I received this ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!!

Ive posted a full review on Goodreads and I look forward to reading more from this author!

Wow i know i took a long time to review this book but i glad i waited as it looks like their a total of 7 books for this series so now i can read them all at one time. I really like the uniqueness of a dystopian society that Bella Forrest has set up here. One society that women ruled by a Queen and the women control everything. Then one society that is ruled by men and women have no rights at all and owned by their husbands. Both societies have to depend on the other so their is trade between the two but their are always trying to out do each other. I was blown away cause i thought that the story was going to follow it plot where our main character Violet is thrown into a plan to steal an egg back for her society. It did follow that and we got to see a lot of the non females dominated side of the river but then their this major twist once the egg is taken. We are left not knowing what is in the egg, not knowing if her brother who is main motivation is really alive, and also why Lee went against the original plan. I gonna have to check out the rest of this series i was blown away. Thanks for letting me review.

My Thoughts:
Back when Kindle Unlimited first became available, I read the first 10 books in Bella Forrest's Shade of Vampire series. I loved them but sadly never got an opportunity to continue on with the series. I've had one of her other books, The Gender Game, on my TBR for a couple of years now. I recently read it, and did not enjoy it.

When I first started reading The Gender Game, I was really into it. I was loving Violet, the amazing female main character. She was incredibly kick-ass, and didn't let anyone bring her down. I thought she was a strong, empowering female character. I also liked the action in the beginning. It kept me on the edge of my seat, wondering what was going to happen next and how Violet was going to get herself out of the situation she was in.

However, right around the time that she sneaks out of the bathroom window, things drastically changed for the worst. The plot became very slow and boring. At about halfway through the book, I was only reading 10 or 15 pages at a time. I kept putting it down because it wasn't holding my interest at all. Violet started doing dumb things that went completely against what her character was about, and that made me mad. Towards the end, the plot did pick up and get exciting again. At that point though, I didn't even care what happened to the characters.

All in all, The Gender Game just wasn't for me. The beginning of the book gave me high expectations, but then it fell flat rather quickly. Even the crazy cliffhanger ending of this book couldn't make me care enough about the characters or the plot to continue on with the series. I will probably try more of Bella Forrest's books in the future because I do like some parts of her writing style. I just won't be finishing this series.

I give The Gender Game: 2/5.

I was gifted an ebook via Netgalley. But lost it when I got a new Kindle, so I borrowed a finished copy through Kindle Unlimited.

DNF @ 11%
I can tell that I will not enjoy this book and I don't want to continue to read it. I did check some of the reviews on Goodreads and it seems like I'm not the only person who feels that things were entirely too spelled out. Scenes were explained in a "beat a dead horse" manner.

The wardens led me to the main rectangular gray building and into a reception area where they picked up a set of keys from the woman behind the desk. Then we walked along a hallway before moving down a stairwell, down, down, down, until we reached what had to be the lowermost floor. We arrived at the end of a hallway lined with cells, all empty. They stopped outside the third one on our left and thrust me inside.

There is no good reason to put that much detail into a book...but also lack detail at the same time. It's very elementary detail. The other thing is that the MC is highly unlikeable in the short amount of book I have read. It's hard to connect with a story if you don't like the MC and the word salad.

This title was a Did Not Finish. Unfortunately, I was unable to connect with it whether it be for characters, story-line or writing style.

Thank you for providing me with a copy.

Well written and gripping young adult adventure. have recommended to many customers.

Despite the promising premise, it can't measure up to it due to the lack of worldbuilding and poor characterization.

Despite clicking the download button multiple times, for some reason, this title never got send to my Kindle and I never had the chance to read it. I apologize profusely, but there must have been a glitch in the system and since I never read it, I won't be reviewing the book or rating it. I apologize once again.

While the concept was interesting, the execution went poorly.

This was a very unique dystopian tale. I've not seen a society that places people based off of their sex, it has always been based off of their social class. Because of this unique premise, the story had me hooked from the beginning. Lee's character was a real surprise for me since I thought he was starting to love Violet. I just assumed we would have a little love triangle to cause more issues once the egg was taken. The last 7% of the novel was so action packed that I just wanted more immediately. I definitely didn't see the plot twist coming and I can't wait to read the second book.

Okay I have a confession. When a book is compared to another book, I usually roll my eyes. 9 out of 10 times the comparison does not live up to the book it is compared to. When I originally received a copy of The Gender Game for review, I was a bit skeptical of its comparison to one of my favorite dystopians The Hunger Games BUT having now read it the description fits. The Gender Game by Bella Forrest is an exciting dystopian about two countries with varying degrees of oppression. Revenge, subterfuge, and secrets set the tone for the series and personally I wound up buying the rest of the series so I could binge read. It is that good!

