GAMEBOARD OF THE GODS - Richelle Mead Strikes Again

Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X #1)
By Richelle Mead

Rating: 4.5

'I am a soldier of the Republic. I do not serve my own will but that of my country. Those words were echoed by her mother's, spoken so many years ago: You can ignore the rest because you're better than them. Empty yourself of all feeling because if they can't see it, then they can't use it against you.'

Richelle Mead's story-weaving genius comes to life in her new series Age of X. Be prepared to fall head first into her futuristic world, filled with mystery, violence, stunning technology and tension bubbling just below the surface - be prepared to fall in love with a story, and a cast of characters, you will never forget.

'"We're all pieces on a game board, Dr. March, and some of us are more powerful than others. You. Me. Her. We're the ones the gods want. We're the ones they're fighting over."
"And I supposed you consider yourself the king on this board?"
"You must not have played chess in a while. The king is the weakest piece in the game." He gave Justin a level look. "The queen's the strongest."'

Meet Justin March: exile, genius, former investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims, notorious wine drinker, and charmer of the female demographic. 

Meet Mae Koskinen: Nordic, beautiful, deadly and dedicated praetorian - a member of the military’s most elite and intimidating tier...a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills.

Neither, upon meeting the other, ever suspected how tightly bound their fates would become.

Mae, currently relieved of her duties, is sent to bring Justin back to RUNA - the Republic of United North America. But the chance to go back isn't as golden as it seems. There's a catch. Justin is assigned a difficult and dangerous task, to solve a string of ritualistic murders. To keep Justin safe, he is assigned a guard...who turns out to be none other than Mae. The girl who Justin has been told about - the girl involved in a strange prophecy of sorts. 

A girl coveted by the gods. A girl he can never have.

'"The old guy said I'd only need on woman, and that the one he'd send me would mirror me in light and shadow, that I'd know her by a crown of flowers...He said she'd be carved of fire and ice, that she'd scorch me in my bed and live and die for me outside of it."

But solving the murders is no easy task. The clues are an incoherent jumble, no connections visible in the tangle of deaths, religious oddities and supernatural occurrences. Every lead seems to stop at an abrupt dead end. The deeper the duo delve into the mystery, the more exposed to danger they become. 

And they only have four weeks to find the murderer and solve the case.

Mundane murderers and cults aren't Mae and Justin's only problems, though. Other forces are at work...old forces. Powerful forces. Ones that will do anything and everything to claim what is rightfully theirs, be that the world, or those upon it. Playing with fire may be dangerous, but playing on the chessboard of the gods is a whole other game...one that could cost them their lives.

What will the 'Age of X' entail for humankind? And are the gods closer than you think?

Mythology, romance and kick-ass adventure combine to create a vivid dystopian world that will sweep you away and have you hooked from the first page to the very last 
word.


Be sure to grab a copy when it comes out in JUNE 2013!!


*A big thanks to PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review the ARC.*