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samants's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
A collection of thoughts:
- It felt strangely bio-essentialist for a book with so many trans characters; testosterone is bad, estrogen is good.
- Weird descriptions of fatness.
- This book oozed self-loathing. I can tell that the author is trans from the writing, and the unfortunate thing is that it really comes out in the self-hatred experienced by the trans characters, which is so detailed and thorough that it feels intensely personal. I suspect that the author is also fat and self-loathing, but I haven't really looked her up.
- Burying the lede here: This book is VERY gory, graphic, and honestly gross. Like, the content warnings are very real. It makes it hard to read at times and is worse at the beginning.
- The anger in it is very real and raw.
- The discussions and topics tackled in the book feel very online, as in I'm pretty sure it's what circulates on trans twitter. I know it's post-apocalyptic, but it seems so implausible and nihilistic that it crosses into being a panicked nightmare, reeking of fear, rather than a social commentary in the way dystopian novels usually are. It doesn't feel realistic but it does feel like what social media paints as a realistic scenario.
- Follow-up to the previous point: maybe this is how horror books usually are, but I felt that there was no hope for this society, which is unusual for a dystopian novel. The people seem fractured and it really seems like the end of the world. Pretty bleak. Full credit to the author for painting such a dark picture.
- Not only was there way too much sex in this book (aren't you people tired?) but the sex itself was also graphic and at times violent.
- This book is littered with expletives. So many. It's a little tiring.
- This book definitely makes you think.
- Lastly: This book does Baltimore and Maryland DIRTY. I don't think Baltimore deserved the treatment it got in this book. Baltimore doesn't need any more insults. It's a lovely city and already deserves more than it gets in the media. If anything, Boston is more puritanical. Just saying.
I'm just not a horror person, let alone the kind of person who enjoys stomach-turning gore.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Pregnancy, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
jemmers's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- 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
cw// sexual assault, forced sex work, coercive sex, gore, violence, transphobia, hate crimes, body dysphoria
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Body shaming, Chronic illness, Deadnaming, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Self harm, Sexism, Torture, Vomit, Medical content, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Outing, Toxic friendship, and War
audrilou's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I adore this book. The ending had me heaving big heavy sobs for minutes. Its a dark dark read, especially if you are trans. Because of that closeness, I felt so much more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Dysphoria, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
bouncy_knight_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Woof that was very intense and very scary. And not to be the nail gun police BUT THATS NOT HOW A NAIL GUN WORKS ITS NOT A GUN WITH NAILS FOR BULLETS
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Outing, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
smbd_the_reader's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
5.0
Some words upfront.
This book is very much over-the-top, spatterpunk-esque and horny and the author is well known to be a drama queen with more vile takes than one person should reasonably be capable of having.
As such, I cannot recommend reading this book to everyone and cannot really recommend buying it to, well, anyone.
If you want to read it and have any triggers whatsoever I'd recommend looking up a list (or several) first. This review contains mentions of rape and TERf rhetoric but nothing overly detailed.
That being said, I genuinely enjoyed this book.
I loved the complexity of the characters, the varying responses to trauma, the way different trans people were treated by their surroundings, the inner thoughts of the characters, internalized transphobia and all.
Gretchen-Felker is also absolutely amazing at writing gripping storylines and visceral imagery that completely entrance you, rarely has a book had this much of an emotional impact on me while reading.
The TERFs were very close to real life, minus the force of a society that would not approve of their more extreme antics. There’s a hint of exaggeration at times, though a lot of it is taken fairly directly from actual TERF talking points.
Which may seem unrealistic and over the top to some but really, that’s just TERFs, baby.
One thing that had me sort of taken aback was TERFs willingly adding boys into their militia, so long as they rejected their identities, let themselves be sterilized and so on. It fits with the hypocrisy and the need for violent domination of others, but generally TERFs are very bioessentialist about sex and gender and can get extremely violent about their disdain for anyone who’s AMAB so that was a little odd.
What was not odd to me in the slightest is the attempted rape of Fran with the TERF in question then freaking out when she realized Fran has a penis and trying to paint herself as a victim. It’s so extremely on-brand that I almost had to laugh, in that “god they sure would, wouldn’t they?” way.
Overall the one thing that I'm not sure how to feel about is the ending. A lot of things were building up to, at best, a Pyrrhic victory at that point and while I am glad that so many survived there seemed to be some degree of plot armor involved which makes it at least somewhat less satisfying.
