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rebecca_3 's review for:
Gameboard of the Gods
by Richelle Mead
DID NOT FINISH
I dont rate DNF books, but if I did I would probably give this 1.5/5. The story was ok so it gets an extra half star for that. It didnt captivate me, but it was probably the best part of the book. In a futuristic world where religion is closely monitored and almost outlawed, Justin is a servitor, someone who investigates religions and shuts down the dangerous ones. He is sort of a mentalist, and is helping solve serial murders which are believed to have religious connections. But, the strange thing is, that gods are real. And Justin knows it. There is involvement from Greek, Roman, and Norse gods. I dont know if they are good or bad, or involved with the murders since I didnt finish the book, but they are there.
The story moved really slowly, it reads like a detective novel and really didnt keep my interest. I really didnt like the writing style either. It was distant, and formal, and reminded me a lot of the one [a:Kathy Reichs|26372|Kathy Reichs|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1201288896p2/26372.jpg] book I read. I really didnt enjoy that one either so thats not a compliment. The writing really did not feel connected to the characters at all. I felt like I was just watching from a distance. Like I was reading a history book.
I also found it really really difficult to understand the world I was in. I dont know how far in the future this is supposed to be set, but I imagine its pretty far, since the country names are different. But [a:Richelle Mead|137902|Richelle Mead|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1270374609p2/137902.jpg] didnt even seem to bother trying to help us adjust. She threw us into this world and didnt bother to try to explain it. I had no idea what was going on and I could not follow most of the conversations because half the words were foreign. It was really frustrating, and whatever small motivation I had to continue reading disappeared in my confusion. I dont remember the narration ever, even once, stopping to explain a new term to us. I still have no idea if a patrician is the same thing it traditionally is. It didnt seem to be used in the usual context. And even if it was, its not a word I think the average person is familiar with. I really couldnt get a grasp of what was happening, or the characters because they were often described using these new terms.
But I didnt care for the characters anyway. I am almost seething when I think of them. At first, I thought Mae was the MC, because the first chapter was from her POV, but then it began to alternate with Justin, and more of them were from Justin's POV. The chapter POV ratio was probably 3:1. Justin was smart with mentalist abilities, but he was disgusting to me. He was a horrible MC. He was a rude, womanizing ass with a drug problem. Seriously! He makes me so angry! He thinks its a good time to end up unconscious on the floor of a seedy bar. And he is so arrogant and full of himself and just blah! Then there is Mae, who is also arrogant but not because of her intelligence, but because of her upbringing, or heritage, or caste. I dont even know which one because this is one of the things about the book that I couldnt grasp, because of the poor descriptions. She was so stuck up and proud. She thought she was so much better than everyone else. Too good for Justin. Normally I would say everyone is too good for Justin, but when you start acting like a bitch, then you dont really have the right to say that.
There were also occasional chapters from the POV of Tessa. A sixteen year old girl who was Justin's ward and I have no idea what her relevance was, since I didnt finish the book. But when I stopped reading, at 42%, she still didnt seem important to me. She was an ok character, but nothing special. She was smart, like Justin, so maybe she will help them later on in the book or the series. I dont care and I dont intend to find out.
The characters in this were so repulsive, and the storytelling so frustrating, that when I see the cover of the book it makes me nauseous. I am no longer as excited to read [b:Vampire Academy|345627|Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, #1)|Richelle Mead|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1361098973s/345627.jpg|335933] as I was before. The story and characters may be better, but I dont know if that alone will be enough to make me read it, if the writing is anything like this.
ARC provided by NetGalley on behalf of Penguin Group Dutton, in exchange for an honest review.
The story moved really slowly, it reads like a detective novel and really didnt keep my interest. I really didnt like the writing style either. It was distant, and formal, and reminded me a lot of the one [a:Kathy Reichs|26372|Kathy Reichs|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1201288896p2/26372.jpg] book I read. I really didnt enjoy that one either so thats not a compliment. The writing really did not feel connected to the characters at all. I felt like I was just watching from a distance. Like I was reading a history book.
I also found it really really difficult to understand the world I was in. I dont know how far in the future this is supposed to be set, but I imagine its pretty far, since the country names are different. But [a:Richelle Mead|137902|Richelle Mead|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1270374609p2/137902.jpg] didnt even seem to bother trying to help us adjust. She threw us into this world and didnt bother to try to explain it. I had no idea what was going on and I could not follow most of the conversations because half the words were foreign. It was really frustrating, and whatever small motivation I had to continue reading disappeared in my confusion. I dont remember the narration ever, even once, stopping to explain a new term to us. I still have no idea if a patrician is the same thing it traditionally is. It didnt seem to be used in the usual context. And even if it was, its not a word I think the average person is familiar with. I really couldnt get a grasp of what was happening, or the characters because they were often described using these new terms.
But I didnt care for the characters anyway. I am almost seething when I think of them. At first, I thought Mae was the MC, because the first chapter was from her POV, but then it began to alternate with Justin, and more of them were from Justin's POV. The chapter POV ratio was probably 3:1. Justin was smart with mentalist abilities, but he was disgusting to me. He was a horrible MC. He was a rude, womanizing ass with a drug problem. Seriously! He makes me so angry! He thinks its a good time to end up unconscious on the floor of a seedy bar. And he is so arrogant and full of himself and just blah! Then there is Mae, who is also arrogant but not because of her intelligence, but because of her upbringing, or heritage, or caste. I dont even know which one because this is one of the things about the book that I couldnt grasp, because of the poor descriptions. She was so stuck up and proud. She thought she was so much better than everyone else. Too good for Justin. Normally I would say everyone is too good for Justin, but when you start acting like a bitch, then you dont really have the right to say that.
There were also occasional chapters from the POV of Tessa. A sixteen year old girl who was Justin's ward and I have no idea what her relevance was, since I didnt finish the book. But when I stopped reading, at 42%, she still didnt seem important to me. She was an ok character, but nothing special. She was smart, like Justin, so maybe she will help them later on in the book or the series. I dont care and I dont intend to find out.
The characters in this were so repulsive, and the storytelling so frustrating, that when I see the cover of the book it makes me nauseous. I am no longer as excited to read [b:Vampire Academy|345627|Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy, #1)|Richelle Mead|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1361098973s/345627.jpg|335933] as I was before. The story and characters may be better, but I dont know if that alone will be enough to make me read it, if the writing is anything like this.
ARC provided by NetGalley on behalf of Penguin Group Dutton, in exchange for an honest review.