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3.23 AVERAGE
3.23 AVERAGE
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
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:
Yes
dark
reflective
tense
Whoever said this was feminist is absolutely insane. This book is NOT feminist.
I wanted to love it, but I had such a hard time reading it. I'm genuinely confused about whether I even enjoyed it or whether my dystopian novels loving self pushed me to continue. There is not one likable character in this book. I hated everyone. Both sides are batshit crazy and I feel like this book does more harm than good.
The MC is a pampered, self-righteous bitch who, as the author puts it, thinks that since shit doesn't happen to her, it doesn't happen to anyone. I hated how, every time the MC started to think about all the reasons women have for disliking men and hating the patriarchy and wanting a safe female commune, she went back to her bullshit and invalidated the experiences of women everywhere. Whether that commune was actually safe or not doesn't matter at this point because she would have scoffed at their choices anyway, which is ironic because she complained about women disagreeing with her choice to "go traditional". She just had zero self-awareness. Obviously I do not agree with the misandrists and how Femlandia was set up, but I can at least understand why women would want a place without any men, which is something the MC seemed to be fully incapable of.
Even aside from that, several things in the book just made no sense to me.Emma's immediate attachment to Jen and disdain of her mother was so abrupt it gave me whiplash. And then Sal suddenly stepping up when she could have been opposing the abuse of boys for years made no sense. Why did she need the saviour that is Miranda? We're supposed to believe that working with primates makes her an expert on human psychology.
The epilogue saved it somewhat, but couldn't fully put out the dumpster fire that preceded it.
Edited June 2023: Found out the author is a TERF. Everything in this book suddenly makes so much more sense. Taking away the second star I gave it for the benefit of the doubt.
I wanted to love it, but I had such a hard time reading it. I'm genuinely confused about whether I even enjoyed it or whether my dystopian novels loving self pushed me to continue. There is not one likable character in this book. I hated everyone. Both sides are batshit crazy and I feel like this book does more harm than good.
The MC is a pampered, self-righteous bitch who, as the author puts it, thinks that since shit doesn't happen to her, it doesn't happen to anyone. I hated how, every time the MC started to think about all the reasons women have for disliking men and hating the patriarchy and wanting a safe female commune, she went back to her bullshit and invalidated the experiences of women everywhere. Whether that commune was actually safe or not doesn't matter at this point because she would have scoffed at their choices anyway, which is ironic because she complained about women disagreeing with her choice to "go traditional". She just had zero self-awareness. Obviously I do not agree with the misandrists and how Femlandia was set up, but I can at least understand why women would want a place without any men, which is something the MC seemed to be fully incapable of.
Even aside from that, several things in the book just made no sense to me.
The epilogue saved it somewhat, but couldn't fully put out the dumpster fire that preceded it.
Edited June 2023: Found out the author is a TERF. Everything in this book suddenly makes so much more sense. Taking away the second star I gave it for the benefit of the doubt.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No