At some point in the future, the United States has a 2nd civil war. Instead of being between north & south, this time it’s man vs. woman. Ultimately, it ends in an uneasy truce; sort of like the end of the Korean war. As such, there are still minor scrimmages & incursions over the borderlands that divide the genders.

The women of this dystopia somewhat resemble the Amazon women from Greek mythology. Like the Amazons, they are trained for combat have a tendency to really, REALLY dislike men. According to legend, the Amazons would have their childbearing aged women couple with men from a neighboring tribe once a yr. The female babies would be kept, while the male babies would be returned to the men’s tribe to be raised. As for future women, they have cut men out of the equation of reproduction altogether. Women are artificially inseminated, and the male DNA chromosomes have been omitted to preclude the chance of more male babies being produced. This is done, of course, with the efficacy of ultimately bringing the male homo sapiens to extinction.

In order to compensate for having less physical strength than their male counterparts, the women have relied on their guile to built mechanical contraptions that give the user superhuman strength & agility as well as an array of rather nasty weapons to engage male soldiers on the battlefield. They are also much more adept at fighting as a team than the male soldiers whom they square off against.

Such is the backdrop of the current tale. 2 characters living in this future (George & Annabelle) have a chance meeting and both are discontent with the status quo. As was the case in the Middle Ages, the alliance of church & state makes political considerations ever more convoluted ~ nevermind the fact that the genders no longer “play nice.” Indeed, this is a grim depiction of 2 societies that barely function in the broadest sense of the term. Geo & Anna can see that the current path is a dead end for society, but can they do anything to alter the societal path?

This book is recommended for people who enjoy science fiction novels and visions of a dystopian future. More specifically, the target audience would be readers who appreciate a sci fi tale that is set in the not-too-distant future. This is not a book about space travel or jaw-dropping technology. Rather, it centers on the consequences of what happens when men & women fail to “get along.”

(D. Roberts “Hadrian12” Vine Voice)

I was provided with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is part of the Rebel series. I had not read the prequels to this book and hence was apprehensive about being able to follow the story and the characters. But The Rebel Trap proved to be a lovely read, and there is more than enough foundation information to get readers acquainted with the set-up.

The story revolves around 16-year-old Annabelle Scott, who is caught a completely dystopian world – one where the world is ruled by a kind of a military regime. In fact, this is a world where the men have been rendered obsolete and the remnant boys are caurdoned off from where the girls live. Annabelle needs to carry out commands and orders from her military commander, much to her chagrin, as do the other girls. Things take a turn when Morgan, whom Annabelle has feelings for, manages to disrupt her auditory signalling device and communicates with her, to explain his situation. Annabelle has a choice of now being obedient and following the orders of her world, or help Morgan. What she choose, is what the book talks about.

The pace of the book is an absolute plus – with no point where it slackens, the tale moves briskly and smoothly, completely keeping the readers’ attention engaged. The internal turmoil in Annabelle is portrayed well – she is torn between doing what is right, and doing what she has been assigned to. Although it’s targeted at young adults, the book is thought-provoking, making one think about where humanity is really headed – where does one begin to wage a gory war with ethics? I would highly recommend this book to lovers of young-adult fantasies and dystopian stories.

My rating for this book: 5 stars

(R.C. Bean)

I once saw a film where women had taken over the world and men were used as fodder, for many things. This book makes that film look ridiculous. It takes dystopian, women-based worlds to a new level.

After the first book ended with one of our major characters winning in the arena, but shunning the thought of killing a man, Morgan, we find ourselves thrust into book two, with so much excitement and emotion sweltering to the surface.

We watch as a selection of females show us what the ‘peace’ in this female-driven world is really like. Secret upon secret, slathered in a sauce of secrets seems to be what these girls eat. Everywhere we turn, people are watched, monitored and keep in order. Everyone has their own agenda, which has often been set in place by someone above them benefiting from the success or failure of their agenda. Even thoughts are sacred, as we see Morgan (and a few others) hack into the minds of our readers.

With nothing private and everything at stake, we follow along as this supposedly peaceful, oestrogen driven world starts to crumble. From love to hate, and every emotion in between, we find ourselves choosing sides, as readers, and often wondering if we are following the right side.

I found myself drawn to the pages, often fighting for the side I thought best, chapter after chapter. I loved every minute of this read. IT was written very well, provided a great deal of action (though not all the action was physical, as most of the characters were battling mental and emotional wars as well). I was left hanging after each page, itching for more and this was only compounded as I turned the final page. I have been left wondering, desperate to read Rebels Divided and find out how the story pans out.

I highly recommend this read if you are into Dystopian reads that give you more than just a physical war, but play on your emotions and toy with your thoughts.

(Bri Wignall)