Review of Severed Roots

[Olivia Orbih]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Severed Roots" by Nego Huzcotoq.]

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3 out of 5 stars

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Rating - 3/5

“A relationship is only as strong as the one who wants it the least.” I have to say I’m on the fence with this one. The book had great potential, but there were several unanswered questions.

I must say, the world-building was excellent. Severed Roots transports us to a dystopian world run by women, a world that is supposedly at peace. This world was remade following the “Age of Oppression,” where men ran things. In this new world, men are referred to as “mankeys”, which I felt was a bit much. The subjugation of males is glaringly apparent right from childhood. They basically do not have any rights and are openly encouraged to undergo gender reassignment surgeries to be eligible for better-paying jobs and a higher standard of living. Children are born by “human manufacturers” and are raised in “Children’s Centres,” but even at that level, boys and girls are raised separately, with girls being treated much better. Women are not left out, as any woman caught entertaining thoughts of having her own child and raising a family is ostracised. Family, and the desire for it, is seen as a crime. At the other end of the spectrum, we have the rebel group, “The Hardinians,” who basically believe that women and children are the property of men.

The story follows Nick, a male raised in one of the Children Centres by facilitator Angelina; he is now a magician living in poverty and is at odds with his friend, Karla, a top government official. He suddenly starts to question this new world order when his best friend, Beatrice, takes drastic action due to dissatisfaction with her life. Along the way, he makes another friend, Morrie, who is part of another resistance group that preaches the importance of the family and moderation in everything. Things subsequently come to a head between the new order and the other factions…and then the book ends.

The book was initially slow-paced, but then the ending was quite rushed. As a result, many things leave you wondering, “When/how did that happen?” amongst other questions. Of course, the ending was a cliffhanger, so I want to believe there will be a sequel answering all the questions.

Overall, it was a fair book, and the editing was superb, but the ending was not very satisfying.

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Severed Roots
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