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A review by haleymfischer
The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis
3.0
An unrealistic but often accurate, brutal f'ing ride.
Don't be fooled by the charming cover art. Mindy McGinnis takes no prisoners in The Female of the Species as she details the lives of three teenagers—a jock, a preacher's kid and a killer—as they contend with their identities, the violence and rape culture all around them, and the ways they take part in it.
McGinnis does an excellent job shedding light on the insidious ways rape culture invades everyday life without coming across too preachy. She does this through all the characters, but especially Alex. Alex's own sister, Anna, was violently raped and murdered. This sets off a dark side of Alex that had always been hiding right below the surface. Despite her obvious flaws (i.e. maiming and killing people), she is remarkably easy to root for, not only because of her meaningful commentaries and ironic gentleness, but also the sinful sense of justice she provides in a world where sexual misconduct is often swept under the rug.
I have to admit, though, that while this book is chock-full of important themes, the actual plot was so-so for me. I'm not sure if it's just because YA isn't my fav genre or because I listened to the audiobook instead of reading it or simply because the plot didn't grip me but, considering I'm the obvious outlier here, I'm guessing it's just a me thing.
Don't be fooled by the charming cover art. Mindy McGinnis takes no prisoners in The Female of the Species as she details the lives of three teenagers—a jock, a preacher's kid and a killer—as they contend with their identities, the violence and rape culture all around them, and the ways they take part in it.
McGinnis does an excellent job shedding light on the insidious ways rape culture invades everyday life without coming across too preachy. She does this through all the characters, but especially Alex. Alex's own sister, Anna, was violently raped and murdered. This sets off a dark side of Alex that had always been hiding right below the surface. Despite her obvious flaws (i.e. maiming and killing people), she is remarkably easy to root for, not only because of her meaningful commentaries and ironic gentleness, but also the sinful sense of justice she provides in a world where sexual misconduct is often swept under the rug.
I have to admit, though, that while this book is chock-full of important themes, the actual plot was so-so for me. I'm not sure if it's just because YA isn't my fav genre or because I listened to the audiobook instead of reading it or simply because the plot didn't grip me but, considering I'm the obvious outlier here, I'm guessing it's just a me thing.