The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis

I finished this yesterday, but needed some time to compose my thoughts on it.

I am very conflicted in how I feel about this book.

Start from the beginning, when going through lists of suggested books and checking what we have, I came across this very bright book.  It's neon yellow.  On the cover are a bunch of female animals with their names (did you know a girl otter is a Jill?  Me neither).  On the back is a description that sounds mildly appealing with a quote from one of my favorite movies, Clue.

I had no idea I was in for a savage, downright vicious story of a female vigilante out to rid her small town of pedophiles, abusers, and rapists. 

Alex reminds me a lot of Lisbeth from Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, just a small-town America teenage version.  The rape and murder of her older sister unleashed absolute rage, and Alex seeks justice by crucifying (literally) her sister's killer when he isn't charged.  When an uncle of a friend is discovered to be holder of child-pornography and abuser of said friend's younger sister, Alex lights his house on fire and burns him to death. 

I'm not sad in any way for their deaths.  I'm just kinda shocked that the book with these cutesy animals on the cover contains them.

The story is told in alternating viewpoints, from Alex, her kindof boyfriend Jack, and her co-animal shelter volunteer Peekay. 

That's right, outside of her violent nature towards sex criminals, Alex nurtures kittens and homeless dogs. 

I'm still not sure what I think of this.

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All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.