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pause_theframe's review
4.0
What I Thought:
I once saw a film where women had taken over the world and men were used as fodder, for many things. This book makes that film look ridiculous. It takes dystopian, women-based worlds to a new level.
After the first book ended with one of our major characters winning in the arena, but shunning the thought of killing a man, Morgan, we find ourselves thrust into book two, with so much excitement and emotion sweltering to the surface.
We watch as a selection of females show us what the 'peace' in this female-driven world is really like. Secret upon secret, slathered in a sauce of secrets seems to be what these girls eat. Everywhere we turn, people are watched, monitored and keep in order. Everyone has their own agenda, which has often been set in place by someone above them benefiting from the success or failure of their agenda. Even thoughts are sacred, as we see Morgan (and a few others) hack into the minds of our readers.
With nothing private and everything at stake, we follow along as this supposedly peaceful, oestrogen driven world starts to crumble. From love to hate, and every emotion in between, we find ourselves choosing sides, as readers, and often wondering if we are following the right side.
I found myself drawn to the pages, often fighting for the side I thought best, chapter after chapter. I loved every minute of this read. IT was written very well, provided a great deal of action (though not all the action was physical, as most of the characters were battling mental and emotional wars as well). I was left hanging after each page, itching for more and this was only compounded as I turned the final page. I have been left wondering, desperate to read Rebels Divided and find out how the story pans out.
I highly recommend this read if you are into Dystopian reads that give you more than just a physical war, but play on your emotions and toy with your thoughts.
I once saw a film where women had taken over the world and men were used as fodder, for many things. This book makes that film look ridiculous. It takes dystopian, women-based worlds to a new level.
After the first book ended with one of our major characters winning in the arena, but shunning the thought of killing a man, Morgan, we find ourselves thrust into book two, with so much excitement and emotion sweltering to the surface.
We watch as a selection of females show us what the 'peace' in this female-driven world is really like. Secret upon secret, slathered in a sauce of secrets seems to be what these girls eat. Everywhere we turn, people are watched, monitored and keep in order. Everyone has their own agenda, which has often been set in place by someone above them benefiting from the success or failure of their agenda. Even thoughts are sacred, as we see Morgan (and a few others) hack into the minds of our readers.
With nothing private and everything at stake, we follow along as this supposedly peaceful, oestrogen driven world starts to crumble. From love to hate, and every emotion in between, we find ourselves choosing sides, as readers, and often wondering if we are following the right side.
I found myself drawn to the pages, often fighting for the side I thought best, chapter after chapter. I loved every minute of this read. IT was written very well, provided a great deal of action (though not all the action was physical, as most of the characters were battling mental and emotional wars as well). I was left hanging after each page, itching for more and this was only compounded as I turned the final page. I have been left wondering, desperate to read Rebels Divided and find out how the story pans out.
I highly recommend this read if you are into Dystopian reads that give you more than just a physical war, but play on your emotions and toy with your thoughts.
tmleblanc's review
3.0
The Rebel Series by Lance Erlick is a curious examination of society after the Second World War which divides men and women into separate communities. Each with their own government, religion, morals and values.
What I Liked Most About the Series
The grey area. There are some obvious plus sides to a society made up of a single sex. And there are some obvious down sides. Erlick, through the characters, presents many of these views, but doesn’t push the reader in either direction.
Annabelle. She fits right up there with Katniss and Tris, but Erlick takes her a bit further than Collins took Katniss and Roth took Tris. There’s a complexity to Annabelle as she discovers the dark side of an all female society and starts to actively fight against it. She’s stronger, in my opinion, physically and mentally. The obstacles that break her down do not paralyze her or scare her. You can feel her fighting every inch of the way.
What I Liked Least About the Series
The order of the books. If you read them in publication order, I am almost certain you will be confused because I certainly was! Annabelle is given a mission at the end of book one which is not mentioned in Rebels Divided. The Rebel Trap explores that mission. Now that all three books have been released, I hope that GoodReads will change the series order.
The many voices in The Rebel Trap. While there was good formatting to show you the different voices speaking to Annabelle, it got frustrating to follow what was going on. With so any competing voices—both internal and external—I wasn’t sure which side I should be rooting for.
Overall, I would give The Rebel series by Lance Erlick a thumbs up. The unique single sex societies along with a strong female lead drove the story forward. If the books are read in chronological order (The Rebel Within, The Rebel Trap and Rebels Divided) I believe the reader will find the series reaches a satisfying conclusion.
