hngisreading's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Gore, Rape, Blood, Sexual violence, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Slavery, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Lesbophobia, Sexual assault, Body horror, Child abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Medical content, and Sexual harassment
angelakay's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is the sequel to The Book of the Unnamed Midwife, which I read back in 2014 when it first came out, about a fever that kills a massive percentage of the global population–and kills women 10 times as often, and also makes pregnancy and childbirth fatal for mother and child more often than not. Etta takes place about 100 years later. A raider for the enlightened colony of Nowhere, led and managed by women, Etta’s job is to travel around to abandoned cities to collect useful relics and other materials–and also to free enslaved women and girls and bring them back to Nowhere where they can live free and full lives. On the road, Etta dresses as a man and goes by Eddie, which if she’s honest, has come to feel more authentic than living and dressing as Etta. The rare post-apocalypic sci-fi offering that also gets pretty deep into gender diversity territory, with Etta/Eddie and other characters as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Transphobia
Moderate: Sexual assault and Rape
bex_knighthunterbooks's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is up there as one of the heaviest darkest books I've ever read but I also love it - definite max max fury road vibes.
Set a century or so after the first book, this follows a gender-queer (fluid?) raider travelling around other settlements which is a fascinating way to get to see the different ways civilisation has evolved after society fragmented, and in particular the way societies views of gender have changed. The characters were so unique and interesting and real with three named genderqueer/trans characters, cultures based around polyamory, diverse sexualities depicted, and race was not ignored in this future. The town of Nowhere also charmed me and I loved learning how it had developed since the unnamed midwife. The writing was also brilliant, easy-to-read, and evocative.
The plot was mostly meandering but to be honest I quite enjoyed that (I find the minutae of survival fascinating so this was always going to be a hit) as I felt the character development and world building were always there. There were some great plot hooks planted to keep me guessing what the ending would be - but when we got to that ending... wow... I'm not even sure what to think. It was shocking and tense, and the darkest parts were not drawn out any longer than needed to tell the story which I'm thankful for, but I'm not sure I liked where the plot went. I was expecting dark but I wasn't ready for that and nearly stopped reading with only 10 pages to go!
This is not a story I'll forget in a hurry and ultimately it is so different and yet well suited to my tastes that I have to love it.
Set a century or so after the first book, this follows a gender-queer (fluid?) raider travelling around other settlements which is a fascinating way to get to see the different ways civilisation has evolved after society fragmented, and in particular the way societies views of gender have changed. The characters were so unique and interesting and real with three named genderqueer/trans characters, cultures based around polyamory, diverse sexualities depicted, and race was not ignored in this future. The town of Nowhere also charmed me and I loved learning how it had developed since the unnamed midwife. The writing was also brilliant, easy-to-read, and evocative.
The plot was mostly meandering but to be honest I quite enjoyed that (I find the minutae of survival fascinating so this was always going to be a hit) as I felt the character development and world building were always there. There were some great plot hooks planted to keep me guessing what the ending would be - but when we got to that ending... wow... I'm not even sure what to think. It was shocking and tense, and the darkest parts were not drawn out any longer than needed to tell the story which I'm thankful for, but I'm not sure I liked where the plot went. I was expecting dark but I wasn't ready for that and nearly stopped reading with only 10 pages to go!
This is not a story I'll forget in a hurry and ultimately it is so different and yet well suited to my tastes that I have to love it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Slavery, Rape, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Transphobia, Misogyny, and Confinement
Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Outing, Gun violence, Blood, Violence, Miscarriage, Dysphoria, Deadnaming, and Murder
Minor: War, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug use, and Infertility
More...