Review: Yours for the Taking by Gavrielle Korn

Yours for the Taking by Gabrielle Korn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received both a print and audio ARC of this book via Netgalley, all opinions are my own.

This book is set in the not so far future in the wake of irreversible climate change. In an attempt to save humanity, structures call Insides were built around the world and citizens were hand selected to populate the Insides. One particular Inside is run by Jacqueline Millender, a billionaire feminist with very specific criteria and ideas for how her structure is going to run. Her vision is a female only society, and the women chosen to come on board Jacqueline puts together a team of women who fit her brand and buy into her initial vision of utopia that she is building. As their Inside becomes a reality, it becomes clear that what looked good on paper does not always turn out well in reality and those working for Jaqueline begin questioning the ethics and sustainability of the world that they have built.

This was the perfect read after just having read Can We All Be Feminists?: New Writing from Brit Bennett, Nicole Dennis-Benn, and 15 Others on Intersectionality, Identity, and the Way Forward for Feminism, a book of non-fiction essays about intersectional feminism. It was timely that I had just finished that prior to reading this. Korn's book touches on exactly why Jacqueline's version of feminism sounds good and is compelling, but it also alienates alot of women based on many other factors. This is a compelling dystopian sci-fi novel that calls into play the very real issue of not only women's issues but how race, class, disability, and the LGBTQIA community are impacted by one person's version of feminism and activism. In this case what Jaqueline feels is good for her should be good for all, and we quickly discover that isn't the case. If you don't agree with her or fit her vision she will find someone who does and will get the job done. She's got the funds and influence to make things happen.

Overall, I enjoyed this. It reads a bit on the YA side from the dialogue and character development perspective in my opinion. The book spans around 20 years so the timeline moves quickly so we can see the development of the community from start to finish. The author takes on alot in that amount of time and I felt parts of the plot get lost because of it. We get alot of tell vs show as the book is a bit more character driven than. The ending is a bit open ended (not a cliffhanger), which as a preference I do no prefer. I like more concrete endings with things wrapped up neatly.

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