Title: The Protector
Series: Men of the North #1
Author: Elin Peer
Genre: Dystopian romance
Summary:
400 years in the future, men are few and women rule the world.
Except for the area formerly known as Canada and Alaska, which is inhabited by the Men of the Northlands, a group of strong men, who refuse to be ruled by women.
Christina Sanders, an archeologist and professor in history, is fascinated with the past. As a modern woman of year 2437 she knows that women are better off without men, but longing for an adventure, she makes a spontaneous decision and volunteers for a job no one else wants. Now she’s going to lead an archeological excavation in the Northlands, the most secluded place on earth where the mythical males live who are rumored to be as brutal and dangerous as the men Christina has read about in her history books.
What will happen when Christina crosses into the men’s territory? Will they allow her to do her job and is there any way they’ll let her leave again – unharmed?
The Protector is the first book in Elin Peer’s new romantic drama series Men of the North
What do I think?
Well, I think this is one huge mess of a book. Fair enough, I did DNF it, so I’m not entirely sure what went on in the larger picture story wise. But I am an entitled Gen Z who feels the need to shove her opinions at the faces of people who don’t particularly care, so here we go.
I went into this book after a really long hiatus from romances. Fresh from the heart break of an intense whirlwind of an unrequited crush, I decided this was exactly what I wanted to read. A trashy romance with a kind of mars needs women trope, so the hero really does want the girl…you see. You see why I would need this stupid slow torture of a trope after getting rejected, don’t you? Except it did not scratch that itch and it didn’t give me this angsty torture I expected it to offer either. The book was so undermining I contemplated giving up on it within the first chapter.
Why? I don’t know. Maybe because I was reading it alongside Jane Eyre. And that was a mistake, because the language and nuances of that book are nowhere to be found in this one. I can hear you moaning. “But Asha, that is a classic for a reason! You are not making a fair comparison”. Yes, I should not. I don’t think pulp fiction romance has to aspire to be the next pride and prejudice or the next Jane Eyre….but it certainly was jarring to read this book alongside a classic. Because where one was filled with intensity as a stylistic choice, the other felt like the author had no mastery over words.
But that’s a me problem and considering my goal with this book was not exactly to savor the brilliance of its prose, I should overlook it.
What I could not overlook was the unrealistic world building or the lack of any chemistry between the characters, both of whom are…unlikeable to me. The story opens to an archeology professor holding a class for her students on the forbidden and juicy topic of Nmen (northmen) which is basically a way for the author to info dump us. The world has only two countries left after tradgedy which I couldn’t be bothered to remember, and those are Canada and the Americas (Because of course, that is what would seem natural to an American author. Nuke the entire world into oblivion but still the Americas survive. Somehow). It makes no sense. None. Because pollution and things like that cannot be stopped with a wall…like, is this not common sense?
Then the whole confusing concept of the small part of Canada having only men and no women. And the “Motherlands” having a women led political scenery with men who are apparently not as brutish as the Nmen of said Canada. Again, makes no sense. Men don’t lose tall people genes suddenly because they are born in the Motherlands, surely? Not in 400 years unless they are actually playing with genetics there. And somehow women in this ‘new world’ outnumber men by a ratio of 14:1, How? How did a war just get rid of the men?
Other holes in the plot: Imagine a world where only two countries are left standing. Now if you were excited about unknown data about 400 years back, where would you go to dig for it? You would be correct if you guessed that it would be in the places where other countries used to exist. Because you know…that’s the point of archeology…expeditions to find things that hadn’t been found yet. In this book, the heroine has to go instead to a new library they found in Canada. Because why? Don’t know, something about there being a lot of information in a library. Yeah sure, so why an archeologist? And only one? Why can’t the Nmen do it on their own?
Then this divide itself has lots and lots of weird issues. The Men in the Motherlands are effeminate, the Nmen are burly futuristic vikings. There is no resistance to the women ruling the world in a totalitarian fashion in the Motherlands and the Canadas has a new king who got there…by fighting.
All of this, in two separate info dumps, both disguised as lectures. This felt off. I wanted to chuck the book when an old lady started showing forbidden pictures of the Nmen, because even Grams is interested in vikings. But I stuck it out.
Then the council members of the motherland just decide for some reason that it was okay to send a woman into this brutal, weird, man paradise of the North because she asked. Then the hero announces all the men are going to fight to win her as soon as gets to Canada…literally. As in all these women deprived men are going to be fighting over this girl to be her protector. Our stupid heroine Christina announces that she wants boulder to be her protector an hour into meeting with him (yes, their first meeting and conversation were appropriately stupid and ‘fiery’). Oh and yes, Boulder is a stupid name. What is he, a rock? Did I mention the other stupid names? There’s a Khan Aurelius. Yes, from Genghis Khan and Marcus Aurelius. I didn’t find it funny, if that was what was intended.
It was at that point, mere (4?) chapters into this book that I decided my crush was right to have rejected me, maybe, because if this is my choice of a comfort book, how crazy am I? So I gave up on it because I had had enough of eye rolling at the logic flaws and the teenage talk of characters who were supposed to be in their 30s.
Thanks for reading my self pitying rant of a review. Please read the amazon preview of the book and see if you like it. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend it but who knows, maybe you will like it.
What’s up with your lives?
Oh, Happy New Year.
Yours,
Asha.