Reviews

Outlawed by Anna North

ibinbar's review against another edition

adventurous emotional fast-paced

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

3.75

enid815's review against another edition

4.0

Great western about women that are not able to have children of their own. They become outcasts because they are barren and thought to be witches. It again shows how women are made the brunt of a bad situation and made to be the fault of others misfortunes. Men continuously put the blame on women.

dwbooks's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

elisabethian's review against another edition

3.0

not really the feminist piece it tries to be, but it’s on the right tracks.

the world building was pretty bad. everything seemed neat, but everything was mentioned but never explained, which kept me wondering what they meant by “the flu” and how we got to here we are now. what is the flu? why is jesus always “baby jesus”? why are babies so damn important?

also, less of a critique, but to kill off one of the only interesting characters is a crime. i loved lark :(

despite my hardships with it, i would recommend it to a friend, so it gets 3 stars

edit: also, the main character was boring as hell

rebecca_liz's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense fast-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? Yes

3.5

hollybobz's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

rybarr's review against another edition

adventurous emotional fast-paced

4.0

scoutthehuman's review against another edition

adventurous informative reflective 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? Yes

4.5

A great story about a group of outlaws who want to make the world, at least a small part of it, a safe space for people outside of the established norm. The playfulness with gender expression in a seriously dangerous time period resonated and i appreciated the queer and trans perspectives. I would have loved to see this story through alternate character’s eyes. I think that would’ve enriched the story, but I do deeply care for Ada and her experience. 

shaunie991's review against another edition

5.0

4.5 stars

There seems to be a lot of negative feedback given to this book. I’m certainly not mad at it. I really enjoyed this queer historical fiction piece. The ending was a bit abrupt (hence the .5 rating lost) as I was hoping for just a little more of something, but overall this book was stellar. Also decent narration by Cynthia Farrell.
I’d actually be interested in reading how Ada continues to treat her patients, the losses, the saves, the drama, all that historical fiction stuff.

lcmcmurtray's review against another edition

4.0

So here is the thing: was this a perfect book? No. It took some time to find its stride, it was never very clear that it takes place in a Margaret Atwoodian dystopian alternate timeline, and the supporting characters could use more fleshing out. BUT the writing was beautiful, the story fascinating and well-paced, and it filled a niche I didn’t know I’ve been wanting: queer feminist Western with a speculative edge. I wanted to stay in this world a little longer.