Eleven Percent is a sharp and thought provoking novel that explores power, gender, and control in a future where women rule society. Maren Uthaug’s writing is clear and compelling, and she builds a world that feels unsettling, but also deeply relevant.
It’s a bold read that sticks with you, and not just because of the story itself, but because of what it quietly challenges you to consider long after you’ve finished. I absolutely loved the weird, unsettling darkness of this novel and am so glad I got to get an early copy! Thank you so much for the eArc, can’t wait to get a physical copy when it comes out (:

Eleven Percent is a unique, thought-provoking dystopian novel-totally gripping, unlike anything I’ve ever read before.
An interesting story, well written and extremely thought provoking.
The writing is fascinating and held me glued to my kindle from the first page.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.

This is an interesting read..
I was not expecting some of the things mentioned in this book, such as cookies, snakes, and personal relationships. I recommend this book if you want to read something dystopian.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the eARC and NetGalley.

🌏Eleven Percent by Maren Uthaug is unlike anything I’ve ever read and I don’t say that lightly. This dystopian tale, translated from Danish, imagines a future where the patriarchy no longer exists. Women are the dominant force, men are tightly controlled, and nature is slowly reclaiming civilization.

The story follows Medea (a witch), Wicca (a priest), and Eva (a doctor), three women who shouldn’t even know of each other’s existence, yet their paths intertwine in unexpected ways. What stood out most to me was how the author flipped myths, rituals, and religious stories especially those involving women completely on their heads. It’s bizarre, bold, and at times deeply unsettling.🌏

🕠I’m still not sure how I feel about the book, but I definitely respect the author’s creativity and vision. It’s one of those niche reads that won’t be for everyone, but it will stick with you.🕠

Thank you to St Martins Press for the copy.

CW: Religion, snakes, blood, birds, rats, phobia, injustices against men.

Eleven Percent is my first read by Maren Uthang, and it definitely won’t be my last. With sharp prose and an unflinching look at complex emotions, Uthang delivers a story that’s both intimate and thought-provoking. The narrative dives deep into identity, relationships, and quiet personal revolutions, all while maintaining a grounded, human feel. It’s the kind of book that lingers, not because it shouts—but because it resonates. I’m excited to explore more from this author in the future.

Eleven Percent had a unique and intriguing premise that immediately drew me in. The idea of an inverse Handmaid’s Tale was fresh and full of potential. However, the execution didn’t quite land for me. The characters felt flat, and none of them stood out in a way that made me truly invested in their stories or desperate to see what happened next. Some of the big “Aha!” moments were unfortunately predictable.

On the positive side, I appreciated the way the story was structured across multiple POVs. Rather than quickly alternating, each character had their own dedicated sections, which helped the story feel cohesive and allowed the plot to progress steadily, no matter whose perspective we were seeing.

While this book didn’t fully work for me, readers looking for a different take on dystopian fiction with strong world-building might still find it interesting.

Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. I was extremely interested in the premise, but I think something was lost in the translation to English. The narrative was much too meandering and overly wordy to pull me in, and I did not feel compelled to finish the story.

There is definitely an audience for this book but, unfortunately, it was not me. Thanks to St. Martin's Press for an opportunity to read this book.

This was definitely a unique and thought provoking read that looked at women having the upper hand, very interesting perspective.

thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance copy of this book to review!

uhhhh this book was so weird. maybe other people will find it good weird but honestly I just found it extremely bad weird. like yes there's stuff that will gross a lot of people out like menstrual blood cakes and a character trained in scat (no, really), but there's also soooooo much talk of like, snake breeding. an unbelievable amount of it, really.

Eleven Percent allegedly takes place far in the future, but it really reads more like... I don't even know how to put it... the 1600s if women ruled the world. the worldbuilding doesn't work when there's so much stuff that makes me go "wait, huh?" like literal magic. I also found it both gender essentialist and bioessentialist in a way that made me genuinely uncomfortable. get ready to hear about period blood endlessly, and also how testosterone automatically makes men evil.

I did find this book absolutely terrible. but I also got some disbelieving laughs out of it, so maybe someone will enjoy it???

The concept of this book was really interesting, but ultimately it just fell flat. I was unable to find a larger meaning or message which is typically found in dystopian novels.

This was one of the weirdest stories I have read this year, it took me a while to figure out what was going on and once I did, it was still very weird. The events take place in the very distant future, most of the men have died, woman live in round hut communes or in derelict houses if they can find one. Food is scarce, getting by from one day to the next is a struggle. A group of woman live in a house that is quite derelict, and one them raises snakes used in ceremonies, that is until she sells one and that snake causes the owner of it to go a little crazy. The seller is desperate to breed more snakes but needs male sperm, which is a rare item to find, there not being many males, and what males are around are in centres that cater to woman who can afford to purchase their services either to get pregnant or for pleasure. There was a lot of discussion around orgasms and menstrual blood and a male that had been born and raised by the woman that lived in the derelict house, who they were keeping secret so he didn't get taken away. A weird story overall. Thanks to #Netgally and #St Martin's Press for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Originally published in Denmark in 2022, "Eleven Percent" will be released in English in the U.S. on 22 Apr 2025.

