The Day of the Dice – A Dystopian Pride and Prejudice | By Sophie Toovey

My thoughts

Narrative and Plot

 The Day of the Dice is a re-imagination of the Pride and Prejudice set in a dystopian future. However, this future is bleak and quite archaic, with good reason. It might seem quite out of the blue but the reason for the structure of the society makes sense. In order to survive, sometimes people need to be ruthless, a theme we have seen in quite a few dystopian shows. But once that survival phase is over, it shapes into an autocratic regime. This is the world where we find Elise and William.

Coming from quite different stations, Elise and William have their own preconceived notions and worldviews. When these two meet, their worlds could never be the same. That theme was explored well in this retelling.

Characters and Conflict

Elise is stubborn and quick to jump to conclusions. However, she learns over the time to observe her world, learn and then react. William, on the other hand, didn’t have enough reason to justify his mean comment, which turned Elise against him. This one is much meaner than Darcy and needed a proper explanation, which we never got. Also, the story never once put William in a position where he could lose all or have Elise. He was chivalrous and kind, but he never explicitly had to choose. I would totally like to see him make that choice in the future.

Beyond that, the story explores different relationships. Ada was quite the counterpart for Jane, but it was Alice who stood out. She is a complex and could be quite a key player in the future books, since this is a trilogy.

Even if the story meandered a bit in the middle, it caught up quick towards the end. The final twist was foreshadowed long before, but you need to pay attention to see it.

Conclusion

Overall, I had a good time reading this dystopian romance novel. It has a lot more in store and I am looking forward to reading the sequels.

About the Author

Disclaimer : I received an e-ARC of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review.