katielibrarylady's review against another edition
5.0
The female of her species is more deadly than the male - Rudyard Kipling
Alex drifts into an unconscious, uncontrollable rage at the mention, sight, or thought of injustice. She is drifting through life, keeping herself isolated. She sees this as the only way to stop herself from killing again. In a way, she was right.
Alex’s sister Anna was killed, left to rot, and torn apart by animals. No evidence of the killer left behind, or at least none that could be distinguished after what was left of her was found. This unfortunate tragedy fuels Alex's rage against men who take advantage of women or girls. Making her a very deadly female.
Violence begets violence in this intensely, brutal high school drama.
Spoiler
Alex Craft is an unusual girl. A girl unnoticed by her peers. A girl that drifts in and out of the shadows. Alex Craft loves animals, will do anything she can to save them. She is also a killer.Alex drifts into an unconscious, uncontrollable rage at the mention, sight, or thought of injustice. She is drifting through life, keeping herself isolated. She sees this as the only way to stop herself from killing again. In a way, she was right.
Alex’s sister Anna was killed, left to rot, and torn apart by animals. No evidence of the killer left behind, or at least none that could be distinguished after what was left of her was found. This unfortunate tragedy fuels Alex's rage against men who take advantage of women or girls. Making her a very deadly female.
Violence begets violence in this intensely, brutal high school drama.
emperorcupcake's review against another edition
5.0
I know I just said The Rattled Bones was my book to beat for fave read of the year - and it's GORGEOUS - but now it's this! All my faves so far are YA, who even am I??
This is a DARK ASS YA book. It's also weirdly beautiful, and kind, and cutting, and insightful all at once. A book more concerned with heart and mind, right and wrong, than moralizing. My kind of book. I might even love this more than my Queen, Sadie. I know!! Any book that's tender towards animals I'm obviously gonna be biased towards, but that element was also so important to the story and in understanding Alex, as Peekay astutely points out. God I loved every character in this book, even Branley. We all have our own shit. The only characters who aren't really humanized are the rapists Alex targets. Because fuck rapists. They're humanized only through the lens of Alex's conscience, and Jack's, and Peekay's, and ours.
Give me ALL the books that live in the grey areas, but also have heart. This is it, this is my niche. Girls who hunt monsters and cuddle kittens.
This is a DARK ASS YA book. It's also weirdly beautiful, and kind, and cutting, and insightful all at once. A book more concerned with heart and mind, right and wrong, than moralizing. My kind of book. I might even love this more than my Queen, Sadie. I know!! Any book that's tender towards animals I'm obviously gonna be biased towards, but that element was also so important to the story and in understanding Alex, as Peekay astutely points out. God I loved every character in this book, even Branley. We all have our own shit. The only characters who aren't really humanized are the rapists Alex targets. Because fuck rapists. They're humanized only through the lens of Alex's conscience, and Jack's, and Peekay's, and ours.
Give me ALL the books that live in the grey areas, but also have heart. This is it, this is my niche. Girls who hunt monsters and cuddle kittens.
a_girl_and_some_books's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. That is the only word that comes to mind. I went into this book not knowing too much, as I normally do. But man, this book had me from page 1 until the end. I did not see the ending coming. This book was amazingly written and will stay with me a long time.
twinklep1997's review
5.0
There aren’t enough words to describe my love for this book! They talked about such an important topic and with so much grace. I’m in tears. I love this book so much
gelisvb's review against another edition
3.0
This is one of those books where you feel morally obliged to give a high rating.
And in fact it should be read.
It's a book that every librarians and teachers should recommend to young people.
This book has several important message and it's the kind of book that would have helped a lot when I was in high school.
It is a book that want to send messages and it does exactly that.
Alex tells you what society should teach you to become a better person and a more conscious woman.
But while this is an important book to read, it's not a well written book.
It has an underdeveloped plot, it's full of clichè, the romance is pretty bad and I spent the whole book feeling bad for Bradley (I sort of spent the book hoping that she would get the boy).
The truly bad thing was the ending; the author took the too easy way out.
Also the reader remains until the end with the question : What is actually wrong with Alex?
When I started this I though that Alex had a PTSD caused by the death of her sister and was hell bent on vengence. But that is not so.She is born with a murderous desire to right the wrongs that is an actual mental illness. What kind of mental illness? What illness is?Why isn't she on therapy?
The reader knows that Alex has some mental problem and it's probably genetic.
