- I think the author would have benefited from a good editor (how was Violet able to fly the contraption, read a letter and open compartments all at the same time? The passenger on a motorcycle doesn’t get on first.)
Lastly I am so OVER cliffhangers! I wish writers would trust that the reader will read the next story.
The main character Violet was your stereotypical teenager. I was annoyed at her for continuing to make stupid decisions but it was on par for her character. For a seemingly dystopian world I couldn’t pinpoint what time period the story was set in. Future? Past? All the action stalled in the middle of the book as it almost turned into a romance and focused on the relationship between Viggo and Violet. There were so really unrealistic parts- I think the author would have benefited from a good editor (how was Violet able to fly the contraption, read a letter and open compartments all at the same time? The passenger on a motorcycle doesn’t get on first.)
Lastly I am so OVER cliffhangers! I wish writers would trust that the reader will read the next story.
Great book!
Pretty sure it's a must read for fans of The Hunger Games. I really like the premise and the main bad ass female!
Pretty sure it's a must read for fans of The Hunger Games. I really like the premise and the main bad ass female!
This was a good story. Fairly predictable until the last twist, which I definitely wasn't expecting quite that way. Definitely plan on reading the next one.
This one really surprised me! I feel like I've tried it a few times and I'm not sure why I stopped reading it then, because it's pretty fast-paced from beginning to end. It's a creative take on the dystopian genre in the sense that the male/female division is one I haven't seen done elsewhere, and I appreciate that it was equal opportunity: on one side of the dividing river is Matrus, in which women are in charge and men are subjugated to their rule, and on the other is Patrus, in which the opposite is true. Violet finds herself caught in between in a sense, because while she is Matrian, she has a little brother whom she loves, and she knows he'd have no kind of life in Matrus. She tries to smuggle him to Patrus when he's eight, but he ends up taken. She, in turn, finds herself a criminal delinquent as a teen, with a penchant for violence and an anger problem. But when she accidentally kills the second female attacker, which all but requires her death, she is offered an intriguing proposition: die for her crimes now, or cross over to Patrus, marry their contact, and with him attempt to steal a mysterious egg which Patrus originally stole from them. It's almost certain death, but if she succeeds, they promise her a reunion with her brother. It's a no-brainer, of course, and Violet accepts.
I expected that Lee, her Patrian "husband," would become the love interest--but I should have known from his name alone that he wouldn't be. (No YA male leads have boring names like Lee Bertrand, especially when he's described as not particularly attractive.) Enter Viggo Croft: handsome, disgruntled against Patrian society for his own reasons, and earning his living as a warden (essentially a police officer) by day and a prize fighter by night. And he's to be Lee and Violet's scapegoat: they have to pin the theft of the egg on someone. He's the perfect choice. In order to accomplish this, they need to be able to control where he is and when--which requires his trust. That's Violet's job, of course... but you can imagine how complicated that gets along the way.
I raced through to the end, and went straight into book 2... unfortunately, the second book in the series got seriously cheesy at around 40%. So cheesy that I'm probably not going to finish it or the rest of the series--which bums me out, because I was excited about this one. Still, book 1 is totally worth it, even as a stand-alone!
I expected that Lee, her Patrian "husband," would become the love interest--but I should have known from his name alone that he wouldn't be. (No YA male leads have boring names like Lee Bertrand, especially when he's described as not particularly attractive.) Enter Viggo Croft: handsome, disgruntled against Patrian society for his own reasons, and earning his living as a warden (essentially a police officer) by day and a prize fighter by night. And he's to be Lee and Violet's scapegoat: they have to pin the theft of the egg on someone. He's the perfect choice. In order to accomplish this, they need to be able to control where he is and when--which requires his trust. That's Violet's job, of course... but you can imagine how complicated that gets along the way.
I raced through to the end, and went straight into book 2... unfortunately, the second book in the series got seriously cheesy at around 40%. So cheesy that I'm probably not going to finish it or the rest of the series--which bums me out, because I was excited about this one. Still, book 1 is totally worth it, even as a stand-alone!
Maybe its just because Im a sucker for a dystopian society book but I loved The Gender Game. As much as I don't want to admit it I relate with Violets anger and her lack of thinking before she acted. I think what a lot of protagonist in dystopian novels lack is the real raw anger and swirl of emotion. With most they tend to have no visible or overly known bitterness towards the hand they are dealt which I find rather unrealistic. A lot of people act on anger and its nice to see a main character act like that. Being a strong female who has made a lot of mistakes its a different pace from the usual female protagonist. I overall enjoyed the twisted concept, I think its a lot of the underlying problems of our society currently. I liked the mystery as well! Excited to see what comes next!!
The Gender Game by Bella Forrest was a book I had been recommended due to my interest in The Hunger Games and Divergent series and was informed this series was comparable. I had high hopes for this book as I enjoyed the dystopian worlds of these other two series and was expecting to love this one just as much, however The Gender Games fell flat for me.
