Reviews tagging 'Sexual content'

Blue Ticket by Sophie Mackintosh

8 reviews

mabs_grace's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

2.0

Mackintosh makes it really easy to hate all the characters for most of the book. I both read the physical book and listened to the audiobook of this story; I have to admit that I probably would have DNF’d this one if I didn’t have to audiobook. 

I really hated Calla pretty well until she gave birth. The fact that she constantly acknowledged that she knew that drinking and smoking is dangerous while pregnant, but stamped down her guilt by saying that her blue ticket destined her to be a bad mother so there was nothing she could do. Really made me angry, but I think that was Mackintosh’s goal.


This book was much more sexual than I though it was going to be. I thought Calla would have been more of a heroine like Katniss is the Hunger Game, but that was absolutely not the case. 

The society created in this novel was interesting in how it reflects modern day society. Highlighting and building off of the most sexist forms of oppression that exist. Though I appreciated how sexuality was so not an issue.
the sexuality of all of the characters was never explicitly stated nor was there any sexual confusion/enlightenment; the characters just seemed to “fuck” whom every they wanted to, man or woman.

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kendalsbookcase's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.25


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whimsicalish's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

I am child-free and will (hopefully) always have a choice to be child-free. The main character has the opposite wish from myself. She desperately wants a child and it's heartbreaking to see her struggle.

This book is heavy and depressing. It's a dystopian world, but honestly not far off if you live in the US.

Women are stripped of the choice on morherhood. You get a lottery ticket that says either you will have to be a mother or not. While the book never fully gives a reason or world building to how or why society functions this way, I didn't see it as an issue. It focuses on our character, Calla, as she refuses to accept her blue ticket. It opens discussion on women's advocacy to their bodies. You might think we wouldn't need to discuss this but here we are in 2023.

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bookedbymadeline's review

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dark reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I didn’t enjoy this one as much as The Water Cure. Unique and interesting plot but lacked a good execution. There was minimal world building and background, leaving me with too many unanswered questions-how did the lottery start? Why did they decide to hold the lottery? Who decided? How are the cities set up? Details about the trip to the cities? I think it would’ve been a better story if there was more background.

The characters were okay but there was a lack of depth and development. It was a quick read but could be boring at times especially in the middle. The ending had a good twist but left me unsatisfied.

Overall Blue Ticket has an interesting concept and makes you think but I wish it had more world building and didn’t leave me confused.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5/5)


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annalucy29's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5


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nataliebeech's review

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I really enjoyed this book and her writing, but feel like it’s so disappointing you never get an explanation of why the tickets came about? In other dystopian fiction you understand the reasons for the dystopia, and this book it was just not explained at all. Also not explained why the girls have to go through this period of survival as teenagers, why they are separated from their parents in this way. I understand it’s an allegory but also it felt a bit lazy and strange not to explain why. I enjoyed it a lot still but feel a bit robbed…

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toriat's review

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challenging mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0


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margotnelson's review

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I started this book on a whim, and was a little slow getting into it, mainly because the narrator is not especially likeable as a character. However, as the story went on, I wanted to know what would happen and how it would end. It was a quick and intense read, and a subsection of the dystopian genre that I hadn't yet dived into but had potential to be really interesting. Descriptions of the logic of this world felt glossed over in a way that didn't serve the story (i.e. Is the ticketing system just in this one country? Why was it implemented in the first place?) and made for an unsatisfying ending.

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