Blog Tour - The Female Of The Species by Mindy McGinnis

I am thrilled to be part of the blog tour for this important and brilliantly written novel from Mindy McGinnis. I am also honoured to be ending the tour with a Top Ten list from Mindy.

First up, be sure to check out the previous stops on the tour. There are reviews, interviews, and more to check out.

Week 1:
9/12: Swoony Boys Podcast - Review
9/13: A Reader Under the Sea - Q&A
9/14: Pretty Deadly Reviews - Review
9/15: Brittany's Book Rambles - Guest Post
9/16: Lekeisha the Booknerd - Review

Week 2:
9/19: The Irish Banana Review - Q&A
9/20: Fiction Fare - Review
9/21: Fiery Reads - Playlist
9/22: Ex Libris - Review
9/23: A Glass of Wine - Top 10

Here is a little about the book in case you haven't already heard of it.

Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it. When her older sister, Anna, was murdered three years ago and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best. The language of violence.

While her crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people, even in her small hometown. She relegates herself to the shadows, a girl who goes unseen in plain sight, unremarkable in the high school hallways.

But Jack Fisher sees her. He’s the guy all other guys want to be: the star athlete gunning for valedictorian with the prom queen on his arm. Guilt over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered hasn’t let him forget Alex over the years, and now her green eyes amid a constellation of freckles have his attention. He doesn’t want to only see Alex Craft; he wants to know her.

So does Peekay, the preacher’s kid, a girl whose identity is entangled with her dad’s job, though that does not stop her from knowing the taste of beer or missing the touch of her ex-boyfriend. When Peekay and Alex start working together at the animal shelter, a friendship forms and Alex’s protective nature extends to more than just the dogs and cats they care for.

Circumstances bring Alex, Jack, and Peekay together as their senior year unfolds. While partying one night, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting the teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever. 

Be sure to order your copy from your favourite retailer one of the below links

 Amazon | B and N  

Here is a little about the author herself and you can follow her at the following links

Website | Twitter | Facebook  

Mindy McGinnis is a YA author who has worked in a high school library for thirteen years. Her debut, NOT A DROP TO DRINK, a post-apocalyptic survival story set in a world with very little freshwater, has been optioned for film my Stephanie Meyer's Fickle Fish Films. The companion novel, IN A HANDFUL OF DUST was released in 2014. Look for her Gothic historical thriller, A MADNESS SO DISCREET in October of 2015 from Katherine Tegen Books. Mindy is represented by Adriann Ranta of Wolf Literary.



For my part of the tour, I asked Mindy to provide a Top Ten List. The chosen topic was her top ten books written by women. The list is, unsurprisingly, pretty awesome.

Top Ten Books Written By Women

1 ­ The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

2 ­ The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

3 ­ Them by Joyce Carol Oates

4 ­ The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

5 ­ The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough

6 ­ A Place of Execution by Val McDermid

7 ­ The Thirteenthh Tale by Dianne Setterfeld

8 ­ In Country by Bobbie Ann Mason

9 ­ Stiff by Mary Roach

10 ­ Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Hopefully you want a copy of The Female Of The Species of your very own now that you've learned a little bit about the book. Be sure to enter the below giveaway for you chance to win one of three copies as part of this blog tour. This is a US ONLY giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Female Of The Species by Mindy McGinnis

The Female Of The Species by Mindy McGinnis
Release Date - September 20, 2016

Publisher Website - Harper Canada
Publisher Social Media - Twitter/Facebook/SavvyReader/Frenzy
Pages - 352 pages
My Rating - 5/5
**received from publisher for an honest review**

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it. When her older sister, Anna, was murdered three years ago and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best. The language of violence.

While her crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people, even in her small hometown. She relegates herself to the shadows, a girl who goes unseen in plain sight, unremarkable in the high school hallways.

But Jack Fisher sees her. He’s the guy all other guys want to be: the star athlete gunning for valedictorian with the prom queen on his arm. Guilt over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered hasn’t let him forget Alex over the years, and now her green eyes amid a constellation of freckles have his attention. He doesn’t want to only see Alex Craft; he wants to know her.

So does Peekay, the preacher’s kid, a girl whose identity is entangled with her dad’s job, though that does not stop her from knowing the taste of beer or missing the touch of her ex-boyfriend. When Peekay and Alex start working together at the animal shelter, a friendship forms and Alex’s protective nature extends to more than just the dogs and cats they care for.

Circumstances bring Alex, Jack, and Peekay together as their senior year unfolds. While partying one night, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting the teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever. 

The Female Of the Species is a hard book. It's a hard book to review and at times a hard book to read. It's unflinching and raw in its darkness and message. It's a darkly intelligent novel that is as sharply written as it is necessary.

The cover, while not really part of this review, immediately lets you know what type of story this is. Graced with pictures of the female of various species and their names ranging from vixen, cow and bitch, it hammers home the words we assign to women and how damaging many of them are.

If I had to provide one word to describe this novel I am confident it would be violence. Violence is the heartbeat of this novel. It's represented in my ways and forms. Actual violence, imagined violence, and what the numbing to violence does to society. It's exploration is razor sharp, and gritty. It is uncomfortable because it paints an all too realistic picture of our society. It makes it impossible not to question things, and offers one of the more complex explorations that I've read.

Alex Craft exists in grey. She is one of the most morally complex characters that I've ever met. Her sister's murder has left her justifiably angry. She's allowed that anger to create a dark hardness within in her that allows her to be capable of violence. She could easily be compared to Dexter, another morally complex character. The difference is, this is the first time I've encountered this in a female character. Alex muses that there isn't a word for what she is, and that feels true. She names herself vengeance which feels appropriate.

