Reviews with content warning for Trafficking - The Power

Reviews tagging 'Trafficking'

haileearynn's review

challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-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

3.75

Thought-provoking and well-written. But not something I particularly enjoyed reading due to the dark storyline and reminders of real-world injustices that left me angry and upset throughout much of the book. Glad I read it, but probably not one I would ever read again.

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ibadella's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.5

wow this was really disturbing! what made it all so horrid was of course that none of it is invented, and every horrible instance was at the same time so deeply familiar

i am really impressed by how the author takes a super simple and not unexplored idea and really sees it through

the pacing of the story was artful, the gradual unraveling of plot and character development made the truly violent moments doubly jarring.

there were a few things i wish had been explored more within the scope of the book but i understand that the book does an excellent job distilling a vast number of issues into a fairly short narrative

particularly i wish there’d been a little more challenging of the biological essentialism (it’s explored a bit through certain characters) but i sort of get it because of the biological anthropology framing. we still get a very deep implicit understanding of the cultural construction of gender and its binary understanding as a defiance of biology and lived reality.

i should say i read this mostly at night before bed and it gave me very icky scary nightmares near the end

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esmee_bos's review

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adventurous dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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waclements7's review

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
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

1.0

I found this really disappointing.

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danielaramc's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.25

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jessh165's review against another edition

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dark reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

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phantomgecko's review

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challenging dark medium-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? It's complicated

1.0

Yet again, I find myself asking why I even finished a book. This premise had potential, but the book is vile.

Imagine Lord of the Flies but on a worldwide scale. The absolute worst humanity has to offer. Every character is a sociopath (to varying degrees). It says people are essentially bad. Specifically women are essentially bad.

I know hyperbole is used to make a point, but this was just disgusting. Like, some possible morals of this story are power corrupts, or feminism is about equality and not supremacy. I guess.

In this story, apparently when women gain physical power over men, they lose all sense of morals, get significantly more stupid, and suddenly super into cults and cocaine. You can argue, "not all women" in this story. It does mention that not everyone is into the sadistic hellscape that's created. But like, obviously enough women that earth turns into a sadistic hellscape.

Also, offensive that women are in power for a mere five years or so before they blow up the entire planet. We made it through decades of the cold war with "men in charge." It perpetuates the hateful idea that women are "too emotional" and not to be trusted with diplomacy or rational thought.

Would some people abuse a power like this? Yes. The revenge stories ring plausible. But to switch all the way over to being "as bad as men" have ever been (IN FIVE YEARS) is pessimistic garbage. Author obviously has no faith in humanity. Depressing, nihilistic bs.

Like...women don't all secretly hate men. In reality, many women have healthy relationships with men either as friends or lovers. Women aren't just pretending to like men because they're being subjugated or whatever. I cannot fully express how detestable Alderman's vision of women is.

There are multiple rape scenes, one of them explicit. Again, I get that a point is being made, but it's vile.

I'm giving this the benefit of the doubt re: the voice in Mother Eve's head. Girl is schizophrenic and not being visited by a higher power. The implications otherwise are just really nasty.

And finally, I believe there is a balance to be found in profanity. For maximum effect, it should be used strategically. "But that's how people talk" --I don't care. In fiction, characters don't always talk the way real people do. And having the f word repeated willy nilly honestly lends a childish tone to the book. Like the author is a kid that's so excited to learn a new swear. Grow up. Learn nuance.

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