But it is something that is left there, quite suddenly she menages to have friends a boyfriend and starts having a normal life.I was not convinced.Why does she still lives with her alchoolic mother if she has a father who left for not staying with her mother? WHY THERE IS NOTHING EXPLAINED IN THIS BOOK?
Also everything has already happened when the book start and overall in the whole book not much happens.
So this book is written for the message, the plot and the characters are something that only serve the message; the problem is that it shows.
And in fact it should be read.
It's a book that every librarians and teachers should recommend to young people.
This book has several important message and it's the kind of book that would have helped a lot when I was in high school.
It is a book that want to send messages and it does exactly that.
Alex tells you what society should teach you to become a better person and a more conscious woman.
But while this is an important book to read, it's not a well written book.
It has an underdeveloped plot, it's full of clichè, the romance is pretty bad and I spent the whole book feeling bad for Bradley (I sort of spent the book hoping that she would get the boy).
The truly bad thing was the ending; the author took the too easy way out.
Also the reader remains until the end with the question : What is actually wrong with Alex?
When I started this I though that Alex had a PTSD caused by the death of her sister and was hell bent on vengence. But that is not so.She is born with a murderous desire to right the wrongs that is an actual mental illness. What kind of mental illness? What illness is?Why isn't she on therapy?
The reader knows that Alex has some mental problem and it's probably genetic.
But it is something that is left there, quite suddenly she menages to have friends a boyfriend and starts having a normal life.I was not convinced.Why does she still lives with her alchoolic mother if she has a father who left for not staying with her mother? WHY THERE IS NOTHING EXPLAINED IN THIS BOOK?
Also everything has already happened when the book start and overall in the whole book not much happens.
So this book is written for the message, the plot and the characters are something that only serve the message; the problem is that it shows.
ciaralo's review
4.0
FIRST THOUGHTS: Well, this was quite a punch in the gut. I'm excited to sit down and write out my feelings cause there are a lot of them.
REVIEW:
Okay, where do I begin with this one? I feel like my heart has taken a beating and the English major in me is just itching to analyze every element of this story. I've been in a bit of a reading slump recently, but I could not put The Female of the Species down. When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. When I had it in my hands, nothing else mattered. I just wanted to keep going down this twisting spiral to see what awaited me at the end. Nothing about this book was expected. From the characters to the plot to the writing to the premise, I felt like I never knew what was coming for me. This is definitely a stand-out book and I can't wait to start putting it in people's hands.
Alex Craft was unlike any character I've read before. Her movements, speech, life were carefully crafted and calculated. There was a precision in the writing that always left me off-kilter and on edge. She was fascinating in so many ways. Impossible to forget. I love strong female characters. Strong female characters are my jam. Basically all you have to do is tell me there is a kickass female protagonist in the story and I am there. Alex was a different kind of strong protagonist. Yes, she was physically strong. She could (and did) kick was serious ass. But it was her mentality, the way she spoke, thought, looked at the world that compelled me. Alex was gritty. And I adored her for it.
Sometimes in multi-POV novels, its hard to tell the difference between the characters. POV's bleed together and I sometimes can't distinguish the characters. Alex Craft's point of view was so distinct. Every time her chapters began, I felt like I was jolted violently into her world. Although Peekay and Jack had a lot of rough things going on, it's like I could physically feel Alex when I was reading her POV. She dug her way straight into my soul, and demanded I see every part of her. As for the two other central characters, Peekay and Jack made me love them in different ways. These were not stock, cardboard characters but jagged and flawed people that didn't ask for your approval. Just like everything else in this book, they were unexpected and hard to forget.
To me, The Female of the Species felt like an exploration of violence. There are so many different forms of violence, so many ways for the violence to surface. Violence permeated this novel like an oil slick, infecting everything. Sometimes it was subtle, almost unnoticeable. Other times it was right there for everyone to see. There was an incredibly interesting discussion of enacted and imagined violence between Alex and Peekay during the novel. It's one of the scenes I don't think I'll be forgetting anytime soon, and one that caused me to pause and think. This whole novel had moments like that. Moments where I had to pull back and analyze what was just said. Where I took a look at the very real world I live in and saw so many similarities to this created one. I love novels that allow me a new perspective on the world, and The Female of the Species definitely did that.
Besides being an exploration of violence as a whole, The Female of the Species subtly examined the violence of rape culture. It was the undercurrent of the entire story, surfacing time and again in new and sometimes unexpected ways. It was hard to read at times because it so closely mimicked life. The Female of the Species stripped away the mask and left the raw violence of rape culture exposed. And showed just how complicit people are in it. And how it so deeply effects women.
There's really only one problem I had with this book and it was the animal cruelty aspect. I'm a huge animal lover, and reading about animals in distress really upsets me. I've avoided entire series because of it. Therefore, the opening couple of chapters of Female were difficult to read. I understood the point of them, the role these scenes played, but it was a little too much for me.
There's literally so much more I could talk about (including Branley's character and how societal expectations on women are so damaging) but this is already a pretty long review. And I barely even talked about the plot itself! This review doesn't do the book justice. Maybe if I could write a ten page essay on the subject, I would be able to accurate capture the beauty of this novel. The Female of the Species was just a treasure: a dark, twisted, brutal treasure. It's a novel I'm going to think about for years to come, and one I can't wait for people to read. Definitely pick up this book. Then pick up another copy for your friend.
REVIEW:
Okay, where do I begin with this one? I feel like my heart has taken a beating and the English major in me is just itching to analyze every element of this story. I've been in a bit of a reading slump recently, but I could not put The Female of the Species down. When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. When I had it in my hands, nothing else mattered. I just wanted to keep going down this twisting spiral to see what awaited me at the end. Nothing about this book was expected. From the characters to the plot to the writing to the premise, I felt like I never knew what was coming for me. This is definitely a stand-out book and I can't wait to start putting it in people's hands.
Alex Craft was unlike any character I've read before. Her movements, speech, life were carefully crafted and calculated. There was a precision in the writing that always left me off-kilter and on edge. She was fascinating in so many ways. Impossible to forget. I love strong female characters. Strong female characters are my jam. Basically all you have to do is tell me there is a kickass female protagonist in the story and I am there. Alex was a different kind of strong protagonist. Yes, she was physically strong. She could (and did) kick was serious ass. But it was her mentality, the way she spoke, thought, looked at the world that compelled me. Alex was gritty. And I adored her for it.
Sometimes in multi-POV novels, its hard to tell the difference between the characters. POV's bleed together and I sometimes can't distinguish the characters. Alex Craft's point of view was so distinct. Every time her chapters began, I felt like I was jolted violently into her world. Although Peekay and Jack had a lot of rough things going on, it's like I could physically feel Alex when I was reading her POV. She dug her way straight into my soul, and demanded I see every part of her. As for the two other central characters, Peekay and Jack made me love them in different ways. These were not stock, cardboard characters but jagged and flawed people that didn't ask for your approval. Just like everything else in this book, they were unexpected and hard to forget.
To me, The Female of the Species felt like an exploration of violence. There are so many different forms of violence, so many ways for the violence to surface. Violence permeated this novel like an oil slick, infecting everything. Sometimes it was subtle, almost unnoticeable. Other times it was right there for everyone to see. There was an incredibly interesting discussion of enacted and imagined violence between Alex and Peekay during the novel. It's one of the scenes I don't think I'll be forgetting anytime soon, and one that caused me to pause and think. This whole novel had moments like that. Moments where I had to pull back and analyze what was just said. Where I took a look at the very real world I live in and saw so many similarities to this created one. I love novels that allow me a new perspective on the world, and The Female of the Species definitely did that.
Besides being an exploration of violence as a whole, The Female of the Species subtly examined the violence of rape culture. It was the undercurrent of the entire story, surfacing time and again in new and sometimes unexpected ways. It was hard to read at times because it so closely mimicked life. The Female of the Species stripped away the mask and left the raw violence of rape culture exposed. And showed just how complicit people are in it. And how it so deeply effects women.
There's really only one problem I had with this book and it was the animal cruelty aspect. I'm a huge animal lover, and reading about animals in distress really upsets me. I've avoided entire series because of it. Therefore, the opening couple of chapters of Female were difficult to read. I understood the point of them, the role these scenes played, but it was a little too much for me.
There's literally so much more I could talk about (including Branley's character and how societal expectations on women are so damaging) but this is already a pretty long review. And I barely even talked about the plot itself! This review doesn't do the book justice. Maybe if I could write a ten page essay on the subject, I would be able to accurate capture the beauty of this novel. The Female of the Species was just a treasure: a dark, twisted, brutal treasure. It's a novel I'm going to think about for years to come, and one I can't wait for people to read. Definitely pick up this book. Then pick up another copy for your friend.
rosie_lia's review against another edition
2.0
I thought that Alex going on a murder spree was absolute Queen shit, but there is fucking nothing about her murders or anything which I expected. So disappointed.