blumoonie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Racism, Homophobia, and Transphobia
woahjeny's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Sexism, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
sydneythekydneybean's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book had so much potential to be a great, thought-provoking feminist read, but I don't think it can be that book when most of the women say
Spoiler
"yes, let's blow up the world because we can (???????). we have more power than men now, but they want it back so instead of working with them now that we're at an equal level, let's blow it all up, go back 5,000 years, and start all over again".Spoiler
Allie's final story beat of becoming the President of Bessapara and choosing between war and peace had me at the edge of my seat, especially with the dynamic change between Roxy (who wants peace) and Allie (who wants war). I thought Allie finding her former adoptive mother and realizing that she was just as awful, if not worse than her former adoptive father, would lead to an epiphany that not all would be grand if women came out on top. Women can be just as vicious and violent and malevolent as men, and nothing will change. Only the reverse would happen. Women would be on top, leaving men with the scraps of the world, and I know historically that is how women were treated, but what kind of victory is that? Why would we create the same world that was so cruel to us? But nope, it seems like Allie didn't take any of this into account and chose war even after all of that. What an incredibly disappointing way to end her story.Also, maybe someone can explain it to me, but I didn't really see the point of the letters at the beginning and the end of the book. Just give me the story in the middle. I don't need this weird back and forth, especially after giving me that apologetically bad ending.
Graphic: Rape, Violence, Medical content, Torture, and Sexism
Moderate: War and Genocide
Minor: Bullying
thedisabledreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, and Drug use
Moderate: Ableism, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Medical trauma, and Trafficking
elementaldragons's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Rape, War, and Blood
maddalynmoon'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? It's complicated
3.5
Moderate: Drug abuse, Gun violence, Alcohol, Confinement, Body shaming, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Colonisation, Death, Sexual assault, Slavery, Torture, Body horror, Bullying, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Trafficking
rebeccaxells's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Gore, Trafficking, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Violence, Murder, Torture, and Misogyny
kayleigh214's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Racism, Pedophilia, Murder, Slavery, War, Violence, Sexual violence, Body shaming, Hate crime, Gun violence, Genocide, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Domestic abuse, Rape, Xenophobia, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Death, Blood, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Child abuse, Sexism, Religious bigotry, and Sexual harassment
greenmind's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
I liked the premise, the structure and the prose style itself. But I'm not necessarily sure that a matriarchy would behave like this so I struggled a bit with the idea - it's a book inside a book though, so maybe it works better in that regard - it's written by a fictional man, so maybe his idea of a matriarchy can only be considered from a patriarchal fantasy? Or maybe it really is that hard to imagine a true matriarchy which could function differently than what we ourselves know after thousands of years... It made me think about the ideas brought up in here a lot though, so I think it's successful speculative fiction, in that sense. Personally, I found it lacking believability at times and it also grossed me out in a way which surprises me because I've read a lot of disgusting writing which hasn't caused that reaction. I'm just not overly convinced women would gang-rape, slave-own and murder men and children for fun in the way that men seem to do so now in warzones. I think the power would be wielded differently, and we can see how in the handful of matriarchal cultures around today or documented. Mothers still love and protect their sons, but the boys are socialised very differently and the older men behave differently within that... but I'm still unsure what I make of all of this. The "end notes" chapter from the female writer to the "male writer" character of the fictional book we've just read say much of the sorts of thing which run through my mind... but I'm unconvinced still, even though I feel made fun of by the author for that in a way. I still think the fact men don't get pregnant and give life makes them more likely to want to control women as a resource for reproduction all the more - and you can see that trend with the push towards normalising surrogacy and artificial womb science, in their interfering superstition in female healthcare, the power structures and beliefs of all major religions. The power isn't so literal as a jolt of physical electricity, but more the creator power which woman demonstrate when they grow new humans. Men are very uncomfortable with women controlling their own reproductions, as this would control all reproduction globally. One could argue that the effort to cut women from motherhood through tech and brothel-market capitalism hints at where essential power really lies, but the story has no space for mothers and babies here. It is certainly all very thought-provoking. The Father and The Son makes less sense to me than The Mother and Her Children in terms of creation myths, but... that's patriarchy for you.
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Blood, Pandemic/Epidemic, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, Genocide, Grief, Misogyny, Police brutality, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, War, Slavery, Torture, and Violence
jdreader'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? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Child death, Hate crime, Sexism, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence