Member Reviews
Yours for the Taking is an exilirating ride throughout the entire book. It begins in the future in the year 2050. As the result of climate change, life on Earth is almost unlivable. There is overbearing heat, coastal erosion, flooding, and the constant threat of tornados, hurricanes and other destructive weather conditions. It centers around an all-female utopian experiment that the protagonist, Jacqueline Millender envisioned. But unfortunately, she has her own warped agenda. This is the perfect read for anyone who likes plot driven sci-fi. The characters are interesting and believable, racially and socioeconomically diverse, with plenty of LGBTQ representation. I loved it and I highly recomment theis book. I was fortunate to receive this novel from Netgalley as an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.
3.5! Although I struggled a bit with some of the world building and pacing at times, the book's exploration of queer love and chosen family, interwoven with very real threats like climate disaster and surveillance, has stuck with me since finishing. Looking forward to following Gabrielle's fiction career!
I’m not normally a sci/fi fan but the summary interested me and I’m really glad I read it. The chapters are short and told from multiple perspectives and it kept me wanting to read more. It felt like it could be a YA read but I’d recommend it nonetheless to someone interested in stories with queer characters and/or climate change.
A thoroughly engaging book that will leave you thinking about it long after you turn the final page.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Yours for the Taking by Gabrielle Korn is an outstanding read.
I knew once I read the description I had to get this one.
I love dystopian type stories and Yours for the Taking sucked into the year of 2050 and held me captive.
There are slight bits of romance here and there, tons of intriguing suspense, adrenaline-pumping action all throughout the story, and lots of character development spread throughout the story. All those things I listed are perfectly divided throughout the story, making for a superior way of story-telling.
Well written characters, an incredibly thought-out plot line with an amazing thought-provoking story. Her world building and storytelling was just phenomenal.
This dystopian novel got me read for hours.
A creative, unique story that was truly an unputdownable book.
I only hope Gabrielle Korn continues to create such stories to keep me entertained for years to come.
"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
Thank You NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
Remember that period of time when we luxuriated in excellent, thought-provoking dystopias all the time? THE CITY OF EMBER was the absolute best and that was before we had all the technology we have today, which in turn allows us to imagine even more otherwordly nothingness. And I devoured those books.
This took me back to those days--a juicy dystopia with a fascinating experimental power structure, complicated morals around how those in power implemented control, and the boundaries between where you can want the best for a group of people without listening to what they actually want.
The entire concept of the Inside was a strong enough premise to carry the book, but it also had fascinating relationships, characters to root for, and commentary on what makes us human, how we become successful, and how we see the world.
An absolute delight of a read! I managed to pace myself and savour how delicious it was.
If an author was to google all the topics that sell right now, come up with a list, and then write a book that checked every box on that list, you’d get this this novel. Seriously.
That was my initial impression, but because life kept getting in a way, this book took me an usually long time (several days as oppose to a customary day or two at most) to finish and thus I ended up with several fresh perspectives on it. Which is to say that as annoyingly pandering and self-consciously tryhard as I found it to begin with, I actually ended up not minding it that much and rather liking some aspects of it.
So how do you write speculative fiction that sells in this day and age? Well, it has to be feminist, strongly so. In fact, avoid male characters in general whenever possible. Also, it has to be queer. As queer as you can make it. Throw in lesbians and trans people, heavily. Then make sure you have enough politically correct messages offered in a precise politically correct language. If you do it right, it will provide a clever sociopolitical commentary.
As this book does, to its credit. Because the overall motif here seems to be that a dictatorship is a dictatorship no matter how well meant it might be and any dream taken too far can and will become a nightmare.
Dystopian commentary aside, there’s some interesting worldbuilding here (as Earth becomes borderline uninhabitable and alternative methods for survival have to be engineered), though it takes a backseat to the ideology.
The writing is mostly good but uneven as the author rushes to cover an expansive timeline and flips between alternating narrators. Sometimes it’s just too plain and factual, sometimes it’s surprisingly emotionally engaging. Sometimes (often) it’s pure women’s fiction, occasionally, it’s literature.
But overall, it’s just about interesting enough, original enough and engaging enough to just about override it’s precocious, box-checking trendiness and enjoy. Thanks Netgalley.
Yours for the taking takes place thirty years in the future where the effects of climate change worsen, making Earth almost unlivable. The only way to survive is to be accepted in The Inside Project, a series of weatherproof structures across the globe.
Of devastating beauty, Yours for the Taking is a novel which makes you think and reflect. It’s concept is extremely unique. I don’t want to spoil anymore because I need you to be able to appreciate its twists and turns for yourself.
I loved this book so much and appreciated how real and diverse the characters were. I became so attached to specific personalities. It had me staying up until 3am, so enamored with how well-written and well-executed it was. Yours for the taking is definitely a must-read!
Yours for the Taking is a wild ride from start to finish. The story begins in the year 2050. Climate change has made life on Earth almost unlivable between the overbearing heat, coastal erosion, and constant threat of tornados and other destructive storms. City-like self-sustaining structures called The Inside exist throughout the planet and a lottery chooses who gets to live there. The Inside that exists in what is present day New York City is financed and controlled by Jacqueline Millender who has her own agenda. Jacqueline, extreme feminist, wants her Inside to be free of men, who she concludes is the cause of all the destruction on the planet. Jacqueline's manipulation of all that goes on Inside leads to unexpected results and not quite the all-female utopian experiment that she envisioned. Perfect for anyone who likes plot driven sci-fi. The characters are racially and socioeconomically diverse with plenty of LGBTQ representation. I was grateful to receive this ARC from netgalley and St. Martin's Press.
DRC provided by St. Martin's Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Devastatingly beautiful, Yours for the Taking is a novel that makes you think and reflect. Loved it.
Yours for the Taking by Gabrielle Korn is a powerful and thought-provoking novel set in a dystopian future. As the effects of climate change worsen, the only way to survive is to be accepted into The Inside Project, a series of weather-safe structures around the world. The story follows Ava and her girlfriend as they navigate the challenges of their world, while trying to find happiness.
The novel's main focus is on the character of Jacqueline Millender, a billionaire and women's rights advocate who has become the director of the Inside being built on the bones of Manhattan. She promises power and impact to those who work for her, and Shelby, a business major from a working-class family, is drawn to her promises of empowerment. Olympia, a medical student, is also recruited by Jacqueline to run the health department Inside. However, as they start to notice the cracks in Jacqueline's system, they realize there is something much larger at play, and she becomes increasingly unhinged and dangerous in what she is willing to do to keep her dream alive.
Yours for the Taking is a mesmerizing story of queer love, betrayal, and chosen family. It is an unflinching indictment of cis, corporate feminism, and holds a mirror to our own world, in all its beauty and horror. The author weaves a powerful tale that forces readers to question the true meaning of empowerment, and the price that must be paid for it. The characters are well-developed, and the storyline is both engaging and heart-wrenching.
Overall, Yours for the Taking is a powerful and poignant novel that is both timely and relevant. It is a must-read for anyone who wants to explore the intersection of politics, feminism, and the environment. Gabrielle Korn has written a masterful novel that will leave readers thinking long after they have finished reading it.
What an absolutely phenomenal book. Review to come as soon as I get my thoughts together. Definitely a must-read!