Rape culture seeps through every page of this novel. It ranges from subtle to glaringly in your face. This novel looks at the danger of gross casual comments, right up to slut shamming and its impact on how women are perceived. You are hit with the reality of this culture right from the initial pages, but it is hammered home with the jaw dropping presentation made by a police officer at Alex's school, complete with jarring statistics. This novel puts things into perspective in a way that is undeniable. Branley, and the way she's viewed and treated, is a direct product of rape culture. She's slut shammed, treated as nothing more than a pair of boobs and an ass. We see how damaging this is, and how it can leave a lasting scar that may not be visible , but hurts just as much getting as a physical one.

I normally don't provide trigger warning in novels, but those who have issues with animal cruelty may have issues getting through the earlier part of this novel. I believe you should, and the reason the animal cruelty is included is immediately evident and does highlight the point the author is making. The story itself is one that is worth reading, even if you have to skim these two occurrences. It is not enough to not experience this incredible novel.

My words are not enough to adequately express the way this novel impacts you. It's the kind of novel that gives you the worst kind of book hangover, and one that makes you see the world around you a little bit differently. A tough novel to read at times, but one that is incredibly important. Mindy McGinnis has given us unforgettable characters, and a novel that will settle itself inside you, and demand that you discuss it with everyone. This novel may make you uncomfortable at times but it is vital and required reading. The Female of the Species is indeed deadlier than the male, and Mindy McGinnis shows us why in her brutal, breath-taking novel that pierces your soul. 

Waiting On Wednesday ..... The Female Of The Species

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking The Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My pick this week is The Female Of The Species by Mindy McGinnis

Here is the Goodreads synopsis

Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it. When her older sister, Anna, was murdered three years ago and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best. The language of violence.

While her crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people, even in her small hometown. She relegates herself to the shadows, a girl who goes unseen in plain sight, unremarkable in the high school hallways.

But Jack Fisher sees her. He’s the guy all other guys want to be: the star athlete gunning for valedictorian with the prom queen on his arm. Guilt over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered hasn’t let him forget Alex over the years, and now her green eyes amid a constellation of freckles have his attention. He doesn’t want to only see Alex Craft; he wants to know her.

So does Peekay, the preacher’s kid, a girl whose identity is entangled with her dad’s job, though that does not stop her from knowing the taste of beer or missing the touch of her ex-boyfriend. When Peekay and Alex start working together at the animal shelter, a friendship forms and Alex’s protective nature extends to more than just the dogs and cats they care for.

Circumstances bring Alex, Jack, and Peekay together as their senior year unfolds. While partying one night, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting the teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever. Acclaimed author Mindy McGinnis artfully crafts three alternating perspectives into a dark and riveting exploration of what it means to be the female of the species. 

This basically sounds like everything I have wanted in book. I am hoping for dark but also a poignant look at what it means to be a female. A bit of a wait for this one as it doesn't come out until Sept but I have every confidence it'll be well worth the wait.

Expected release date - September 20, 2016

2016 Most Anticipated - The Female of the Species

This next book only has minimal details available at the moment, but those details are certainly enough to make me desperate to get my hands on this as soon as possible.

The Goodreads link is up for this one, but without an official synopsis attached. This one was mentioned in passing by Mindy on her blog and that is the only description we have. She's described it as ...

a rape-revenge vigilante justice contemporary

That was enough to make me want to include it in this event, and Mindy kindly agreed to answer a few questions in which she shares a little bit more about the book!

1 Describe The Female Of The Species using only three words. 

rape revenge contemporary 

2 If someone were to make a signature drink in honour of your book, what might be included? 

Oh man, that's a hard one. It's set in a very rural, poor town so I would think any cheap beer you can name off the top of your head is a good fit.

3 Let us in on one secret about one of your characters, or the world they inhabit. 

Each of my characters has a very different lifestyle, and each of them really believes that what they are doing is not necessarily wrong, yet they can be at odds with each other. 

4 You've described this novel as a 'rape-revenge vigilante justice contemporary'. Did you do any research for this novel and if so what was the most surprising thing you discovered. 

I did a lot of disturbing research for this book, mostly about body decomposition, destruction of evidence, etc. I have a friend who has been in law enforcement for years and now teaches criminology, and he was a huge help to me a in a lot of ways. The most surprising thing I discovered? How easy it would be to commit a crime and get away with it.

5 If you could travel to anywhere, in any time period, when and where would you want travel? 

I would want to be in my own backyard one thousand years ago. There were mastodons In Ohio at one time, which is an amazing thought. There were also native cultures here that we know virtually nothing about, like the Hopewell - a name we arbitrarily assigned to them because we don't even know what they were called. 

6 What 2016 release are you most anticipating? 

I haven't read the first one yet, but I can tell you for sure that I'm already dying for the sequel to Rae Carson's WALK ON EARTH A STRANGER.

7. If not too spoilery, can you share the first line of The Female Of The Species.

This is how I kill someone.

The Female Of The Species will release in Fall 2016. Pre-order links are not currently available, so be sure to add it to your Goodreads so you remember to snag a copy when it becomes available.

You can also follow Mindy on Twitter, visit her official website, and find out more about her books on the publisher website.

Be sure to stop by tomorrow to find out the next book that made this year's list!

A you a fan of darker contemporary novels? Are there authors whose books you'll immediately add to your list because you've enjoyed their previous books? Let me know in the comments.