Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Feed Them Silence by Lee Mandelo

13 reviews

aromarrie's review

dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

4.25

sci-fi horror at its finest. 

the thing i love the most about the story is that it really felt like it was written in dual pov….you didn’t just get sean’s perspective, but also the wolf that’s so pivotal to this research study that’s being done. 

the combination of invasive technology and vivid descriptions of the cold & barren woods through another species’ eyes added to the surreal atmosphere, i feel.  

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Violence, and Grief

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Infidelity and Sexism

scifi_rat's review against another edition

dark reflective tense fast-paced

• Loveable characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Grief, Cursing, Alcohol, Medical content, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Sexism and Vomit

readingpicnic's review against another edition

3.75

Failing sapphic marriages in books make me sooo sad (similar to Our Wives Under the Sea). This story posed very interesting questions about ethics, conservation, and intimacy. The main character was genuinely so morally gray, and I did NOT support most of her behaviors, but my discomfort and disgust with her actions and thoughts also intrigued me. You can see her growth throughout the story as she learns the cost of her selfishness with her work project and her ambivalence towards and unappreciation of her wife. Their relationship was so complicated but felt very real. It gave me hope that after everything, they were still working on it, even though they had both made mistakes and had miscommunications. The wolf scenes were so visceral and strange, but also cool. I could definitely see this type of scenario posed by the book taking place in real life where a big corporation funds something like this in order to monetize it to the masses as a VR experience. What a trip.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Gore, and Violence

Moderate: Infidelity, Terminal illness, and Sexism

Minor: Racism

mar's review

sad fast-paced

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

1.5

idk i think this should've gotten more fucked up sorry. i mean i got the themes it was going for - kinship with animals, ethics in science/research, loneliness, repression - but it just fell competely flat for me :/ 

also, very confused as to why this book is labelled as horror - it's unsettling in the way a nonfiction book about climate change is unsettling, but i really wouldn't call it horror. unless you're creeped out by a failing marriage ig

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Sexual content

Moderate: Blood, Gore, and Medical content

Minor: Sexism and Racism

charlotteer's review against another edition

dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

The writing style felt almost lyrical to begin with but towards the middle/end it became more repetitive, with the same words or a similar description used noticeably more than once or twice. 

The plot was interesting and was explored well in its 105 pages but I felt as if it fell short of a few expectations and was a little lack-lustre because of this. 

Overall, a little too monotonous for me but I did enjoy reading it!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty and Medical content

Moderate: Gore, Infidelity, Animal death, Violence, and Vomit

Minor: Sexism, Racism, and Alcohol

fieldfarmer's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Animal cruelty, Medical content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Racism and Sexism

ofbooksandechos's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Medical content

Moderate: Infertility and Sexual content

Minor: Sexism and Gore

alienor's review against another edition

dark emotional

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Medical content

Moderate: Blood, Infidelity, and Gore

Minor: Racism, Sexism, and Vomit

taratearex's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

 Near futuristic sci-fi novella where a researcher connects her mind to a world, while her marriage is also falling apart party due to her wife ethically disagreeing with her research. Cool concept and fast paced, the audiobook is expertly read by Natalie Naudus. I wanted it to get weirder/more horror. End was a bit anticlimactic. But overall a great sci-fi novella. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Medical content, and Animal death

Moderate: Infidelity, Blood, and Gore

Minor: Vomit, Racism, and Sexism

starrysteph's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

3.0

A bleak & distressing journey into the near-future that felt a bit like a Black Mirror episode (though not quite as tech-y).

We follow Dr. Sean Kell-Luddon, a work-obsessed researcher who is intent on bridging the gap between humans and animals. Her newest project uses advanced neuroscience to translate the live perception of a wolf through her own eyes (she’s always been fascinated by wolves & is hoping to protect one of the last remaining wild packs). But between her greedy VC funders and her strained relationship with her wife, her world is teetering on the edge of ruin.

It’s a sad tale from start to finish. Mandelo’s characters waver ethically, hurt each other, and challenge their humanity & their empathy for the world around them. 

Sean is not particularly likable - she’s not a good partner and doesn’t feel motivated to change that, she’s so blinded by her curiosity that she doesn’t critically consider who is funding her project, her desire to be close with wolves overrides any consideration of animal ethics, and so on. But her fascination and attachment to the wolves was incredibly compelling. And the foil of the one-sided relationship between Sean and her wolf and Sean and her wife was very well-done!

Feed Them Silence both challenges academia and eerily captures human greed for knowledge without care of who it may hurt or destroy. It’s a look at intimacy and selfishness and greed and obsession. 

I think the limits could have been pushed further; I was ready to be repulsed by more weirdness. I also had very mixed feelings about the ending. But I was definitely immersed in this uneasy little story.

CW: animal cruelty & animal death, animal medical experimentation, medical content, grief, blood, gore, vomit, injury, violence, infidelity, racism, sexism

Follow me on TikTok for book recommendations!

(I received an advance reader copy of this book; this is my honest review.)

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Racism, Infidelity, Sexism, Animal cruelty, Vomit, Alcohol, Animal death, Medical trauma, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Medical content, and Violence