Dearest booknerds,
I’m going to get screamy in this review, so you should be thankful
I’m not a vlogger or I’d blow out your speakers in a major way because OMG THE
FEMALE OF THE SPECIES. Trust me when I say that you have an immediate purchase*
in your future, somewhere between right now and when you finish reading this
review.
*or library reserve, YAY LIBRARIES!
The back jacket, from Goodreads:
A contemporary YA novel that examines rape culture
through alternating perspectives.
Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it.
Three years ago, when her older sister, Anna, was murdered and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best—the language of violence. While her own crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people. Not with Jack, the star athlete who wants to really know her but still feels guilty over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered. And not with Peekay, the preacher’s kid with a defiant streak who befriends Alex while they volunteer at an animal shelter. Not anyone.
As their senior year unfolds, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting these three teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever.
Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it.
Three years ago, when her older sister, Anna, was murdered and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best—the language of violence. While her own crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people. Not with Jack, the star athlete who wants to really know her but still feels guilty over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered. And not with Peekay, the preacher’s kid with a defiant streak who befriends Alex while they volunteer at an animal shelter. Not anyone.
As their senior year unfolds, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting these three teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever.
__
While the cover of THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES is all: Oh I’m
bright yellow and happy, don’t let it fool you. This isn’t a happy sort of book. It deals with cruelty of all sorts. Awful,
horrendous cruelty that may be too much for people because it stays with you,
wiggles into the corners of your mind and refuses to leave. But that said, it’s also
wondrous. Powerful and astute, McGinnis pulls no punches. Instead, she adds
kicks. Kicks that forced me to take breaks because they hit hard, followed by uppercuts of
empowerment and jabs of frustrated rage, both of which brought me to tears more
than once.
Cover art by Tracy Turnbull.
Cover design by Erin Fitzsimmons.
So if you’re into darker stories that will leave you wrecked in the best way, you need to get yourself to a bookstore as quickly as humanly possible. Also pick up tissue. Seriously.
___
For this mani, I used:
ORLY – Road Trippin’
FingerPaints – Black Expressionism and Paper Mâché
OPI – Dating A Royal, Tiramisu for Two, Malaga Wine
China Glaze – Intelligence, Integrity & Courage
Mitty Burns – Candy 00 and Clean Pro Flat brushes
So I picked this one up o the 6th because of your teaser on Instagram. I finished it on the 10th (bawling, and emotionally gut punched). SO FRAKKIN GOOD. I was on the fence because McGinnis' sequel to Blood Red Road really fell flat for me. But this more than makes up for that- I'm recommending it to everyone. Thanks for giving me the nudge I needed to read it!
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