Monday, June 3, 2013

From the Stacks: Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead

I will read anything and everything published by Richelle Mead and that is the honest truth. I love the blend of drama and humor in her books and the incredible world and character building, and Gameboard of the Gods is no exception.



Summary: 


The truth is, when you banish the gods from the world, they eventually come back—with a vengeance.
 
In the near future, Justin March lives in exile from the Republic of United North America. After failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims, Justin is surprised when he is sent back with a peculiar assignment—to solve a string of ritualistic murders steeped in seemingly unexplainable phenomena.
 
Justin’s return comes with an even bigger shock: His new partner and bodyguard, Mae Koskinen, is a prætorian, one of the Republic’s technologically enhanced supersoldiers. Mae’s inexplicable beauty and aristocratic upbringing attract Justin’s curiosity and desire, but her true nature holds more danger than anyone realizes.
 
As their investigation unfolds, Justin and Mae find themselves in the crosshairs of mysterious enemies. Powers greater than they can imagine have started to assemble in the shadows, preparing to reclaim a world that has renounced religion and where humans are merely gamepieces on their board.

My Thoughts:

I really like that Richelle Mead can simultaneously work on a YA series and an adult series. She is incredibly versatile and I'm obsessed with all of her books. When I heard about her new adult series, the Age of X, I impatiently waited as more information trickled in and once the ARC showed up on NetGalley, I requested it immediately, all the while thinking that I'd probably be denied, but I wasn't. So, I put aside whatever else I was reading and dove into Gameboard of the Gods at once.

I wasn't disappointed in the slightest. The relationship between Justin and Mae to me, in some ways anyway, seems as if it is a wonderful hybrid of some of Mead's other great characters.Mae is as kick-ass as Dimitri from Vampire Academy but with the cool detachment of Rose's mother. Then there is Justin, who honestly does seem like a perfect Sydrian (that is Sydney and Adrian mash-up). These characters completely embody both studious habits and badassery. 

Plus, can I just say, the whole concept of a society that has basically renounced all religion and what denominations have survived are heavily monitored and limited, and yet the Gods of the world are now coming back and are using people in this shadowy war is incredibly intriguing. When I started to piece together some of the Gods who were in play already in the first book, I'm not going to lie...I geeked out. 

The world is complex and yet I sincerely hope our future does not end up this way because as much as I enjoy reading about it, I really would not want to live in that kind of world. The characters draw you in. I love Justin and Mae and Tessa, and I am very much looking forward to the next installment. Read this book. You won't be disappointed. 5/5.


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