Thank you NetGalley for the audio version of this book!

This book was… strangely interesting. It’s the opposite of Handmaids Tales. I never watched the tv show nor read the books and had an extremely vague idea of what I was in for.

Nothing prepared me for this 😆 🙈

It was enjoyable discovering how all of the main characters lives seem to intertwine. The love cakes were weird. Honestly the entire book is strange. Some of it was hard to imagine having a 10yo son.

The power of suggestion is such a fascinating concept. The religions and what they believe. Which side of the male fence they stand on. The talk of males as not being human. How regressed the entire male population was.

This book definitely makes you think 🤔

If I could sum up this book in one word (truly): intriguing!

Don’t even know if I can rate it. Did I like it? Not really. Did I hate it? Not even. But that is purely because certain elements of this book were so polarising to me.

Nothing is black and white but if you take things to an extreme it brings up so many questions and conundrums. At some points I was nodding along, at others I was wincing something awful. Then again, a book like this is built to be thought provoking.

It was interesting to have a few different POVs and definitely added to the layers of this story. Each character had their own goals and machinations to carry out.

I will say I was enthralled even though there was no major explosive plot points or really earth shattering revelations. After all - we were very much in the middle of this dystopian world where certain beliefs had been ingrained for centuries so any notion of overthrowing ideals (if it was even an option) was not on the cards here. But our characters all had some kind of resolution in the end and I was cheering the loudest for Eva & Silence!

Have already clocked that there’s a second book, wonder if it will also be translated to English?

Narration by Cassandra Campbell made this unputdownable. Round of applause!

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ALC.

3.5

What a quirky little series this is going to be! Filled with snakes and far more menstrual blood than I ever needed, I was utterly gripped. I loved learning about the new world, the insights into women claiming their power, and the rewriting of history. I liked that our present day was alluded to and that we learned in some ways how the novel world was developed into what it was.

There were so many thought provoking proclamations and aspects to this novel. I loved how Uthaug flipped so much of what we know and experience on its head and forced the reader to accept a different narrative.

I’m eager for the next book in this series and the ending left me wanting more. It felt slightly abrupt. So much of the novel is world building and then there is major character development. Almost to the detriment of the plot of the current story. This may have been better to read with the next novel already in hand.

This book also contains a ton of sex-adjacent material and discussion. However, it’s not at all sexy. Trust me, you’ll know what I mean when you get into it. I could’ve done with more actual sexiness to offset some of the period talk to be honest!

I listened to this novel on audio and it’s gripping. Occasionally gross and graphic though, so pick your listening opportunities wisely.

This is a weird one but I was here for it. If you like books that make you think and definitely off the norm, you’ll want to check out Eleven Percent.

Thank you to RBMedia for the copy.

As a woman, I've been thinking about this concept a lot (A LOT!) lately. Do we really need these men?

Just think, how amazing our lives would be! Walking around in the dark to see the stars, going to the park to get some fresh air, going to work, the store, hearing footsteps behind you on the sidewalk, or even just sleeping in your own goddamned bed... without fear.

I can go on and on, but he answer is No. We don't 'need' them if we can properly store their sperm and/or find a way to get rid of them...and that's where all the fantasies end (WWII anyone?).

More importantly I realise, just like asshole 'men', there are asshole 'women'. Are we going to get rid of them too? Who's next?

So the answer is: Yes. In the sense that we don't need or want them, but are forced to live among them when the justice system fails. And let's not forget: there are good men too.

The only thing we can do, is to adopt the Crime Junkie podcast mantra: 'Be Weird, Be Safe'.

Now, I listened to the audiobook version and the narrator did an amazing job. The story was engaging and I couldn't stop listening. But the ending was not okay. I mean...it should go somewhere or have a point or just leave you with a feeling, even if it's open-ended. Nothing.

I still loved the story as 'slice-of-life', loved her writing style, was grateful for getting a copy via Netgalley and called it a win. I wanted to rate, review and move on.

But then I saw a reviewer mention something about the author and everything got complicated.

So just like Rowling, I read her books before knowing anything about her. Just like Rowling, I won't be reading other books of her. Until I can look further into it and confirm what's been said, unfortunately this author is on pause. A shame really.

Why do they do this? Just write your books and stop being an asshole yourself. Be professional and polite. It costs you nothing. That's it. Do your job, fight for those who can't fight for themselves and please if you have opinions... Go to therapy and find out what it REALLY is about Yourself that you're projecting.

I'm not going to lower my score because all off this. I only took off points for the ending. Fair is fair, b*tch can write. Sorry for all the cursing. I'll apologize if or when I find out I'm wrong. That costs me nothing too. Simple.

I listened to about 20% of this book before I had to stop. The premise was super intriguing and I loved the snakes but that was pretty much all. I felt like this was a strange take on feminism that felt...offensive? And transphobic. I'm not sure if that was the author's intention but that is definitely how it came across in the writing. Aside from all of that, I also didn't find myself interested in the story itself due to the slow pace and lack of world-building. I rarely DNF books but this one I couldn't bring myself to finish. I love a good social satire but this was not it.

