Noted as the inverse of Handmaidens Tale is technically acurate in the fact that women run society, I find the rest of the story anything but similar. There should be a content warning for this story. The amount of discussion of genitalia and self pleasure is concerning. The story of the four women and how their lives intertwine is interesting. There seems to be a lot of time spent in the small details that could be left out, but then those small details really do make the book connect later on. The ending is very abrupt. I felt I wanted just a bit more in the ending.

This did not hit the mark for me. I really wish this was just done differently with more captivating characters and plot. Narrator was good.

This book had such a strong concept—a world led entirely by women, where men make up only eleven percent of the population. I was intrigued right from the start. The idea of flipping the script on gender and power dynamics was something I wanted to see explored in a meaningful, layered way. And while the premise was bold, I’m not sure it landed as powerfully as it could have.

One thing I did really enjoy was the way Uthaug dove into the characters. Learning about each one and their backstories—how they became who they were—was fascinating. That was one of the strongest aspects for me. And the world-building around religion, especially the transformation of Christianity, was compelling and cleverly done. It made me think about how belief systems evolve and adapt, especially under different leadership.

That said, the story didn’t feel fully fleshed out. It had all the ingredients for a rich, layered narrative, but it didn’t quite develop into a complete meal. There were threads that felt rushed or under-explored, and I left the book wanting just a bit more.

Overall, Eleven Percent was definitely interesting and had some brilliant ideas, but it felt like it was still finding its feet by the end. A thought-provoking read, but not one that fully delivered on its promise.

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

Not quite sure how I felt with this one! A little weird, a little what did I just read. Overall interesting?

Some books just don’t click with me; unfortunately, this turned out to be one of them. I was genuinely excited going in the premise, especially being described as an inverse of The Handmaid’s Tale, really caught my attention. There were definitely moments of potential and interesting ideas woven throughout.

That said, the writing style didn’t quite vibe with me, and I found it hard to stay fully engaged. The multiple POVs made the story feel a bit scattered, and I struggled to connect with the characters because of it.

One thing that really gave me pause, though, was the transphobic undertones. It’s something I wish had been handled with more care, and it ultimately pulled me out of the story.

I can absolutely see how this book might resonate with other readers, especially those who enjoy speculative fiction with bold, thought-provoking premises. It just wasn’t the right fit for me.

I honestly regret listening to this book. I usually don't mind strange storylines and the description made it sound like something I'd like but I did not at all. So many things made me extremely uncomfortable and it kept getting worse and worse. Sometimes I would think it was just a little weird thing in the story I had to get through but it just kept going downhill.
On top of that, I couldn't even try to summarize this book. Because of the uncomfortable parts I kept getting distracted from what the story was actually trying to tell.

⭐️
at 54 percent audiobook.

I have tried to read this book, actually listen to this book over the course of about four days. I had the audio so it’s pretty straightforward.

I don’t know what it is about this book that I could not get into. It was marketed as a reverse handmaid‘s Tale, which I was down to read and interested in. I wanted to see what a reverse handmaid‘s tale would look like. Honestly this was such a weird book. I don’t know I couldn’t. I tried my hardest. The very beginning was very confusing because it was just about like snake breeding and I literally didn’t understand what was going on then I realize that it was magical.
The fact that they have in this book put this as what the world would look like if it was all women and few men was kind of weird to me. I don’t know. I’m sorry, but this book was 100% not for me and I am down to read all different types of genres and I don’t have anything that really triggers me.

The actual places where they keep the men was very weird. I don’t understand where the thought process with this book was. I could not get into it. This was not for me. I got to 54% of the book and I decided it was not it was enough. I was forcing myself at that point.

This book is very detailed so you do not like mentions of bodily fluids as far as blood, and as they say it in the book “shit” flying everywhere, this book is not for you. The sexuality of the book I had no problem with. It was the whole bodily fluids and the tone of the book that was a big issue for me.

What in the actual…. Did I just listen to?! Wow. I… no. Not for me. The writing style actually wasn’t bad. But that subject and plot.. or non existence of plot? No. Just.. no. This was ridiculous. I received an ALC of this book from NetGalley and this opinion is my own.

Eleven Percent by Maren Uthaug ~ what would happen if the world was run by women and only eleven percent of the population were men? I'd like to think we'd handle it much better than these characters did. There were many things in this book that I loved, there were a few times I laughed and many times I cringed. I do not want to live in this dark and depraved dystopian world.
I've gone back and forth on whether or not I liked this book, so I suppose I am somewhere in the middle. I just don't see women as being this cruel even in the name of protection. I think because of the unbelievable lack of compassion I know women as a whole have, I just couldn't totally embrace it. Somewhere I also felt the pacing was off.
I do think the audiobook was narrated well and I would listen to more books from this voice actor.

Thank you for this ALC.

I really wanted to love this book, especially with the dystopian premise, but it didn’t resonate with me.
I enjoyed the book narrator Cassandra Campbell.


Thank you NetGalley and RBmedia | Recorded Books for the chance to listen to this ALC in exchange for my honest opinion.

What a unique storyline. This book follows four women in a feminist society and each one is hiding something. The world is focused on women, spirituality, community, love and pleasure.

I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters and appreciated the way the story unfolded and intertwined and the deeper character development. As someone with a farmers of snakes, I struggled with some scenes, but I was aware of that going into the book. The narration seemed to match the characters and story and added to the overall experience.

Thank you to NetGalley, RBmedia and Maren Uthaug for the advance reader copy.

This was an odd one for me, I'm not really sure what to think about it. It's thought provoking but I'm not sure it totally hits the way it in which it was intended. The premise is almost like a reverse Handmaid's Tale where women are the rulers and only 11% of the men survive. The story was a bit disjointed and took a while for all of the pieces to come together.

