Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin

40 reviews

birbmcbirb's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad fast-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

4.0

This book made me very uncomfortable, and goes at a pace that makes you feel like you can't catch you  breath. The characters were flawed, sometimes to an annoying extent, but in a way that mimicks a found family of traumitized people. I think it's worth sticking through the hard parts, but make sure youre in a good head space before you pick this one up. Especially if youre someone targeted by TERFS & SWERFS.

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Content Warnings

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

carly_they_themsen's review

challenging dark funny tense fast-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? Yes

4.25

what the ffffuuuuuuc this book is so fucked up!!!!! wtfwtfwtfwtf such a genius setting and incredible dynamic between the main characters, and teach is the scariest villain ive ever read. and the climax!!!! holy guacamole this book messed me up 😭😭😭

i have little tiny small complaints like the parallel storytelling got out of hand sometimes and was cutting back and forth from scene to scene too fast and made the book feel overly cinematic, and there's little writing quirks like how whenever's there's two characters interacting one of them is always "the <adjective>-er woman" (beth looked at the shorter woman, indi hugged the younger woman, fran glared at the larger woman ...) other things like that that broke my immersion somewhat

all of that said my favorite favorite part of this book is this line from the acknowledgement: "[thank you] to all the trans women i've ever loved, to your perfect shoulders and the arches of your necks, to your lovely wrists and fingers."

gsshshfhdhdhwjwjdjfgfdlllg give me more transpocalypse torrey peters worship about the tenuous but powerful nature of t4t love RIGHT NOW!!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Gore, Rape, Transphobia, Death, Miscarriage, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Fatphobia

Minor: Slavery

terfs, chasers, public execution, brutal violence

terfs who are chasers, forced feminization of children , death during childbirth

nibs's review

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

3.25

A mixed bag. There were great elements, half-baked elements and poorly done ones. The concept itself is interesting, but it doesn't explore it with much nuance. And this concept requires nuance, with how close to being the edge of biological essentialism the premise is. It is very crass, with a lot of sex scenes that don't progress the book and gratuitous violence. Is that just a horror thing?
I started getting a bit bored in the middle part of the book and probably would've stopped reading if not for bookclub. But I did find the end fulfilling. So yeah, mixed thoughts.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Transphobia, Body horror, Violence, and Sexual content

Moderate: Deadnaming, Fatphobia, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Slavery

arrr's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Wow this book is a trip! If you're mad at toxic cis men and terfs, then this book is super cathartic. If you're trans and fragile, then be warned that there is a lot of trauma here. Like. So. Much. Trauma. Queer zombie apocalypse tho, very early 2000s vibes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Transphobia, Slavery, Medical content, Gore, Death, Vomit, Violence, Self harm, Excrement, Death of parent, Classism, Blood, Rape, Sexual violence, Medical trauma, Deadnaming, Chronic illness, Child death, War, Pandemic/Epidemic, Forced institutionalization, Fire/Fire injury, Cursing, Confinement, Trafficking, Suicidal thoughts, Dysphoria, Bullying, Cannibalism, Sexual content, Child abuse, Animal death, Sexual harassment, Cancer, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Body horror, Sexual assault, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Eating disorder, Drug use, Torture, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia

huckleberryrk's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-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

4.0

I would give it five stars BUT it just wasn’t my taste. It’s an objectively really good book and I’m going to be thinking about it for a long time, but I doubt I will ever reread it. What a devastating and emotional read. I need to sit quietly for a few minutes after finishing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Rape, Genocide, Torture, Suicide, Hate crime, Blood, Gore, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Body horror, Grief, Medical trauma, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Dysphoria, Deadnaming, Slavery, Transphobia, War, and Murder

danimacuk's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, Murder, Dysphoria, Cursing, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Deadnaming, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Body horror, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Torture, Transphobia, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Chronic illness, Classism, Trafficking, Cannibalism, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Infertility, Medical content, Body shaming, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief

Minor: Cancer, Suicide, Slavery, Chronic illness, Drug use, Infertility, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Confinement, and Lesbophobia

bestofsons's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Slavery, Torture, Rape, Murder, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Medical trauma, Lesbophobia, Gun violence, Body horror, Misogyny, Homophobia, Gore, Hate crime, Confinement, Sexual assault, Outing, Medical content, Incest, War, Violence, Deadnaming, Blood, Sexual content, and Death of parent

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 group

like 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cannibalism, Sexual violence, Body horror, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Homophobia, Sexual harassment, Transphobia, Sexual assault, Rape, Hate crime, and Genocide

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Kidnapping, Body shaming, and Sexism

Minor: Slavery, Deadnaming, and Suicide

orireading's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was the goriest book I’ve ever read and I almost hit my limit a few times. HOWEVER! I kept going because I also found it to be an achingly beautiful reflection on kinship and systems of care 🥲💔 Major major content warnings.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Body shaming, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Genocide, Hate crime, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Body horror, Cannibalism, Excrement, Gore, Medical content, Murder, Rape, Sexual content, Torture, Transphobia, and Vomit

kaschaller's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Grief, Body horror, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Medical content, Deadnaming, Gun violence, Ableism, Slavery, Sexual content, Rape, Murder, Vomit, Torture, Cursing, Drug use, Death, Blood, Transphobia, Outing, Gore, War, and Violence