I liked how this was a sort of dystopian reverse Handmaid's tale situation. The premise was fantastic but I didn't have the easiest time relating to the main characters or really fully immersing myself in this world. Good audio narration though. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

WOW WOW WOW! This is quite possibly the most unhinged book I've ever read. I love stories of flipping the patriarchy and this is the most extreme variation of that I've ever come across. I'm 99.9% sure I enjoyed it? The woman was too stunned to think. instant 5 stars because of how weird and unhinged it was.

Described as a "reverse Handmaid's Tale," this book delivered that and more. The narration of this audiobook really set the tone for this dark dystopian novel. I enjoyed the story told from four perspectives - Madea the witch, Wicca the priestess, Eva the doctor, and Silence with her mysterious past. The author artfully crafted a story where these four women's lives intertwined. This would make a fantastic film or miniseries.

I’m not really sure what I was expecting, but this was much more… out there. Set hundreds of years in the future in a world where men have become the minority in a society run by and for women. Only 11% of the human population is male and they are kept in facilities where women can go to find release or be impregnated, but that’s the only use they find for them.

I should have known how queer this story would be when there are no men left in society. There are trans men who walk the streets with their silicone ding-a-ling flopping out for all to see. They create what they want it to look like and a doctor sews it on them… ON THEIR BODY!! They provide a bit of the characteristics of men without the unsafeness to the women.

There are sects of women who have broken off. Some of them seem very culty, some are just trying to survive. It’s all very interesting how the author created a world that I could see coming to fruition… beyond the speaking to animals and witchcraft portions. Also, should we talk about menstrual blood cookies? Nope! I’d rather not. But you can read about them, if you like. 🫠

All in all, this was an interesting and thought-provoking book that I’ll think about for a long time to come. I’m glad I had the audiobook, because there is a lot to take in. It made the world building so much more all encompassing. I’m not sure if I would have enjoyed it as much as I did had I read it another way.

4.5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the provided ALC.

Thank you for the ARC! In fully transparency I DNF this read about 70% of the way through. I really did not enjoy this. The description was way off and that’s what got me. Marketed as ‘Handmaids Tale but reserve roles’ and this is just untrue to the plot. I wanted to love this but it was cryptic and trying too hard.

What did I just read? I was really excited to dive into this book after reading the description, as I expected it to be a counterpart to "The Handmaid's Tale." However, it turned out to be more focused on genitalia and menstrual blood than exploring the potential benefits of an all-female society. Instead of an intriguing concept, it felt more like a nightmare. Perhaps something was lost in translation, but this story just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to RB Media via NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Utterly Baffling and Deeply Unpleasant
Let me preface this by saying I went into this book based on a blurb that promised a "reverse handmaid's tale". What I encountered was something else entirely – a bizarre and disjointed narrative that felt like a fever dream stitched together with side stories to explain where these characters have been before the events of this book.

The plot, if you can even call it that, seemed to wander aimlessly, never coming together into anything resembling a coherent story. I kept waiting for a point, a connection, anything to ground the strange events unfolding on the page, but it never arrived. The book felt utterly devoid of purpose, leaving me with a profound sense of "what was the point of that?" At multiple points in the story, I felt like I was watching a bad train wreck, and just *had* to see where it was going. And then, I wished I hadn't.

Beyond the bewildering plot, the writing style itself felt jarring and unsettling. While it's possible some of this is due to translation, the overall effect was one of awkward phrasing and a general sense of unease that went beyond mere stylistic choice.

However, the truly disturbing aspect of this book was its gratuitous and frankly disgusting content. Themes involving cakes made with menstrual blood, explicit and unnecessary descriptions of sex workers showing off their fake genitalia, and the inclusion of a skat fetish felt deliberately provocative and served no discernible purpose to the narrative. Instead of being thought-provoking, it felt purely repulsive and exploitative. Not to mention, there are themes made to repulse the reader of a person being born in the wrong body, and the shame from a parent to "remove the disgusting bits" from their child, and only then will they be accepted.

Clearly, the world is not ready to be devoid of men. It turns into a horrifying and vile place.

This is not a book for the faint of heart, nor is it a book for anyone looking for a meaningful or even remotely palatable story. If you're looking for a narrative with a clear direction, relatable characters, or content that doesn't leave you feeling queasy, steer clear of this one. I regret the time I spent reading it and cannot recommend it under any circumstances.

This novel is for an uber-specific type of reader, but definitely not for me. While the premise is interesting, I'm not sure that in this political climate that it's a good idea to depict trans people in such a weird/negative way (even if it is satire - which I don't think this is but I could be wrong). Check the trigger warnings on this before reading.

I am a huge fan of gender dystopian fiction. Eleven Percent by Maren Uthaug, describes a world where only eleven percent of the men survive and become marginalized because of their role in the downfall of civilization. While I was very excited about the concept of this book, the execution was poorly done. They spent to much precious space on the page describing menstruation that could have been spent on better character development.

