The Female of the Species

Edgar Award-winning author Mindy McGinnis delivers a riveting contemporary YA novel that examines rape culture through alternating perspectives. A stunning, unforgettable page-turner.

Alex Craft knows how to kill someone. And she doesn’t feel bad about it.

Three years ago, when her older sister, Anna, was murdered and the killer walked free, Alex uncaged the language she knows best—the language of violence.

While her own crime goes unpunished, Alex knows she can’t be trusted among other people. Not with Jack, the star athlete who wants to really know her but still feels guilty over the role he played the night Anna’s body was discovered. And not with Peekay, the preacher’s kid with a defiant streak who befriends Alex while they volunteer at an animal shelter. Not anyone.

As their senior year unfolds, Alex’s darker nature breaks out, setting these three teens on a collision course that will change their lives forever.

2017 Tayshas List Selection * YALSA Top 10 Best YA Fiction of 2017 * School Libray Journal Best of 2016 * Junior Library Guild Selection * The Globe and Mail Best Books of 2016 * Bustle’s Best Young Adult Books of 2016 * Mashable’s 8 Best YA Books of 2016 * Seventeen's 10 Best YA Books of 2016 * CCBC Choices 2017 * 2018-2019 Louisiana Readers' Choice Award Nominee * 2019 & 2020 Choose to Read Ohio Booklist

What happens when the girl who hunts predators is the only one you can trust?

• Vigilante Justice: Alex Craft doesn’t need a court to get justice for her murdered sister. She only needs a target.
• Multiple Perspectives: Told from the viewpoints of Alex the hunter, Jack the athlete with a secret, and Peekay the preacher’s kid who sees too much.
• Dark and Unflinching: A raw, powerful, and unflinching look at the reality of rape culture in a small town where everyone has something to hide.
• A High-Stakes Collision: As senior year spirals out of control, the fragile bonds between Alex, Jack, and Peekay are tested by violence, secrets, and the chilling truth of what Alex is capable of.