Imagine your sole duty in life is to produce children for society, and you must spend your reproductive years breeding with a strange man. This is Kate’s plight in the dystopian novel, Breeder, by Casey Hays.
The story begins on Kate’s sixteenth birthday, and she is facing the reality that the Fates have chosen her to breed children. Prior to her birthday, she undergoes training by learning the art of seduction. After her birthday, Kate must make the first of many trips to the Pit where the Council expects her to mate with a man of their choice. Because the all-female Council blames men for wars, the men are imprisoned in the Pit and are considered stock who are only good for reproductive purposes.
Though Kate visits the Pit and meets her mate Ian, she’s unwilling to accept her fate as a breeder and views Ian as a person instead of stock. Her rebellion disrupts the delicate balance in the village and puts her at odds with the Council’s leader Mona.
The story is gripping and well-written, and it contains thought-provoking themes about personal choice and the role of men in society. Kate’s character is well-developed, and the dynamic between Ian and Kate is intriguing.
While conservative readers might have concerns over the subject matter, sex is never discussed in detail, and there are no graphic scenes. However, the novel is still most appropriate for high school age and beyond. If you are a fan of dystopian fiction, I recommend Breeder, which is book one in the Arrow’s Flight series.
Would you like to know more about the Arrow’s Flight series by Casey Hays? Join her reading marathon for the series that’s happening now on Facebook. I’ll be the guest author today, and by participating in the marathon, you’ll meet different authors and have the chance to win some dystopian books.