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4.12 AVERAGE
4.12 AVERAGE
I adore this book. I did not anticipate the ending but nonetheless, I still felt like it made sense and felt cohesive to the plot. I love each character and felt for their struggles. Each different perspective felt like a new personality which as a reader I could not enjoy more. I encourage everyone to read this book. The commentary on rape culture was amazing and I appreciated McGinnisโ language around the subject to no end. Please read this book it is so worth it. Just be aware of the trigger warnings and take care of yourself.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Holy shit. The Female of the Species is a damn fine book. I'm writing this review knowing like 2.3 people will read it and I'm nervous I'll somehow not speak to how much I enjoyed and appreciated this book, but I'm going to give it a go anyway. When I started, I wasn't sure what I expected, given I came into the read thinking it was YA (and it is), but it is outstanding. The prose is gorgeous--it was easy to read and had a beautiful cadence to it. Alex's POV in particular was brilliantly done, and she's probably the best YA character I've ever read. Jack was the least exciting to me, which is unusual given the heart eyes I often develop when reading books with any sort of romantic subplot, but I think this book is way more about women than it is about romance, so it makes sense. That said, I think Peekay is relatable in a way most girls in books aren't--she's real and insecure and deeply loyal. I want her to be my friend and I want her to be Alex's friend even more.
The work the book does calling out rape culture isn't subtle, but it is powerful. There's this messaging about the burden of sex and gender that women and girls carry around as we navigate the world that is hard and so good, particularly given the YA audience. Alex makes a helluva case for women everywhere doing what they think they need to to survive or even act as the predator every once in a while. I find myself torn because if Alex was a man, I wouldn't have loved this book. But I really do, and that makes me ask myself a bunch of questions. What part of me thrives reading about a dangerous woman? Why is that so rare and hard to find? Is Alex good or bad? How does my own context (being a young woman in an androcentric society) change the way I look at her and her actions?
OOF. What an amazing read. I'm going to be thinking about this one for a long while.
The work the book does calling out rape culture isn't subtle, but it is powerful. There's this messaging about the burden of sex and gender that women and girls carry around as we navigate the world that is hard and so good, particularly given the YA audience. Alex makes a helluva case for women everywhere doing what they think they need to to survive or even act as the predator every once in a while. I find myself torn because if Alex was a man, I wouldn't have loved this book. But I really do, and that makes me ask myself a bunch of questions. What part of me thrives reading about a dangerous woman? Why is that so rare and hard to find? Is Alex good or bad? How does my own context (being a young woman in an androcentric society) change the way I look at her and her actions?
OOF. What an amazing read. I'm going to be thinking about this one for a long while.
5 brutally brilliant stars๐๐๐๐๐
Wow! This book was brutal, dark, raw, and reel.....
Violence begets violence... Alex has always had a little something... a little spark of anger in her.... and her sister kept it in check.;. until her sister was raped and murdered....
Then she sought vengeance..... she also felt as though she would never be normal...... when she befriended Claire and fell in love with Jack.... she felt as though perhaps she had a chance... a chance to live a normal life.....
BUT as we all know in life bad things happen....
This book made a very strong statement about rape, girls, and slut shaming.... even the words on the bathroom walls made you realize that as women or girls we need to spend more time building one another up rather than tearing each other down.... and the end of this book, so brutal, but absolutely the only way I think it could end...
An absolute must read if you are a fan of dark books with amazing characters and a powerful message! ....
Wow! This book was brutal, dark, raw, and reel.....
Violence begets violence... Alex has always had a little something... a little spark of anger in her.... and her sister kept it in check.;. until her sister was raped and murdered....
Then she sought vengeance..... she also felt as though she would never be normal...... when she befriended Claire and fell in love with Jack.... she felt as though perhaps she had a chance... a chance to live a normal life.....
BUT as we all know in life bad things happen....
This book made a very strong statement about rape, girls, and slut shaming.... even the words on the bathroom walls made you realize that as women or girls we need to spend more time building one another up rather than tearing each other down.... and the end of this book, so brutal, but absolutely the only way I think it could end...
In every species, the female of the species is more deadly...
An absolute must read if you are a fan of dark books with amazing characters and a powerful message! ....
so different from anything I've ever read...
I'll be talking about this book for a while.
I'll be talking about this book for a while.
goddamn
i sat down with this book this morning and finished mere hours later. because holy shit this book packs a powerful punch. i feel so many things... anger, sorrow, hope... and all because this book talks about humanity and sexual assault and rape culture and letting things slide in a way that is so real it hurts. thank you for this book, Mindy McGinnis. Hard as it is to read, it is so so important.
here's my full review, in which I relate this book to the presidential election and my own feelings about rape culture... pleasant!
i sat down with this book this morning and finished mere hours later. because holy shit this book packs a powerful punch. i feel so many things... anger, sorrow, hope... and all because this book talks about humanity and sexual assault and rape culture and letting things slide in a way that is so real it hurts. thank you for this book, Mindy McGinnis. Hard as it is to read, it is so so important.
here's my full review, in which I relate this book to the presidential election and my own feelings about rape culture... pleasant!
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Iโm not sure where I thought this would go but what a journey we went on.