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.

I don’t even know where to begin with this review. This is an audio review, so excuse me as I shout-caps at you. In Matrus any violence is perceived as un necessary.. Crazy right? So with that being said a violent act against another girl in the system leads Violet to a choice. A choice of either being put to death or Marrying a man for an undercover mission in Patrus. Violet seeing this as her chance to finally see her brother again, makes a deal and is sent to marry Lee in Patrus…. Which I do not care for so enough about him.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 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.

I liked the character of Viggo. He seemed very developed and actually acted in a way that seemed true to his character. I dislike the name though...!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. The pornography is all impressionistic ASCII art, the kind of porn I imagine characters looking at on those retro computers in Fallout. You explore it via increasingly debased categories while under time pressure, because every noise you hear could be your parents in the driveway.

As Yang puts it, “I've always admired Christine Love's singular ability to be literary, lewd, and mischievous all at once.” The Gender Game is book one in a brand new series by Bella Forrest. This book was generously provided to me in exchange for an honest review by NetGalley, NightLight Press, and by Bella Forrest. I have to give so much credit to Bella Forrest for such a big change from her Shade of Vampire series. I would classify this book as Dystopian. I loved the world she has created here. It is so unique . There's even an indie adult game renaissance of sorts in the making. On platforms like Patreon, top adult games have thousands of fans paying monthly subscriptions to support their favorite creators. This world consists of two societies. On one side of the river is Matrus, ruled by a Queen where women are the dominant. The men do have a few rights but not many. The Matrians strength is in their advances in Biology and Chemistry. On the other side of the river is Patrus where the men rule. In Patrus, women have no rights at all. They are completely under the rule of their husbands. They are not allowed to go out alone, ever. They must obey their husbands at all times. They own nothing. Any possessions they might take into a marriage become their husbands. The Patrians strength is their agriculture and architecture. The two societies are forced to trade for survival but there is a constant competition between them to outdo the other. I would highly recommend this book to readers of dystopian fiction. There is a little romance in this book, but none of it is cheesy, everything is quite organic. The plot is unique and the world is definitely fun to read about....definitely different from anything I have read in a long while. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.I had assumed Violet would overthrow the patriarchy and make them reassess the female sex with her feisty independence. Instead, she just kissed some boys, fell in 'love', ruined her undercover mission and completely failed to grasp what the word 'covert' even meant. I found her an infuriating protagonist and she seemed to dislike and yet acquiesce to the sexism she was subjected to. Oh my gosh, Bibliobuzzers. I was so excited when I started reading Gender Game by Bella Forrest. I seriously was. Though the blurb was different than most, it tends to be the case that every YA book ends up being the same book with a different cover. It’s dystopic, which means it will either be all Hunger Games or Selection series, right? This a story about a world where two countries are split by a river. On one side we have Matrus, on the other we have Patrus. Matrus is ruled by woman. Patrus is ruled by men..See now why I was hesitant Yang's games delight in taking 3D characters who look like they belong in a shooter—his early work included Half-Life 2 mods—then stretching and exaggerating them for effect. They're like sexed-up versions of an0nymoose's Source Filmmaker videos. Trials in Tainted Space (a name surely chosen for its acronym) gives you a spaceship and worlds to explore, but before it does that it puts you through a rigorous character creation process that includes detailing your genitalia in some quite specific ways. No matter what you choose, you end up playing the version of Captain Kirk who exists more in memes than actual Star Trek—the one who spends all his time banging green alien girls.