gr6ce26's review against another edition
1.0
ok ending but the main character annoyed me for 3/4 of this book
nicole_bazza's review against another edition
1.0
Honestly I thought this book was going to be so good. The premise was promising and really intriguing, I thought I was going to read a piece of good feminist book that was thought provoking and inspiring. But it wasn’t. The writing style grated on me, the story was confusing (and honestly lacked a proper storyline). The book was riddled with sexist stereotypes which made me so uncomfortable, the chapter titles were ridiculously cringeworthy and there was definitely LGBT erasure. In a world where women and men are separated there is a significant lack of transgender people, there is a mention of transmen but no transwomen, and it is very unexplained and honestly so brushed aside it seemed like the whole premise of the book underlines an opinion that transmen aren’t real men. DNF at pg 180
tiffani_reads's review against another edition
2.0
This book to me was very mediocre, I honestly don't know how to rate it. I didn't love it, that's for sure. This book had so much unexplored potential, that it's almost infuriating at the path it took. I didn't hate it either, not like Wuthering Heights or Pride & Prejudice that infuriated me so much that I threw the books at the wall. It was just.... meh. I kept reading because I kept telling myself at some point it has to get better. Then I notice that I was 3/4 through the book and I knew it wasn't. There are so many things that make it hard to connect with this book. Which I will list below.
1. Never once do you get a full description of River, the best you can assume is she looks like a boy because Mason mistakes her for one. You also don't get a description of what Mason looks like either. It makes it hard to connect with main characters when you can't picture them in your head.
2. There is little to no world building, all you know is that there was a virus 60 years ago that wiped out most of the male population and that women had to figure out how to rebuild the world. But they struggled for years because men pretty much did everything to keep the world working before they died off *cue massive eye roll* and no one has seen a male since because the world is still toxic to them so they live in sanctuaries.
3. It is assumed that all men a evil, vicious monsters who given the chance would rape and murder us all. However, this doesn't apply to Mason because he has a tiny sliver of Y chromosome on his X chromosome making him immune to the virus and the inherent terrible qualities that all men possess.
4. Lastly, the story literally goes nowhere. It is told in a immature and childish way. For as bright as River is portrayed to be, she does not seem to grasp anything that is told to her, either out of stupidity or ignorance. The author would like you to think it comes full circle by mirroring the first chapter with the last but it doesn't.
This book had so much potential, so many plot avenues were left unexplored. Here I thought I was going to read a powerful and uplifting book about the triumph of women in the face of adversity but that was not the case. I for one, am very disappointed.
1. Never once do you get a full description of River, the best you can assume is she looks like a boy because Mason mistakes her for one. You also don't get a description of what Mason looks like either. It makes it hard to connect with main characters when you can't picture them in your head.
2. There is little to no world building, all you know is that there was a virus 60 years ago that wiped out most of the male population and that women had to figure out how to rebuild the world. But they struggled for years because men pretty much did everything to keep the world working before they died off *cue massive eye roll* and no one has seen a male since because the world is still toxic to them so they live in sanctuaries.
3. It is assumed that all men a evil, vicious monsters who given the chance would rape and murder us all. However, this doesn't apply to Mason because he has a tiny sliver of Y chromosome on his X chromosome making him immune to the virus and the inherent terrible qualities that all men possess.
4. Lastly, the story literally goes nowhere. It is told in a immature and childish way. For as bright as River is portrayed to be, she does not seem to grasp anything that is told to her, either out of stupidity or ignorance. The author would like you to think it comes full circle by mirroring the first chapter with the last but it doesn't.
This book had so much potential, so many plot avenues were left unexplored. Here I thought I was going to read a powerful and uplifting book about the triumph of women in the face of adversity but that was not the case. I for one, am very disappointed.
thebooksareeverywhere's review against another edition
2.0
https://thebooksareeverywhere.com/2017/06/20/review-who-rules-the-world-by-virginia-bergin/
Doesn't this sound like such an interesting read? Unfortunately, I was disappointed once again. Part of me thinks I may be getting a little critical of books as I'm reading more, but this one actually doesn't have good reviews - and for good reason.
