Matriarchs: Eliza’s Revenge (Book Review)

Matriarchs: Eliza’s Revenge by Susan McDonough-Wachtman

The Matriarchs deemed men too aggressive. Genetic engineering took care of that! 
Winga grew up on the matriarchal planet Gaia. She married Jakor to escape, but now that he’s dead, possibly murdered, all she can think about is going home.
Rif has always been a starship captain, and when he is told to investigate smuggling on Gaia, he is not enthusiastic. But orders are orders. 
Winga and Rif are forced to team up and discover a lot more about each other and Gaia than they ever wanted to know. They must pick their way through overwhelming cultural differences, figure out what is going on and why, avoid being killed in the process and ultimately decide what to do about their discoveries — which will inevitably bring enormous changes to the planet.

Let me just take a moment to applaud Susan McDonough-Wachtman and her superb novel. I adore Science Fiction. Especially Science Fiction with strong heroines written by intelligent women.

I was tempted to give this book five star, but to be honest there are a couple of issues I have so my honest opinion is four stars.

Keep reading to find out why.

There are some pretty interesting views about religion, politics, and the affects (good or bad) of patriarchal and matriarchal societies.

The technology in this world is sooo Sci-fi, but not over-the-top. I love it.

I enjoyed the characters, even the snarky AI Han, but a couple of characters were undeveloped. I kept wanting to know more about Antolic (Winga’s brother) and Delano (Rif’s father) but it never came.

The pacing was a little off at times. At the end of the book I was trying to determine how much time had elapsed, but I couldn’t. Also, the flow of the book was disturbed by the Sidebars. It was interesting information, but just seemed out of place.

And the main thing that bothered me about this book… wait for it… I was more than 85% done when I stopped reading and said aloud, “Who in the hell is Eliza!” I won’t say anymore because I want this to be a spoiler-free review, but my question was answered on the next page. I think the author did that on purpose. Shame on you Susan McDonough-Wachtman. 

With that said, I still enjoyed this book immensely and I am sure you will too. If you want to know more about the author, check out her bio, website, and a sample of the book below.

Peace and Love to All

About the Author: Susan McDonough-Wachtman

I’m a kayaker, writer, mother, wife, gardener, teacher, cat lover and book addict. I self-published Snail’s Pace, Arabella’s Gift, Matriarchs: Eliza’s Revenge and Lizzie in the Land Beyond. Ferry Findings, a collection of short stories, was published by Kitsap Publishing in 2016. “Well written,” “quirky sense of humor,” and “doesn’t fit the genre” are the comments I hear most about my books and stories.

Author Website

https://susanmcdonoughwachtman.wordpress.com/