This book is very much over-the-top, spatterpunk-esque and horny and the author is well known to be a drama queen with more vile takes than one person should reasonably be capable of having.
As such, I cannot recommend reading this book to everyone and cannot really recommend buying it to, well, anyone.
If you want to read it and have any triggers whatsoever I'd recommend looking up a list (or several) first. This review contains mentions of rape and TERf rhetoric but nothing overly detailed.
That being said, I genuinely enjoyed this book.
I loved the complexity of the characters, the varying responses to trauma, the way different trans people were treated by their surroundings, the inner thoughts of the characters, internalized transphobia and all.
Gretchen-Felker is also absolutely amazing at writing gripping storylines and visceral imagery that completely entrance you, rarely has a book had this much of an emotional impact on me while reading.
The TERFs were very close to real life, minus the force of a society that would not approve of their more extreme antics. There’s a hint of exaggeration at times, though a lot of it is taken fairly directly from actual TERF talking points.
Which may seem unrealistic and over the top to some but really, that’s just TERFs, baby.
One thing that had me sort of taken aback was
What was not odd to me in the slightest is the attempted rape of Fran with the TERF in question then freaking out when she realized Fran has a penis and trying to paint herself as a victim. It’s so extremely on-brand that I almost had to laugh, in that “god they sure would, wouldn’t they?” way.
Overall the one thing that I'm not sure how to feel about is the ending. A lot of things were building up to, at best, a Pyrrhic victory at that point and while I am glad that so many survived there seemed to be some degree of plot armor involved which makes it at least somewhat less satisfying.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Hate crime, Sexism, Transphobia, Violence, Medical content, Religious bigotry, and Dysphoria
cateyeschloe's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
4.0
“You always could have done something.
You were just afraid to be uncomfortable.”
Right off the bat, I have to say how much I absolutely love the diverse cast of characters the author included in this book!
It was beyond refreshing to see someone mentioned who had vitiligo, someone using crutches, someone using a cane, someone with chronic pain, sex workers, a fat person, an Indigenous character, Black characters, Hispanic characters, and various other POC characters. This book does a beautiful job of showcasing just how easy and natural it is to include genuine, excellent diversity in a story.
The pacing in the storytelling is a little sluggish at times and slow overall, but if you enjoy a dystopian story setting, this is a great choice!
This book is brutal and downright gorey at times, but I honestly think this should be on the TBR of anyone who can stomach the violence.
The story is visceral and rings extremely close to home, so much of the content materializing in our society today like a horrifying prophecy fulfilled. The threats this book depicts are not simply dystopian, they are not simply fiction, they are very real threats that Trans people are facing every single day, especially in America. They are the signs of a genocide, of a holocaust, and it is all too real.
I really enjoyed the cast of characters we are given to dive into this world with, and I like that they are not perfect, make mistakes, and are wholly human.
The author does a great job of world building, and while I still have a few questions about the details of the pandemic that hit that world, I did really enjoy the stage they set for this story.
Overall, I would absolutely recommend, but definitely suggest checking out the trigger warning list if you have any qualms!
“It is our problem… Them, the people outside… Every dyke and freak and faggot in the world is my fucking problem, and they’re yours too…
“I know the world’s dead, but that means we get more of a say in what happens to the people left in it, not less.”
-
“It wasn’t the few who’d cheered [during a TERF rally] that frightened [Beth (a trans woman)];
“it was the rest watching with guarded expressions,
“not looking at those among their numbers who cried… ‘you fucking Nazis’ and ‘Fuck TERFs!’ …“That was what scared her.
“The women who stayed silent.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Outing, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Deadnaming, Rape, and Classism
Minor: Racism, Self harm, and Pregnancy
There are really brutal execution style deaths of trans people throughout the entirety of this book.Violence is very prevalent throughout and is sometimes very graphic, especially in regard to injuries and injury descriptions.
This is a transphobic, TERF-ruled society and every page reflects this.
The use of words like “faggot”, “tranny”, “cunt” are all used throughout as slurs.
The POV from the TERFs rails hard against trans women and often describes them as men wearing “womanface” and they repeatedly mention their belief that trans women are only men who are sexually gratified by “pretending” to be women.
A TERF also refers to a trans man character as a “traitor” and someone so in love with the patriarchy that they betrayed themselves and their sisters.
All trans people are continuously misgendered by the TERFs and sometimes they simply refer to trans people as “the things”.
There is one instance of a cis character intentionally deadnaming a trans character and it is very upsetting. There is somewhat of a warning for it, though, since the chapter title is “Deadname”.
