Book Review
Title: The Gender Secret (The Gender Game #2)
Author: Bella Forrest
Genre: YA/Romance/Dystopian
Rating: *****
Review: After the dramatic and mind-blowing ending of the Gender Game, I couldn’t wait to get stuck into the sequel, even if it was only to see more of Violet and Viggo. In the opening chapter, we are introduced to Elena who is replacing Queen Rina after her death and possible assassination. She declares that she will find her mother’s killers and bring them to justice and she also implies that if Patrus is involved then they will declare war. Ms. Dale, Violet’s old defence teacher is brought in to give her opinion on the matter and she believes that Violet isn’t involved in the Queen’s death and most likely Lee is responsible but as he is already dead, they are looking for someone they can blame, and Violet seems to be that person. Queen Elena sends Melissa out to find Violet as she knows her quite well but also sends her two sisters; Selina and Marina to follow her just in case. For the first time, we are also getting Viggo’s perspective and I was excited to see what he would think of the events that took place in The Gender Game.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, Getting Viggo’s perspective for the first time was divine in the aftermath of the explosion, he is arrested but he is approached by the King. He is told that Lee and Violet are responsible and that Violet killed Lee which we know to be false, while he doesn’t believe this at first he is given Violet’s file showing she has killed in the past. While Viggo believes the evidence he is shown, he is conflicted about the task he is given to track Violet down and retrieve the egg. He is also told that if he can’t bring her back to Patrus he is to kill her. Meanwhile Violet is trying to navigate Lee’s flying machine with the egg, she is trying to go after her brother as she sees both returning to Matrus and seeking out Viggo as death sentences, but this only results in her crash landing in the desolate area of the Green. Viggo uses his connections as a warden knows Violet is in the Green and sets out to retrieve her, but there are a lot of questions flowing around in his mind about who Violet really is, why she was involved in the bombing and what his feelings are for her. Violet is having a hard time surviving in the Green especially after being bitten by what could possibly be a venomous insect while Viggo has made it to the Green and begins tracking her down with the help of Samuel, the dog. Violet is quickly succumbing to the poison coursing through her and Viggo is getting closer to her, the only hope she has of surviving is Viggo finding her before it’s too late.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, Viggo manages to find Violet in the Green but she is in a really bad way. He manages to save her life, but she is plagued by nightmares, the people she has killed or hurt haunting her dreams. Viggo is torn between comforting her and hurting her, but ultimately he decides to remains aloof. Upon waking, Violet realises Viggo isn’t a dream, that he is really there, and she tries to explain what has led her to this point and what Lee was planning to do but he knows he has to arrest her and take her back to Patrus. Violet knows this will end in her death but Viggo is adamant he will protect her, but I think he is in denial, due to the fact he is angry with Violet. Together they begin trekking through the Green back in the direction of Patrus until Violet is snatched away from Viggo, possibly by the twins who have been sent by Queen Elena to hunt Violet down.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel after Violet is snatched away Viggo’s first reaction is to chase her down and make sure she is safe even if it means compromising his own safety which shows he still has some feelings for her. Meanwhile, Violet is beginning to realise how unprepared she was for the situation she is in but as things start getting really dangerous she is desperately trying to get back to Viggo where she is safe and protected. It turns out the person that snatched Violet was none other than Ms. Dale who was trying to help Violet but was shot by Viggo in the process. Together the trio tries to find some safety from the horrors of the Green accidentally losing Samuel in the process, but they do stumble across a research facility seemingly abandoned. Violet agrees to treat Ms. Dale as a prisoner until they know why she was sent after Violet and what her role is in everything. We are beginning to see that Violet and Viggo despite everything that has happened still have feelings for each other and I have a feeling that she will sway Viggo to her side and possibly Ms. Dale as well as they already have a lot of history. However, I was concerned that we are halfway through the novel as the twins from the prologue haven’t made an appearance yet.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, Ms. Dale wakes up, but she doesn’t reveal any information to them especially about the bombing or the mines. While Violet’s anger takes over, Viggo uses logic to determine that this woman knows something about Lee or more specifically the name Desmond, and I think she might even be his mother. Shortly after the facility they thought was abandoned is being stormed, Violet manages to hide in a vent but Viggo can’t fit leaving him at the mercy of the Matrus women. After Viggo told Violet that he believes her and they are now on the same side again, she knows she has to save him, but she doesn’t know how especially since these women are after her, to retrieve the egg and kill her. I was really loving how fast the story was flying by, but the plot didn’t hold that much appeal to me, the thing that really kept me hooked throughout the first book and this one as well was purely the relationship between Violet and Viggo and I want more of them.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, Violet is trying to find a way out of the vents while Viggo is left at the mercy of Selina and Marina which means he is taking a beating. Something is off about the twins as Marina seems to have superhuman strength. Meanwhile, Violet found a way to a sub-section of the facility and there she discovers boys who failed the Matrus test that have possibly been experimented on but the one she comes across seems feral. Violet concludes that her brother might be held in this facility and sets out to see if he is held in the basement of the facility before trying to get to Viggo again. Ms. Dale briefly helps Viggo but tranquilizing the twins and offering to talk and while Viggo doesn’t really trust her he doesn’t have much of a choice in the matter.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, Violet manages to save Viggo and with Ms. Dale as their hostage again they make their way back to the lower level where the boys are being held. Thanks to Viggo’s knowledge with the computer he manages to find Tim’s file, however, he’s in no shape the help Violet free her brother so he has no choice to send Ms. Dale with her. While Violet manages to break Tim out of his cell, Viggo has been learning about what the facility is for. It turns out that Matrus was experimenting with creating enhanced humans which they managed to do which is why Marina has superhuman strength but the scientist behind the facility, Professor Jenks didn’t stop there, he was trying to create the perfect enhanced female which is what is inside the egg. As the twins wake up, Viggo tells Ms. Dale to get Violet out of the facility but neither of them knows Violet has substituted the egg. She took one of the failed egg from the office and swapped it with the real one and if they leave the facility they leave behind their only bargaining chip. The ending of this novel was brilliant as we see Violet reunited with Tim and while Viggo is injured she is given the chance to save him but it means becoming something she isn’t sure she wants to be and helping some interesting characters win a war that has been kept undercover for a long time.
Overall, the Gender Secret really surpassed my expectations, I loved this first novel but this one is even better. I liked that Violet’s storyline with Tim was overly drawn out and that Violet and Viggo are always facing new and harder challenges putting immense strain on their relationship, but I am excited to see how they work through it. The new characters that were introduced at the end of the novel, I am really excited to see more of and how they play into the larger story. Truth be told I am really excited to jump into the rest of the series as soon as I can.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Also see: The Gender Game by Bella Forrest
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