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3.6 AVERAGE
3.6 AVERAGE
So many thoughts on this book and I only made it 30% of the way through.
It started storng. The prologue had me entigued. Here was a girl trying to protect her little brother, but it all went downhill after that.
We meet Violet several years later still doing time for a crime, not for trying to help her brother escape like the prologue set up, but for accidently killing another girl with a fork... This sets the scene for other little things in the story that aren't believable, like the next girl she accidently kills with a piece of wire from the other girl's dental braces.... This is all in the first couple of chapters.
I persevered, thinking the actual story would get going any time now.
The book has a theme about the gender divide and this is rammed down the reader's throat in every paragraph. It's also completely binary. Everyone is male or female.
Violent is sent to Patrus (the male run world) for the mission that only she can help with for unknown reasons. This is where a combination of info-dump and world building make this story mind numbingly dull. She gets picked up by her contact and they ride on his motorcycle through endless scenery. They arrive at his house, get greeted by the dog, she pats the dog, she has a glass of water, he has a glass of water. Everyone gets so bored, they go to bed. In the morning breakfast is described in exact detail before they go on another drive through more endless scenery to go clothes shopping. (This is a summery of multiple chapters).
I was listening to the audio book while in the bath. It was at this point I had to stop as I feared I was going to fall asleep and drown beneath the soap suds.
The End.
It started storng. The prologue had me entigued. Here was a girl trying to protect her little brother, but it all went downhill after that.
We meet Violet several years later still doing time for a crime, not for trying to help her brother escape like the prologue set up, but for accidently killing another girl with a fork... This sets the scene for other little things in the story that aren't believable, like the next girl she accidently kills with a piece of wire from the other girl's dental braces.... This is all in the first couple of chapters.
I persevered, thinking the actual story would get going any time now.
The book has a theme about the gender divide and this is rammed down the reader's throat in every paragraph. It's also completely binary. Everyone is male or female.
Violent is sent to Patrus (the male run world) for the mission that only she can help with for unknown reasons. This is where a combination of info-dump and world building make this story mind numbingly dull. She gets picked up by her contact and they ride on his motorcycle through endless scenery. They arrive at his house, get greeted by the dog, she pats the dog, she has a glass of water, he has a glass of water. Everyone gets so bored, they go to bed. In the morning breakfast is described in exact detail before they go on another drive through more endless scenery to go clothes shopping. (This is a summery of multiple chapters).
I was listening to the audio book while in the bath. It was at this point I had to stop as I feared I was going to fall asleep and drown beneath the soap suds.
The End.
I’m not sure about this one. I found the second half compelling. And, it’s not every day that you find a female main character who has killed people. But, I also wonder where the non cis male/female people are. And why are there not more people who are in the middle of matriarchy vs. patriarchy argument. My hope is that these themes are explored in subsequent novels.
I started this having forgotten why I'd gotten it and as an ebook, I couldn't see the title so I sort of fell into this book with 0 expectations. That said, it worked fairly well. Feels a little contrived (one side of the river is patriarchy, one side is matriarchy - and to the extreme.) But I was interested in seeing how the character would react to the world.
The ending felt rushed and lots of action and events in that I had to go back to reread it to learn a major plot point that happened in like one sentence. And it does really set you up to read the next book. I wouldn't say this is a complete story - but I did really enjoy it and will be finding and reading the next in series.
The ending felt rushed and lots of action and events in that I had to go back to reread it to learn a major plot point that happened in like one sentence. And it does really set you up to read the next book. I wouldn't say this is a complete story - but I did really enjoy it and will be finding and reading the next in series.
Action packed and thought provoking. Definitely want to continue on to book 2.
3.5/5
One of the first thoughts I had about the main character, Violet, was "WTF She's killed someone with a fork!?". Because Violet's violent history is one of the first things that comes up. This girl is pretty badass, but she also has really bad anger issues.
I really liked the concept of this: one town where women rule and men are subjugated and one town where men rule and women are subjugated. Both of the towns are quite horrid. I honestly wouldn't want to live in either. There was a huge feminist vibe in this story which I loved and it really goes to show that having a society that does things to the detriment of one sex (or race/ethnicity whatever you want to talk about) is idiotic and repugnant.
