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shaziareads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
ok this was ..... something. this book takes place in a dystopian america, where money has no value and society has mostly fallen apart. miranda knows she needs to find a safer place to live for her and her daughter emma and after some travel they end up in femlandia - a women-only colony built by miranda's estranged mother, win. in femlandia, life is thriving but things seem off. and this is basically where i started to feel more and more iffy about this book until i was just wanting it to finally end.
i won't go too into my thoughts about this book but overall i just feel like this had so much potential, and instead christina dalcher went about it in the worst way possible. warning that the rest of my review is going to contain spoilers. femlandia is supposed to be a safe haven for all women, and most of its inhabitants are women who have been victims of abuse, violence, and more by the hands of the men in their life. however, win's vision of this perfect place to live was blinded by her pure hatred of men and this is where things got really weird for me, especially since our protagonist miranda was like, an apologist for men? so on one hand we have a character that hates men and claims they are inherently evil, and then on the other hand we have a character that is great but also gives off these heavy "feminists are dumb" vibes. like why ......... couldn't there be a more normal character in this book lol?
i'm kind of bummed out that i didn't like it cause i really do think it could have been a great book. i also felt there were some parts where the writing was weak. i want to end this on a positive note though so i will say that the narrator of the audiobook was really good and i don't normally notice that kind of thing so there's that. i wouldn't recommend this book but if anyone i know happens to read it i would love to discuss.
i won't go too into my thoughts about this book but overall i just feel like this had so much potential, and instead christina dalcher went about it in the worst way possible. warning that the rest of my review is going to contain spoilers. femlandia is supposed to be a safe haven for all women, and most of its inhabitants are women who have been victims of abuse, violence, and more by the hands of the men in their life. however, win's vision of this perfect place to live was blinded by her pure hatred of men and this is where things got really weird for me, especially since our protagonist miranda was like, an apologist for men? so on one hand we have a character that hates men and claims they are inherently evil, and then on the other hand we have a character that is great but also gives off these heavy "feminists are dumb" vibes. like why ......... couldn't there be a more normal character in this book lol?
i'm kind of bummed out that i didn't like it cause i really do think it could have been a great book. i also felt there were some parts where the writing was weak. i want to end this on a positive note though so i will say that the narrator of the audiobook was really good and i don't normally notice that kind of thing so there's that. i wouldn't recommend this book but if anyone i know happens to read it i would love to discuss.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Forced institutionalization, and Pregnancy
Minor: Domestic abuse and Rape
audra_spiven's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
amiee's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Gun violence and Abortion
lpdx's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Trafficking, Grief, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
natsbookshelves's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Medical trauma, Murder, and Gaslighting
becca_thegrimreader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
What would happen if women ruled the world?
We meet Miranda and her sixteen-year-old daughter fighting for survival in a now dystopian America. After an economic crash and has descended into chaos. With barely any money and being forced out of their house, Miranda and Emma must find somewhere safe to go to. Being outside after dark is dangerous, and there are no shelters with space to take them. They decide to go to Femlandia, a female-only commune and “paradise.”
Well, this book is disturbing and is not one for the fainthearted. There are many scenes that will leave the reader uncomfortable and almost sick. Christina Dalcher takes the idea of a woman-led environment to the extreme, and while thought-provoking at times, overall it is gruesome. To me, the women and their society came across as cult-like. The fanatism and extremism of their views are distressing, and there is no hint of equality between the sexes.
To be honest, I didn’t quite care for the characters. Miranda bored me, I felt it tiresome to read through her point of view. I understand that we need to learn her history and her previous life of glamour and wealth. But there were things that happened in her past that I felt would have shaped her character differently than how she was portrayed. I also would have loved to hear more from the other characters such as Emma, Sal, and Nell.
There are things that I question about this book, and it’s very difficult for me to put them into words. There are things in this book that don’t sit right with me, even the concept of this book, and maybe I might be on my own about that.
I received this book from Netgalley and HQ. My review is unbiased and completely honest.
*I'm editing this review after a lot of thought. I have thought about this book many times since I read it, and not positively. Seeing it in shops has made me feel angry and upset. Looking back on my review I was a little vague, probably due to being in shock after reading it and it's taken me some time to get my thoughts in order.
I would not recommend this book. I found it to be very traumatic and damaging. It is supposed to take a look at extremism, but it falls short. If anything this book will probably be lauded as why feminism is dangerous. As someone who believes in equal rights and feminism this did not align with my personal beliefs in any way, and I believe that would be the case for may other readers.
This book features many transphobic comments. I will not quote them here as they are in other reviews, but they are offensive and should not have been included. Many comments or ideas in this book align with transphobic rhetoric and I am appalled that it was included in this book. I was upset reading it, and I could not imagine how upsetting it would be for other people to read and to feel excluded and villainized by this book.
I received this book from Netgalley and HQ. My review is unbiased and completely honest.
*I'm editing this review after a lot of thought. I have thought about this book many times since I read it, and not positively. Seeing it in shops has made me feel angry and upset. Looking back on my review I was a little vague, probably due to being in shock after reading it and it's taken me some time to get my thoughts in order.
I would not recommend this book. I found it to be very traumatic and damaging. It is supposed to take a look at extremism, but it falls short. If anything this book will probably be lauded as why feminism is dangerous. As someone who believes in equal rights and feminism this did not align with my personal beliefs in any way, and I believe that would be the case for may other readers.
This book features many transphobic comments. I will not quote them here as they are in other reviews, but they are offensive and should not have been included. Many comments or ideas in this book align with transphobic rhetoric and I am appalled that it was included in this book. I was upset reading it, and I could not imagine how upsetting it would be for other people to read and to feel excluded and villainized by this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
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