Blurb from publisher -In dystopian Kansas, women have lost all rights except the right to reproduce. Unmarried pregnant women are rounded up, given new names, and forcibly married as second and third wives to members of Reverend Ezekial’s congregation.
Stacey desperately searches for allies to stem the political tide, while Ruth must risk her life by going underground to rescue her sister.

More frightening than the The Handmaid’s Tale because more closely tied to actual current trends, this “powerful cautionary tale” (Kirkus Reviews) should remind us never to check our humanity and compassion at the door when making rules for others to follow.

Dystopian novels intrigue me. I won an advanced reader's copy through LibraryThing/Early Reviewer in September and began reading immediately. Like most social distancing readers I looked forward to losing myself in a good book.

Unfortunately, after restarting this book several times, I was not able to finish. It just could not capture my attention. The dialogue felt stilted and failed to hit the emotional levels I felt the subject matter needed. As a librarian and frequent reader of advanced works, I was disappointed when I received this first edition. The story line didn't contain new point of view and thinly resembled other books on the same subject. ( )

When I requested this book, I did not realize that it was book 2 in a series. Since I have not read book 1, I do not feel like I can adequately review this book at this time. ( )

This book seems like it is an unfinished draft rather than the final product. The characters all feel cliched and, unlike actual people. The situation is eerily similar to Handmaid's Tale, which left me wanting to go back and reread that book than finish this one. ( )

I received a complimentary copy courtesy of the publisher. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

A New God In Town: Book 2 Of The Red State/Blue State Confessions

By: Thomas Walton Keech

REVIEW ☆☆☆
I wanted to like this book, but it didn't work out that way. I have not read the first book, but I don't think it would matter anyway. The subject matter and I had no connection. Honestly, I'm the wrong audience, in my opinion, and readers more interested in the content will surely enjoy the story. Unfortunately, I didn't love this book. ( )

While the book deals with an interesting topic - a dystopian near future in which states are almost-independent from each other and consequently establishing their own laws - it reads, at times, as a draft rather than the finish text. It is not because of the fact that the book is the second one in a series, but rather, because some of the scenes and the characters are not clearly delineated and developed. The book owes quite a bit of its plot to Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" in that the state of Kansas, in which most of the action takes place, has devolved into a demented christian theocracy, with polygamist marital structures, branding laws for sinners (addicts, single mothers, etc.), and severe restrictions for women and their bodies (specifically in relation to pregnancy). ( )