Review: Okay, but not for me!
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 12 27, 2013
I bought this book based on the reviews, both positive and negative, because the mentioned cheating wasn't a deal breaker for me as I sometimes like fiction that isn't always rosy hued.  I won't include a summary of the story as the other reviews and the blurb does a good job of painting a picture.  The starting dialogue was a bit shaky with an abundant use of `I daresay' but nevertheless I got into the reading and finished it in one night. This review is obviously what I got out of the book and usually if there is something in a book that repulses me, my whole reading experience is controlled by that repulsion.(Spoilers)First, I realize that the female audience is probably the bulk readers of these kinds of fiction and oftentimes stories are female-friendly (my opinion), but I honestly felt pandered to with this book! I am a woman and absolutely believe in equality between the sexes, but holy snaps, it was THE overarching theme of this book to the point that I couldn't connect with Tara. She went to Gothman city as a learning, discovery part of her coming of age tradition, and I didn't find her open-minded because every contrast that she made left the city and people wanting when compared to her Runner life. Throughout the book, it was all about her proving her equality to Darius over and over. I got it...she was a warrior and future leader of her clan and grew up where she was equal to the men there,  but she had to try to best/prove to Darius in everything...sexually, tactically, physically that she was his equal!!!  Over and over she dissected every action he made because, heaven knows, she was not going to submit to him in anything! Naturally, for her to be so far on the equality totem, he had to be on the opposite side, but that was the thing. I didn't find him to be controlling at all!! His society was what it was and he was who he was because of his position and his upbringing, but I felt like he made concessions and compromised for her and to her but she didn't. She wanted them to be equals, but I felt he was emasculated! When she found out she was pregnant, he deferred to her judgment on either terminating the pregnancy so she could remain a warrior (so not a marriage or in this case, a claim!!)Even the way that he crafted his speech to her about leaving the war and returning home to protect the children, a move that she knew she should've done on her own, seemed like he had to speak in such a way her equality seeking sensibilities wouldn't get offended! During her confinement her thoughts rang along the line that it took two to create the babies therefore he will wake up in the night, change diapers, feed them...cause they were equals (get it?!)However, he wasn't even consulted on the names of their twins. She told him what their names were!! I realize that there were other moments in the book where they were good together and she did admirable things, like when she saved him, but it got lost in my awareness of how the book extolled the virtues of this shining example of female equality!! Then the big infidelity, which didn't amount to anything (in my opinion)and didn't mesh with the story at all, paved the way for a perfect clichéd performance of the betrayed/wronged female where Tara exacted revenge on her husband/claim and called the other woman the usual `bitch' `whore' etc. Are you kidding me?!?! Then, the book went downhill from there because I certainly didn't agree with the righteous, wronged woman behavior that ruled her afterwards, where she took the children from their father (apparently he had equality only when she said he did) and went on an adventure for quite a long time with zero communication to the father about his children, an 'adventure' that of course exalted her skills as an equal-to-men laser toting warrior! And when she found a notice that her husband was searching for her, the only thought that could intrude was that he made it sound like he owned her!As I said, I felt like as a female reader I was supposed to get on board and root for the female character and be all like hell yeah girl, you give that cheating bastard what he deserves, don't back down, you show him that women are equal or even better than men...but I couldn't. As a rule, I try not to suggest alternative books to other readers in lieu of the one I am reviewing, but I will say that I have found only one book (or series) that was the perfect blend of a female warrior who was far superior to the male warrior but whose relationship embodied respect and equality. I thought that this one was going to be such a dance between warriors and how they dealt with a not so rosy life, it wasn't. According to the author's foreword, she wrote this book during a dark period and I felt it in the book. I certainly won't discourage anyone from reading this book and forming their own judgment as I did. However, I am not even remotely interested in reading the other parts to this book.