One of the first thoughts I had about the main character, Violet, was "WTF She's killed someone with a fork!?". Because Violet's violent history is one of the first things that comes up. This girl is pretty badass, but she also has really bad anger issues.
I really liked the concept of this: one town where women rule and men are subjugated and one town where men rule and women are subjugated. Both of the towns are quite horrid. I honestly wouldn't want to live in either. There was a huge feminist vibe in this story which I loved and it really goes to show that having a society that does things to the detriment of one sex (or race/ethnicity whatever you want to talk about) is idiotic and repugnant.
It took me a few chapters to really get invested in this story. The protagonist, Violet, is at times, a little annoying. There's also some suspension of reality to be had about the way Violet says females are expected to act as opposed to how she acts when there. She seems to be the exception to the rule, which again, gets kind of annoying as the story goes on. I did, however, enjoy the banter between Violet and Viggo. This book suffers from a lack of direction and structure. I felt certain I knew where it was going after the first two or three chapters, but then in the middle especially, it lost track of that goal to play with the world of Matrus and to set up the romance. I'm going to continue the series to see if it keeps my attention, but if book two doesn't get more compelling, it will probably be a DNF for me.
A copy of The Gender Game was given to me by Netgalley for an honest review...
...and I dearly hope Bella Forrest will give me to sequel to review as well. Please?!?!
Loved The Gender Game. Loved it!
From the get-go I had no idea where the story was going (thank you to whoever wrote the blurb for this. You gave nothing away, nor did you mislead me. Double win!!). No idea where it was going other than to some espionage in a male-dominant country.
So. It begins. Eleven years old and up to no good, Violet Bates hopes she isn't recognized on her late-night jaunt. We don't even know where she's going until she gets there. We only know she has a trailer. We finally see where she's going, see her strange actions, watch her open the trailer... If the blurb didn't give details about this life-changing night, I won't tell either. Regardless, 8 years pass after that fateful night...
...and Violet is in jail for accidentally killing a woman. She makes another bad decision that should end her life. Instead, it lands her in Patrus, a patriarchal country where women have no right, married to spy and plotting to steal from the king's lab.
The narrator is great at keeping you guessing what's next without rubbing your face in it. We see whatever is front and center for Violet. No more, no less. Throughout the book, she's pretty focused on whatever is directly in front of her, be it Viggo, Lee, or hunting down that bitch who tore up her prized possession. She kind of has to be. Hers is not a life for a dreamer. It's hard and she's tough. Tough enough to accidentally keep killing people. Weird, but... well, WEIRD. (Stop accidentally killing people, Violet.)
I can't wait to find out what happens next. Actually, I just want to know what happens to Viggo. Because there is no resolution there. I'm hoping his motorcycle broke down about a mile out from his cabin. You'll understand when you read it.
...and I dearly hope Bella Forrest will give me to sequel to review as well. Please?!?!
Loved The Gender Game. Loved it!
From the get-go I had no idea where the story was going (thank you to whoever wrote the blurb for this. You gave nothing away, nor did you mislead me. Double win!!). No idea where it was going other than to some espionage in a male-dominant country.
So. It begins. Eleven years old and up to no good, Violet Bates hopes she isn't recognized on her late-night jaunt. We don't even know where she's going until she gets there. We only know she has a trailer. We finally see where she's going, see her strange actions, watch her open the trailer... If the blurb didn't give details about this life-changing night, I won't tell either. Regardless, 8 years pass after that fateful night...
...and Violet is in jail for accidentally killing a woman. She makes another bad decision that should end her life. Instead, it lands her in Patrus, a patriarchal country where women have no right, married to spy and plotting to steal from the king's lab.
The narrator is great at keeping you guessing what's next without rubbing your face in it. We see whatever is front and center for Violet. No more, no less. Throughout the book, she's pretty focused on whatever is directly in front of her, be it Viggo, Lee, or hunting down that bitch who tore up her prized possession. She kind of has to be. Hers is not a life for a dreamer. It's hard and she's tough. Tough enough to accidentally keep killing people. Weird, but... well, WEIRD. (Stop accidentally killing people, Violet.)
I can't wait to find out what happens next. Actually, I just want to know what happens to Viggo. Because there is no resolution there. I'm hoping his motorcycle broke down about a mile out from his cabin. You'll understand when you read it.
Great series, i read the whole series in a week because I just had to know what happened. Great concept!