Ritual of Proof

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Summary: Brave New Satire
Review: I first heard about this book in a fantasy magazine I regularly read. Then I overheard some sf/f folks (whose opinions I usually trust) discussing it at a convention I went to. The general consensus was that it was a cleverly done parody, so I decided to give it a read. I have to say I was impressed with the novelist's abilitily. She tugged me into this seemingly preposterous set-up with the ease of a master spinner of tales and, frankly, I had a hard time putting the damn thing down. People, it is pure ballsy satire. She's got my vote, buy the book says I.

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Summary: OUTSTANDING SPECULATIVE TALE
Review: This book is a tour de force! A sharp-angled satire of regency historical mores, a comical look at ourselves, a witty expose, and a darn good captivating read. This woman is very talented and certainly an author I will be watching. Thank you, Ms Joy, for the utterly delightful Ritual of Proof.

Rating:
Summary: Very weak book
Review: This book is bad SciFi and it's bad Romance. The idea is cute, but the follow through is weak. There are some hot sex scenes, but a book needs more than that to get on.

To me the biggest problem with the set up is that Ms. Joy does not tell us why a few major things happened. Why did the ship to settle Forus have only women on board? What is the biological change that causes male virginity to be externaly visable? Was that a natural mutation or one caused by the original settlers. There is no explaination for what that change is or how it came about. Without that the whole rest of the plot is has nothing to hang on.

I would also like to know why did the founders of this planet set up such a repressive society? In the society in the book not only men, but non-landed women the majority of the population, would live very hard and limited lives. Regency England seems a very poor choice as the social template for a fresh start on a new world.

In addition to this problem Ritual of Proof suffers from a very big case of "bad science fiction language". It's full of akward words and phrases that distract from the flow of the book rather than add to the atmosphere. I did like tasteslikerooster as an animal name, that was the sort of humor I expect from Ms Joy's books, the rest just made the book a rough read. Namegiver and namebearer were especially bad.

I have greatly enjoyed Ms. Joy's other books but I have to say they this one was a waste of time and money.

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Summary: Sensitive's...
Review: Loved Dara Joy's creation of the Sensitive's in Ritual of Proof. This was truly a ground breaking book and loved the development of Forus. I hope to see another installment of this world sometime in the future.

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Summary: Daring to be different but ........
Review: Fans of Ms. Joy's Rejar and Mine To Take, beware!!

Despite being warned about its role reversal and blatant spoofing of Regency romances, I took a chance and borrowed the book. Come on, I mean, who can resist a Dara Joy book?

I tried. I really did try. I promised to keep an open mind but it still came across to me as all wrong. I guess I'm one of those females who likes her romance heroes to be Alpha males. I hated the way Jorlan seemed almost feminine in his mannerisms... I hated the whole concept of a female ruled society. It jarred with my idea of how a romance should be and it certainly jarred with my love of the Regency period romances.

Ms. Joy gets points in setting up an other-worldly feel as the background to her story. She also gets points on originality and daring to write a story that goes against the norm or fan expectations.

But I'm sorry to say for this fan, it wasn't as enjoyable as her other books. I couldn't sigh over the hero and I couldn't like the heroine. I had plenty to dislike though.

All in all, if Ms. Joy was hoping to elicit a wide variety of extreme emotions from her fans, she's done it with this one.

I'm going to be leery of reading the next one in this series but then again...who can resist a Dara Joy book? :)

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Summary: A Disappointed Fan!!
Review: I am a huge fan of Dara Joy. I cannot put into words my disappointment with this book. The concept of a female dominant society was very interesting. Unfortunately, this story was ridiculous. The portrayal of men in this book left a LOT to be desired. I could not think of them as men. Which, I guess, was the purpose of this book;they were definitely a new breed of men. There was nothing appealing about the characters. In addition, the futuristic terminology used was hideous. In one sentence, you have the everyday word "sheets". In another you have the word "tasteslikerooster"???? I wish I had checked this out of the library instead of buying it based upon Ms. Joy's reputation. I will not make that mistake again.

Rating:
Summary: Good book
Review: I liked the story and in swicthing the roles of women and men was great it did seem ridiculous for the men to be needing protection but I think thats what Ms. Joy was trying to show that women are not superior to men but EQUAL.
Green the heroin of the story I thought was strong but open minded and I didn't feel she was cold at all but caring and kind and Jorlan the hero is fighting for equality and through out the book the reader feels like cheering him on and thats how your suppose to feel.
All in all to read this book you have to have and open mind I liked it very much I just hope Ms.joy writes a sequel to this wonderful story.

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Summary: TOP NOTCH WRITING AND PREMISE WILL HAVE YOU ENTHRALLED
Review: Ritual of Proof was the best book I've read in three years. From the characterizations to the plot to the sumptuous descriptions, rop is an unforgettable tale. Certainly a must for anyone who loves to see a writer stretch her writing boundaries and the boundaries of genre fiction. Once started, it is impossible to set aside. After it is finished you will think a long time about these people and the world they live in. A huge thumbs up from me! This is one of the few books I've added to my most reccomended list. I loved it!

Rating:
Summary: ritual of proof
Review: This is a different romance story. If you have ever wondered what the world would be like with women in charge, this is the book for you. Even if I was not a Dara Joy fan, I would still love this book. It is written from a different perspective and is not your every day romance. I like the way she writes the story and you just know there is going to be a sequel or two after this book.The love scenes are very nice. The wedding night scene will make you smile or laugh.

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Summary: The only Dara Joy I haven't liked...
Review: This book was very disappointing! I had read so many gushing reviews that I almost bought this in hardback, but lucked into a library copy first (Thank God!) While the plot is wonderfully original, I could not make myself care about the characters. I disliked Green from the get-go: I know, she is supposed to be dominant, but she came across as too hard and unfeeling to me. And I found myself rooting for Jorlan to fight harder against the system, which I understand he really couldn't do but that didn't stop me from wishing he would. The futuristic vocabulary was way overdone and was a huge distraction. I'm going to try to forget that Ms. Joy ever wrote this book, and that I ever read it.