The Rage Room

by Lisa de Nikolits

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of The Rage Room in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Lisa de Nikolits' newest novel, The Rage Room, is an impassioned feminist and dystopian fiction, one that is alarming familiar in tone to that of 1984.

Do-overs. It's a concept we've all dreamed about. The chance to fix our mistakes. Both the minor and the major concerns of our past. Yet it's also a fictional concept, that is, until Sharps messed up big time – and got the opportunity of his life.

He's been given the rare chance to go back in time and fixed the wrongs he's made. Not all of them, to be sure. But certainly the biggest mistakes of his life. Actions that he normally never could have taken back.

Sharp's journey may sound like a dream come true, but the complexity of the situation is quickly made apparent, all while raising ethical and moral debates left and right.

“I couldn't let my little guy smell the fear on me. I had to get a grip on things.”

The Rage Room is an intriguing and dark piece of work, let me tell you that much. This is not a novel you pick up for the bubblies, and that's okay. It hits on many similar notes to that of 1984, but with a significantly stronger leaning towards feminist goals and ideology.

For that reason alone, it truly was fascinating to read. I'll confess that it's pretty difficult to like Sharps, but then again, I'm not certain that we're supposed to. He's merely a pawn in this dystopian world – one who has so much less control than he thought. It's alarming and thought-provoking, all in one. That's why I found myself unable to look away, eagerly seeking what next consequence there would be popping up into Sharp's life.

The Rage Room is marketed as a cross between Groundhog Day and The Matrix, both of which are accurate comparisons. I'd like to throw one more into the mix: The Future of Another Timeline. In both instances, the author sought to raise important and difficult conversations through the use of time travel and so much more.

Lisa de Nikolits' novel defies genres, as it merges dystopian, feminist fiction, science fiction, and thriller elements all into one. It's chilling and darling, and it will leave an impression on the minds of its readers.

Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks