Bella Forrest is a lover of fantasy, romance, action, and mystery infused stories with twists you don’t see coming. She has sold over fifteen million books since her first novel was published in 2012. Some plot points seemed really convenient, also. The book seems like it was 100% designed to capitalize on The Hunger Games and similar successful books. Several times characters would do stuff where it didn’t seem logical, like it didn’t match what we’d read so far about that character, and it would seem a little…off. And it tries too hard to hit all the desired tropes in the plot. Just what would that decision be? Entering the Patrus kingdom where the women are submissive and the men rule. It goes against all of the rules that she knows, but if it is going to help her meet her goals, she may as well give it a shot. The patriarchy may not be all that safe, but when it comes to risks, Violet has no problem with taking one if it’s going to help her save her brother.

Everything about the patriarchy is dangerous for a rebellious girl like Violet. She cannot break the rules if she wishes to stay alive. So here goes. You know I loved the book, so let me talk to you about the things that I didn't like, the things that this book had to make up for to reach the five-star rating that I've given it.

Customer reviews

When it comes to Violet Bates, she may be a teen, but she also lives in a unique world. She is nineteen years old and a river splits up her world according to gender. It just so happens that in the east, women are able to live and rule, and the same is the true for the men of the west. But...I knew that I had become a different kind of passenger. The kind of passenger to leap from a runaway train. The kind who would not wait until the end. I found myself increasingly annoyed too, and exasperated with this book. I forced myself to finish, but it was hard going. The middle section was particularly trying. I struggled through it because I wanted to find out what happened in the end, but my mind kept wandering off, making shopping lists and begging me to stop.

I received this as ARC from Netgalley and I gotta say, I was not expecting this book to be very good. But boy was I wrong. But I want to be fair and honest, because that's the best purpose of a review, and it's what helps everybody the most -- including the author, the publisher, and most of all, the reader. My job here is primarily to make sure that you know what you're about to read, as a reader, right? Viggo's character was well done, although I would've liked him fleshed out more (and less cliché - the irresistibly handsome, brooding guy with a tragic past). I did like the cage-fighting subplot and how Viggo and Violet found a connection through that. It was almost more compelling than the main plot. Thank you to Bella Forrest and Netgalley for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Featured Reviews

Are you looking for one brave and bold heroine to root for? Violet is amazing with her strong convictions, her ability to be like a chameleon and how far she would go for one she loves. The action is not so much in the physical as it is in the emotional and mental journey violet is on. Her eyes are opened to a world that will deceive with ease while tossing trust out of the window for power and dominance. Gender, orientation, inclusivity, pairings, kinks, fetishes: The game caters to heterosexual cis men, limiting players to a male-presenting silhouette whose body type you can customize. Sexual acts are left up to your choice, and range from the vanilla to the kinky. Gender isn't just screwing over trans people, it's messing with everyone. From little girls who think they can't be doctors to teenagers who come to expect street harassment. From exclusionist feminists to 'alt-right' young men. From men who can't cry to the women who think they shouldn't. As her body gets in line with her mind, Juno tells not only her own story, but the story I loved this book and could not bear to put it down! Violet is a wonderful character, she is not perfect but she is bold and brave. She is likable. She values the friendships she makes. Viggo is a man with an unfortunate past and an equally likeable character. Lee is probably the only character that I did not care for at all in this book....his characterization seemed sort of 'BLAH' to me. I think he could have been fleshed out more...I mean Violet is married to him but they barely have any interaction in the book, seemed like a missed chance in my opinion.