Content warnings that I felt could have been made: transphobia as well as a LOT of genitalia talk, child/animal abuse, blood

This was certainly a fascinating read. I was immediately intrigued by the premise of this book, especially given the political climate we are in right now. The story follows several main characters who hold different roles in society, switching between them. Though each character was engaging and well-fleshed-out, this made it a little challenging for me to keep going with the book, as felt like more of a cautionary tale than a "happy" story (which, to be fair, makes sense in this context!). Additionally, a lot of worldbuilding context was given as we got further into the story., which was sometimes confusing. That being said, I think there were some really interesting points made by the author. I only wish the plot was fleshed out a bit more.

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was....something. I'm not sure I'm the right audience for this book, but I definitely did not enjoy it.

Thanks to the publihser for the advanced copy!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the arc. It has been two weeks since I read this and I haven't stopped thinking about it and still don't know what to say. It's fascinating, thought-provoking and very weird. This is a very unique take on what a matriarchal society could look like, deftly exploring the implications of one gender having absolute power. While the world is gendered, this novel dives into what that means for trans people and those born male. It's hard to talk about without spoiling anything, but I really recommend it.
Will be reviewed on Instagram closer to publication.

Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Random House for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The idea of this book was very intriguing to me, especially after consuming Handmaid's Tale content for the past couple of years.

The longer I sit with the book, the more I find myself coming to terms with the fact that it was meant to be a very ugly story. I think it's really easy to think that the author shares the mindset of her characters, but did we do that to Margaret Atwood? No. So I'm choosing to believe that this author is not transphobic, or has any other outlandish prejudice.

Once I get passed that, I can appreciate the commentary this book offers.

It follows several, very different, POV characters, which allows you to view this world through the lenses of women who benefit or suffer greatly under the matriarchy they live under.

Finally, the prose is beautiful. This was recently translated to English but the beauty of the writing comes through wonderfully in the translation.

I will say trigger warning for trasphobia, blood used in cooking, animal abuse, child abuse, mutilation, and probably more (this book could due with a proper look by a sensitivity reader to better warn audiences of the content).

Thank you to Maren Uthaug, Net Galley, and St. Martin’s Press for this arc of Eleven Percent, out April 22, 2025!

📜Quick Summary: It’s the New Time. There are only eleven percent of men left in the world… in a world run by women. The men are in “spa like” facilities, where they’re available for whatever the women have in mind. Medea, a witch and a snake whisperer, takes care of the pythons and helps them procreate. In her home in the slums, the convent isn’t the best of living situations. Taking care of Eldest, her “sister”, was a job in itself; she was slowly declining and losing memories. Silence, another sister who lives with them, doesn’t speak a word to them. Wicca, is a self proclaimed master at “self pleasuring,” a course that they were taught in school.

❣️Initial Feels: I am feeling very confused… I know this book is translated into English, so maybe things are lost in translation? Or maybe…I’m not quite getting where this book is going.

👀Trigger Warnings: masturbation, menstrual blood, lots of penis talk

📖Read if you want: sci-fi, fantasy, women taking over the world, religious input, a lot of talk of orgasms and their magical powers, dystopian world

🙋🏼‍♀️Moving Character: I loved learning about Silence not only through her silence in the convent, but the background of her life through the chapters from her point of view. When she spoke during those chapters, I felt like I could feel her voice through the pages…and learned why she was silent for so long. Her budding friendship with Chaplin, gave little bursts of happiness in Silence’s soul and I loved watching that beginning part unfurl.

🗨️Touching Words: “A woman’s weakest spot is that hse has too much empathy.”

“Bid your empathy welcome, dance with it, laugh at it, cry with it, but never follow it.”

💡Final Sentiments: This was an original Danish novel, being translated into English at it’s newest publication date! This was… so interesting. Men were in “camps” so to speak where they were held captive. There were breeding clinics women could go to if they were ready, but they were taught masterbation at some point as well during their courses. The menstrual blood in her baking recipes…was just so weird and gross. This book is definitely out there and you have to read it with a grain of salt…and almost let all your ideas and views on the world escape. It does incorporate government and religious views, which you can tie together with issues we have in our world today too. This was just so unique to anything I have ever read before…and I read a LOT!

