The Gender Game 4: The Gender War (Volume 4)

This series is waaaay too long. Too many characters, too many similar names and the story gets drawn out much longer than necessary. It read like a poor (very poor) relative of The Hunger Games. I gave it two stars because of the author's efforts to write something.

Title: The Gender War
Series: The Gender Game
Designation: Book Four of Series, Full-Length Novel (App 400 Pages), Not A Standalone, Cliffhanger Ahead
Author: Bella Forrest
Genre: Fantasy/Science Fiction/Action/Adventure/Young Adult Romance
Reading Platform: Kindle Unlimited
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 the store 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 curve ball, 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, natural, well executed and flows effortlessly. But without a doubt, my favorite component is the cast of intriguing and engaging characters. They are captivating, realistic and relatable, 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 One
Violet Bates has never had an easy life and, consequently, has found herself always battling her anger. Growing up as an orphan, she was constantly taunted by others and called Violent instead of Violet. At only nineteen, she has already been marked as a criminal in Matrus. Sadly, she lived the majority of her life in orphanages after her mother died giving birth to her brother Timothy when she was only three. At eleven, she was caught trying to help her then eight-year-old brother, Tim, escape to Patrus, and charged with obstruction of justice. Then at fourteen, she was convicted of woman-slaughter when she tried to defend herself against a young woman who was accidentally killed by a fork during the struggle. She was sentenced to seven years of confinement along with hard labor and bounced from one horrible detention center to another. Now at nineteen, with only two years remaining before she can claim her freedom and reenter Matrian society, another tragic turn of events results in Violet having to once again defend herself, and in doing so, another young woman has been accidentally killed. This would be her third and final conviction, for in Matrus, three strikes and you're out...permanently...as in dead. The death of this bully, no matter that it was unintentional, would cost her everything, including her life. There would be no more second chances. Fortunately for our young heroine, fate intervenes and she is offered an opportunity to serve her country by accepting an undercover mission in Patrus where she is expected to recover a mysterious object stolen from a Matrian lab in an act of espionage by a Patrian sympathizer. If she can successfully complete her assignment, she will be granted her life, her freedom, and finally allowed to see her brother with whom she's had no contact at all for eight long years. But women residing in Patrus have no rights and must be owned by a male citizen. They must submit to men and are only allowed out of the home when accompanied by a male guardian. A woman in Patrus is in constant danger with perils at every turn, especially a Matrian woman like Violet who is unfamiliar with the laws and customs of Patrus. No self-respecting woman of Matrus would ever allow themselves to be owned, subjugated and treated as chattel by any man. Yet, if she is to complete her mission, she must acquiesce and submit. It seems either way, Violet is at risk of losing her life; so clearly, her only choice is to accept the assignment and become a pawn in the centuries-old struggle between Matrus and Patrus. Violet quickly realizes she must use her keen intelligence along with every skill she possesses if she is to complete her mission and survive. But never having known a man other than her brother, the one thing Violet could never have anticipated is the effect of meeting the ruggedly handsome Viggo Croft, a natural born male citizen of Patrus who stirs her blood and clouds her senses with emotions unlike anything she's ever experienced. And even worse, Viggo is a warden of Patrus, an enforcer of the law, and should be her enemy. Despite the risks, Violet finds herself with conflicting emotions regarding the handsome Viggo. But whom can Violet trust? What does the future hold for Violet, Viggo and the two opposing nations of Matrus and Patrus?

The Gender Secret: Book Two
Our story resumes with Violet once again running for her life and struggling to survive. She is wanted for crimes against Patrus which resulted in dozens of Patrian deaths but even worse, she has been betrayed not only by Lee Bertrand in his attempt to frame her for the murder of Queen Rina and Professor Alistair Jenks but also by her own mother nation of Matrus. Violet finally realizes that she has been manipulated by the very people she trusted and used as a pawn in an elaborate conspiracy. Now both nations want her dead. Knowing her betrayal has probably resulted in Viggo's imprisonment or, even worse, his death, Violet battles her inner turmoil as well as her conscience and struggles to find the strength to continue. Every step of Violet's journey brings more secrets to light which unfortunately results in even more perplexing questions. With nowhere to go and no one to trust, Violet battles to persevere, vowing to find her brother Tim and somehow rescue him. But will Violet be prepared for what she finds? Facing unimaginable perils, harrowing danger and insurmountable odds, can Violet defy fate and once again find a way to survive??? We'll see!

