This was a book I really enjoyed I haven't read anything from the author and in the future I hope to read more.

Review for publication elsewhere.
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I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

I don’t typically read dystopian novels however, Femlandia is a dystopian novel that isn’t too far fetched. The characters are very well crafted and you feel yourself rooting for them throughout.

This book is not for the faint hearted and it does feature some abuse which can be hard to read. However, would recommend!

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I picked this one as I like reading dystopian fiction and found the description fascinating. For me this was an enjoyable read.

This is the third book I've read by this author and perhaps the most different from the others. Very character driven and thought provoking. The mother-daughter bond was incredible. As with all this author's books, it's scary that the events described could almost happen.

After loving Vox by this author, and finding Q a tad underwhelming I was very intrigued by the premise of this book. I’m so grateful to the publisher for the gifted Netgalley copy in exchanged for a review

Femlandia is a misandrist cult.
I felt like Dalcher wanted a book full of shocking moments of life in a cult. But didn't fully develop or explore each moment. For example Trans people are briefly mentioned but never explored. How does the cult deal with trans people?
The lack of exploration is a common issue for me. We never really see how Emma was very quickly indoctrinated into the cult.
I'm left we many questions on how this cult works.
This could have been better if longer and more exploration into life at the cult.

Would the world be better or fairer if women ran it? Following her much celebrated dystopian debut Vox, Christina Dalcher explores the idea of a feminist utopia and what it costs to get it.

Our protagonist Miranda has always objected to Femlandia - the female only colony of her mothes creation. But when societal breakdown forces her and her daughter to survive in a brutal world, it might be the only place that they will be safe.

But when they get there not all is as it seems. Emma takes to Femlandia’s ideologies like a fish to water but Miranda senses something dark behind the utopian picture she is painted.

Femlandia is an interesting post-apolcalyptic exploration of current social topics - the idea of how far feminism can go before it goes too far - and exactly what ‘too far’ is. For an author who made her name on a very ‘feminist’ book, often compared to The Handmaid’s Tale, it’s a bold angle to interrogate.

Overall the story is pacy - a dystopian thriller similar in style to Vox. It’s an easy and compelling read, with a well-constructed, if slightly predictable, plot. The implications of the world Dalcher has constructed are where things get interesting - if you are willing to dive into the moral, ethical and philosophical ideas underpinning the world she has created.

Yet the novel lacks nuance - characters can be a little two dimensional, though aspects such as chapters narrated from the perspective of Winn might help us see beyond the stereotype of the bra-burning misandrist. Yet at times devices where we see the same scenes through different eyes might be reductive - something as innocent as a grown man tying a child’s shoelace is misconstrued as a predatory attack, perhaps a bit heavy handedly illustrating the consequences of feminism. Likewise tired references to censorship in ‘herstory’ or comical centring of women in phrases like ‘self-sufficienSHE’ poke fun at feminist movements as farcical.

Dalcher does try to keep a balance - highlighting the real harms women go through that have lead to feminist movements - but at the same time there’s something a little uncomfortable about simplifying this debate and casting safe spaces for women as a dystopian horror.

Femlandia is a compelling read but never quite digs into the complexities of its topic and may let down readers who are hoping for a feminist utopia worthy of Herland.

Femlandia - Christine Dalcher

Having previously read VOX and Q I was desperate to get my hands on Femlandia, and it was a really enjoyable - if not a little worrying read, as I could definitely imagine this future happening! The book is not a light read but it was a really quick read as it keeps you engrossed throughout, it takes you into a different world with a prominent feeling of a cult rather than a community. I can't wait for more from Dalcher! Thank you so much to HQ publishers for allowing to read this e-arc, I can only apologise for the delay in review.

Another disturbing but eerily plausible dystopian novel from Christina Dalcher exploring gender roles in microscopic detail.

I would struggle to be able to review this book due to issues with the file/download. The issues stopped the flow of the book. The issues are:
- Missing words in the middle of sentences
- Stop/start sentences on different lines
- No clear definition of chapters.

Not sure if it was a file/download issue but there were lots of gaps and stops/starts which really ruined the flow. I would love the chance to read a better version as the description of the book appeals to me. I would be more than happy to re-read the book with a better file or as a physical book as the book topic and genre are of interest to me. If you would like me to re-review please feel free to contact me at thesecretbookreview@gmail.com or via social media The_secret_bookreview (Instagram) or Secret_bookblog (Twitter). Thank you.

A thrilling read from start to finish. The idea might seem dystopian, it seems like the perfect solution to the problems facing many women across the world. Incredible character development, visceral scenes and stunning writing.

This book scared me, it’s a future I can truly imagine happening! I’m all for taking the down the patriarchy but as the protagonist discovers it all goes a bit too far in Femlandia. I was rooting for Miranda but I couldn’t bear any of the other female characters, especially her daughter Emma and of course Jen. Emma was so entitled and holier than thou, she made me want to bang my head against the wall. In all honesty as it went on I didn’t really care what happened to her, so long as Miranda and the boys were OK.

Overal I found it too grim in parts to give more than three stars but props to the author for really pushing the boundaries. It’s tough reading for any parent and a definitely a scary vision of what could be to come in the future!

1.5 stars
I'm a huge lover of dystopian fiction, but this was just not good.
The writing style wasn't anything special and the characters were so boring and one-dimensional. It's a struggle to root for anyone in this as they are all so dull and unlikeable. This comes across more as man-hating than a feministic post-apocalyptic story and it was also openly transphobic which was an instant no from me.

A big disappointment sadly and not one that I'll be recommending.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

I was desperate to read this because I loved Vox but this is the second book this year that I haven’t been able to read due to corrupted text when it was sent to my kindle. I’ve requested another version and as soon as I get it I will read and review and then remove this. This is only here because I don’t want my percentage review feedback to drop below 80%
I’ve given four stars because you can’t submit a review without stars and that seems to be the average.

Society has collapsed and anarchy is rife. So Miranda takes her daughter to the only safe place she knows, Femlandia, a female utopia set up by her mother. However she finds it is not the sanctaury and safe place that it is supposed to be, with many dark secrets. Miranda is no hero, and is unwilling to accept anything this community wants to offer, so it is hardly surprising she wants to break it apart. At the end, the plot could have been great, but Miranda ruins it

Just wow! What a book. (I listened to the audio book which I thought was read brilliantly by Brittany Pressley and Cassandra Morris

Firstly some content warnings for child sexual assault, murder, violence, child loss, child neglect, transphobia.

This is a very challenging subject/read and it feels weird to say I loved it because it is so dark and grim but it really made me think about both what would happen in the event of global economic collapse (which we are really only a hare's breath away from) and also the ethical and moral dilemmas both that and somewhere like Femlandia would throw up.

I have heard some people say this book is anti feminism but I don't agree. I think it is anti extremism. It is after all extreme feminist who are the most anti trans people I know, just as it is extreme feminism that lurches into misandry which is essentially what this book confronts us with.

This book is not a light read. If you are looking for women overcoming adversity this is only partly that. It is gritty, dark and some parts of it make for very grim reading but wow can this author write.

This is my first Christina Dalcher novel but I am definitely going to read her other work and if it is anything like this then I think she will be definitely become an auto-buy author for me.

I like Christina Dalcher as a writer, I’ve read her previous work and have been shocked and moved by them. Femlandia doesn’t disappoint, there’s a feeling of inevitability that the tables have turned in this community, have they taken it too far. I had mixed feelings about the enigmatic ending, but a good read.