The Power

"Was on the edge of my seat for this one, but it felt kind of meh. "

"Gender privilege turned on its head, women now have the upper hand in society and are a danger to men. Does power always have to breed violence? Is dominance inevitable or is coexistence possible?"

"Smart, cool, thrilling"

"Women wielding real power, electrifying"

"When I saw this book in Booklist, I immediately placed it on my to-read list. The notion of women having power (literal electric power) was appealing. The story started out strongly, with all the societal challenges that accompany huge cultural and societal upheavals and a world in which a male-dominated social order is now a female-dominated social order. The story itself did not leave me as electrified (um, sorry) as I hoped. That said, the author includes correspondence with a colleague at the start. By the end of the book, the correspondence turns my expectations as a reader upside-down. The last lines in the last letter were a pay-off."

"At first I didn’t like the writing style, I felt it was too detached and I couldn’t get immersed in the book. But I gave it a real shot and I ended up getting used to it. This is a great book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️"

"At times very difficult to read due to the graphic scenes portrayed, but an absolutely fascinating look at what the world would be if women had more physical power than men. A great read if you want to challenge your perceptions and biases. July 8"

"4.25 stars<br/><br/>This was a buddy read with me and my mom (well my mom read the whole book roughly a week before I finished it but whatever) and it's the first one we've had since I was in eighth grade and had to read the Book Thief. Anyway, this standalone dystopian novel is honestly remarkable. The pacing is genius, with a general idea and level of violence throughout but only a select few scenes that are explicitly, disgustingly detailed, and the last fifty pages or so I could feel my heart rate increasing with the anticipation of how it would all end. <br/><br/>All the different points of view were incredibly told, each with their own voice separate from any of the others, and the discussions that are brought up throughout - especially about religion and its impacts - are discussions that are needed today, six years after it came out. I also still cannot believe this book wasn't over 400 pages, much less under - at 381 pages, and I think it takes a specific type of writer to pull off not just a standalone but a relatively shorter one at that, considering the themes and events explored. <br/><br/>I hope more people read this book - even if it is because of the tv show (which I'll be starting soon). Thank you for this intensely written book!"

"“The shape of power is always the same; it is the shape of a tree... branching and re-branching, spreading wider in ever-thinner, searching fingers... the power seeking outward.” This book is both hard to put down and unforgettable. It’s often gruesome and cruel... but in this future world imagined by Alderman, women are the dominant gender and the injustices that have happened in our global history repeat themselves again with men as the victims. My favorite part was the last 7 pages... one more unexpected twist to leave us on the final page shaking our heads. "

"I hear there’s a tv show in the works! "