Violet Bates is 19 at the start of the book and basically one offense away from a death sentence in the Matrian society she’s grown up in. Any violence is too much violence and after accidentally killing not one but two girls, Violet is now looking at extermination. But the queen makes her an offer. Patrus has stolen something valuable and they need it back without causing a war. Violet is to enter Patrus under the guise of marriage and steal back the thing that was taken. With her only other choice death, Violet accepts the terms with one condition, she wants her brother back. You see, in Matrus, boys who are deemed too aggressive are marked and sent to the mines in the north. Violet’s brother was marked and sent away at 8.

I love Violet. She is just a girl, trying to survive. Yes she has a temper, it’s why she is in the situation she is in, but she has good reason. Her mother is dead, she’s never known her father, and when her brother was marked she tried to send him to Patrus, to save him from the mines. All that did was send him earlier and send her into a detention center where she has spent the last 8 years. Violet is tough and extremely mistrusting, but who can blame her?!

Once in Patrus, Violet is paired with an undercover Matrian spy, Lee. Lee was born on the river that separates the two countries and was raised in Matrus for 8 years before he went back to Patrus to live with his father. He considers himself a man of no nation and this makes him a good spy. Lee is standoffish, only giving Violet the details of the plan as he sees fit. And it seems he always gives her the dangerous parts.

Then there is Viggo, a warden of Patrus. Violet is assigned to get to know him and his routine so that Lee and Violet can steal the egg. Yet Viggo gets under Violet’s skin. They are a lot a like. Viggo is mistrusting of the government, only working as warden as his prison sentence. He is strong, yet also kind. It is easy to see where this will go.

I personally enjoyed the dystopian world Bella Forrest has created. The two countries – Matrus and Patrus – are ruled by either women or men, respectively. In Matrus, women rule, violence is looked down on, and advances in science are pursued. In Patrus, the men rule. They are a bit barbaric, women are subservient, and technology is a big influence. It was interesting to see how the author took the stereotypes of men and women and put those as the fundamental aspects of these societies. I’m curious to see how these societies came to power and how they will fall (because they will fail) during the course of the series.

Overall I really enjoyed this book! It was a fast-paced, full of suspense. I enjoyed learning about the two societies from Violet’s perspective and that ending?! Oh my goodness! It’s killer. If you enjoy dystopia, I highly recommend you grab a copy.

Side Note: I alternated reading and listening to this book. The narrator is fantastic. I found myself completely engaged and listened to a majority of the book, only reading a handful of chapters. If you enjoy audios, I highly recommend this one!

This book was unkike any I've read in quite some time. It has such a unique concept and the writing was absolutely fantastic. A very refreshing twist on the genre and one that is sure to be talked about for years to come!

Matria is a world where women rule and men are seen as subservient. Patria is the opposite - women are property there. Violet has spent most of her life in orphanages and prison. She went to prison for trying to send her younger brother to Patria rather than the mines. As someone with a quick temper and a talent for the martial arts, Violet has not had an easy life. When she is sentenced to death after killing someone, Violet is given a second chance - go to Patria to retrieve an object that was stolen and bring it back. Violet must risk all and go to a world where her skills could get her into even more trouble.

An interesting introduction to this world. I'm not sure that I totally by the premise that Violet is the only one that can succeed in this mission - I don't fully understand why she was the only one who could do this and not someone else. I'm hoping that more will be explained in the next book as this one left off with a huge cliffhanger and many loose ends.

As a huge fan of Bella forest, I had high hopes for The Gender Game. I was severely let down and spent three months attempting to read it. Bella seems to push out books fairly quickly - this one seemed hurried to me.

This book had all of the ingredients but the cake turned out flat. Matrus was ruled by a Queen. Women run things with males being told what to do and if aggression is detected they're sent to the mines. Patrus is ruled by a King and males dominate. Women are essentially nothing without husbands to control them. A river seperates both lands.

I would feel much like Violet and not fit in either Matrus or Patrus. Violet definitely left an impression along others but not the impact I was looking for. I could clearly picture the world they lived in. Things were too emotionless. I felt very little as I read.

I received a copy from NetGalley for an honest review.

In this dystopian young adult novel, there are two cities, divided by a poison river surrounded by a toxic forested area. Violet lives in Matrus, where women rule and men are weeded out if they are deemed violent and are otherwise considered second class citizens. Violet, an orphan, was put into the prison system when she tried to smuggle her younger brother out of the city after he failed the test of male violent tendancies. When Violet gets into an altercation in prison with a bully that results in the death of the bully, she is supposed to be euthanized, however, she is given the option of going on a top secret mission in Patrus, the male-dominated city across the river. In Patrus, women have no rights and cannot even go out in public without a husband or male guardian. Violet needs to befriend a handsome fighter named Viggo in order for the plan she is there for to work, however, her new "husband", Lee, never tells her all the details of the plan. There is action and romance and the book ends in a cliffhanger. I received this book free to review from Netgalley.

Enjoyable, plainly written, perfect for fans of dystopian fiction