Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Vox


Vox by Christina Dalcher
Publisher: Berkeley
Publication date: August 21, 2018
Source: Publisher for an honest review


Description:
Set in an America where half the population has been silenced, VOX is the harrowing, unforgettable story of what one woman will do to protect herself and her daughter.

On the day the government decrees that women are no longer allowed more than 100 words daily, Dr. Jean McClellan is in denial--this can't happen here. Not in America. Not to her.

This is just the beginning.

Soon women can no longer hold jobs. Girls are no longer taught to read or write. Females no longer have a voice. Before, the average person spoke sixteen thousand words a day, but now women only have one hundred to make themselves heard.

But this is not the end. 

For herself, her daughter, and every woman silenced, Jean will reclaim her voice.
 

My Take:

Anyone who knows me knows I love a good dystopian story - short story, novel, movie - you name it.  Fortunately for me, VOX really hit that dystopian sweet spot just when I needed to read it. 

The novel starts about a year into the new chapter of America in which all females are limited to 100 spoken words a day. This barbaric rule is enforced by a “bracelet” which counts the words and delivers gradually increased electric shocks with each word over 100.  As if this isn’t bad enough, females are also deprived of reading and writing - of any kind. For any reader, curious person, and any otherwise intelligent human being, this is exceedingly cruel. Girls are segregated into their own “schools” to learn homemaking skills - this is their only education.  Jobs for women are out of the question, of course. 

The descriptions of how this came about are told by Jean as flashbacks of regret for not taking things seriously or seeing the threats as real. Jean regrets that she viewed her friend Jackie as too extreme in her protest, too hysterical. That word is used a lot in referring to women - specifically how men view women’s reactions to things happening to them. 

Anyway, Jean is an amazing cognitive linguist who had been on the verge of a major breakthrough right at the moment that women lost their right to speak. This is a huge point in the novel. Not only are human rights being violated at every turn, but there is a huge conspiracy as well. Without giving anything away, the story involves Jean being needed by her government for her particular skills and her response to this coercion. 

The novel is fast paced, thought provoking, has some great heroic characters and really kept me emotionally invested in the story. 

Once I started reading VOX, I couldn’t put it down until I had finished it. For anyone who enjoys dystopian fiction, read The Handmaiden’s Tale or enjoys feminist, activist fiction, definitely read VOX.


Thursday, June 7, 2018

Athena: The Warrior Queen of Yavdolo - Spotlight

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Athena: The Warrior Queen of Yavdolo by Helen R. Davis

Publication Date: May 17, 2017
 Christian Faith Publishing, Inc. eBook; 140 Pages 
ASIN: B0716ZV4H5

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Damlol is a planet located outside the reaches of Earth and the solar system, a peaceful world from which many colonists from Earth left centuries ago, fleeing a worldwide caliphate. But all is not as it seems. Athena, the princess of a country known as Yavdolo, is growing up in a turbulent time. The kingdom of Avodla desires to crush all other nations and cover the world in an oppressive dictatorship—similar to the one the colonists fled from so many centuries ago. This is the story of a girl of great courage and her many adventures, the first in a series.

"Fantasy and science fiction lovers will fall in love with Athena, rooting for her until the very end. In this, Helen R. Davis, like fantasy giants, has created a new world full of wonders and mystique which will leave you have stepped into another realm that by the end of it, you won't want to leave. A highly recommendable read!" - Carolina Casas, co-author Isabella Unashamed

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Kobo

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DFys98OTOI]

About the Author

03_Helen R. Davis
Helen R. Davis has a long interest in history, religion, politics, and all nations. Author of "Evita, My Life," Ms. Davis has studied the ancient world through the gift of books since a very young age, her passion for Egypt and the era of Cleopatra kindled long ago. She has also researched and studied other times and eras and has a passion for strong women who have governed nations from the past to the present.

For more information, please visit Helen Davis’ website. You can also connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Blog Tour Schedule

Tuesday, May 29 
Review at Reviewing Nerds 

Wednesday, May 30 

Thursday, May 31 
Feature at Donna's Book Blog

Friday, June 1 
Review at DystopianCitzn Blog 
Review & Excerpt at The Book Junkie Reads

Monday, June 4 

Tuesday, June 5 

Wednesday, June 6 

Thursday, June 7
Feature at A Book Geek 

Friday, June 8
Interview at Reviewing Nerds

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour we will be giving away a paperback copy of Athena: Warrior Queen of Yavdolo! To enter, please enter via the Gleam form below.

Giveaway Rules

– Giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST on June 8th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
 – Giveaway is open to residents in the US only. 

– Only one entry per household.

 – All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspect of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion. 

– Winner has 48 hours to claim prize or new winner is chosen.

A Man of Honor Blog Tour and Review

  A Man of Honor, or Horatio's Confessions by J.A. Nelson Publication Date: December 9, 2019 Quill Point Press Paperback, eBook & ...