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I rarely give one star reviews because if I'm not enjoying a book that much I normally just don't finish it..but the premise of this book kept me going, but it never hit the spot for me.
I didn't feel like the book knew exactly what it was going for - was the message like 'the power', that we all have the capability of violence and evil if given the chance/power to do so? or was it condoning an you can do evil if you've had evil done to you message? I think it was going for the first... but to me it felt clumsily handled and never quite hit home with its point. (and I tend to think dystopias have to have a point)
Aside from the message, I found the characters a bit flimsy - I see alot of other reviewers haven't liked the protagonist, I personally didn't have an issue with her, but all the side characters baffled me. The mother who ends up having a relationship with her 'i wish you were my daughter' or the women who'd given up sons and not one had put up a fight just felt too off kilter to me.
There's also a bizarre bit of transphobia in there which I couldn't figure out... it's said by someone you're meant to dislike so no maybe it was on purpose, but again it doesn't go anywhere/get questioned again and I found that unpalatable.
The ending I found a bit mimicking of the hand maids tale, and although it picks up the interesting concept of the book again - it wasn't enough to raise my opinion of the writing/plot in general.
I didn't feel like the book knew exactly what it was going for - was the message like 'the power', that we all have the capability of violence and evil if given the chance/power to do so? or was it condoning an you can do evil if you've had evil done to you message? I think it was going for the first... but to me it felt clumsily handled and never quite hit home with its point. (and I tend to think dystopias have to have a point)
Aside from the message, I found the characters a bit flimsy - I see alot of other reviewers haven't liked the protagonist, I personally didn't have an issue with her, but all the side characters baffled me. The mother who ends up having a relationship with her 'i wish you were my daughter' or the women who'd given up sons and not one had put up a fight just felt too off kilter to me.
There's also a bizarre bit of transphobia in there which I couldn't figure out... it's said by someone you're meant to dislike so no maybe it was on purpose, but again it doesn't go anywhere/get questioned again and I found that unpalatable.
The ending I found a bit mimicking of the hand maids tale, and although it picks up the interesting concept of the book again - it wasn't enough to raise my opinion of the writing/plot in general.