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theb00kbitch's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this book. Like most Mead books it was action packed and seething with sexual tension. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the series.
lisabean's review against another edition
5.0
I really liked and enjoyed this book. I loved how it had the 3 different insights into the new world, from a male adult,a female adult and a teenager. All three of them felt this world differently and it brought this new universe so much closer to you.
And, for everyone that mentions it not being like VA or Bloodlines - THAT'S CAUSE IT ISN'T! It's more of an Adult series than YA, which is the category you put VA and Bloodlines in. It's a whole different concept and very different characters. A different story line.
You cannot compare it. You just can't. You shouldn't.
I can easily say that Richelle Mead remains my favorite author. I've read all of her books, and even though I don't like Eugenie, I loved the books cause she just wrote them so damn good. She really made me feel the characters, give me a certain emotion to them and the same goes to Gameboard of the Gods. I have kind of a love-hate relationship with Justin and I really do wanna know how it continues!
I can also easily give it 5 stars! :)
And, for everyone that mentions it not being like VA or Bloodlines - THAT'S CAUSE IT ISN'T! It's more of an Adult series than YA, which is the category you put VA and Bloodlines in. It's a whole different concept and very different characters. A different story line.
You cannot compare it. You just can't. You shouldn't.
I can easily say that Richelle Mead remains my favorite author. I've read all of her books, and even though I don't like Eugenie, I loved the books cause she just wrote them so damn good. She really made me feel the characters, give me a certain emotion to them and the same goes to Gameboard of the Gods. I have kind of a love-hate relationship with Justin and I really do wanna know how it continues!
I can also easily give it 5 stars! :)
ruwell's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars
Gameboard of the Gods is the first book of the Age of X series by Richelle Mead. It is a very interesting novel that leaves you curious for more. The world she creates is fascinating and the information about this world is given gradually throughout the book. I liked that it was written this way because it keeps the reader from being inundated with too many details at one time. Gameboard of the Gods is set in a futurist world but felt more like a parallel universe, one completely different from our world.
I really liked the main female character Mae. She is powerful and dangerous yet she has a good heart. I enjoyed seeing her character open up as the story progressed. Justin on the other hand, I really didn’t care for. There’s a lot not to like. He’s selfish, conceited and spends much of the book drowning himself in alcohol, drugs, gambling and woman. He was sent away in exile for four years and what does he do? He lives off the charity of others while bemoaning his fate and living a life of debauchery. He despised the city he was in and looked down on the people that lived there. He’s supposedly smart and unnaturally observant but he comes across as a complete idiot. I can only hope that he somehow redeems himself in future books.
Overall, Gameboard of the Gods is well done. I felt the good outweighed the bad. It’s well written and the story truly is one that held my attention throughout. I look forward to the next book in the Age of X series.
Gameboard of the Gods is the first book of the Age of X series by Richelle Mead. It is a very interesting novel that leaves you curious for more. The world she creates is fascinating and the information about this world is given gradually throughout the book. I liked that it was written this way because it keeps the reader from being inundated with too many details at one time. Gameboard of the Gods is set in a futurist world but felt more like a parallel universe, one completely different from our world.
I really liked the main female character Mae. She is powerful and dangerous yet she has a good heart. I enjoyed seeing her character open up as the story progressed. Justin on the other hand, I really didn’t care for. There’s a lot not to like. He’s selfish, conceited and spends much of the book drowning himself in alcohol, drugs, gambling and woman. He was sent away in exile for four years and what does he do? He lives off the charity of others while bemoaning his fate and living a life of debauchery. He despised the city he was in and looked down on the people that lived there. He’s supposedly smart and unnaturally observant but he comes across as a complete idiot. I can only hope that he somehow redeems himself in future books.
Overall, Gameboard of the Gods is well done. I felt the good outweighed the bad. It’s well written and the story truly is one that held my attention throughout. I look forward to the next book in the Age of X series.
jules_writes's review against another edition
3.0
I'm struggling to sum up my thoughts on the book, I enjoyed it but only really towards the end when I finally got to grips with what was going on. In my opinion the story needed some info dumps at the beginning because so many aspects of the plot just weren't clear until much later on. I think the series might have potential but I didn't love Gameboard of the Gods.
linseypinsey's review against another edition
4.0
Not what I'd normally read, but I thought it was really good! Looking forward to the next book in the series.
kaitrosereads's review against another edition
4.0
Richelle Mead quickly became a favorite author of mine with the Vampire Academy series. Following up with the Bloodlines series that is almost just as awesome, I decided I'd read pretty much anything she writes. When I saw Gameboard of the Gods on Netgalley I just couldn't resist. Even though this is very much an adult novel, I thought I'd review it for you guys.
