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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
This was a really well done compilation of feminist short stories and poems. I especially liked that after every story or poem, there was an exert from the author, explaining not only their inspiration and choices for the story/poem but also their feminist reading recommendations, so definitely read this with a notebook and pen so you can write them down!
The stories were a mixture of contemporary, fantasy, historical and sci-fi which was really interesting as each story was different and added a new layer to the book. I really enjoyed the majority of the stories which is really rare for me when its a collection of short stories, and I would love to see full novels from some of these stories because they left me wanting more.
- Vagina Dentata 4/5
- You Wake With Him Beside You 5/5
- The Weight of Iron 5/5
- What She Left Behind 5/5
- After The Foxes Have Their Say 3/5
- Shadows 3/5
- @Theguardian1792 4/5
- Gravity 3/5
- The Guardrail Disappears 2/5
- Good Sister, Bad Sister 3/5
- Vigilante Lane 4/5
- We Have But Lingered Here 3/5
- The Whispers 4/5
- Smile 4/5
- Potluck 3/5
- The Change 2/5
I will have detailed synopsis's with spoilers for each story/poem on my blog post, so as not to spoil it here.
I really do recommend this book, especially if you're in the angry feminist killjoy mood.
Trigger warnings for; sexual abuse, sexual assault, self harm, rape, emotional abuse, sexual harassment, gore, blood, and mutilation.
The stories were a mixture of contemporary, fantasy, historical and sci-fi which was really interesting as each story was different and added a new layer to the book. I really enjoyed the majority of the stories which is really rare for me when its a collection of short stories, and I would love to see full novels from some of these stories because they left me wanting more.
- Vagina Dentata 4/5
- You Wake With Him Beside You 5/5
- The Weight of Iron 5/5
- What She Left Behind 5/5
- After The Foxes Have Their Say 3/5
- Shadows 3/5
- @Theguardian1792 4/5
- Gravity 3/5
- The Guardrail Disappears 2/5
- Good Sister, Bad Sister 3/5
- Vigilante Lane 4/5
- We Have But Lingered Here 3/5
- The Whispers 4/5
- Smile 4/5
- Potluck 3/5
- The Change 2/5
I will have detailed synopsis's with spoilers for each story/poem on my blog post, so as not to spoil it here.
I really do recommend this book, especially if you're in the angry feminist killjoy mood.
Trigger warnings for; sexual abuse, sexual assault, self harm, rape, emotional abuse, sexual harassment, gore, blood, and mutilation.
I wish men knew what it meant for a compliment to feel like a threat.
This may end up high up on my favorite releases of 2019.
Betty Bites Back is an anthology of feminist horror, and anyone that knows me knows that I’m a fan of all things horror, so when I saw ‘feminist’ and ‘horror’ in the same sentence, I clicked that request button faster than you would believe.
In these sixteen short stories there is quite literally something for everyone. Really short stories, longer stories, poetry, gore, ghosts, an all female tribe, etc. Some are stronger than others, as with all anthologies, but they all serve their purpose. The only thing that bothered me about this anthology was the lack of intersectionality. I can only remember one main character of color and one non-cis character.
I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to give anything away about any of these stories. I think everyone should experience this for themselves. I want everyone to go into this knowing very little. It’s more special that way, in my opinion.
My favorites include:
What She Left Behind by E.R. Griffin
Shadows by Demitria Lunetta
Gravity by Kyrie McCauley
Good Sister, Bad Sister by Azzurra Nox
The Whispers by Lindsey Klingele
The Change by Kate Karyus Quinn
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This may end up high up on my favorite releases of 2019.
Betty Bites Back is an anthology of feminist horror, and anyone that knows me knows that I’m a fan of all things horror, so when I saw ‘feminist’ and ‘horror’ in the same sentence, I clicked that request button faster than you would believe.
In these sixteen short stories there is quite literally something for everyone. Really short stories, longer stories, poetry, gore, ghosts, an all female tribe, etc. Some are stronger than others, as with all anthologies, but they all serve their purpose. The only thing that bothered me about this anthology was the lack of intersectionality. I can only remember one main character of color and one non-cis character.
