It is very seldom that I choose not to bother finishing a book I have started.

This is a book I deleted a third of the way through.

I think White was trying for a MORE apocalyptic Hunger Games, with a side order of "feminist" dystopia. And I would say she succeeded, and that is not anything like a compliment.

The "science" behind all these changes is so spurious as to be ridiculous, and White waves it in our faces. I do not see any way the social order and structures described could possibly work for even a decade, not to mention hundreds of years. And while human men are apparently rare, that does not seem to stop anyone from killing them at random...

Besides making men rare- less than 10% of births- something unspecified has also infected women, basically turning them into a mash-up of the Hulk and a werewolf if the infected ones get even slightly irritated. This seems to be celebrated: PMS run amok? And- amazingly!- apparently good sex with a man "cures" them. Yep, White went there.

Candice, our female POV protagonist, has devoted herself to training for combat, so she can win the "Bachelor Battles" and thus save Daniel, her childhood BFF. This is the romance.

Now, the sex-switching here had serious potential. In Real Life, women are far more likely to get killed by our partners than by anyone else; imagining a world in which this was swapped has potential. I wish White had explored that more.

Also, the violence is exceedingly graphic and explicit. I got bored with blood spattering.

Not recommended. As I said above, I quit a third of the way through, because all the violence combined with the vacuous characters and the completely implausible world just made me tired. ( )

In a world torn apart by war, our future looks bleak. Men have become a minority, women have become creatures to be wary of, scared of, fearful of your life from. Know your enemies, know your opponents and mostly know your family and friends because they could turn on you in a heart beat. Candice had been trained from birth to know this. So had Daniel. Unfortunately for Daniel, he being male, hid in the shadows while Candice fought to bring him into the light. The "Games" were what brought females and males together and allowed them to be bargained for. And Candice was a top contender, a force to reckon with...she came with only one goal in mind. Get Daniel back. ( )

The author kindly sent me an electronic form to read.

Every high school students' dream....to graduate and head to college.

Natasha's dream was crushed when she didn't pass the exams....she had to stay behind and do more studying....how embarrassing.

But....her father had her apply abroad, and she was accepted. The excitement wore off as soon as her parents left her in a country where hardly anyone spoke English or Russian. The first week was awful and she was about to give up and go home when she met the girl who loved Pink. :) The fun of this new girl lasted for about a day...she was spoiled and had to have her own way, and she loved to spend money. Natasha was very conservative...I hope this works out she keeps thinking.
Well...it worked out to the extent that everything had to go Veronica's way. What a way to enjoy college with a selfish roommate who partied and never studied like she did but still passed the courses.

The book held your interest, but it will be of most interest to college students and those currently going through these situations. The characters were developed, and you could create an image of them for yourself. ( )