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bethanie_l's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Issues: very cishet view of gender and sexuality. There's no room for trans characters. One intersex character, but it doesn't go into the gender issues really. Felt like the
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
marykatesbooks's review
- 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? Yes
4.25
for the first third or maybe half of the book i felt like i was reading a good book but not connecting, or maybe missing something. then as the plot started to develop at a faster pace it felt like i couldn’t look away from the car crash that the characters were headed into. i LOVE that alderman didn’t just create a feminine utopia with her work. instead she called into question the belief that power, when wielded by women, is good and positive. the ending was a shocking but oddly perfect end for the characters and their stories, and the emails at the end framing it in a new perspective… just woah. it made me go back and flip through the book with this new view.
my only issue with the book is how graphic some of the violence and rape was. this isn’t a criticism though because i think it added to the strength of the plot and the comparison to modern rape-culture. that being said, it was still difficult to get through some of those moments, probably because it was evoking memories of actual situations that women currently face. it was so easy to visualize the scenes in this book with the genders flipped since that is how it normally is.
overall, i thought this was a phenomenal book because it didn’t just use feminine rage as an outlet for pent up anger about EVERYTHING. alderman took the opportunity to highlight feminine rage while also pointing out the flaws that can accompany power, especially when it’s at the expense of others.
i wish there was more of each character. i want more chapters telling me more about them as people and what their lives are like outside of the snippets in the book. ugh it was so good.
Graphic: Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Incest, Police brutality, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Dysphoria
non graphic depiction of rape of women, graphic depiction of rape of menmiaaa_lenaaa's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
‘Its like shes died but shes still too alive to notice.’
‘
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Death of parent, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
ninaevan's review
- 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
4.25
The only ways I would want to challenge this story to push it a little further would be by asking to explore how the rage and violence of women might have varied in different cultures or races or how the culture/race of the men impacted the way they were treated… Also, I want to know more about the role of non-traditional gender in this society- how we’re Trans women treated? Where did non-binary people fit into the social order? I understand that the physical power is sex-based, but I want to know how gender identity played a role too. Though the book is already treading very precarious ground here so I understand why Alderman may not have wanted to cross too many boundaries.
I loved the format, the countdown, the illustrations, the debate of the book within the book etc.
My only last comment for prospective readers is to heed the content warnings! This books is very graphic about many sensitive issues so please go into it prepared for a challenging read.
My scoring:
5.00 | = everyone in the world must read this book
4.75 | = between 4.5 and 5
4.50 | = dessert island book
4.25 | = between 4 and 4.5
4.00 | = great, solid, recommendable book
3.75 | = almost a 4, but not quite
3.50 | = not a 4, but I had a good time
3.25 | = rough patches, but not bad
3.00 | = meh, read-able but nothing to write home about
2.75 | = between a 2.5 and 3
2.50 | = there’s something I liked here but it wasn’t enough to be good
2.25 | = between a 2 and 2.5
2.00 | = not good and there was nothing I liked
1.00 | = bad
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Trafficking, and War
claudiamacpherson's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Bullying, Child death, Self harm, Slavery, Suicide, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Abortion, and Alcohol
alisonvh's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
gabgeh's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
mjss's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Child death and Drug use
annir's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Gun violence, Hate crime, Slavery, Torture, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, and Classism
pocket_mouse's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Hate crime, Rape, Sexual assault, and War
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Violence, Kidnapping, and Religious bigotry