The V-Girl

In post-apocalyptic North America sex slavery is legal. This thought terrifies Lila Velez who is desperate to lose her status as a V-Girl before the soldiers come. Her first choice is her friend, while he doesn't love her it will at least be her choice. Things don't go as planned when Aleksey Fürst comes into town and everything gets shifted.

I'm going to start out by saying this book does not glorify rape. It treats it as the repulsive, vile thing that it is. This book focuses on consent, and the aftermath of sexual assault.

This book is not for someone with a weak stomach, it has descriptions of gang rape, and other sexual assaults. They are the norm in this world that Mya Robarts has created, a world where you can be recruited into sexual slavery and the introduction is to be raped by multiple people in front of your entire town.

With all that being said I really liked this book. Lila is a strong protagonist that draws you into her world full of fear, determination, and cautious feelings in regards to Aleksey. Aleksey is a great counter to Lila, where she's inexperienced he has a breath of experience, she's in constant danger where he is constantly saving her. The way they come together feels very natural and right.

Some of the other characters worth mentioning: her father who was a doctor before the war that works on pills and creams to make the recruitment less painful and horrifying for those who go through it, Rey Lila's best friend who lost his fiancée to a group assault and then recruitment.

This story is extremely good at hammering home the need for consent in relationships. Having both parties be completely okay with what is happening. All in all this is a book extremely worth reading, and I recommend it highly.