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beanjoles's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
There was a lot to love about this story: a unique spin on time-travel; an interesting and personal exploration of the relationship between past and present selves; teenagers serial murdering unsavoury men who clearly get off on abusing women. As I am learning is typical for Newitz's writing, the prose is clear and evocative, and their facts are well-researched and presented.
But... I can't help but feel they tried to take on too much with this book, and ultimately it failed to come together in a way that I found satisfying.
The serial murder subplot feels like it should have taken place in another book entirely. For being such a keystone in the Tess/Beth relationship, it's given surprisingly little emotional weight outside of Beth feeling conflicted about their actions. It's not until too far into the book that we learn Tess actually Loves To Murder and that it's a key element of her personality (???), which seems like something important to give a taste of sooner than was done.
The concept of Comstockers vs Daughters of Harriet was actually the least compelling part of the book to me. If this had been fleshed out better, I might have been able to look past other flaws. The Comstockers' motive is essentially to ensure women are relegated to a life of servitude and subservience to men forever—genuinely frightening!—but the book can't quite decide if they're a well-organized pseudo-militia or a bunch of bumbling MRAs whose sole purpose in life is to make women stop being "sl*ts". I almost think the story would have been stronger without adding an opposition group of mustache-twirling but ultimately toothless megavillains. Like, what if it were just the Daughters fighting against the tide of history in their alternate universe? That's a story worth telling. And I think it would have helped Newitz clarify and explore some of their philosophical thoughts about Great Man Theory vs Collective Action. We got a lot of Telling about that but not as much Showing as I think should have been done.
No regrets on reading this, but I wish it had come together better in the end.
A note on the audiobook: I found the narrator's style to be a bit amateurish, overall, but there were some stand-out moments too and I felt she did particularly well reading Beth. It was cool to have a musical interlude partway through the story! I haven't experienced that in an audiobook before. Unique and fun!
Graphic: Sexual assault, Abortion, Child abuse, and Sexual violence
krhysling's review against another edition
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Abortion, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Body horror, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
alsoapples'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
5.0
Graphic: Antisemitism, Homophobia, Incest, Murder, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Hate crime, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Blood, Misogyny, Death, Forced institutionalization, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Abortion
fenny_42's review
- 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? Yes
5.0
Read this if you’re interested in intersectional history—anarchism, suffrage, reproductive rights, slavery, music and dance. There is SO MUCH going on in this book, and it is all painfully excellent.
LOTS of trigger warnings. I tagged as many as I could think of.
Graphic: Murder, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Transphobia, Antisemitism, Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol
thesawyerbean'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
4.25
However, where this book falls short is I’m not sure the vision of the fundamental aspect, the time travel and its mechanics, were as defined and clear as they should have been. I did have to suspend belief and go along with it at certain points because it did seem like they flouted their own predefined rules in order for the plot to continue. By the end, although it was satisfying and a satisfactory end, there were still so many questions left unanswered - the characters and I were both left asking ‘who knows?’. In certain ways it made it more convoluted than it already was trying to justify some of the plot points.
Overall this book was good and definitely worth a read. A powerful feminist sci-fi novel, full of historical context and loveable characters, with an overarching plot-line we can all feel impassioned about.
Graphic: Abortion, Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Transphobia, Vomit, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Bullying, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Suicide, Death of parent, and Drug use
my_forest_library'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Mental illness, Child abuse, Abortion, Sexual assault, Rape, Sexism, and Murder
Minor: Antisemitism, Xenophobia, Violence, Slavery, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Transphobia, and Suicide
kerriw's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Overall, I enjoyed it! Though I did the audiobook and the narrator’s voice was not my favorite.
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Moderate: Abortion, Child abuse, Confinement, and Medical trauma
Minor: Mental illness, Racism, Transphobia, and Vomit
aardwyrm's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The book does a good job of juggling time travel and changing realities, slipping in needful details and surprises. Plot is really its strongest point. There's some occasional clunky dialogue; character speak out loud the same way they internally monologue, and infodump their emotions once in a while. But the worst this'll do is throw you out of the text a minute. It's an intensely, deliberately political book, which may not be everyone's choice, but it's an effective, well balanced time thriller, too.
Graphic: Ableism, Alcohol, Child death, Classism, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Rape, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Abandonment, Abortion, Torture, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Racism, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Murder, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Medical content, Lesbophobia, Incest, Hate crime, Homophobia, Grief, Gore, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Cultural appropriation, Death, Vomit, Violence, Transphobia, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, and Blood
lain_darko's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Violence, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Abortion, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Racism, Antisemitism, Suicide, Blood, and Deadnaming
Minor: Alcohol and Vomit
teashirts's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Abortion, Misogyny, Transphobia, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence