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vixenreader's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: War, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, Trafficking, Sexual content, Genocide, Infidelity, Outing, Cursing, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Cannibalism, Sexual violence, Body shaming, Blood, Death, Violence, Classism, Gore, Misogyny, Alcohol, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Rape
Moderate: Gun violence, Hate crime, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Torture, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Animal death, Body shaming, Addiction, Stalking, and Car accident
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Ableism, Addiction, Infertility, Abandonment, Vomit, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia
The transphobia is intense, and mainly comes from cis-women. Cis-men are now feral, so there is a fair amount of castration.crimsonreadlips's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Outing, Miscarriage, Lesbophobia, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Body shaming, Sexual harassment, Fire/Fire injury, Adult/minor relationship, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Pandemic/Epidemic, Rape, Violence, Murder, Misogyny, Hate crime, Death of parent, Deadnaming, Cannibalism, Body horror, Blood, Gore, War, Torture, Sexual violence, Racism, Police brutality, Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Fatphobia, Cursing, Classism, Child death, Dysphoria, and Death
kylegibbens's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Violence, War, Transphobia, Sexual violence, and Sexual content
solenodon's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: War, Transphobia, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death, Violence, Sexual content, Rape, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Pregnancy, Racism, Slavery, Self harm, Murder, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Gun violence, Gore, Grief, Death, Confinement, Classism, and Body shaming
Minor: Deadnaming and Infertility
nostradamnus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The two strongest elements of Manhunt are its prose and characters, in that order and on purpose; by which I mean, despite having the trappings of a traditional dystopia, Manhunt is a horror novel, and the first priority of a good horror novel (which this is) is making its readers connect with their "ugly feelings," à la Sianne Ngai. To that end, the author prioritized viscerality and humanity (however fucked it may be) over worldbuilding and plot. If you go in knowing that, I think you'll have a better reading experience than if you're expecting something more whimsical.
What struck me most about the prose and characters of Manhunt was the way that F-M was able to weave them together to create an argument-driven novel that rarely feels like it's trying to convince you of something. One of the most poignant commentaries of the book is its perspective on the violences committed against trans woman, particularly non-passing trans women, in spaces that claim to welcome them. F-M weaves this commentary seamlessly into the narrative
Where F-M lost me was when this honestly masterful rhetorical work was interrupted by what I can only describe as cloying complaints about issues that are at best, tertiary to the text and, at worst, self-apologetics that bully readers into compliance under the guise of being equivalent to essential issues of self that are above interlocution.
My point in all of this is that F-M is an excellent creative writer and rhetorician, and so the moments where she is less than excellent are distinctly unpleasant not in the way that good horror must be, but in the way that real people often are. For a different reader, that could be a welcome thing, but for me, it was disappointing. I'll read more of Felker-Martin's work in the future, but if the flaws of Manhunt carry forward, I'll inevitably tap out of her list.
Tertiarily: Manhunt reminded me a lot of The Handmaid's Tale, in that it engaged in the white literary tradition of reimagining violence committed in the name of anti-Blackness/misogynoir to victimize white women? It was particularly odd in this case because white trans women (our primary protagonists) face their own contemporary struggles that could have been and were taken to their reasonable conclusions within the text, but those conclusions were kind of replaced in the last act by chattel slavery? Very weird, very white.
Graphic: Rape, Pandemic/Epidemic, Misogyny, Hate crime, Body horror, Transphobia, Violence, Torture, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Death of parent, War, Animal death, Incest, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death, Slavery, Toxic friendship, and Fatphobia
radtj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Transphobia, Murder, War, Fatphobia, Dysphoria, Violence, and Outing
palaris's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Homophobia, War, Murder, Rape, Sexism, Body shaming, Death, Transphobia, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual assault, and Torture
birbmcbirb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Physical abuse, Murder, Gun violence, Gore, Dysphoria, Death of parent, Death, Blood, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Deadnaming, Bullying, Slavery, Pregnancy, Outing, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexism, Eating disorder, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Homophobia, Fatphobia, Excrement, Body shaming, Body horror, Ableism, War, Transphobia, Gaslighting, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Biphobia, Eating disorder, Incest, Cultural appropriation, Racism, and Stalking
darcona's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, Rape, War, Transphobia, and Terminal illness
sophiesticatedselections's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Gore, Hate crime, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child death, Dysphoria, Excrement, Blood, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Body shaming, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gun violence, Outing, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Sexual content, Vomit, Rape, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, War, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Infidelity, Drug use, Cancer, Racism, Racial slurs, Self harm, Grief, Deadnaming, Confinement, and Alcohol