33 of 37 people found the following review helpful
 A Promising Tale but in Need of More Work, March 8, 2013
This review is from: The Priest (The Ginecean Chronicles Book 1) (Kindle Edition)
Very much a nod to Shakespeare's tale of the Capulet family, this futuristic or alternative world take on the story has a massive amount of promise. Set within Ginecea, a highly oppressive matriarchal society and one ruled by a despotic presidential family, the men are subjugated as slaves whilst the women rule with a rod of iron. A quasi-religious establishment handles the issue of procreation, in a world where only women are allowed to marry and so beget children, obscuring the actual process behind a bogus belief system. Insemination is in fact achieved through the enforced donation of sperm by `semental' slaves, one of whom we are introduced to as the protagonist, Mauricio.
La Porta deals with the tricky subject matter with aplomb, and a great deal of objectivity, which is commendable. There's no sensationalising, tasteless innuendo or posturing, leaving the background to the story very much to the reader's own interpretation. She concentrates more on the central love theme, between Mauricio and (believe it or not) the president's unruly and wayward daughter, Rosie.
It's the unfolding of this central plot that begins to raise a number of problems with the book in general. Much of the story's arc demands just too many coincidences and a great deal of the suspension of disbelief. All stories must be internally consistent, be true to their own logic, but this one too often falls foul of this imperative. The president's daughter, Rosie, manages a frankly impossible ruse that puts her in Mauricio's imprisoning installation. It's not that she's depicted as being particularly clever, or the presidential organisation as notably lax, and so we're led to conclude that this is simply a failing of internal logic.
The shortcomings in plot mechanics could have been forgiven had the characters themselves been at all engaging, but they were largely shallow and unconvincing. The dialogue lent them the air of cardboard cut-outs, not full-bodied, rounded, three dimensional people. Even when motive was examined, it lacked any real feel of having grown from genuine past experience. We were always very much told what they thought, not shown. Minor characters may be forgiven for being nothing more than cyphers for the story, but not so main characters. Although Mauricio's internal world was often described, and often at far too greater length, it threw up glaring inconsistencies in viewpoint, sentiment or aspiration, bearing either little or indeed contradictory relevance to the events about him.
Those events happened against sometimes well described settings, but realised without a great deal of engagement for the reader. The early chapters were set in Mauricio's grey incarceration, so the flat depictions could be forgiven, but when he later encounters the outside world his supposed revelation doesn't lift itself from the pages. It always felt as though Mauricio was pretending never to have seen flowers, or grass, or bugs before. The inattention to phrasing used in his thoughts and dialogue often implied prior knowledge of the outside world, which rather destroyed the eventual impact. An inattentive approach to detail, such as in chapter six where Mauricio is described as trailing his hand through the `foliage' of a field's tall grasses, also does little to inspire confidence.
As a reviewer, I'm ineluctably drawn to the fact that this work has had no creditable editing. There are rafts of text begging to be pruned away, so the gem of a sentence can be seen - concisely and with an immediacy sadly lacking throughout. It is a shame, because the standard of grammar is high, with few typographical errors, but it is still only a manuscript, not of publishing quality. With decent editing, the excellent story obscured within could then shine out and provide an enjoyable as well as thought provoking read. The germ is there, but there's still much to be done to bring it to bloom. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you? 
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
 Took Me Hostage, February 28, 2013
This review is from: The Priest (The Ginecean Chronicles Book 1) (Kindle Edition)
The Priest took me hostage for 24-hours. If I wasn't reading late into the night or stealing moments to read during the day, I was-- and still am-- thinking about this captivating tale.
Mauricio is a compassionate and intelligent young man who had been born a slave in a society ruled by women. His life is lonely and hopeless behind the walls of The Temple, the confines of which he hadn't been outside of his entire life. But he is resigned. He was born into slavery and would die in slavery-- unloved, insignificant, suppressed. Until, a Temple guard's mistake changes everything.
This is a story of forbidden love between a slave and a "pure breed" woman, who transcend prejudice and hatred to find a soul mate. It is brilliantly written, vivid, and elicits strong emotion. I was completely sucked into Mauricio's bleak existence, rooting for him, worried for him, wishing hell fire on his oppressors, drinking in his few moments of happiness, and concocting alternative storylines, all the while hanging onto the hope of a happy ending-- which I won't tell you if he had or not.
The other aspect I appreciate about this story is its innocence and the author's tact. The Priest is a true romance, and one I won't soon forget. Goes without saying, I look forward to reading Book 2 in The Ginecean Chronicles, Pax in the Land of Women. I fully anticipate sleep deprivation. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you?
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Gutsy, compelling and powerful!, May 12, 2013
This review is from: The Priest (The Ginecean Chronicles Book 1) (Kindle Edition)
Monica La Porta is an author that I consider to be quite gutsy. In `The Priest,' she has cleverly crafted a story that is unique in its delivery of diverse points of view. Gender distinction in marriage has become an increasingly passionate topic in our world, especially in the U.S. where it has reached the Supreme Court level. The author takes on this hot topic and turns it upside down in story form.
Throughout my read, I found myself caught up in the intricacies of the storyline itself yet, concurrently, marveling at the psychological insight that Ms. La Porta displayed in developing her characters. Mauricio, Guen, The Priestess and other characters are compelling and powerful in their own right. Their encounters with each other are vividly scripted, entertaining and exciting. Throughout the story, there was a spirited undertone that engaged me, intellectually and emotionally. When Rosie showed up, however, the quality of the undertone became vibrant; the story became infused with heart.
There were times that I found myself wanting the author to write more intensity into the scenes that highlighted prejudice, hatred, betrayal and fear. However, after a discussion with another reader, I became respectful of Ms. La Porta's wise choice to write more objectively as relates to these themes; for, in reality, the debate over gender distinction in marriage is a fierce one. Help other customers find the most helpful reviews Was this review helpful to you?
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