The Gender Game 6: The Gender Plan

ABSOLUTELY RIVETING !!!
Title: The Gender Plan
Series: The Gender Game
Designation: Book 6 of Series, Full-Length Novel (App 400 Pages), Not A Standalone, Cliffhanger Ahead #fantasy #dystopian #action #adventure #romance
Author: Bella Forrest
Genre: Fantasy/Science Fiction/Action/Adventure/Young Adult Romance
Reading Platform: Kindle Edition
My Rating: Five Divinely Entertaining Stars*****
Oh my! Oh my! Oh my! I love, love, love this series! I’ve been a diehard Bella Forrest fan for several years and have read (and reread) every single release in her international bestselling A Shade of Vampire Series. When I learned Forrest was debuting a new series, one vastly dissimilar to anything she has published to date, I immediately raced to Amazon to preorder my copy. I could hardly wait to get it in my hot little hands and Forrest did not disappoint. She not only met all my expectations, she surpassed them. After reading the first book of the series, The Gender Game, I thought I had a fairly good grasp of the series but once again Forrest did what she does best; she upped the ante, kicked up the heat, surprised me with a completed unexpected curveball, and totally blew me away – AGAIN! I’m addicted to romance, adore fantasy, completely smitten with action/adventure and obsessed with mystery, intrigue, and suspense, but give me the perfect combination of these elements in one great read and I’m in heaven! And that’s exactly what Forrest has delivered in The Gender Game Series. Forrest is a truly gifted storyteller and has once again demonstrated her incredible talent, exceptional skill and unparalleled imagination with the creation of a vividly depicted and beautifully detailed world, populated with complex, well-developed characters and masterfully layered with mystery, suspense, and unexpected plot twists. If asked to describe this book in one sentence, I would simply say, imagine the melding of The Hunger Games, Divergent, and Maze Runner into one extraordinary story and you would have The Gender Game. But make no mistake, the obstacles, adversity, and misfortune suffered by the characters in this story is no game as the title implies. It’s a life and death struggle for not only their very existence but also for the fate of the nations of Matrus and Patrus, two societies divided by much more than a toxic river and a tragic history. The narrative was beautifully written with a first-person perspective primarily from the female protagonist, Violet Bates of Matrus. In Book Two, Forrest expands the points of view to include a perspective from the male protagonist, Viggo Croft along with an additional brief insight from the newly crowned Queen Elena of Matrus. In Book Three, the perspectives revert back solely to Violet and Viggo. This is one of my favorite aspects of Forest’s style of writing. I love knowing the motivations of all the different characters in a book. It helps me to connect with them and the story. The dialogue is smart, well executed and flows effortlessly. But without a doubt, my favorite component is the cast of intriguing characters. They are captivating, realistic and engaging, literally exploding from the pages to capture my imagination as well as my heart. I fell in love with the heroine, nineteen-year-old Violet Bates, who has been branded by the Matrus legal system as a dangerous criminal. In reality, Violet is simply a victim of her own fate, forced into an untenable existence and desperately trying to survive despite the tragic circumstances of her life. I was in awe of Violet’s strength, tenacity, and sheer will to live. But despite the adversity, she remains innocent and naive in matters of the heart and the opposite sex. The fact that she has never known any men other than her younger brother combined with the tragic events of her life has caused Violet to harden her heart, not only to men but to everyone and as a result has become uncharacteristically jaded for someone her age. It quickly becomes apparent that Violet is an incredibly complex character with multiple layers of emotion and feelings she discovers and explores for the very first time throughout the story. Violet is a remarkable young woman and truly a worthy heroine. This story came to life for me. I felt as if I were there with Violet through every step of her perilous journey. I cried for her, sympathized and empathized with her; my heart even broke for her. I desperately wanted to wrap her in my arms and console her. I have such high hopes for Violet, wanting so badly for her to find happiness. I can hardly wait to continue the heart-wrenching coming of age adventure with this brave young heroine in the next book of the series.
