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briwhatyareading's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
sarahtribble's review
4.0
Trigger/content warning for rape, sexual assault/harrassment, molestation, and similar themes. Mentioned both in the book and in this review.
3.5/5
I'm currently on a two week break from uni. All of my friends go to a different uni and had their break before mine, and my partner works full time, so I have no one to hang out with or talk to all day and have thus been powering through books at a million miles an hour.
It helps that the books I've been reading have all been really, really good.
I had no intention of reading this. Books about rape culture and with themes of sexual assault and harassment are extremely upsetting to me, so I don't usually go near them, but I saw this on the shelf at the library and thought, fuck it. Why not? I'll give it a go. The fact that people have been talking about this book online a lot and my curiosity about the purported feminist themes were enough to convince me.
This book was not what I expected. It was oddly plotless and mostly character-driven, with dark and graphic themes and an interesting take on ideas of morality. I liked the three different characters that were granted POV chapters in the book. Alex's internal monologue was very distinct, but it took me a while to warm to Peekay/Claire and Jack; I found Peekay's whole "wah wah wah being the preacher's kid defines me" shtick underdeveloped and completely unaddressed towards the end of the book, and Jack was the best and the worst -- the best because his relationship with Alex was really sweet and brought out the good in the both in them, the worst because he was written as such a stereotypical can't-control-myself, think-with-my-dick kind of guy, and that portrayal bored me. It feels weird and a little hypocritical to be defending men in a book in which male rapists and molesters are the main villains, but I did think it was a little close-minded to have Jack be so two-dimensional in his desire and 'need' for sex when the whole point of the story was to dismantle the kind of masculinity that justifies rape with 'boys will be boys' rhetoric.
Overall, I liked this book a lot. I read it in less than two days and found the characters and the story interesting and engaging, and although the themes of rape and sexual assault etc. were upsetting, they were portrayed (and avenged) in a way that made the book easier for me to read and digest. I may write a longer review to discuss further what I wrote above about Jack's masculinity. We'll see. I do have a buttload of spare time for the next two weeks, after all.
3.5/5
I'm currently on a two week break from uni. All of my friends go to a different uni and had their break before mine, and my partner works full time, so I have no one to hang out with or talk to all day and have thus been powering through books at a million miles an hour.
It helps that the books I've been reading have all been really, really good.
I had no intention of reading this. Books about rape culture and with themes of sexual assault and harassment are extremely upsetting to me, so I don't usually go near them, but I saw this on the shelf at the library and thought, fuck it. Why not? I'll give it a go. The fact that people have been talking about this book online a lot and my curiosity about the purported feminist themes were enough to convince me.
This book was not what I expected. It was oddly plotless and mostly character-driven, with dark and graphic themes and an interesting take on ideas of morality. I liked the three different characters that were granted POV chapters in the book. Alex's internal monologue was very distinct, but it took me a while to warm to Peekay/Claire and Jack; I found Peekay's whole "wah wah wah being the preacher's kid defines me" shtick underdeveloped and completely unaddressed towards the end of the book, and Jack was the best and the worst -- the best because his relationship with Alex was really sweet and brought out the good in the both in them, the worst because he was written as such a stereotypical can't-control-myself, think-with-my-dick kind of guy, and that portrayal bored me. It feels weird and a little hypocritical to be defending men in a book in which male rapists and molesters are the main villains, but I did think it was a little close-minded to have Jack be so two-dimensional in his desire and 'need' for sex when the whole point of the story was to dismantle the kind of masculinity that justifies rape with 'boys will be boys' rhetoric.
Overall, I liked this book a lot. I read it in less than two days and found the characters and the story interesting and engaging, and although the themes of rape and sexual assault etc. were upsetting, they were portrayed (and avenged) in a way that made the book easier for me to read and digest. I may write a longer review to discuss further what I wrote above about Jack's masculinity. We'll see. I do have a buttload of spare time for the next two weeks, after all.
tbechtel29's review
5.0
I have no words to describe how I feel after reading this. All I can say right now is that my heart is in pieces.
x_miniruby's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- 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
lorilaws's review against another edition
4.0
Wow. I had heard a few rumblings about The Female of the Species being dark and hard to read at times, but I still was not expecting that. This book was pretty incredible and oh so unique.
The Female of the Species was very captivating from the start. I loved everything that this book stood for. It’s full of feminism and honest commentary on rape culture. This book has an agenda, but not in an annoying, preachy way. The story is far too engaging to ever be annoying.
The book is told from 3 different POVs. The characters all had very clear voices. Alex is clearly…disturbed from the beginning. Her issues aren’t of the cute, shallow variety that you sometimes see in YA . No, she’s pretty messed up in a truly scary way. But it’s easy to understand her plight, even if it makes you uncomfortable at times. She’s totally unhinged, but she’s also a wonderful friend and cares for the shelter animals with such love. Those things make her likeable. Sometimes I felt very conflicted about what I was reading. It was almost easy to root for Alex at times. Other times she crossed some invisible line I have and made me uncomfortable. It made for a really unique reading experience.
Peekay and Jack were also wonderful characters. Their relationships with Alex were the bright spot in an otherwise dark book. I enjoyed watching Alex come out of her shell with each of them.
The Female of the Species is a violent book. I’m not going to tiptoe around that. This probably isn’t a book for everyone, but it’s an important book with a poignant message. It’s one of those books that stays with you. I know that I will be thinking about it for a long time to come. So, I recommend it to contemporary lovers that like books with a hard edge.
