Reviews tagging 'Death'

Yours for the Taking by Gabrielle Korn

26 reviews

himpersonal's review

4.0
adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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: Complicated

This was interesting - almost like a reverse Handmaid’s Tale. Some might even say a feminist’s Utopia. Except of course it can’t be, because it’s built by flawed humans. There are forces who want to resist, and plenty more who want to ignore what is wrong because it’s inconvenient to question what feels like a good deal, especially when they are the chosen ones. Some might even say it feels a bit like it could be a prophetic metaphor for our current situation in the US.

This book might be a call to action for the woke who need to be further woken. As for those whom I call asleep (as in not woke), this book might just be a bit of science fiction that could someday make a good movie - with the right director. (Let’s take the red pill people, please!)

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes

I enjoyed the book in general, and many of the characters were interesting. A fun thought experiment for exploring gender, hierarchy, and control. Ultimately though it feels like there are gaps in the worldbuilding
like only a single person dying Inside in 22 years
, and the fallout of the ending meant that things did feel somewhat rushed and unrealistic
for example, the rest of the staff just going along with Olympia being leader after having just been shown to be hostile to her and her ideas.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark reflective sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Ok. I really enjoyed this book, BUT I think it will disappoint a lot of readers. 

It’s simple and on-the-nose (buzzwords included), has flat characters with a tidy plot, and you have to suspend some disbelief. If you’re looking for a nuanced, in-depth critique on climate, gender, capitalism, and white feminism — you’ll be disappointed. 

BUT sometimes you need just want to turn off your brain and jump in and this did that for me. There are some really interesting and fucked up elements in this dystopian world that kept me engaged and
the cartoonishly evil billionaire
was a good laugh.

I’d encourage readers to go in blind, but the villain reads like a
bossbabe trying to build a paradise created by J.K. Rowling and a beige mom
.

NOTE: while there’s lots of queer rep, one of the blurbs on the book says it’s found family but I don’t think this will scratch your found family itch.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense 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

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional 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: Complicated

This need to be on every #GirlBoss book shelf...

A lite scifi criticism of white femme power spaces, the danger of trans exclusion and generalization of gender, and how the future must be inclusive for humanity's survival. Dashes of romance, mystery, thriller, and corporate intrigue. The story switches perspectives between a handful of characters, each experiencing different facets of The Inside, over the time span between 2050-2078. There are some steamy sapphic moments, but mostly the romance element is slow burn.

It was refreshing to see a white author tackle these subjects with care, earnestness, and precision. This type of call-out should not always fall onto non-white, non-cis/het folks!

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense 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

Queer climate fiction is kinda my jam, though???

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Expand filter menu Content Warnings