In the premise for this story, the two neighboring sovereign states of Matrus and Patrus are the only remaining survivors of the once great country of America whose land was devastated and population very nearly destroyed during The Last War centuries earlier. Originally they were one group, but as the result of political discord between genders, the two factions became divided into two very different nations, Matrus with a matriarchal government ruled by a queen and Patrus with opposing patriarchal beliefs and governed by a king. The female party was convinced the political viewpoints of men combined with their aggressive behavior were directly responsible for the war, blaming them for the annihilation of the once great America. They believed women should be allowed to govern society using a peaceful doctrine as the basis for their new civilization with the national motto of ‘Freedom In Peace’. The men refused to address or even acknowledge the concerns of the female party giving the women only two options: remain and keep silent…or leave to form their own society. Quite obviously they chose the latter. Thus, the two opposing nations of Matrus and Patrus were born. Both now attempt to exist on a small strip of territory located in Appalachia separated by the toxic Veil River but with very little interaction between the two. As you can imagine, there’s extreme prejudice and gender discrimination against the few males residing in Matrus and in turn, the same holds true for females in Patrus. Men have no rights in Matrus, but neither do women living in Patrus. A woman cannot live in Patrus unless she is owned by a male citizen, and must have a male guardian with her at all times. I found the concept and premise for this story to be new, unique, original, fresh, imaginative, exciting, fascinating, and actually quite realistic. With the current political climate in our country, I can truly envision this happening in our society today.
The Gender Game: Book 1, The Gender Secret: Book 2, The Gender Lie: Book 3, The Gender War: Book 4, and The Gender Fall: Book 5 must be read before Book 6: The Gender Plan.
The Gender Plan: Book 6
The adventure continues in a race against the clock with even more thrills, chills, lies, deceit, betrayal, action, suspense, drama, and emotion as Violet and Viggo are forced to face the true depth of their feelings and what this war could cost them. With the help of their small but mighty band of followers, our group of unlikely heroes square-off against their enemies in a no-holds-barred struggle for the fate of both nations. Loyalties are tested and lives hang in the balance. Outmanned, outgunned, and possibly outmaneuvered, a still recovering Violet, Viggo, Melissa Dale, and their ragtag band of patriots for humanity continue their fight against the monstrous atrocities of Queen Elena and her co-conspirator, Desmond Bertrand. Yet despite the impossible odds, our brave rebels continue to gain ground in the battle to secure freedom for the citizens of both Matrus and Patrus. But will the ultimate betrayal cost them everything? Who will live and who will die? We’ll see!

Did I like this book? No, I LOVED it! Once I started reading this story, I simply could not stop. I was riveted to my seat, white knuckling my ereader with my heart fluttering wildly in my chest while the hours passed as quickly as the pages, and loved every single minute. It was magnificent! Would I recommend this book? You bet and I am, for a wide variety of ages. Although there is some violence included, it’s not gory or graphic, but this book does contain a tiny bit of mild profanity. There is a sweet blossoming romance but no explicit sex. I would probably give this book a PG rating, ages thirteen to one hundred. Will I read this author again? Abso-freaking-lutely! Just as soon as she releases her next book! And finally, was I entertained? Good gracious, YES! I was completely captivated! No spoilers from me, but I will say, if you’re looking for an intriguing, well-crafted, post-apocalyptic, somewhat dystopian, fantasy/science fiction saga featuring a gutsy, troubled but compassionate kick-butt underdog heroine perfectly paired with an intense, gruff, yet surprisingly sensitive, ruggedly handsome unlikely hero, and filled to the brim with perilous danger, compelling drama, pulse-pounding action, edge-of-your-seat adventure, impossible hardship, agonizing angst, extraordinary bravery, unwavering loyalty, heartbreaking betrayal, spinetingling suspense, enthralling intrigue, unconscionable espionage, mind-blowing plot twists, sweet romance, and the hopeful promise of forever love, then this book is definitely for you! OMG! This series just gets better and better! Fabulous entertainment and an awesome read!