The narration by Cassandra Campbell itself was well done and is probably the reason why I did not DNF this book.

Thank you RBmedia | Recorded Books for the opportunity to listen to this eARC. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 3 stars
Pub Date: Apr 22 2025

#RBmedia
#ElevenPercent
#MarenUthaug
#CassandraCampbell
#Dystopian
#GenderDystopia
#YarisBookNook
#NetGalley

Eleven Percent is an extremely weird novel that seems to mainly show that a women-led society could easily become as sexually fetishized and domineering as real-world male ones, and use the same religious and nature myths to justify it.
The story is told out of order, to emphasize and reveal the ways characters hide their own or others' attributes to try to conform to society, and the twists and turns as things are revealed.
The descriptions are intricate and language evocative, especially when it comes to the snake worship, the conditions under which the 11% of males are kept for breeding purposes, and especially all the ways people change their bodies to play with societal norms -- adding and removing appendages as they see fit for pleasure or survival.
Turn the gender dysmorphia up to 11!

CN. for transphobia, forced gender, including rather graphic bottom surgery, lots of weird stuff with bodily fluids

I received an ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.

An intriguing premise, a blurb that bares little resemblance to the actual plot, and prose that wasn't awful made me stick with this to the end, but I really wish I hadn't.

Likewise, I spent the majority of the book hoping for the plot to appear...and then I wish it hadn't.

I ended up finding this a confusing, boring, probably transphobic nonsense by a possible TERF? (I couldn't find any statements, but people talking about her beliefs and she signed some misogynistic email thing).

Maybe I'm showing my ignorance about what this was trying to say, but it came off as confused, boring, biossentialist nonsense.

Was their actual magic with menstrual blood?
Beyond the reference to Lilith and the Serpent, what were the snakes all about?
The handling and reference to trans masc people was gross and transphobic without seeming to make a point about why being a bigoted scumfuck is bad.
There seemed no real thought behind gender as anything but sex (or asbuse and force)

Inverse Handmaid's Tale, this was not.

More like a half-remembered terfy dream of The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas (derogatory, obviously)

This was a strange story, i was hopping for something like the handmaid tale but from the side of man, or better, how would it be if women took charge, a bit like “the gate to women’s country“ because i really loved that book, but that is not what I got here… this book is a bit like the book of flora, with lots of witchcraft thrown around… all the characters come together to tell just one narrative, in the end, all makes sense and everyone is connected, but how and why that is for me to know and for you all that give this book a chance…

I don’t even know if I could call this book feminist, I got to listen to the audiobook, and maybe this one was one of the few audiobooks I have listen this year that I don’t really care about… maybe because I didn’t understand all the symbols about snakes, and what was supposed to do with the snakes, too much paganism and I had too little information to fully grasp what that really meant for the book, I felt like witches got in a blender with ancient Greece and the story was born… but again maybe its not for me and someone else will love it… I say that this reminds me of the book of flora because there’s a character here, I wont say who or how, was born male, and his own mother was always mistreating him and forcing the male out of him, and even got to the point of operating him and cut his dangly bits out… I don’t feel like the mother loved her own child, so if that was the case, why not leave the boy in the centers… besides this person could never love men or woman… its a sad conclusion to his story…

it was just ok, I felt a bit dissatisfied with the narration, but maybe that had also to do, that I felt a bit freaked out with the way the story was developing…

Thank you Netgalley and RBmedia | Recorded Books, for the free AAC and this is my honest opinion.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but ultimately it wasn’t for me. I was drawn in by the premise of a reverse Handmaid’s Tale, but it felt like the story didn’t really get going, and was more a long string of description about daily life. I ended up DNFing this.

The first hour primarily seemed to be about snakes, but I pushed through to carry on. Perhaps some of the nuance was lost in translation, but the slow pacing and lack of plot progression in the first 20% made it hard to want to continue. I would have liked a bit more world building, to understand the ‘evolution’ and the dystopian existence.

The narrator was great, and I recognised her voice from other audiobooks - her narration is good and she has a great voice for reading.

I think there should have been some clear trigger warnings - I was taken aback in the first few minutes by a description of an animal death - and ultimately it was details like this that meant this book just wasn’t for me, although I believe the idea has plenty of potential.

thank you netgalley for the free audiobook version is this title. while the premise truly intrigued me, ultimately this book was not for me

Thank you to Netgalley and RBmedia for the advanced reader's audio copy of Eleven Percent by Maren Uthaug.

Eleven Percent is a bold and quite imaginative work that challenges one's conventional narratives and encourages one's self to critically examine societal norms and structures. This novel gave a unique perspective and speculative approach which makes it a good addition to the contemporary dystopian genre. It was pitched as the inverse of The Handmade's Tale, which it is I guess in some fashion. But it felt like so much more than that at times.

I listened to this novel but I could definitely see some readers being squeamish about some of the content. However, it's a pretty thought provoking novel that delves into themes of gender, power, and societal structures, offering what I took as a satirical critique of patriarchy.