Forever Obsession: Review: The Game of Love and Death

The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough

ISBN: 9780545668354
Pages: 352

Source: Ebook (Own)

Publication Date: April 2, 2015

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Antony and Cleopatra. Helen of Troy and Paris. Romeo and Juliet. And now . . . Henry and Flora.

For centuries Love and Death have chosen their players. They have set the rules, rolled the dice, and kept close, ready to influence, angling for supremacy. And Death has always won. Always.
Could there ever be one time, one place, one pair whose love would truly tip the balance?
Meet Flora Saudade, an African-American girl who dreams of becoming the next Amelia Earhart by day and sings in the smoky jazz clubs of Seattle by night. Meet Henry Bishop, born a few blocks and a million worlds away, a white boy with his future assured — a wealthy adoptive family in the midst of the Great Depression, a college scholarship, and all the opportunities in the world seemingly available to him.
The players have been chosen. The dice have been rolled. But when human beings make moves of their own, what happens next is anyone’s guess.
Achingly romantic and brilliantly imagined, The Game of Love and Deathis a love story you will never forget.

Hello everyone! Today I'm finally doing my review for The Game of Love and Death which I read back in August I think...it's been a while but I'm finally bringing my review in for you guys so let's just get into it~

When I first started reading, I wasn't expecting to be blown away because I heard somewhere that it was being compared to the Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. While I really enjoyed the Night Circus, I found the story to be slow paced despite the beautiful writing and intrigue. The story kept taking me by surprise because the plot was just so interesting and engaging. I loved the concept that our main characters, Henry and Flora, were part of this huge game between Love and Death that includes tragic couples such as Cleopatra and Anthony and Romeo and Juliet.

The characters were each unique and complex but my favorite is definitely Death. She is so different from everyone else and has this inner struggle and development of character that puts her in a different light. Henry and Flora were decent and I enjoyed seeing their characters grow throughout the novel. Then we have Love who I didn't love because of his attitude towards everything in the game, but I'll admit he kept things interesting...president of Hooverville...

The idea of an interracial relationship, I'll admit, was one of the key factors that drew me into the story. The novel is set in a time period where racial hostility was high and that just added more layers to Henry and Flora's relationship. Everything they went through as a couple was so well written and all the struggles each one of them faced because they were in love with someone of a different race was just so alive. And as if that wasn't enough, Martha Brockenbrough throws in another "controversial" topic of same sex relationship. Honestly I was so surprised, but it put everything into perspective with the comparison between two guys having lunch and a white man and African American woman doing the exact same thing.

I honestly would love a little spin off novella from the past stories just so I could get more of this world and of Love and Death's characters (mostly Death). Be sure to check out the most recent LBB Podcast to hear what Claudia thought about this novel because we did a little impromptu review!

To be written in a story. That was how the lost lived on.

The Games mean something only because we love. That is your gift to humans so thank you.

Life is a temporary condition, Henry. And it's uncertain. That's why you have to seize chances when you find them. Pursue what you want. Take risks. Live, love...all of it. Every last one of us is going to die, but if we don't live as we truly want, if we're not with the one we want to be with, we're dead already.