🌟Overall Rating: I’m not even sure…maybe 3.5 stars?

This novel was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

I loved the concept of a woman run world lol it was very interesting to read especially since it is a translated into English! Four lives, many secrets, and apparently magical menstrual cookies? All in all I did have a good time reading this but I don’t think it’s one I will be thinking about often.

This is the second "what if women became the dominant sex?" novel I've read, the first being Naomi Alderman's THE POWER, and like the first, I found this story to be lacking. There is not much to be said about the plot; all of the interesting bits of action take place in flashbacks as the reader is introduced to the rotating protagonists' backstories, and in the present of the novel, extremely few events actually take places, and those that do can scarcely be called engaging or exciting. There is very little forward momentum to carry the reader forward. We are told how things are, and how our protagonists think about how things are, and...that is largely it.

The characters themselves are varied and engaging. Having four points of view through which the reader is introduced to this strange new world was an excellent choice, as each perspective grants wild new insight that the previous perspectives lacked. That being said, these characters are little more than the points of view they provide. There is no real character development or growth; each of our protagonists is more or less the same person at the end of the story that they were at the beginning. As with the plot, most of the interesting bits of these characters' stories happens in flashbacks or backstory, which makes reading the "present" feel like a waste of time. If anything, the current-day events of these characters' lives feel more like a slice-of-life picture, rather than a legitimate character arc.

The world that Maren Uthaug has created is certainly unique and well-detailed; I could feel how much time went into fleshing out this new society, how it operates, what its flaws and challenges are. I thought the balance of details presented to the audience was just right, enough to make this society feel real and tangible, but not too much that the reader is bogged down with too many things to remember or care about. The structure of this society also felt honest, not like your standard science fiction-level hyperorganization that may be intelligent or interesting but not necessary accurate to the way that humans tend to organize ourselves. I was left with some questions at the end of this book, most of them "good" questions that made me want to learn more, rather than "bad" questions that annoy me. That being said, we're not really given much explanation as to how human society ended up in where it is, though I understand that this book is the first in a series, so perhaps more answers will come in the future. I'm also unclear as to how so much basic scientific knowledge has been lost; for a while I thought this fictional society existed in the past, given how much was not known. Again, questions like these may be answered in future novels, though I don't believe I will be reading to find out.

Some final thoughts:

-The writing style was engaging and unique, but overall I wasn't blown away by it.
-There is a near-constant talk of genitalia and sex that gets very old very quickly.
-This book was, on the whole, very bleak, and oftentimes difficult to get through for this reason.
-I feel that pointing out the transphobia in this book is complicated, because gender identity and bodily autonomy in the society of this book are not necessarily analogous to that of our own world. That being said, those who are triggered by or sensitive to depictions of transphobia may find swaths of this book difficult to read.

Overall, I thought this book was a collection of interesting, unique, thought-provoking ideas, but I don't know how successful it is as a narrative. I think the plot and character arcs could have used some more attention, even if at the expense of the thorough world-building. As I said, I don't think I'll be continuing on with the series, but I can definitely imagine a reader who would be gripped by this world and absolutely need to know more.

Eleven Percent is a slow burn. The beginning of the book had me contemplating whether I should finish it or not, but I am glad I kept reading. The story follows four women, Medea, Wicca, Silence, and Eva, as they explore different ways of living in a world where only eleven percent of males are kept alive at "spas". I started to enjoy the book about half way through, as the four women's lives started becoming connected. I found the story felt more connected at that point and it became easier to imagine this world where women are in power. This novel was outside of my normal genres, and as such it did not hold my interest as much as I had hoped it would.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I can definitely see this being a controversial one, but sometimes it’s the most controversial stories that stay with you the longest. In what feels like it sprang from Margaret Atwood’s pen, Maren Uthaug imagines a dystopian future where men are rare and women rule the earth. So much of this world was unique and intriguing, from the gender-swapped version of Christianity to the spa centers and the eduction system focusing on personal pleasure.

Maren Uthaug offers a commentary on modern societal structures surrounding femininity, womanhood, transgender rights, and the patriarchy that feels incredibly poignant and thought-provoking. I actually feel like I could talk about this book for hours there is so much to deconstruct. There is also so much that is just weird! And I mean that in a good way! This book goes so many places which speaks to Uthaug’s ability to ensure that it endures.

