FEMLANDIA by Christina Dalcher (eARC Review)

Format: eBook

Source: NetGalley

Publisher: HQ

Genres: Science Fiction, Dystopia

Publication Date: 19th October 2021

Synopsis/Blurb (Taken from Goodreads):

“A chilling look into an alternate near future where a woman and her daughter seek refuge in a women-only colony, only to find that the safe haven they were hoping for is the most dangerous place they could be.

Miranda Reynolds always thought she would rather die than live in Femlandia. But that was before the country sank into total economic collapse and her husband walked out in the harshest, most permanent way, leaving her and her sixteen-year-old daughter with nothing. The streets are full of looting, robbing, and killing, and Miranda and Emma no longer have much choice—either starve and risk getting murdered, or find safety. And so they set off to Femlandia, the women-only colony Miranda’s mother, Win Somers, established decades ago.

Although Win is no longer in the spotlight, her protégé Jen Jones has taken Femlandia to new heights: The off-grid colonies are secluded, self-sufficient, and thriving—and Emma is instantly enchanted by this idea of a safe haven. But something is not right. There are no men allowed in the colony, but babies are being born—and they’re all girls. Miranda discovers just how the all-women community is capable of enduring, and it leads her to question how far her mother went to create this perfect, thriving, horrifying society.”

My Thoughts & Review

When I found out Christina Dalcher had a new book coming out I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it, and when it appeared on NetGalley you can only imagine how much more excited I got. I had a quick read of the of the description and even before I got to the end of the description I ended up clicking on that request button.

Fast forward a few weeks and here we are with my thoughts. I’m afraid it’s not as positive as I was hoping it would be. Despite the intriguing dystopian premises, I really struggled with this book. Don’t get me wrong it’s not a bad book but overall failed to keep me engaged and interested, and definitely not what I was expecting. I thought this was going to be about feminism and equality instead it was all about making sure that there are no men and how women are better off without them. Although I struggled with the plot Dalcher has done some things right and for me the biggest was the world building. She does a great job in explaining and describing the dystopian world but it’s just the rest of the book that is a little disappointing.

When it comes to the characters I don’t even know where to start! I found the majority of them to be quite unlikeable, to the point that they became very unbearable, in turn making it impossible to care about what happens to them. However, even though I wasn’t a fan of the individual characters I did find the relationships between the different female characters to be interesting, I do wish these were explored more.

This is one review that I’ve struggled to put my thoughts into words, but let me tell you one thing for sure. This time round this book not have been for me, but I’ve definitely not been discouraged from reading anything else from this author in the future and am also certain that I’ll be in the minority of readers who didn’t love this book. So, if you’re thinking of giving this one a go when it comes out then go ahead, but I do suggest you try borrowing the book from the library first!!

I would like to thank the publishers HQ and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

My Rating

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Have you read this book? What did you think? Leave a comment below and let’s have a chat.

Happy Reading!!!

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