Reviews with content warning for Animal cruelty - Vox

Pros
Interesting oremise - reminiscent of the handmaids tale
Loved the short chapters
Was fast paced, read it in a day

Cons
Second half of the book was lacking, not sure I understood the ending

so Patrick saves the day, but all we know is that he went into the building and ran out as the building was being locked down and was shot by a rooftop sniper but I'm confused on what Patrick actually did.

Also I know this is based on jeans story, but I would've liked to have known more about Patrick, his perspective

working for the administration whilst also being a part of the resistance, trying to bring them down

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serinalovesreading's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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nila's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective sad fast-paced

3.0

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dumbbuthyperfixated's review

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dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.0

scientific details were interesting, nice world building with the wrist counters. i think the writing made it seem like i didn't know if things were happening or not and that got a bit confusing

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stormwise's review against another edition

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tense

2.0

I was very excited for this book - I'm obsessed with language and linguistics - but the execution...left much to be desired.

My biggest gripe with this book was the pacing. With 326 pages split into 80 chapters, the narrative felt very choppy - this was occasionally effective when moving between the present and flashbacks, but overall it just made it harder to follow the story, especially as the plot picked up. Speaking of the plot, the ending was an absolute mess. The story fizzled out in a confusing collection of scenes that we are mostly told about rather than shown, in which

a character is dramatically killed off - conveniently fixing a romance plot point.

I have certain expectations of contemporary social dystopian novels, especially those aimed at adults. One of those expectations is a certain degree of Intersectionality. Dalcher includes gay and lesbian (side) characters and examines what happens to them under the Pure regime, but fails to include trans people - which I would be more forgiving of if she hadn't chosen to have her protagonist use the acronym 'LGBTQIA'. If you're just going to focus on the L and G, why even mention the rest?
I was annoyed further by the fact that Dalcher is clearly aware of the issue of intersectionality - halfway through the book,

the protagonist meets a black woman who predicts that she and her mixed race marriage will be treated more harshly by the Pure regime in the future.

"Oh, good," I thought, "we'll see more about how other social groups are treated." It is then never mentioned ever again.
I'm not saying that I wanted to see black or trans people (or any other marginalised group) being treated badly in fiction, but it felt disingenuous that a plot device rooted so deeply in Conservative American values was for all intents and purposes merely sexist and homophobic, and not racist and transphobic.

(I also found the way that Jackie, a lesbian feminist protestor, was presented...a bit icky. "Feminism is good, but if you're too shouty and don't dress nicely then don't be surprised when you're branded as hysterical!" And don't get me started on the love confession flashback. Classic lesbians, amirite?)

Overall this book felt more like an exploration of the science and philosophy of the concept than an actual novel. The first few chapters of world building were very engaging but once the plot kicked it, it all fell apart.

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btrz7's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

3.75

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helendipietro's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective tense fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was my first dystopian novel that I picked up in a charity shop because I had heard about it somewhere. I was immediately angered by the content which made it a fast and tense read. It truly highlights the importance of language and using our voice in politics especially for marginalised groups and in this case for women... before it becomes too late. Although the content was at times far fetched, you can see restrictions on human rights across the globe today so it doesn’t take much to imagine the world going this way. I like the pace of the book but found the ending to be quite rushed. However, it is one that I will remember and definitely recommend to others. Looking out for the next Dalcher novel.👌

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