A final note: this book can be difficult for people with body dysmorphia but that is also why it is so important for others to read to understand body dysmorphia. There are also some uncomfortable paragraphs about children’s bodies, which speaks to the dehumanization and objectification of young girls in modern society. Any and all uncomfortable bits in this book are necessary for the point they are trying to make.

This was not the book for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a copy of this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Eleven Percent by Maren Uthaug is a dystopian novel about a matriarchal/feminist society in the future where ancient priestess cults are revived while men are kept to only eleven percent of the human population.

I found this story quite disturbing and perverse. There were some interesting ideas that were equally unsettling that examined the extremes of feminism. Reproduction and physical intimacy were the obsessive focus in the story's world alongside archaic goddess worship by way of snakes.

It's been a long time since I have read an unnerving story like this one. I found it shocking with its provocative ideas but also extremely original in its world building and also philosophical, with the important questions raised about gender ideologies.

If you like controversial dystopian novels, you should read Eleven Percent.

This book was very challenging to get into as the writing is very stiff and the premise of the book is vastly different than the informational summary provided. I felt very disinterested in what would happen to the characters because they were not compelling and I felt no emotional connection to them. The story was not for me, but I hope it will be for others.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC in return for an honest review!

The premise of this book was definitely an intriguing one. Right away I was grabbed by some of the little details of what a matriarchal society would look like (ie round buildings being brought into style as opposed to straight ones); these details really helped to bring this world alive and sink me into the book. This book was sad and disarming in parts, which felt intentionally done. I would have enjoyed some more exploration of the sociopolitical situation of this world, but this was more of a glimpse into the lives of a handful of women living within this society.

I'm honestly not sure how to rate this book. It's a little out of my normal wheelhouse. The premise was unique and interesting, but also quite odd and sad. It was well translated so the language didn't take away from the story. Such a different type of dystopian landscape that I wasn't expecting. Like I enjoyed it's thought provoking nature...I keep talking myself into rating it higher than where I had it when I started this review...started 3-ish, but if you like this type of book it's realistically at least a 4

50/100 or 2.5 stars

This was disappointing. I was hoping this would have been great, but it didn't live up to the synopsis. The idea is amazing, but the execution was just not there for me, which is unfortunate.
The language the author used for many characters is transphobic, which also brought the rating and the overall reading experience down for me. (There is no way around it, because the use of the term "manlady" within the story was not necessary for the characters or for the reader to understand what was happpening.)

Handmaid's Tale but in reverse is such a catchy concept, and one I was excited to explore. Unfortunately, this book was a miss for me and will be a DNF. Since this is a translation, maybe some details are lost coming from one language to another, but overall, I felt there was very little plot and the pacing was super slow. I won't be finishing.

Totally weird and thought provoking, but some parts missed the mark for me. Will definitely be thinking about this one for a bit. Loved this take on The Handmaid's Tale and anything dystopian!

I have decided to sadly DNF this read. I got about 15% of the way in and was still struggling to understand the premise or the plot of the story.

I strongly believe that this will be enjoyable to a specific audience. However, I’m not the intended audience.

What was even the point of this book? There was no real plot or climax. The whole time I had no clue where this book was going. And at the end it left me saying “That’s it?”. The only redeeming factors here are the magical period cakes and the manladies. Based on the description of this book I thought it had a lot of potential but it was a huge let down. For such a short book it dragged on and took me forever to finish. I also just don’t think the translation is the best and things get lost from it. I will not be recommending this book to anyone.

Asking because I do not know the Denmark literary scene well - is Maren Uthaug a terf? I've generally been spoiled for gender apocalypses lately, but this is a really rough attempt at a reverse Handmaid's Tale where all the men are kept separate for breeding and the women make woo woo menstrual blood cookies. The culture is still dick centric in an genuinely uncomfortable way, and there's a character in here that is such a painful combination of bad forced feminization fantasies and trans stereotypes that I wanted to crawl out of my skin several times. This is just not for me unfortunately because it doesn't have anything new to say and mainly seems to be trying to be edgelordy.