The premise of this one is what initially caught my attention. The story is set in a future world where women are in charge and men are scorned and kept under close observation. The women fear the repercussions of testosterone and the men must be kept docile and guarded for fear of what they will do to society if left to their own devices. The characters we follow throughout this book are nuanced, but I didn't develop a strong connection to them. Often confused by their reasonings for carrying out certain actions, I found myself easily distracted and not compelled to pick up the book. If you like strange fiction with strong female themes, this is the book for you. However, if you need to develop a strong connection to the characters and you desire a well-rounded resolution to a book, then this may not be the read for you. The ending was probably my least favorite part of my experience. It felt rushed compared to the rest of the story and it left something to be desired. A 3-star read for me, but perhaps a 5 star for you!

DNF @ p167

Preread Notes:

I'm not really sure what to expect from this one, as it's another one I chose for cover and title. But I read the forward by the author, which is a darkly humorous take on the legends of Lilith, Adam, and Eve. So, I feel like I'm in for a good time! I think it's a collection of different novelettes? Will confirm this. *edit nope it's a novel with multiple POVs and very long chapters.

Final Review to come:

“You should have some orgasms next to your plants. It’ll give them a boost of energy,” she said. “Looks like they need it.” p27

Reading Notes:

Four things I loved:

1. "God then created Eve instead. “I have made her from your rib, from a part of you that neither walks nor thinks nor speaks, so she shall be ready to obey your will,” said God to Adam. And she was. Especially after she saw what happened to Lilith." p3 This passage is a brilliant reimagining of the mythology of Lilith, Adam, and Eve. It also suggests what is to come.

2. Dang that's a pretty amazing opening line: "She’d gotten the bloody mixture in her hair as well. Sticky-handed, she wound the stray locks into the knot on her head." p6

3. I'm really enjoying the historical aspect of this fiction. I'm learning a lot about how people lived in ancient room. For example, I learned much more about rat vs snake than I ever thought I would know! These are the good sorts of fine details. *edit well...it's not historical fiction, so that shows how confused I was by this setting.

4. "What she felt in her body at this moment she would never be able to produce on her own. Perhaps it was like laughing, thought Medea. You can amuse yourself alone, chuckle quietly to yourself, but if you want the kind of over-the-top laughter where it’s difficult to stop, where in the end your stomach cramps and afterward you feel that strange release inside your soul, you need to share the fun with someone else." p70 A beautiful and fascinating observation about companionship.

Two things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. Well, the...*medical*...aspects and scenes in this book are not to my taste, but no judgment!

2. This book is just...so weird. I thought it was some kind of dark humor at first, but now I'm not sure. It's definitely not my vibe.

Rating: DNF @ p167
Recommend? yeah I mean for the right readers
Finished: Apr 7 '25

Thank you to the author, Maren Uthaug, publishers St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an advance digital arc of ELEVEN PERCENT. All views are mine.
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Eleven Percent by Maren Uthaug 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 did like the story overall, but it left so much undiscussed . . . unanswered. It is 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars. Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martins Press for my arc.

I was into the premise of this, but it just isn't what I wanted it to be.

Plenty of transphobe vibes and women being awful people.

For once I'd like to read a story of the matriarchy where we do a better job than the patriarchy cause I think it's more than plausible.

📖 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)
*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.

Do you ever finish a book and go “what the hell did I just read”? Eleven Percent is a super weird with an almost night terror-like quality to it. The time period shifted a few times to slowly reveal some elements of the story that didn’t make sense in the dystopian world or to give context to various characters. I liked the author’s method of storytelling and can see how many fans of literary fiction would enjoy this. Eleven Percent is thought provoking and bizarre on various fronts. I initially picked this up because the blurb caught my interest. An inverse story of The Handmaid’s Tale where men are sequestered to their own limited areas and used for breeding purposes sounds intriguing. However, the execution just wasn’t my cup of tea, but I believe that’s more of a me problem rather than anything to do with the writing. If you enjoy stories that veer over to the more strange, you’d probably love this and it would be a great book to pick apart and analyze.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley, and the author for sending me an early copy!

Eleven Percent is a deeply unsettling and strangely compelling read—not one for the squeamish. With strong echoes of The Handmaid’s Tale, but flipping the power dynamics, this story explores a dystopian world where women are in control. The historical underpinnings add an intriguing layer, though the narrative leans heavily into bizarre and visceral territory, especially when it comes to menstrual imagery. It’s not exactly dark humor—just dark, plain and simple. This book is unapologetically odd, and it demands a very specific kind of mood to fully engage with its themes. If you’re up for something uncomfortable, unconventional, and completely out there, this might just be the one.

This was a very interesting read, im actually shocked at how much this story kept me entertained. This dystopian world was unique and intriguing,