Review: Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead


Today I did something that normally, I never do before posting a review on a new release book. I stopped by Goodreads and read what other reviewers were saying before I posted my own review. Now I remember why I never do this. Reading other people's reviews can sometimes unduly influence my work. And in this instance, I felt myself wanting to start with this: 
Dear Reviewers. Richelle Mead may have written a series about vampires in the past (two if one is to count Bloodlines as a separate series,) but this does not mean that she owes you any more vampires. Ms Mead is a very talented lady and she can write about any subject matter that she pleases. I'm sure she's thrilled that you enjoyed her previous work and has spent her royalty payments wisely. However, that does not mean that she automatically owes you vampires. If you were nearly as a loyal readership as you claimed to be, you would accept the authors desire to grow and develop as a writer and her wish to tackle new subject matter. Can I just add here that she does not owe you more vampires.
Then again, it is their review and they are entitled to their opinion. It just bothers me when a perfectly good book is dismissed, simply because some readers are disappointed that the author have moved in a different direction. Then again, I guess it is no different to when JK Rowling's The Casual Vacancy was dismissed by many loyal Harry Potter fans who were unable to understand or comprehend a book that was very different to the authors previous works. Anyway, Gameboard of the Gods is a combination dystopian/supernatural novel pitched at adult readers. Set in a future North America where religion has been banned and many have been wiped out by a genetic disease (which the government is trying to breed out of the population,) the main characters are Mae (a solider with perfect genes,) and Justin, a disgraced government employee. Together, the pair are investigating a series of ritual killings, which soon leads to the discovery of things that cannot easily be explained ...

I, for one, really enjoyed reading Gameboards of the Gods and was thankful that the whole thing didn't play out like a teen romance with slightly older characters. Mead is talented writer capable of many things and I am looking forward to the next instalment in the series.

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