Reviews with content warning for Pregnancy - Vox

Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

Vox by Christina Dalcher

20 reviews

danimacuk's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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angelofthetardis's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

I'll be totally honest, when I first looked at this I was pretty sure I wouldn't enjoy it. But actually, it's another one of those terrifying dystopian novels that, if you squint, isn't actually that outlandish at all. Imagine that every woman you know is prevented from working, every girl's education is limited to basic maths and home economics (no reading or writing), and every female is limited to speaking just 100 words per day on pain of electrocution. How do you even begin to start fighting back?

The plot feels like quite a slow burn; it's certainly not an action packed storyline, but even within the fairly domestic setting there is something about the way this is written that keeps you engaged. In my opinion, it's actually the stories of the main character's oldest and youngest child that really cry out to you as a reader; seeing a teenage boy influenced into 'drinking the Kool-Aid', not just through peer pressure but through educational indoctrination and media bias feels so real and relatable, particularly considering the issues the US are currently experiencing. And the instinct to scream at the unfairness of a little girl suffering a nightmare and not being able to call out for her mummy then celebrating when she wins an award for saying the fewest words in a day... it's heartbreaking.

The book reads like the author looks at those of a religious persuasion and is genuinely perplexed at how their beliefs lead to such fanatical behaviour. Now, clearly that is not reflective of every person of faith, but the author has done a very good job at illustrate the 'extreme' end of Christian conservatism in the US (at least, it's recognisable from a Brit's POV!) It's also a great social commentary on the importance of using your voice when you can; vote when you have the opportunity, stand up for your rights and the rights of others and take an interest in current affairs, politics and the world around you so you can try to make a difference, rather than getting stuck in a situation you don't like without ever having said a word.

This book is very much the author writing ehat she knows; her accreditation as a neurolinguist is stated in the 'About the Author' section. While it does make for interesting reading, at the same time her knowledge does shine through in the use of technical jargon and other elements. As it is quite a niche field of interest, it does make the book a little hard to follow in places and a little 'mad scientist-y' in the resolution. But overall it's still a very readable and understandable book.

I was also slightly disappointed by the ending. I appreciate that the story is told from one character's perspective, but that does mean that the denouement isn't witnessed firsthand and so the key scene is actually just referred to in a vague conversation between two characters. After that slow build, it would have been nice to see the outcome firsthand .

Pleasantly surprised by this!

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inkell's review against another edition

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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delta1juliet's review

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challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.0

A true horror novel.

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carolinacortez's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

"Piensa en lo que necesites hacer para ser libre"

Cuando dijeron que es una reinterpretación del cuento de la criada no mintieron, como siempre es aterrador ver lo que una distopia súper misoginia sería, en esta ocasión es en un mundo en dónde q las mujeres nos quitan la voz, hubo varias veces que quería vomitar del coraje y no podía más, repito es muy aterrador pensar en que eso pudiera llegar a ser verdad en el algún momento

la verdad en general si me gustó mucho la novela, si la recomiendo mucho, mi único problema fue el final y para mí los finales son super importantes y por eso le quite tantas estrellas, se me hizo súper rápido el final, apresurado, le faltaron (a mi parecer) como 5 capitolas más para explicar mejor ese cierre, pero de ahí en fuera me encantó mucho.

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beau_03's review

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challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.75

I’ve not picked up a book in a while and this one had me keen to continue which is always a plus. The ending was rushed, too much so, and there were some strange decisions made about how to tie off the loose ends. Seems strange for our protagonist to take the back seat for so much of the ending, given the subject. And I’m not a fan on the awkward love triangle? Line? Comparison thing going on with her decision making as it seemed a little too on the nose. But overall, the premise is interesting, the buildup is engaging and then of course you have to know how it ends.

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