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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
A bit of a different read - a country with a curfew for men between 7 pm and 7 am. Then a woman is found murdered. The culprit cannot be a man, since all men are tagged, and they are at home, or can it be? Interesting, different, drew me in immediately, but the ending was not the strength of this book. Well worth a read though!
This is a unique story that puts a spin on the typical murder type novel as there is a curfew put on men to keep women safe. the chapters are told from a few different characters who are all connected in some way that comes together at the end. I liked this idea and instantly felt drawn in to the story and didn't want to put the book down. Overall the plot is intriguing and there are a few twists that will keep you reading until the very end to find out what happened.
* I received a copy from netgalley and I reviewed it voluntarily *
* I received a copy from netgalley and I reviewed it voluntarily *
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
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:
Complicated
The difference perspectives and the flipping from each I found very slightly confusing at the beginning but once I got into the swing of it really kept me on my toes. The different characters views on curfew really makes you think about our current society and what it could be like. Although a couple of the views can be incredibly infuriating at times it really builds to the whole story and forces you to think. I can honestly say I thought I knew where the story was heading at times and was thrown complete curve balls throughout.
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse, Abortion
Interesting premises that kept me guessing till the last few pages
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
i didnt like how trans people weren't considered at any point and it didn't explain that men are the way they are because of how they are socialised and not because of some innate badness within them.. bell hooks is rolling in her grave rn
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
After Dark by Jayne Cowie
☀️☀️🌤️
A short, snappy whodunnit that explores heavy and important themes, but fails to expand on basic tropes or surprise with the ending.
I was immediately hooked by the premise of this story: an alternate future where men are placed under Curfew overnight for 12 hours a day. When a brutal murder occurs the detective in charge is convinced it had to be a man, but the body was dumped overnight...a solid, intriguing idea! This book raises a lot of valid points regarding domestic violence, sexual crimes and patriarchal dominance in society.
Unfortunately in execution I was left wanting more. The "dream scenario" of a gender flipped world was a little too good to be true with such low crime rates across the board (and statistically most women are hurt by their partners at home, so preventing men from leaving overnight would only increase this). It also wholly failed to acknowledge non-binary, genderqueer/diverse folk at all, which is a pretty egregious error for a modern/futurist book.
The mystery itself was set up well enough but the red herrings felt a little too blatant for my tastes. The ability for the criminal to do what they did was conveniently skipped over, because presumably the author didn't bother to figure it out, which is sheer laziness when Cowie went to great efforts to explain the new technology utilised in the plot.
Cowie's writing is succinct and unemotional which works well within this genre, but there were too many instances of finding repeat concepts/phrases only a few paragraphs apart which I felt could have been edited to flow better.
This book succeeds in the sense that it makes you think about the themes explored, but the plot itself was predictable and none of the characters did much to warrant any emotional connection.
☀️☀️🌤️
A short, snappy whodunnit that explores heavy and important themes, but fails to expand on basic tropes or surprise with the ending.
I was immediately hooked by the premise of this story: an alternate future where men are placed under Curfew overnight for 12 hours a day. When a brutal murder occurs the detective in charge is convinced it had to be a man, but the body was dumped overnight...a solid, intriguing idea! This book raises a lot of valid points regarding domestic violence, sexual crimes and patriarchal dominance in society.
Unfortunately in execution I was left wanting more. The "dream scenario" of a gender flipped world was a little too good to be true with such low crime rates across the board (and statistically most women are hurt by their partners at home, so preventing men from leaving overnight would only increase this). It also wholly failed to acknowledge non-binary, genderqueer/diverse folk at all, which is a pretty egregious error for a modern/futurist book.
The mystery itself was set up well enough but the red herrings felt a little too blatant for my tastes. The ability for the criminal to do what they did was conveniently skipped over, because presumably the author didn't bother to figure it out, which is sheer laziness when Cowie went to great efforts to explain the new technology utilised in the plot.
Cowie's writing is succinct and unemotional which works well within this genre, but there were too many instances of finding repeat concepts/phrases only a few paragraphs apart which I felt could have been edited to flow better.
This book succeeds in the sense that it makes you think about the themes explored, but the plot itself was predictable and none of the characters did much to warrant any emotional connection.
"Just as beautiful infants became bitter teenagers, domestic bliss became domestic drudge, and husbands who had broken Curfew came home, men always showed their true colours eventually.
They couldn't help themselves."