I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to give anything away about any of these stories. I think everyone should experience this for themselves. I want everyone to go into this knowing very little. It’s more special that way, in my opinion.
My favorites include:
What She Left Behind by E.R. Griffin
Shadows by Demitria Lunetta
Gravity by Kyrie McCauley
Good Sister, Bad Sister by Azzurra Nox
The Whispers by Lindsey Klingele
The Change by Kate Karyus Quinn
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This collection is SO FUCKING SATISFYING and is one of the best collections of short stories I’ve read in a while. Fury + vengeance + feminist writers. Be still my bloody, rage-filled heart.
Some of my faves:
* Smile (Emilee Martell) - the next time some asshole on the street tells you to smile, think of this story and try *not* to smile - a real big one, with all of your teeth.
* The Whispers (Lindsey Klingele) - “vengeful suffragettes with scalpels”
* @theguardians1792 (Jenna Lehne) - a teenage girl uses Twitter to enlist the help of the #FeministArmy to get back at shitty dudes
* Vagina Dentata (Mindy McGinnis) - BRILLIANT (I think you can guess what it’s about, and holy cats it’s delightful)
* What She Left Behind (E.R. Griffin) - a girl dealing with trauma encounters a ghost seeking revenge
* Shadows (Demitria Lunetta) - an anthropologist’s exploration of an all-female society (spoiler: they aren’t just braiding each other’s hair)
* Vigilante Lane (S.E. Green) - what should happen to each and every pedophile
* We Have But Lingered Here (Liz Coley) - theater fight coordinator/ superstitions/ghosts?
* The Change (Kate Karyus Quinn) - “Don’t be afraid... The change is happening. The change is here.”
This is available on Kindle Unlimited and was so good. There’s a second (YA!) anthology by the same editors called Among the Shadows: Thirteen Stories of Darkness & Light that I’m putting in the queue.
Some of my faves:
* Smile (Emilee Martell) - the next time some asshole on the street tells you to smile, think of this story and try *not* to smile - a real big one, with all of your teeth.
* The Whispers (Lindsey Klingele) - “vengeful suffragettes with scalpels”
* @theguardians1792 (Jenna Lehne) - a teenage girl uses Twitter to enlist the help of the #FeministArmy to get back at shitty dudes
* Vagina Dentata (Mindy McGinnis) - BRILLIANT (I think you can guess what it’s about, and holy cats it’s delightful)
* What She Left Behind (E.R. Griffin) - a girl dealing with trauma encounters a ghost seeking revenge
* Shadows (Demitria Lunetta) - an anthropologist’s exploration of an all-female society (spoiler: they aren’t just braiding each other’s hair)
* Vigilante Lane (S.E. Green) - what should happen to each and every pedophile
* We Have But Lingered Here (Liz Coley) - theater fight coordinator/ superstitions/ghosts?
* The Change (Kate Karyus Quinn) - “Don’t be afraid... The change is happening. The change is here.”
This is available on Kindle Unlimited and was so good. There’s a second (YA!) anthology by the same editors called Among the Shadows: Thirteen Stories of Darkness & Light that I’m putting in the queue.
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
In the blurb, teeth in a vagina got my attention. It reminds me of a movie I love. That story was so short, but I enjoyed it. There was such a diverse span of stories in this book. I'm not gonna lie, I didn't finish three of them. There was one I loved so much that I actually browsed Amazon for that author's other books. That's the good thing about books like this. It's like a sampler of authors. So there's everything from futuristic cars, werewolves, ghosts, vigilantes, and teeth in a vagina in this book. I'm a woman, but I definitely don't hate men, but I got a hatred of men vibe from one poem. I'm giving this one 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I wasn't sure about this anthology at first. The only reason I requested it was for Mindy McGinnis and her story was one of the shortest which was a little disappointing. But I ended up really enjoying it. The stories were fun and often over far too soon for my liking. I really enjoyed the variety of stories. Some were horror, some paranormal, some just plain spooky. I liked the few that were written in verse. Each story sent it's own message, though some of them I thought were a little unclear with their feminist message. Overall, I really enjoyed this anthology. The writing was good, the stories kept me interesting and the overall message was excellent.
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes