“It’s frightening what she’s grown to accept as normal.” p.3

Dystopian-Thriller is not a genre that I can read a lot of. I was on edge and could not put the book down, every chapter was a cliff hanger, and the chapters were short!

At first I thought I would hate this, because it really paints “far right evangelical men” as evil and definitely has a heavy dose of feminism. 

But reading it from a Christian worldview, I found it to be a humble reminder that without Christ in one’s life, any human, male or female, will be as evil as their flesh wants to be. In 2020, you saw a rise of science and government tyranny, just like in past and present history, you see religious tyranny. It all has a same root cause: sin and the lack of one’s soul submitted under the Holiness of God. 

Also, my local library has a book club coming up, and I will mainly be a fly on the wall but I’m very interested in hearing different perspectives. 

If you like clean reads, do not read this. TW for strong language, short sexual scenes, suicide and mistreatment of women. 

A quick, gripping read that’s a challenging portrait of a not-to outlandish dystopian future. I felt for all of the buildup the ending felt a bit rushed but overall it was a great read.

"Evil wins when good mean do nothing".

This book is very intense, especially given the current political climate. The first few chapters do a wonderful job at creating this Dystopian world that isn't too far from our own. The book really shines with its world building, including the misogynistic government leaders who subdue women in the name of righteousness. I hate read this first third of this book, which to me, is a sign of powerful righting.

I really liked how to scope of the Dystopian world was told through an individual's perspective. The reader isn't keen to governmental plans, only the slight change in policies that push ever so slightly to a new world. The main character's regrets and shame over her own inaction before the world turned is very haunting. 

I feel like the ending was too quick and the ending didn't quite match the tonal horror set earlier in the book. I would still recommend if you are interested in a modern day The Handmaid's tale.

I loved the concept of this book and it was pretty gripping once the plot was moving. However, I was disappointed with the rushed ending and lack of detail 

I love when a book makes me think and makes me feel something. That’s what this book is, it shows you the short path between women’s rights being slowly taken away until we are eventually silenced. I know it’s a dystopian book and it might be seen as silly to take it that seriously but it hits pretty close to home if you are paying attention to your surroundings.

I'll be totally honest, when I first looked at this I was pretty sure I wouldn't enjoy it. But actually, it's another one of those terrifying dystopian novels that, if you squint, isn't actually that outlandish at all. Imagine that every woman you know is prevented from working, every girl's education is limited to basic maths and home economics (no reading or writing), and every female is limited to speaking just 100 words per day on pain of electrocution. How do you even begin to start fighting back?

The plot feels like quite a slow burn; it's certainly not an action packed storyline, but even within the fairly domestic setting there is something about the way this is written that keeps you engaged. In my opinion, it's actually the stories of the main character's oldest and youngest child that really cry out to you as a reader; seeing a teenage boy influenced into 'drinking the Kool-Aid', not just through peer pressure but through educational indoctrination and media bias feels so real and relatable, particularly considering the issues the US are currently experiencing. And the instinct to scream at the unfairness of a little girl suffering a nightmare and not being able to call out for her mummy  then celebrating when she wins an award for saying the fewest words in a day... it's heartbreaking. 

The book reads like the author looks at those of a religious persuasion and is genuinely perplexed at how their beliefs lead to such fanatical behaviour.  Now, clearly that is not reflective of every person of faith, but the author has done a very good job at illustrate the 'extreme' end of Christian conservatism in the US (at least, it's recognisable from a Brit's POV!) It's also a great social commentary on the importance of using your voice when you can; vote when you have the opportunity, stand up for your rights and the rights of others and take an interest in current affairs, politics and the world around you so you can try to make a difference, rather than getting stuck in a situation you don't like without ever having said a word.

This book is very much the author writing ehat she knows; her accreditation as a neurolinguist is stated in the 'About the Author' section. While it does make for interesting reading, at the same time her knowledge does shine through in the use of technical jargon and other elements. As it is quite a niche field of interest, it does make the book a little hard to follow in places and a little 'mad scientist-y' in the resolution. But overall it's still a very readable and understandable book.

I was also slightly disappointed by the ending. I appreciate that the story is told from one character's perspective, but that does mean that the denouement isn't witnessed firsthand and so the key scene is actually just referred to in a vague conversation between two characters. After that slow build, it would have been nice to see the outcome firsthand . 

Pleasantly surprised by this!