The Gender Lie: Book Three
Not only did Viggo survive, he has now been tasked with the job of capturing Violet and returning her to Patrus to answer for her crimes. Thanks to Lee Bertrand's implanted tracking device, Viggo tracks Violet to The Green but once again must save her life. Despite his anger at being used as a scapegoat by Violet and Lee in their plan to steal the egg, Viggo quickly realizes he still has feelings for the lovely brave Violet and after hearing her story, knows there's no way he can return her to Patrus which would most likely result in certain death. Violet is now a wanted fugitive by Matrus and Patrus so where will they go? What will they do? That question is soon answered when they discover an abandoned underground secret facility located deep within The Green. They take refuge inside only to discover Viggo was not the only one searching for Violet. Elena, the new Queen of Matrus has sent Violet's former mentor, Melissa Dale, to capture Violet and return her Matrus to face the charge of murdering the former queen. Oddly, Queen Elena is not content with sending only Ms Dale; she also enlists the help of her genetically enhanced twin sisters in capturing Violet. Viggo and Melissa Dale find themselves in a precarious unexpected alliance. They must work together to eliminate the twins but Viggo makes a critical sacrifice that may cost him his life. This time, it's Violet's turn to save Viggo but Violet quickly discovers in order to save his life, she must accept help from a new player in this perilous game of life and death. A new rebel faction calling themselves The Liberators has suddenly appeared and Violet quickly learns that the Desmond to whom Lee Bertrand's letter was addressed, is so much more than Lee's middle name. Desmond is not a dual personality of Lee as Violet originally suspected but is, in fact, a real person.... and he is a she. Not only is she a woman, Desmond is Desmond Bertrand, Lee Bertrand's mother. Huh? Oh yes, and that's not all. She's also the leader of rebel faction The Liberators! What? Yes, she's the mother of the same Lee Bertrand Violet killed in self-defense. Oh my! And without Desmond's help, Viggo will die. Oh dear? With limited options and no other viable choice, Violet must choose to trust Desmond but as even more secrets are revealed including the fate of the missing boys of Matrus, Violet begins to recognize the true complexity of her situation. Both nations have perpetuated a tenuous web of lies and the loyal citizens of Matrus and Patrus are nothing more than innocent victims to be used as pawns in an evil cabal. Regrettably, Violet learns too late that Desmond is more than she portrays herself to be and so much more than Violet ever suspected. With Viggo, Tim and Melissa Dale's life in jeopardy as well as her own....again... it appears the time has finally come to pay the piper, and the price may be their lives. Is Desmond Bertrand the Pied Piper or is she merely a puppet being controlled by another puppet master in a much more sinister 'game'? Will Violet, Viggo, Tim and Ms Dale once again find a way to survive? We'll see! Oh my! This story continues to get even darker and more convoluted... and I can't get enough! Buckle up, my lovelies! It's a wild ride! Yee-Haw!

The Gender War: Book Four
The adventure continues in a race against the clock with even more pulse-pounding thrills, chills, lies, deceit, betrayal, action, suspense, heartwrenching angst and gripping emotion as Violet and Viggo are forced to face the true depth of their feelings. And with the help of their small but mighty band of followers, our group of unlikely heroes square off against Desmond, King Maxen, Queen Elena and Princess Tabitha in no-holds-barred struggle for the fate of both nations. Loyalties are tested and lives hang in the balance. Who will live and who will die? Oh my! This just gets better and better!

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, somewhat apocalyptic, 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 danger, drama, action, adventure, fantasy, hardship, angst, bravery, loyalty, betrayal, mystery, suspense, intrigue, espionage, mind-blowing plot twists and the hopeful promise of forbidden love, then this book is definitely for you! Fabulous entertainment and an awesome read!

I cannot get enough of this series I love it!!!!! Gave in and started the newest one was gonna wait till the final book comes out in July but couldn't. This is a set that I wish I had in book form to read and reread.

Bella Forrest is one of my absolutely favorite authors. This series of books is well written, very few mistakes and entirely entertaining. Almost too much. I never want to put it down as the Story unfolds, even though I know I need to go to sleep. Violet and Virgo make a very intriguing couple, dedicated in making their worlds a better place to live without causing too much death and distraction. Still have a book or two to go and can’t wait to start the next one. Bella is a great story teller.