What I Liked Most About the Series
The grey area. There are some obvious plus sides to a society made up of a single sex. And there are some obvious down sides. Erlick, through the characters, presents many of these views, but doesn’t push the reader in either direction.
Annabelle. She fits right up there with Katniss and Tris, but Erlick takes her a bit further than Collins took Katniss and Roth took Tris. There’s a complexity to Annabelle as she discovers the dark side of an all female society and starts to actively fight against it. She’s stronger, in my opinion, physically and mentally. The obstacles that break her down do not paralyze her or scare her. You can feel her fighting every inch of the way.
What I Liked Least About the Series
The order of the books. If you read them in publication order, I am almost certain you will be confused because I certainly was! Annabelle is given a mission at the end of book one which is not mentioned in Rebels Divided. The Rebel Trap explores that mission. Now that all three books have been released, I hope that GoodReads will change the series order.
The many voices in The Rebel Trap. While there was good formatting to show you the different voices speaking to Annabelle, it got frustrating to follow what was going on. With so any competing voices—both internal and external—I wasn’t sure which side I should be rooting for.
Overall, I would give The Rebel series by Lance Erlick a thumbs up. The unique single sex societies along with a strong female lead drove the story forward. If the books are read in chronological order (The Rebel Within, The Rebel Trap and Rebels Divided) I believe the reader will find the series reaches a satisfying conclusion.
readwithmoniqua's review
5.0
Living in a world where us women are trained to fight men and have to kill them because they are meant to be extinct, is not a world I want to live in, which is why I'm glad this is only a book. Although, I found it weird to have been written by a man lol.
This book had me laughing and angry at the same time. The main character, Bella, is more than just rebellious; she has feelings. She purposely lost a fight against a boy, Morgan, because she didn't have the heart to kill him. Instead, she helped him to escape along with the help of her Mom. Ever since she was snatched from the arms of her birth mother and she never met her father, she has been a strong person, even in the hardest of times.
Sam, who I honestly do not like, at all, was always in her head, in the literal sense. Bella had a chip in her head and contact lenses that Sam could see what she could. Not only that, Morgan tapped into her chip as well. He wanted her to help him get his brother out of "prison" before he was killed.
Bella worked for Sam and the police department for two witches (replace the 'w' with a 'b') who did not like her. In fact, they more than just didn't like her. They wanted her dead. Until then, they tried to use her to spy on Sam while Sam used her to spy on them.
In the midst of all of this, Bella was torn because she couldn't tell her baby sister, Janice, what she was doing. Sam saw and heard everything she did. Not only that, Sam was controlling Janice as well. I loved their communication style, drawing with their fingers on each other. Their relationship reminds me of the relationship I have with my cousin. We are so close and tell each other everything, no secrets allowed.
In the end, I was happy with how the story ended. I will be going back to read the first in the series and then the last in the series. Morgan and his brother got out, despite Bella almost being sent back to prison and then exiled. Her sister coming on board to help her despite the laws that are to prevent them from doing that shows a lot of courage and a lot of trust.
I highly recommend this book and I commend Lance Erlick on writing this book from a female perspective, killing off his own kind. Well done
This book had me laughing and angry at the same time. The main character, Bella, is more than just rebellious; she has feelings. She purposely lost a fight against a boy, Morgan, because she didn't have the heart to kill him. Instead, she helped him to escape along with the help of her Mom. Ever since she was snatched from the arms of her birth mother and she never met her father, she has been a strong person, even in the hardest of times.
Sam, who I honestly do not like, at all, was always in her head, in the literal sense. Bella had a chip in her head and contact lenses that Sam could see what she could. Not only that, Morgan tapped into her chip as well. He wanted her to help him get his brother out of "prison" before he was killed.
Bella worked for Sam and the police department for two witches (replace the 'w' with a 'b') who did not like her. In fact, they more than just didn't like her. They wanted her dead. Until then, they tried to use her to spy on Sam while Sam used her to spy on them.
In the midst of all of this, Bella was torn because she couldn't tell her baby sister, Janice, what she was doing. Sam saw and heard everything she did. Not only that, Sam was controlling Janice as well. I loved their communication style, drawing with their fingers on each other. Their relationship reminds me of the relationship I have with my cousin. We are so close and tell each other everything, no secrets allowed.
In the end, I was happy with how the story ended. I will be going back to read the first in the series and then the last in the series. Morgan and his brother got out, despite Bella almost being sent back to prison and then exiled. Her sister coming on board to help her despite the laws that are to prevent them from doing that shows a lot of courage and a lot of trust.
I highly recommend this book and I commend Lance Erlick on writing this book from a female perspective, killing off his own kind. Well done
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