Gameboard of the Gods is both like Richelle Mead's YA stuff and also very different. Just like with her YA stuff, readers will be hooked with this story and the characters. Also like her YA stuff, things don't come easy for the two main characters but readers will root for them to end up together. I know I did. However, almost everything else about Gameboard of the Gods is very much adult. The story takes a bit of time to build and while I was hooked once I got into the story, it did take me a while to get to that point. I would say I was about 100 pages in before I really felt invested in the story and the characters. I know a lot of people give up before reaching that point but I would really recommend continuing with this one even though it's a little slow.
The story is an awesome blend of dystopian and mythology. At first I didn't see the mythology aspect but it does come out later in the book and it will play a very big role in the rest of the series if the ending of this book is any indication. This dystopian world isn't nearly as bleak as most YA dystopians but there is definitely some turmoil and things aren't nearly as perfect as they seem at the beginning. Readers don't get a whole lot of background into the government and society and I was a little let down by that but seeing as this is only the first book, I'm hoping those things might be expanded upon in the future.
The characters were not nearly as awesome as Rose and Dmitri or Sydney and Adrian but they grew on me. Justin, in particular. Justin is smart, that's for sure, but he's also very funny and sensitive. It's hard not to like him once you read about everything he has had to go through and everything he continues to go through. Mae was a lot harder for me to like. She seemed almost emotionless for a lot of the book. I loved that she was a strong woman but I wanted more to her than just that. She needs some serious development in the next book, that's for sure. Also, Mae's fellow praetorians and friends were almost nonexistent throughout the book. They seemed important to the story in the beginning but then they disappeared for most of the rest of the book. I did not like that and hope to see more of them in the future books.
Overall, Gameboard of the Gods was a little lacking in some instances but I enjoyed it and I think fans of Richelle Mead's books will too. Check it out if you're looking for something a little more mature than YA.
Gameboard of the Gods is both like Richelle Mead's YA stuff and also very different. Just like with her YA stuff, readers will be hooked with this story and the characters. Also like her YA stuff, things don't come easy for the two main characters but readers will root for them to end up together. I know I did. However, almost everything else about Gameboard of the Gods is very much adult. The story takes a bit of time to build and while I was hooked once I got into the story, it did take me a while to get to that point. I would say I was about 100 pages in before I really felt invested in the story and the characters. I know a lot of people give up before reaching that point but I would really recommend continuing with this one even though it's a little slow.
The story is an awesome blend of dystopian and mythology. At first I didn't see the mythology aspect but it does come out later in the book and it will play a very big role in the rest of the series if the ending of this book is any indication. This dystopian world isn't nearly as bleak as most YA dystopians but there is definitely some turmoil and things aren't nearly as perfect as they seem at the beginning. Readers don't get a whole lot of background into the government and society and I was a little let down by that but seeing as this is only the first book, I'm hoping those things might be expanded upon in the future.
The characters were not nearly as awesome as Rose and Dmitri or Sydney and Adrian but they grew on me. Justin, in particular. Justin is smart, that's for sure, but he's also very funny and sensitive. It's hard not to like him once you read about everything he has had to go through and everything he continues to go through. Mae was a lot harder for me to like. She seemed almost emotionless for a lot of the book. I loved that she was a strong woman but I wanted more to her than just that. She needs some serious development in the next book, that's for sure. Also, Mae's fellow praetorians and friends were almost nonexistent throughout the book. They seemed important to the story in the beginning but then they disappeared for most of the rest of the book. I did not like that and hope to see more of them in the future books.
Overall, Gameboard of the Gods was a little lacking in some instances but I enjoyed it and I think fans of Richelle Mead's books will too. Check it out if you're looking for something a little more mature than YA.
joyousreads132's review against another edition
1.0
All right. I gave this a fair shot. I just don't think I should waste my time on tepid reads. And considering how ginormous this book is, I can't do it. I'm halfway and still have no freaking clue what the heck I'm reading.