This is the first book in the series and is set in a dystopian world where a toxic river divides two very different cultures - Matrus City on one side of the river that is dominated by women and men are submissive to them, and on the other bank men rule the Patrus City and women are the meeker sex. Violet is a 19-year-old orphan living in Matrus, but has difficulty conforming to their rules and finds herself facing execution for a crime she committed. She is given a chance to wipe her past infractions from her record by going under cover to infiltrate the city of Patrus, passing as a newly emigrated Patrus woman, and take back an item that was stolen from her home city. Should she succeed she can return home with a clean slate. Seeing no other option she agrees and is paired with a Matrus-loyal man that is passing as a Patrus citizen, but Violet finds herself unable to conform to the city's stringent rules regarding women and risks blowing her mission. She develops a relationship with a Patrus man along the way who does not seem to mind that she does not present herself as a Patrus woman should; a relationship that also puts her mission in jeopardy.
I am unfamiliar with the author's other work, so I am unable to compare it to her previous writing. I found the overall plot interesting and appealing and the story moves forward at a fast enough pace for it to be a quick read, but the execution of the story was poor. There was no tension in the story; it lacked excitement and energy. The characters, apart from one, lacked depth and I had difficulty relating to them and their motivations. Many of the actions of the characters during the pivotal points of the story did not seem realistic given their background, abilities, and personality. The cultures of the two different cities appeared inconsistent and did not appear well thought out. The culture shock that Violet is supposed to experience is lacking; as I reader I would have expected to feel as disoriented as the character, yet I felt nothing. The "plot twists" were predictable. It felt like the author was trying too hard to copy strong female characters and the dramatic tension evident in The Hunger Games and Divergent and sorely missed the mark. Overall the book just seemed to fall short. I was hoping for more thrills, riveting events, and relatable characters, but instead I felt very disengaged from the story. The best way I can describe the feeling is that it was as if the author was attempting to tell me a story rather than allow me to experience it; as a reader I lacked that connection that draws me into the world within the book. I was really hoping to be as engrossed in this book as I was in the series it has been compared to, but unfortunately I was not and do not plan on reading the subsequent books.
I would recommend this book to individuals who enjoy nonconforming female characters and stories set in a dystopian world. Some readers who enjoyed similar stories like The Hunger Games and Divergent may enjoy this, as well, while other lovers of those series, like myself, may find it lacking.
This is the first book in the series and is set in a dystopian world where a toxic river divides two very different cultures - Matrus City on one side of the river that is dominated by women and men are submissive to them, and on the other bank men rule the Patrus City and women are the meeker sex. Violet is a 19-year-old orphan living in Matrus, but has difficulty conforming to their rules and finds herself facing execution for a crime she committed. She is given a chance to wipe her past infractions from her record by going under cover to infiltrate the city of Patrus, passing as a newly emigrated Patrus woman, and take back an item that was stolen from her home city. Should she succeed she can return home with a clean slate. Seeing no other option she agrees and is paired with a Matrus-loyal man that is passing as a Patrus citizen, but Violet finds herself unable to conform to the city's stringent rules regarding women and risks blowing her mission. She develops a relationship with a Patrus man along the way who does not seem to mind that she does not present herself as a Patrus woman should; a relationship that also puts her mission in jeopardy.
I am unfamiliar with the author's other work, so I am unable to compare it to her previous writing. I found the overall plot interesting and appealing and the story moves forward at a fast enough pace for it to be a quick read, but the execution of the story was poor. There was no tension in the story; it lacked excitement and energy. The characters, apart from one, lacked depth and I had difficulty relating to them and their motivations. Many of the actions of the characters during the pivotal points of the story did not seem realistic given their background, abilities, and personality. The cultures of the two different cities appeared inconsistent and did not appear well thought out. The culture shock that Violet is supposed to experience is lacking; as I reader I would have expected to feel as disoriented as the character, yet I felt nothing. The "plot twists" were predictable. It felt like the author was trying too hard to copy strong female characters and the dramatic tension evident in The Hunger Games and Divergent and sorely missed the mark. Overall the book just seemed to fall short. I was hoping for more thrills, riveting events, and relatable characters, but instead I felt very disengaged from the story. The best way I can describe the feeling is that it was as if the author was attempting to tell me a story rather than allow me to experience it; as a reader I lacked that connection that draws me into the world within the book. I was really hoping to be as engrossed in this book as I was in the series it has been compared to, but unfortunately I was not and do not plan on reading the subsequent books.
I would recommend this book to individuals who enjoy nonconforming female characters and stories set in a dystopian world. Some readers who enjoyed similar stories like The Hunger Games and Divergent may enjoy this, as well, while other lovers of those series, like myself, may find it lacking.