There are many scenes depicting sex between various people. They often reference fingers or mouths or feelings but overall I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s overly graphic in its sexual content.
One of the most upsetting scenes is when a cis woman stabs another cis woman in the vagina with a knife and basically carves out not only her vagina itself but also her entire internal reproductive system. The book specifically mentions the woman’s uterus falling out through the wound. This all happens while the victim is alive and conscious.
A lot of the trans characters deal with dysphoria in some way, a lot of it exacerbated by the fact that they are in a post-apocalyptic world with limited access to anything that would be gender-affirming, even down to basic hygiene and maintenance.
Some of the trans characters deal with self-hatred or self-loathing, as well as jealousy for other trans people who they believe are naturally more passing than they are.
Fatphobia plays a distinct role with certain characters and the way they are treated by others.
Sex work is very vocally despised by the TERFs, and the sex workers that exist in the book seem to be looked down on in general, regardless of their gender identity.
The men in the book are terrifying and violent. They are cannibals and will attempt to rape any living being they encounter. They are depicted as feral, mindless, nonverbal creatures who exist only to kill, rape, and cannibalize.
Even so, the men are still not as terrifying as the TERFs.
readerofdafuk's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Ok so I lost everything that I wrote in this since it didn't save so I'm just gonna blast through it stream on consciousness style
I'm not sure how to feel about this book
Things I like:
1) gore was good. Horror zombie virus that only affects men, good. The gorely disgust details of how the men act and feed very interesting to have
2) I like the world building of how this new society acts and is rebuilding into factions and kingdoms and different roles that works well
3) I like the individual characters. I might now understand them completely, but they have their own wants and desires and are fully people that made me like or dislike them as people
But those are good points, cause then it gets complicated
Things I don't like:
1) I don't understand how the main cast relates to each other. We don't see them interact as a group. Like seeing Fran and Beth together in the beginning, that was good. But then when Robbie appeared it just went so fast with introducing new characters that we don't have time to breath. We don't see the 4 friends (Beth, Fran, Robbie, Indi) actually talk with one another as a group. We don't see them learn about the other people. Like Robbie is brand new to this group you would think there were questions. But that doesn't matter because we move instantly to the second arc and see their individual dilemm s and problems. But they never talk about it together at all. Most i see is 2 characters and thats it. Not a lot of strong ties as a grouplike it really does seem that Robbie only joined just for the sex. And Beth and indi only confess their love in the final act even tho I had not read ANY HINTS surrounding that
2) all the intimate relationships are sexual. I get that sexuality and sex can be a big part of identity, and you can see what the characters thing of their gender and sexuality through sex. Thats a good conversation. But like, every relationship is sexual, has sex, and only shows intamicy through sex. Like no other quiet moments or feelings, just sex. I get this isnt a romance book, but it ties back to the first point of How do they relate to one another, why are they together, do they only see each other for sex?
Also, the author is putting her kinks in there there is a lot of spitting and drooling in these sex scenes
3) there is a lot of pointed commentary in this book and also a lot of references with no purpose. For the references they will say things like "I put away books like new moon with the angst teenage romance." Which doesnt serve anything. They said a thing, and I know the thing, but where does it go with it? For the pointed commentary the narration or flow will stop just to give like a sum up of a person or thing they see or remember. Like there will be a paragraph about the type of white woman that you would see in a small town church. They are good descriptions, but there's a lot of them. And with these little scenes being at most 2 pages it it very noticeable. that have them going o. Their own individual assignments and paths
Case in point the bad guy fascist group is called TERFs. Which yeah they would be but like, not gonna be subtle about it. As villains they are decent since they are like fascist soldiers so they are terrible people but are using this to basically be transphobic and stay in power. Also they showed Teachs poverty at the end of the book when things are going to shit instead of the beginning or middle of the book where it can be used to explain her motivation for past and future actions.
Their hypocrisy is intriguing tho. They are trying to convince boys to take hormones and begin treatment to transition into women so they can be saved from the virus. Even have a person Kilroy be their mascot example for it, the perfect female body vs being a caged zombie monster. But they only like Trans women when it is in their image of being a woman and who they deemed valid and safe. So I really like that.
5) there are also some ideas and plot points that seem to just disappear like I don't know where or how they came up it just is like where did the baby girl go to? You would think if a zombie carrier gave birth to a girl then it would be a main focus but she just got wicked away even tho that's a miracle baby right there.