Sorry but this thing is just not for me. Incidentally, this is just the first DNF for me this year.
Sorry but this thing is just not for me. Incidentally, this is just the first DNF for me this year.
epgr's review against another edition
3.0
The story wasn’t bad, but the execution left a lot to be desired. I expect more from Mead.
deneenernst's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lookingforamandaa's review against another edition
Richelle Mead became an auto-buy author for me the minute I fell in love with Dimitri from Vampire Academy. When I heard she was coming out with the Age of X series I was intrigued. I looked into it and became unsure. They didn’t really seem like my kind of books. After reading Gameboard of the Gods, I completely a thousand percent take it back. This series may end up becoming one of my favorites.
Gameboard of the Gods was a fantastic book, for many reasons. It had an amazing storyline, one I’d never read before. It was a seriously unique book. It was a mix of mythological, futuristic, romantic, adventurous. Gameboard of the Gods had a little bit of everything. Which is, I think, why I liked it so much. It took me a little longer than usual to finish this book. Partially because it’s a long book, and partially because I just moved and that took up a chunk of my reading time. When I wasn’t reading, all I wanted to do was finish this book. There were a couple slow parts that were interesting but dragged at points. The suspense was probably the worst for me, it almost killed me. I just wanted to know where the story was headed. It didn’t really have a huge cliffhanger, but it definitely ended leaving me wanting more. I don’t think the title for the second book in the series has even been released, let alone a date that it will be coming out. Which is infuriating because I just want to know what’s going to happen next. Isn’t that every reader’s worst nightmare?
Now, onto the characters, which is always my favorite part. Gameboard of the Gods mainly follows Justin March and his life, but it also jumps around a few other important characters. Justin March was a very interesting main character. He has so many secrets that all eventually come to light. I think Justin tries to have his head on straight and his heart in the right place, but he’s only human. In the beginning, we see him indulging in everything that’s bad for him. Gambling, drinking, doing anything and everything he can to deal with being in exile. We get to see more of who he really is when we meet our next important character. He shows who he really is when he’s around Tessa and her family. Justin has a lot of quirks, one of them being the voices in his head. I’m going to try to explain the best I can without giving anything away. The voices are a pest to him mostly, but end up helping him significantly at times. His voices are probably some of the most fun parts of the book, but they also give us quite a bit of information without giving too much away. As a whole, I liked Justin. He does the best he can to do what he thinks is right and I think that’s very admirable.
Mae, the praetorian, is loyal to her government. She does what she’s supposed to when she’s supposed to do it. When we first meet Mae she’s just lost the love of her life. She tries to keep herself collected and together but snaps at one point. The consequences of her brief breakdown are what leads her to be Justin’s bodyguard. The relationship that forms between the two of them is very complicated and describing it without giving any of the story away is pretty hard. Mae tends to bring out the asshole in Justin because it’s what he thinks is the easiest way to handle the situation. Mae tries her hardest to be emotionless and in control of everything, but usually ends up in over her head. I like Mae for the most part, there definitely are some points in the story where she isn’t my favorite. She is sometimes indecisive and never asks for any help with whats going on with her, which is always something that irks me. If she just asked for help everything would be so much easier on her! Overall, I really liked Mae, she stands up for what she believes in, and she does everything she can for those she cares about, even if she won’t admit she cares about them.
Next is Tessa. Tessa is the daughter of someone who helped Justin when he needed it. So when he is asked to come back to the RUNA one of his conditions is that he is allowed to bring Tessa so she can have a better life. Tessa doesn’t really have any options at home, other than marrying. In the RUNA she can go to school, live in a whole different society with a whole different lifestyle. When Tessa moves to the RUNA she’s kind of awkward at first, which is understandable. I think Tessa handles this life-changing event relatively well. She’s considered an outsider at school and is talked about and treated differently by almost everyone. She makes a couple of friends that really end up helping her adapt to her new life. I liked Tessa, she has all these changes thrown at her and she just keeps moving forward, going with the flow, making the best out of whats given to her.