The Female of the Species was very captivating from the start. I loved everything that this book stood for. It’s full of feminism and honest commentary on rape culture. This book has an agenda, but not in an annoying, preachy way. The story is far too engaging to ever be annoying.
The book is told from 3 different POVs. The characters all had very clear voices. Alex is clearly…disturbed from the beginning. Her issues aren’t of the cute, shallow variety that you sometimes see in YA . No, she’s pretty messed up in a truly scary way. But it’s easy to understand her plight, even if it makes you uncomfortable at times. She’s totally unhinged, but she’s also a wonderful friend and cares for the shelter animals with such love. Those things make her likeable. Sometimes I felt very conflicted about what I was reading. It was almost easy to root for Alex at times. Other times she crossed some invisible line I have and made me uncomfortable. It made for a really unique reading experience.
Peekay and Jack were also wonderful characters. Their relationships with Alex were the bright spot in an otherwise dark book. I enjoyed watching Alex come out of her shell with each of them.
The Female of the Species is a violent book. I’m not going to tiptoe around that. This probably isn’t a book for everyone, but it’s an important book with a poignant message. It’s one of those books that stays with you. I know that I will be thinking about it for a long time to come. So, I recommend it to contemporary lovers that like books with a hard edge.
lockmm's review against another edition
3.0
In theory, this is a good book - I liked the plot, I liked the theme, I liked the characters, I liked it all. But in practice? A 5 star book become a 3 star book.
The biggest issue are how the characters are written - I felt extremely detached from all the main characters. For one of them - Alex - that made sense. McGinnis does a great job with a complex and nontraditional female character. And if the whole thing was told from her point of view, I could get with it. But it wasn't. The other characters were written in the same style as Alex - detached. But they're not supposed to be individuals who are detached from life.
In the end, I felt like I was an observer of the story as opposed feeling like I was in it. I ended the book going "Yup, that was a book alright." I would recommend it from the stand point that it does show a fairly unique female character in the genre of YA Fiction. But I wouldn't strongly advocate you read it.
The biggest issue are how the characters are written - I felt extremely detached from all the main characters. For one of them - Alex - that made sense. McGinnis does a great job with a complex and nontraditional female character. And if the whole thing was told from her point of view, I could get with it. But it wasn't. The other characters were written in the same style as Alex - detached. But they're not supposed to be individuals who are detached from life.
In the end, I felt like I was an observer of the story as opposed feeling like I was in it. I ended the book going "Yup, that was a book alright." I would recommend it from the stand point that it does show a fairly unique female character in the genre of YA Fiction. But I wouldn't strongly advocate you read it.
wolfe212's review against another edition
5.0
This book... I haven't been truly impacted my something in a very long time. I devoured this book and was brought out of my reading slump faster than I thought possible.
Alex Craft is one of my favorite heroines of all time. She talks about how men act a certain way and it's ok because "boys will be boys", but if she did exactly what they did, she would get "what's wrong with you, Alex?" She talked about how our society is used to vulgar language and that we don't blink an eye when they spew out of someone's mouth. That being polite and and respectful is what is frowned upon.
My favorite scene is the party where Peekay is almost raped. When Alex stands and throws her bottle against the opposite wall and all the tweakers duck to reveal the unconscious Peekay, I couldn't help but smile and admire the crap out of this girl.
Alex is so strong and the impact she had on people was shown throughout the book in little ways then big ones. She talks to Peekay about how people don't deserve the hate that people write on the walls in sharpie. She teaches Peekay to let the hate go and to understand where they are coming from. How certain situations aren't as they seem.
The biggest point in this book is rape and how it affects people and their families. It touches so many points and affects many people throughout the book.
This book was amazing in my opinion and I am so so happy to have read it.
Alex Craft is one of my favorite heroines of all time. She talks about how men act a certain way and it's ok because "boys will be boys", but if she did exactly what they did, she would get "what's wrong with you, Alex?" She talked about how our society is used to vulgar language and that we don't blink an eye when they spew out of someone's mouth. That being polite and and respectful is what is frowned upon.
My favorite scene is the party where Peekay is almost raped. When Alex stands and throws her bottle against the opposite wall and all the tweakers duck to reveal the unconscious Peekay, I couldn't help but smile and admire the crap out of this girl.
Alex is so strong and the impact she had on people was shown throughout the book in little ways then big ones. She talks to Peekay about how people don't deserve the hate that people write on the walls in sharpie. She teaches Peekay to let the hate go and to understand where they are coming from. How certain situations aren't as they seem.
The biggest point in this book is rape and how it affects people and their families. It touches so many points and affects many people throughout the book.
This book was amazing in my opinion and I am so so happy to have read it.
rachelfreedman's review against another edition
2.0
This book is terrible. After so many great reviews I was excited for this book. Instead of dealing with complex issues in a sophisticated way, I saw the most terrible collection of cliches EVER. Don't read this book.
sharonsm_28's review against another edition
5.0
This was an fantastic read. I actually finished the book like 30 minutes ago and I am still wrapping my head around this book. The ending was crazy, heartbreaking, and perfect. I really thought Alex was an interesting character. Jack Fisher is the star-athlete and 4.0 GPA student. I thought he was more than just the jock at moments. Peekay was a really interesting character. She is more of the rebellious teenage daughter of a preacher. She seems like people misunderstood her because she was the preacher's kid. I found her character unique and different. Also, I thought the book was just powerful as it dealt with issues of rape, drugs, and alcohol. The story was intriguing as we got the story from three distinctive perspectives. I am really glad that I got to read this powerful piece of work. Overall, a thought-provoking read.