Scan barcode
mrmike5686's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Antisemitism, Abortion, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Hate crime, Antisemitism, and Murder
Minor: Deadnaming, Hate crime, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, and Cultural appropriation
hamstringy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Let's sort my criticisms into petty and conceptual:
Petty Nitpicks:
- Women in the 1890s wearing "lacy bras"
- A character predicting she'd graduate from UCLA in the 90s with $50k in debt (which there is no way to do in 4-5 years)
- People using modern slang while time traveling while having people of the times understand them (okay sure, we're ignoring historical linguistics, that is a valid choice), but they catch enemy time travelers because they use modern slang??
- I find this book to be quite bioessentialist--a lot of it is focused on an expanded Comstock act and the legality of abortion, which does most obviously affect people with uteruses (often women). This is fine, but the narrative keeps harping on the fact that the Sisters of Harriet are for women and nonbinary people. What about trans men? Are they not central to the underlying themes of autonomy, particularly with people obsessed with "female" fertility? What does the Comstock act do to affect nonbinary people and trans women? Why are all but one of the main characters women if there is gender diversity? It takes a lot of wind out of this book's sails, and, honestly, part of me wished the author just chose to make the Sisters of Harriet focused on abortion for women, because that's all they seemed equipped to handle.
- I find the constant pacifism of the Sisters to be incredibly annoying. I think this is in large part because I'm not a staunch interpersonal pacifist myself, but it also doesn't really make sense in-book: what is one man versus the global health of all women? No one ever seems to express a very "sanctity of all life" sentiment, so it feels really disappointing a choice to shy away from the conflict between violence and autonomy.
- I wish the Comstockers weren't made out to be these cartoonish villains. People who are anti-abortion can seem that way, but I think it's a generally more interesting and more compelling struggle if the Comstockers have complexity and nuance--this is hinted at in the very first scene, where a Comstocker is anti-college because of its establishment roots, but their politics quickly devolve into calling all women sluts and wanting them dead.
A riot grrl band never exists because the main character and her friend succeed and legalize abortion in the 21st century, but the riot grrl movement (and in particular this Latina-fronted band) was never just focused on abortion. Did men suddenly stop raping, harrassing, and objectifying musicians?
Graphic: Cursing, Rape, Sexism, Transphobia, and Abortion
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Murder, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, and Alcohol
Minor: Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, and Toxic friendship
emilliampere's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Misogyny, Abortion, and Murder
Minor: Deadnaming, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Transphobia, Blood, Vomit, and Cultural appropriation
rafaelsampaio'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? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Slavery, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Minor: Deadnaming, Hate crime, Racial slurs, and Racism
lain_darko's review against another edition
- 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: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Deadnaming, Racism, Suicide, Blood, and Antisemitism
Minor: Vomit and Alcohol
elishasbookreview's review against another edition
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, and Abortion
Moderate: Death
Minor: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
fraxisle's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexism, Violence, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Racism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicide, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Child death, Deadnaming, Genocide, Sexual assault, Vomit, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and War
lexybutschli's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Suicide attempt, and Murder
kindaokbean's review against another edition
- 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: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Violence, Abortion, and Murder
Moderate: Deadnaming, Death, Hate crime, Suicide, and Medical content
Minor: Vomit
lunarlibra's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
There is a really strong overtone of "violence is never the answer" for a lot of the book that almost made me put it down, but the rest of the story made me glad I didn't!
I still enjoyed the story, which has major themes of reproductive justice and the importance of collective action. I would recommend it to some people!
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, and Medical trauma
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Antisemitism, and Religious bigotry
specific warnings for