Book Reviews

Review: The Game of Luck by Catherine Cerveny

If you’ve been following me for a while, then you know how much I am obsessed with the Felicia Sevigny books. And Game of Luck is no different. Fortune teller meets science fiction meets a smoking hot Russian.

Summary

The perfect society One Gov engineered from Earth’s ashes is beginning to crumble. As social unrest and dissatisfaction spread throughout the tri-system, One Gov struggles to maintain order, and a single misstep could see civilization spiraling into chaos.

During this dark time, Felicia Sevigny is eager to use her card-reading ability and new position with One Gov to help restore peace. But she soon learns that the game of politics is a dangerous one, and being married to Alexei Petriv, head of the Tsarist Consortium and One Gov’s biggest rival, is not necessarily a hand in her favor.

When members of her family begin to disappear, the stakes skyrocket. There are those who would stop at nothing for the chance to exploit Felicia’s luck gene to seize power all over the tri-system. And as the threat of revolution seems imminent, it may be that this time, nothing will be enough to keep Felicia and everyone she loves safe-not even luck.

Review

(Disclaimer: I received this free book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

But what I love most about the Sevigny series is that under the simmering romance, the science fiction gun battles, lies some really interesting, and timely themes. In a world where technology is steadily moving forward, what could this same technology do in the wrong hands?

A society with reproductive control, an inter-connected internet, and organizations battling for control. So you read all of these interesting science fiction and ethical dilemmas, with some steamy scenes and a romance that will touch your heart.

Themes

And Game of Luck hit even closer to home this time. Faced with my own family’s future, Felicia grapples with pregnancy and motherhood in this book. And not in the happy butterfly way, but in the wondering about her identity if she cannot conceive and what that will mean for her family’s future. I think this is a fear that is shared by others.

The way society, and family, have ingrained these expectations in us, from childhood, for a family. That a woman’s worth is tied to her ability to have children. And when faced with the reality that you may not want that, or that you’re unable, is something that’s challenging for many.

(There were some great speeches in this book about how having (or not having) a child does not determine your worth, or your identity as a person).

Considering my own future, and whether I want to have children, I could feel Felicia’s fear and feelings of inadequacy. So in a lot of ways, I think Game of Luck has a lot of potential to strike a chord. But if you’re not interested in that, then don’t worry. There’s still plenty of ethical dilemmas in this book. In the previous books, the concept of those who have technology, and the divide it creates, is brought up.

Family & Change

Felicia’s family has been very anti-technology, and as Felicia experiments with her new OneGov role, she comes up against their ideas and prejudices. In this post-human world of genetic manipulation, virtual reality conferences, and bodily hacking, Felicia has to come to terms with how much technology she allows into her life. And speaking of genetic manipulation, enters Alexei.

Another huge topic in this book is if people can change. Both Alexei and Felicia encounter this question in a variety of ways. Whether it be the prejudices of her family against Alexei’s past or hard exterior, or Felicia’s new job with OneGov. Can people really change? And do we want to embrace that change? Being a huge fan of Alexei, I was team Alexei throughout – he’s really trying people! And he loves his dog!

Overall,

So while I could go on and on about how much I adore Alexei and Felicia, and how smoldering their relationship is, and how much I want pictures of their dog, this series has a lot to offer all readers. There’s virtual reality hacking (not really exactly what happens, but I’m not a techno expert), spaceship escapes, and tarot cards. At the same time there are questions about how much control we should allow our government, and how much technology changes us as humans. It is an absorbing read that I recommend to anyone looking for a fun series you can easily conquer at once.

Find The Game of Luck on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound & The Book Depository.

Discussion

What series just ended that you want to read all over again?


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