There are a few other characters that play a part in this story, but the three I mentioned are the most important. I liked most of the other characters, except the obvious antagonists because they’re meant to be portrayed as assholes. I loved Gameboard of the Gods so much. I can’t wait for the second to come out and see where Richelle Mead is going to take these characters. I suggest this book to anyone that loves romance, or action, or futuristic settings, or anything mythological because Gameboard of the Gods has all this and more. Something that should be kept in mind is that this is, in fact, an adult series, not young adult. There are some parts that are a little inappropriate for the younger readers.
Gameboard of the Gods was a fantastic book, for many reasons. It had an amazing storyline, one I’d never read before. It was a seriously unique book. It was a mix of mythological, futuristic, romantic, adventurous. Gameboard of the Gods had a little bit of everything. Which is, I think, why I liked it so much. It took me a little longer than usual to finish this book. Partially because it’s a long book, and partially because I just moved and that took up a chunk of my reading time. When I wasn’t reading, all I wanted to do was finish this book. There were a couple slow parts that were interesting but dragged at points. The suspense was probably the worst for me, it almost killed me. I just wanted to know where the story was headed. It didn’t really have a huge cliffhanger, but it definitely ended leaving me wanting more. I don’t think the title for the second book in the series has even been released, let alone a date that it will be coming out. Which is infuriating because I just want to know what’s going to happen next. Isn’t that every reader’s worst nightmare?
Now, onto the characters, which is always my favorite part. Gameboard of the Gods mainly follows Justin March and his life, but it also jumps around a few other important characters. Justin March was a very interesting main character. He has so many secrets that all eventually come to light. I think Justin tries to have his head on straight and his heart in the right place, but he’s only human. In the beginning, we see him indulging in everything that’s bad for him. Gambling, drinking, doing anything and everything he can to deal with being in exile. We get to see more of who he really is when we meet our next important character. He shows who he really is when he’s around Tessa and her family. Justin has a lot of quirks, one of them being the voices in his head. I’m going to try to explain the best I can without giving anything away. The voices are a pest to him mostly, but end up helping him significantly at times. His voices are probably some of the most fun parts of the book, but they also give us quite a bit of information without giving too much away. As a whole, I liked Justin. He does the best he can to do what he thinks is right and I think that’s very admirable.
Mae, the praetorian, is loyal to her government. She does what she’s supposed to when she’s supposed to do it. When we first meet Mae she’s just lost the love of her life. She tries to keep herself collected and together but snaps at one point. The consequences of her brief breakdown are what leads her to be Justin’s bodyguard. The relationship that forms between the two of them is very complicated and describing it without giving any of the story away is pretty hard. Mae tends to bring out the asshole in Justin because it’s what he thinks is the easiest way to handle the situation. Mae tries her hardest to be emotionless and in control of everything, but usually ends up in over her head. I like Mae for the most part, there definitely are some points in the story where she isn’t my favorite. She is sometimes indecisive and never asks for any help with whats going on with her, which is always something that irks me. If she just asked for help everything would be so much easier on her! Overall, I really liked Mae, she stands up for what she believes in, and she does everything she can for those she cares about, even if she won’t admit she cares about them.
Next is Tessa. Tessa is the daughter of someone who helped Justin when he needed it. So when he is asked to come back to the RUNA one of his conditions is that he is allowed to bring Tessa so she can have a better life. Tessa doesn’t really have any options at home, other than marrying. In the RUNA she can go to school, live in a whole different society with a whole different lifestyle. When Tessa moves to the RUNA she’s kind of awkward at first, which is understandable. I think Tessa handles this life-changing event relatively well. She’s considered an outsider at school and is talked about and treated differently by almost everyone. She makes a couple of friends that really end up helping her adapt to her new life. I liked Tessa, she has all these changes thrown at her and she just keeps moving forward, going with the flow, making the best out of whats given to her.
There are a few other characters that play a part in this story, but the three I mentioned are the most important. I liked most of the other characters, except the obvious antagonists because they’re meant to be portrayed as assholes. I loved Gameboard of the Gods so much. I can’t wait for the second to come out and see where Richelle Mead is going to take these characters. I suggest this book to anyone that loves romance, or action, or futuristic settings, or anything mythological because Gameboard of the Gods has all this and more. Something that should be kept in mind is that this is, in fact, an adult series, not young adult. There are some parts that are a little inappropriate for the younger readers.