Review:
*I received an ecopy of this book from the author. This has not influenced my review.*
The book was very gritty, grungy, and dirty (literally dirty, like with dirt and sweat and other bodily fluids). The main character lived in the slums. The book was filled with drug addiction and lots of mentions of prostitution and rape (though no explicit scenes—well, except one scene in which Andi and some others were touched without consent). There were graphic descriptions of various sorts of disgusting things, including injuries and dead bodies. Every other word in Andi’s head or out of her mouth was some sort of guttermouth slang. So basically, it is not a book for the easily offended or weak-stomached.
Speaking of Andi’s voice though, it was very different from the usual that you find in books, which was refreshing. It was full of slang and completely colored by her life and situation. I can’t really explain it, but I recommend reading a preview of the book on Amazon (or somewhere) to get a feel for it if you’re unsure about whether you’ll like it or not. (Reading a preview will also show you how gritty the book is.)
There was also a great message in this book not just about being intersex but about being who you are and letting people be who they are. The main characters didn’t want to be assigned a binary gender, they were happy just being themselves with the bodies they were given, and all they wanted was to be given the option to keep those bodies.
The plot/pacing was where I think the book lost me though. I didn’t understand/believe/see the point of some things (for example, I felt like there was no way Andi wouldn’t have died of infection after everything her body went through), and I just wasn’t gripped. Also, the timeline for how their society came to be the way it was didn’t make sense, unless I just misunderstood (which is possible because I was confused). And to be honest, I think the language and Andi’s voice got to be a little bit too much for me after a while.
However, overall, it had a somewhat unique premise, it included representation of a part of the LGBTQIA+ community that you don’t see often in books, and the writing had a deep POV with a unique voice.
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes dystopian, gritty books, unique character voices, and non-binary characters.
How do you fight for who you are, when the government controls what you are?
Andi knows being born an intersex “Transgressor” and then choosing to stay that way, can have lethal consequences. After all, surgical assignment is mandated by law. But she ain’t going to spend her life hiding from the Society, hooked on Flow, and wanking tourists just to make a few bucks. She’s a member of the Trans Liberty Riot Brigade, an underground faction of Transgressors resisting the government’s war on their illegal genitalia.
But it’s not enough to tag their messages on shithouse walls and sniff down the next high. The government has found their headquarters, decimated their ranks, and they’re crushing the resistance. Though Andi might be nothing but a junktard, she embarks on a desperate dash to stay alive and send a call for help before they’re all killed—or worse, surgically assigned.
Andi, together with Brigade leader Elenbar, must get beyond the communications block preventing all radio transmission, which means crossing the seaboard Wall barricading the United Free States borders. It’s designed to keep enemies out and the citizens in, but amid increasing earthquakes and deadly pursuit, Andi will discover there’s a far more dangerous secret hidden deep within the Wall itself.
Book Author: L.M. Pierce
Publisher: NineStar Press
Series: Brigade
Genre: Dystopian, LGBTQIA, Science Fiction
My Rating: 3
Series/Standalone: Part of a Series
LGBT+ Rep: Non-Binary (Main Character)
Disability Rep: Drug Addiction, Mental Illness
Relationships/Sex: None
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Aghh another book with a slow pace for you! Such a shame :( I’m also so impressed with this one having gender and sex as part of the main plot. While it’s set in a different world/society, it’s such a relevant topic to have a book be based around. I like the cross of genre and the importance of the discussion :)
I can’t remember if it was slow or more just kinda uneven. But yeah, I did like the LGBTQIA rep!
It sounds like there’s much goodness here, but that the plot and pacing got muddled would probably frustrate me no end. Sounds like the characterisation was actually quite good, and this might have been better if it was a character-focused read.
There were definitely some good things, but yeah, it’s frustrating when plot things kinda don’t seem to make sense or push my suspension of disbelief too far.
Sounds like it might be a little too gritty for me and the slow pace…not what I’d be looking for in this type of read…Love the main premise though.
Hmm, I don’t remember if it was necessarily slow… but something about it just didn’t quite keep me gripped. Understandable if it’s not your kinda book though.
ohhhh dirty and grungy huh? and relevant topics![giggles] but what a disappointing combination gritty and slow paced! [sighs] and inconsistencies! [groans]
It was kind of fast at times, slow at others. But definitely dirty and grungy the whole way through lol.
After that first paragraph of your review you already convinced me that this won’t be a book for me. I don’t think I would be able to stomach all the graphic descriptions.
That does sound nice that the voice was so unique! And it sounds like it has a good message. It’s a shame the plot/ pacing didn’t quite work for you. And I can see how a certain voice or style gets to be too much after reading for a while.
Yeah, I don’t think this one would be for you. It did have a great voice and message though! Even if I did get a bit tired of the voice lol.
This sounds intense! I’m not sure that a story with this kind of grunge and (literal) dirtiness is really my kind of thing, especially with the uneven pacing. I do love the sound of the characters though, and the message about the importance of “be and let be.”
It was definitely intense! And I did like the message and unique voice even if it ended up being not quite for me either.
I actually came across this book on Goodreads the other day…. I added it to my tbr pile because I think it looks intriguing and I haven’t read any books with (obvious) intersex characters yet! I hadn’t realized there were also nonbinary characters too. Now I definitely would like to read it :)
I hadn’t read about any intersex characters that I knew of either! I hope you love it!