Review - Gambit by C.L. Denault

Gambit (The Prodigy Chronicles #1)

By C.L. Denault

Published March 31st, 2015 by REUTS Publications, LLC

556 pages

3.5 stars - Enjoyable start to a series. 

*I received an e-arc of this book from NetGalley and the publishers in exchange of an honest review. Thank you!*

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:

In Earth’s battle-ridden future, humans have evolved. Those with extraordinary skills rise to power and fame. Those without live in poverty.

Sixteen-year-old Willow Kent believed she was normal. But when a genetically-advanced military officer shows up in her village and questions her identity, long-buried secrets begin to emerge. With remarkable skills and a shocking genetic code the Core and its enemies will do anything to obtain, Willow suddenly finds the freedom she craves slipping through her fingers. Greed, corruption, and genetic tampering threaten every aspect of her existence as she’s thrust, unwilling, into the sophisticated culture of the elite Core city. To ensure peace, she must leave the past behind, marry a man she’s never met, and submit to the authority of a relentless officer with a hidden agenda of his own.

Her life has become a dangerous game. How much will she sacrifice in order to win?

Review:

I was completely intrigued by the synopsis of this book when I found it on NetGalley. The cover looked cool and the synopsis just begged me to read the book. So I was pretty happy when I found out that I had been approved to read it. 

The beginning instantly hooked me and I was definitely intrigued by Willow's life. Her voice kept me interested in what was going on and I wanted to know more about her and her secret. I was looking forward to what was going to happen once she found out she was different. Unfortunately the whole book wasn't this way for me. There were moments where I couldn't stop reading but there were also moments where I became quickly annoyed with the characters. 

I'm going to use a different format than what I usually use for reviews because I feel like it might work a little better. 

What I enjoyed about this book:

 - Willow's personality (to an extent). Willow was independent and incredibly strong throughout this book. There were many obstacles that she faced and so many changes that she had to adapt to. She got through all of them even when she felt like she was alone. I admired her for that and I admired that she stood up for what she wanted and believed in. 

 - Willow's friends and family were also very enjoyable. Most of them were very supportive and loving. They were all great in their own way. 

 - The setting was also interesting because this book is set in the future. I completely forget how far into the future this book is but it is said at one point. There is new technology and there are new ways of living. It was all very interesting to learn about and felt kind of odd at the same time because the villages were more old fashioned. 

- Joshua was a very intriguing character. I liked the point of his character but I was also somewhat confused by it. I'm looking forward to learning more about him and his type of people in the future books. 

What I didn't enjoy about this book:

 - Willow's personality was, at times, difficult to deal with. She had just turned 16 and really seemed to act like it. This wouldn't be a problem but the whole feel of the book felt older and I think it would have made more sense for her to be older. There were times where she threw literal tantrums and I was somewhat annoyed with it. 

- The romance was something that I just couldn't fully get into. Reece and Willow just didn't always fit in my eyes. For me personally the age difference and the clash of personalities made it difficult to understand the relationship. I'm hoping that I'll understand Reece more in the books to come and that I'll start to enjoy the relationship between the two. 

Overall, I didn't have too many issues with this book. There were a ton of things that made it an interesting read and I'm looking forward to learning more about this world and the Prodigies. The romance and some of the characters fell a little flat for me but hopefully that will be different in the next book. 

If you are interested in Dystopian books, then definitely check this one out! Also great for those that enjoy strong female leads and interesting worlds! :) 

Vanessa