I had a lot of issues with this book. Some of them were just writing, language and plot holes. Some are deeper than that.
I honestly don't even know where to start with this one. I think I'll talk about the things I disliked first before finishing on a good note!
So we'll start with the simple things. This book just felt lacking - and I think that might be in plot. I believe dystopia should be interesting and fast-paced...and Who Rules the World? just wasn't. I felt bored, and I didn't feel motivated to read. I felt disconnected from the characters and the story. The writing was incredibly simple, and I honestly felt like River was treated like a child, acted as a child and thought as a child.
Another thing I found confusing was the tense. River constantly referred to the Granmumma speak as 'text talk', which I think meant it was 2 generations in front of the present day? But similar to how I found Ink by Alice Broadway, the town felt really behind. Yes, we had trains and hotels and (I think) phones. But then the only news we heard was through word-of-mouth, and TV's and video games were all seen as old fashioned. It just seemed weird to me.
But unfortunately my issues with this book also grew deeper. In my viewpoint, this book was sexist. It basically said that men are directly connected to rape and murder. It told the main character to cover up so she could avoid being raped. It portrayed men in a very negative light and really didn't show much progress throughout the story. Yes, the final few chapters started to turn things around...but it wasn't really enough. The views of men in this book were just inexcusable.
★★
-Beth
May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽
Doesn't this sound like such an interesting read? Unfortunately, I was disappointed once again. Part of me thinks I may be getting a little critical of books as I'm reading more, but this one actually doesn't have good reviews - and for good reason.
I had a lot of issues with this book. Some of them were just writing, language and plot holes. Some are deeper than that.
I honestly don't even know where to start with this one. I think I'll talk about the things I disliked first before finishing on a good note!
So we'll start with the simple things. This book just felt lacking - and I think that might be in plot. I believe dystopia should be interesting and fast-paced...and Who Rules the World? just wasn't. I felt bored, and I didn't feel motivated to read. I felt disconnected from the characters and the story. The writing was incredibly simple, and I honestly felt like River was treated like a child, acted as a child and thought as a child.
Another thing I found confusing was the tense. River constantly referred to the Granmumma speak as 'text talk', which I think meant it was 2 generations in front of the present day? But similar to how I found Ink by Alice Broadway, the town felt really behind. Yes, we had trains and hotels and (I think) phones. But then the only news we heard was through word-of-mouth, and TV's and video games were all seen as old fashioned. It just seemed weird to me.
But unfortunately my issues with this book also grew deeper. In my viewpoint, this book was sexist. It basically said that men are directly connected to rape and murder. It told the main character to cover up so she could avoid being raped. It portrayed men in a very negative light and really didn't show much progress throughout the story. Yes, the final few chapters started to turn things around...but it wasn't really enough. The views of men in this book were just inexcusable.
★★
-Beth
May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽
linde99's review against another edition
2.0
Could not get trough this book. Boring, and the main character kept refering to the boy as it.
alex_love's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoy reading Virginia Bergins books but this one didn't really call me out, I finished it and didn't really like it to much
peppermint_tea's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
It was so amazing. I ended up crying of both happiness and sadness, it was the first book that made me jump up and down with joy
Definitely recommend to everyone, it's such an amazing book, it also made me reflect on a few things about how our world works
10/10
Definitely recommend to everyone, it's such an amazing book, it also made me reflect on a few things about how our world works
10/10
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Vomit, Sexism, Rape, and Blood
Minor: Medical content
chapters_and_chapters's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
kables_reads's review
3.0
I’ve no idea how to rate this book - and I’m not sure where I stand. I agree with the negative reviews, yet I also feel like this book has been wildly misunderstood…I think it’s important to remember that River and Mason are products of their upbringing and while they may be fundamentally wrong about so many things, both of them overcome this?