A review by triskellionquinn
The 5th Gender by G.L. Carriger

dark emotional funny reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

A pretty intriguing exploration of gender vs biological sex vs gender roles, all wrapped up in a delightfully quick, steamy and enjoyable sci-fi mystery. 

Though I am docking a few points for a harmful line regarding trans men when Detective Hastion refers to a past lover as “an FTM”. That’s incredibly transphobic, but I’m going to give the author the benefit of the doubt and say it was out of unintended ignorance at the time the book was written. 

Aside from that, a quick TW to anyone who is sensitive to the topics of self harm or suicide might want to approach this with caution, as it is not a glazed over topic. 

3.75 rather than a solid 4 because I couldn’t get past the FTM comment, and the mystery reveal was a teensy bit predictable.
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