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laurenkimoto's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
This dystopian/horror is the first one I have really enjoyed in a long time.
I will be thinking about this book until the apocalypse comes
Very minor spoiler: JKR gets her comeuppance.
Graphic: Animal death, Biphobia, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Classism, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Violence, Transphobia, Trafficking, Grief, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Outing, and Medical content
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Drug use, Gun violence, Infertility, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Racism, and Self harm
emmague89's review
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Torture, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Grief, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Fatphobia, Excrement, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Dysphoria, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Biphobia, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Transphobia, Trafficking, Sexual violence, Self harm, Mass/school shootings, Gore, Genocide, Drug abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Cannibalism, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, War, Vomit, Violence, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Slavery, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Religious bigotry, Rape, Racial slurs, Racism, Pregnancy, Police brutality, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Misogyny, Mental illness, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Homophobia, Hate crime, Gun violence, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, and Death of parent
lycheejelly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Death, Sexual violence, Trafficking, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Drug use, Body horror, Cannibalism, Cursing, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Violence, War, Dysphoria, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia
Minor: Abortion, Misogyny, Child abuse, Suicide, Animal cruelty, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Addiction, Cancer, Child death, Excrement, Incest, and Miscarriage
kshertz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Graphic: Abandonment, Violence, Transphobia, Toxic friendship, Rape, Physical abuse, Death, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, Slavery, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Self harm, Murder, Medical content, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, Deadnaming, Body horror, Blood, Torture, Pregnancy, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, Infertility, Hate crime, Gore, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, and Body shaming
Minor: Antisemitism
dracovulpini'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
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Slavery, Gun violence, Hate crime, Violence, Gore, Rape, Cannibalism, Death, Fatphobia, Medical content, Murder, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, and Transphobia
Moderate: Blood, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, War, Vomit, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Grief, Infertility, and Pedophilia
ecn's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Almost every character was white and it FELT like it. However, it feels realistic for white people to stick together and but think of others in a post-apocalyptic world. I did have a lot of issues though with the two non-white characters essentially not being developed and only used by the main characters. Sure they grow together but ugh.
The entire book could have been condensed but the ending came way too quickly. The pacing felt off and made it hard to read, especially with every few paragraphs/pages switching off to another character. at times it felt dizzying trying to understand who was who for a bit.
Overall, I enjoyed the book for what it was but think I would have enjoyed it more as a movie.
Graphic: Body shaming, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Classism, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Racism, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Medical content, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Animal death, Grief, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Dysphoria, Medical trauma, Transphobia, Toxic friendship, Bullying, Blood, Eating disorder, and Excrement
rosesofthespring'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
1.0
I cannot overstate the disappointment.
There are moments of shining brilliance in this novel. Gretchen Felker-Martin can write incredible scenes when she's empathizing with the characters and not working out some kind of miserable grudge. The worldbuilding is absurdly bioessentialist, something which I was terrified of when I heard the premise, but I remained hopeful that she'd avoid the pitfalls. She does not. There's no room in this world for nuance, for the reality of the hormone spectrum, or for any amount of kindness or nostalgia. When the author attempts to engage with controversial real-world issues, it falls flat, coming across as two-dimensional.
This book is effectively a longform fiction version of the author's favorite online conspiracy theories. But I suppose that's redundant. I can see how this might seem fresh and edgy to anyone who hasn't been mired in online trans subcultures, but to someone who knows where the lens originates, it seems tired and bitter. Sometimes that's a basis for a solid book. I wish this was one of those times. This one goes out to the truscum and transmedicalists, the bioessentialists who believe gender is stored in the hormones, radical "feminists" who believe the genders are "oppressor vs oppressed," and the members of sad little forums who are stalwartly barricading themselves in the darkness of their worst days. I hope it gives them what they're looking for.
Graphic: Cursing, Dysphoria, Trafficking, Transphobia, Death, Hate crime, Cannibalism, Deadnaming, Gore, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Grief, Gun violence, Torture, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Rape, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Fatphobia, Self harm, Alcohol, Cancer, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, and Infertility
taratearex's review
- 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? It's complicated
3.0
The characters are all unlikeable and problematic, I generally have a hard time when characters aren't likeable, and I get that it can work in this end of the world desperate times, but in apocalypse books I'm always looking for some hope and someone to root for and I think the characters were just a bit too flat, underdeveloped or unlikeable to get me there. Which is fine, just not to my taste. And there are SO many characters that come in and out of scenes, new ones appear, I was not sure who I was supposed to remember or who was brand new many times.
I think the raw end-of-the-world, desperation and hopelessness is very strong in this, which gave it a mood, but wow was it depressing to read- because a lot of the politics are happening right now with anti trans reactionary laws, and politicians and billionaire authors spouting hateful anti trans rhetoric. If you pick this up, just know it's very heavy.
As a fan of horror I did appreciate just how gross this world is, violence and gore and gross out scenes galore, there is not much relief from these scenes, which makes it a quick read. Even with this sort of relentless action, it still just fell a bit flat for me. Sometimes the prose just left some descriptions and scenes confusing, sometimes things were underexplained and sometimes things were way overexplained.
Obviously, because this book is written by a trans woman the author is getting a lot of hate from anti trans people. There is a scene where it's mentioned how JKR dies in this apocalypse, because she's a famous TERF. The anti trans folks making it into anything bigger is just the same anti trans rhetoric that makes this book relevant.
CW: gore, violence, rape, death, gun violence, transphobia, suicidal thoughts, fatphobia, racism
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, Transphobia, Torture, Rape, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Gore, Sexual violence, Infertility, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Fatphobia, Dysphoria, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Cannibalism, and Body horror
milkybootscomix'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Rape, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Murder, Hate crime, Gore, Grief, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Deadnaming, Cursing, Body shaming, Gun violence, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, Torture, Sexual content, Self harm, Cannibalism, Body horror, Blood, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, Suicide, Physical abuse, Outing, Infertility, Dysphoria, and Death
kylajaynebooks's review
- 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
5.0
This read like a movie - it was brutal, nasty, horrifying, real, depressing, funny, reflective, sarcastic and I loved it so much.
It has so much to say and really makes you question feminism and how it absolutely does not always include everyone. It explores gender identity, mental illness, toxic relationships, eugenics, sex work, genocide and dictatorships
Just wow this was a gory disgusting sexy masterpiece
Graphic: Addiction, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fatphobia, Grief, Hate crime, Infertility, Mass/school shootings, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Child death, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexism, Trafficking, Violence, Vomit, War, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Cannibalism, Death, Genocide, Abortion, Cursing, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Transphobia