I really wanted to leave this story mind-blown, texting all of my reader friends to check it out, but I simply wasn't. I was left with more of a what was that? It was a bit too out there, a bit too much even for dystopian, in my mind, to really be though provoking with widespread appeal.

I finished this on Saturday and I am still trying to figure it out. I found it strange, which is the point. The women seemed to have no love or concern for the child, which is not what I would expect at all, as humans. It really challenged my understanding of human nature. This book is heavily focused on sex without being smut. I guess it is technical sex stuff.
You would thing a world without men would be less focused on weird body things but they really did a number on Chaplin.
I LOVE the narration.

I wasn’t sure about Eleven Percent at first—the beginning was slow and a bit hard to get into. The pacing made it tough to stay engaged early on, but I stuck with it, and somewhere along the way, it totally won me over.
Once the story finds its stride, it takes off like a rocket, and I was all in. The pacing might be a little... creative, but the payoff is worth the wait. Definitely a slow burn, but I ended up liking it.

Thank you NetGalley and RBmedia for the chance to listen to this title in exchange for my honest opinion.

Eleven Percent by Maren Uthaug and narrated by Cassandra Campbell has a fascinating premise; what would happen if most of the men died and women ruled the world? You know the song . . . Who Runs the World? Girls! Well, from this story, you would have to surmise that women are just as awful as men. The world is crumbling. There is abject poverty. No, there aren't rapes because testosterone is not allowed to run free in the world. Men are chipped, contained and medicated. They exist in these spas with the purpose of pleasuring women. Children refers to girls. Boys are an abnormality. There is still religion, of course, but the gods are women, and there is this fascination with snakes that was nonsensical. I know it's related to the story of Eve in the garden, but still. There is so much potential in this story. I love the premise, the character work, the sapphic relationships, the lack of a patriarchy, but there is so much that did not work. Why was there unchecked poverty. Are women really no better than men? I thought Cassandra Campbell did a good job with the narration and I did like the story overall. It is 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. Thank you to Net Galley and RB Media for my advance listener copy.

📖 Title: Eleven Percent

✍🏾 Author: Maren Uthaug-new to me author

📅Publication date: 4-22- 25 | Read 4-18-25

📃 Page Count: 304 pgs.

🏃🏾‍➡️Run Time: 10:15

🗣️Narrator: Cassandra Campbell voices all the characters with standouts from Medea, Eva, and Wicca. The reading style brought the text to life, and the author and narrator worked together perfectly. The pacing and flow allowed me to get lost in the story. The narrator paused and announced new chapters and there was a table of contents which helped me follow along.

Genre:
*Sci Fi
*Fantasy
*Women's Fic

Tropes:
*dystopia
*feminism
*pet friendly-snakes, birds, rats, and dogs
*sexuality
*religion
*pregnancy

👆🏾POV: 3rd person, multiple

⚠️TW: reassignment surgery, threat of rape-just mentioned

Summary: Eleven percent of the male population remains to give pleasure and procreate. Four women live their lives in this dystopian society that believes it is better off without men.

👩🏾 Heroine: Medea-lives @ convent in the slums, a snake whisperer

👩🏾 Heroine: Wicca- a Christian priest

👩🏾 Heroine: Silence- a mute who lives @ the convent with Medea.

👩🏾Heroine: Eva - Dr. at the spa centers for juvenile males.

🎭 Other Characters:

* Chaplin-Benja's childhood friend from the slum
* Lars-a neighbor in the slums who nurses babies, gets "treatment" from Eva
* Kali-Wicca's ex-partner
* Eldest- cares for "the boy"(Kali's son) along w/ Medea
*Nanna-a Dr. Eva worked with, was in love w/ her

🤔 My Thoughts: I'm not sure what I just finished but this female-dominated world was a little bleak for me. These four women- Medea, Silence, Eva, and Wicca- lived or visited the slums and hid their "real" identities from the world. Each one had a past secret that manifested in their current lives.

Rating: 3/5 ✨
Spice level 4/5 🌶️

🙏🏾Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, RB Media| Recorded Books, and Maren Uthaug for this ARC & ALC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

As an intersectional Feminist I will never be comfortable with Transphobia, especially in the current climate.
Dystopian books are my favourite genre, and yet, I am finding it increasingly frustrating that authors seem to think writing a dystopian fiction with women at the centre gives them a green flag to be transphobic. It absolutely doesn’t.
Disappointed

Wow. Wow. Wow. What an interesting premise and intriguing read. It was very thought provoking and timely in light of current circumstances. I enjoyed the cause and effects displayed and the characters were equally love-able and hate-able.

The Handmaid’s Tale is one of my all-time favorite books, and the idea of a gender-flipped dystopia instantly intrigued me. The style is definitely unique, and the concept is bold — it’s the kind of story that forces you to pause and really think about power dynamics, control, and what society might look like if the tables were completely turned.

There are scenes and moments that genuinely made me stop in my tracks. Some were a bit disturbing, but in a way that feels intentional — like the description of “love cakes” made with roots, chocolate, and menstrual blood, or the discussions around “milking” men for testosterone. Whether you love it or not, these are the kind of details that stay with you.

Overall, I can’t deny that this is a thought-provoking read and I can definitely see it sparking deep conversations.

Some books just aren’t for me, and unfortunately, this turned out to be one of them. I really wanted to love it—especially with the premise being marketed as an inverse The Handmaid’s Tale—but it didn’t hit the mark.

The writing style didn’t vibe with me, and I found it difficult to stay engaged. The multiple POVs felt disjointed, making it hard to connect with any of the characters. While the concept had potential, the execution lacked cohesion, and the open ending left me feeling unsatisfied.

Thank you NetGalley & RBMedia for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.