No idea how Teach knew Beth's dead name. Like how? Why? Also, why the FUCK was Kilroy a sleeper agent this entire time? Damn I want to know his story, how to live he was forced to transition but basically sabatoged the shit out of the terf ship. Again no hint or lead up to it, it just happens
So yeah, it was ok to read. I was intrigued but not interested
I'm not sure how to feel about this book
Things I like:
1) gore was good. Horror zombie virus that only affects men, good. The gorely disgust details of how the men act and feed very interesting to have
2) I like the world building of how this new society acts and is rebuilding into factions and kingdoms and different roles that works well
3) I like the individual characters. I might now understand them completely, but they have their own wants and desires and are fully people that made me like or dislike them as people
But those are good points, cause then it gets complicated
Things I don't like:
1) I don't understand how the main cast relates to each other. We don't see them interact as a group. Like seeing Fran and Beth together in the beginning, that was good. But then when Robbie appeared it just went so fast with introducing new characters that we don't have time to breath. We don't see the 4 friends (Beth, Fran, Robbie, Indi) actually talk with one another as a group. We don't see them learn about the other people. Like Robbie is brand new to this group you would think there were questions. But that doesn't matter because we move instantly to the second arc and see their individual dilemm s and problems. But they never talk about it together at all. Most i see is 2 characters and thats it. Not a lot of strong ties as a group
2) all the intimate relationships are sexual. I get that sexuality and sex can be a big part of identity, and you can see what the characters thing of their gender and sexuality through sex. Thats a good conversation. But like, every relationship is sexual, has sex, and only shows intamicy through sex. Like no other quiet moments or feelings, just sex. I get this isnt a romance book, but it ties back to the first point of How do they relate to one another, why are they together, do they only see each other for sex?
Also, the author is putting her kinks in there there is a lot of spitting and drooling in these sex scenes
3) there is a lot of pointed commentary in this book and also a lot of references with no purpose. For the references they will say things like "I put away books like new moon with the angst teenage romance." Which doesnt serve anything. They said a thing, and I know the thing, but where does it go with it? For the pointed commentary the narration or flow will stop just to give like a sum up of a person or thing they see or remember. Like there will be a paragraph about the type of white woman that you would see in a small town church. They are good descriptions, but there's a lot of them. And with these little scenes being at most 2 pages it it very noticeable. that have them going o. Their own individual assignments and paths
Case in point the bad guy fascist group is called TERFs. Which yeah they would be but like, not gonna be subtle about it. As villains they are decent since they are like fascist soldiers so they are terrible people but are using this to basically be transphobic and stay in power. Also they showed Teachs poverty at the end of the book when things are going to shit instead of the beginning or middle of the book where it can be used to explain her motivation for past and future actions.
Their hypocrisy is intriguing tho. They are trying to convince boys to take hormones and begin treatment to transition into women so they can be saved from the virus. Even have a person Kilroy be their mascot example for it, the perfect female body vs being a caged zombie monster. But they only like Trans women when it is in their image of being a woman and who they deemed valid and safe. So I really like that.
5) there are also some ideas and plot points that seem to just disappear like I don't know where or how they came up it just is
No idea how Teach knew Beth's dead name. Like how? Why? Also, why the FUCK was Kilroy a sleeper agent this entire time? Damn I want to know his story, how to live he was forced to transition but basically sabatoged the shit out of the terf ship. Again no hint or lead up to it, it just happens
So yeah, it was ok to read. I was intrigued but not interested
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, Blood, Cannibalism, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Body shaming, Misogyny, Sexism, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Deadnaming, Slavery, and Suicide
wildeflower's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I thought this book was really well done and very interesting. It was extremely gory, and there was one part in the end that grossed me out a lot, but overall I thought it was very impactful and seemed to me (a cis woman) to have good trans representation. It also provided a lot of social commentary on not only lgbtq rights but also classism, racism, sexism, and nationalism. Overall was definitely worth the read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Outing, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Deadnaming, Drug use, Fatphobia, Death of parent, Outing, Alcohol, and Classism
This is a book about a group of transwomen trying to survive an apocalypse where they're being hunted by literal TERFS, and so there is so much trans violence, slurs, hate crimes, etc. towards trans women / trans femmes.britttobegorey94's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Deadnaming, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Outing, Sexual harassment, and War
vexedfox's review
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
This book was impossible to put down in a grabbing an electric fence sort of way. The world-building was superb and the characters were heart-breaking. This was hard to get through but I'm glad I did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, Pregnancy, Outing, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail