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bookishmillennial's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I am going to be frank - I will likely be processing what I read for a while, so I’m unsure if I’ll have anything coherent to say, other than to check content warnings below (a lot of shock value stuff in this) if you decide to read this book and take care while reading.
I will try another book by the author, but I feel conflicted about this book.
Moderate: Fatphobia, Sexism, Violence, Toxic relationship, Pandemic/Epidemic, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Transphobia, Excrement, Gore, Murder, Sexual violence, and Torture
jp_riemersma'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? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Torture, Sexual assault, Self harm, Pandemic/Epidemic, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Domestic abuse, Death, Infidelity, Hate crime, Dysphoria, Biphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Rape, Transphobia, War, Violence, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Murder, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Sexism, Gun violence, Gore, Genocide, Deadnaming, Cannibalism, Body horror, and Body shaming
teganbeesebooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Graphic: Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, Vomit, Body horror, Rape, Murder, Confinement, Gore, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Body shaming, Homophobia, Infertility, Medical content, Death, Blood, Dysphoria, War, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, and Violence
goldilocks420'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Genocide, Sexual content, Torture, Sexual violence, Outing, Transphobia, Gore, and Misogyny
Moderate: Dysphoria, Suicidal thoughts, Fatphobia, Grief, Death, Blood, Vomit, and Rape
Minor: Deadnaming
rachelcg'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
4.5
Graphic: Deadnaming, Gore, Sexual assault, Cursing, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, Death, Violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Cannibalism, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, War, Genocide, Gun violence, Mental illness, Body horror, Transphobia, Murder, Torture, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
analenegrace's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
Often, post-apocalyptic novels are focused on survival but not on those whose survival looks very different, and this book, with a trans author and a trans narrator, examined a world where trans people's experiences are dictated by a disease that targets testosterone and turns people into zombie-like monsters. Currently, we are facing a serious problem of TERFS (trans-exclusionary radical feminists) who target trans people simply for existing, at times violently, and this book wonders if how much worse they could get.
Our characters are not always likable, and it is questionable how many main characters this book has, although I would generally say five. Plot-wise, at times, it felt like things were moving a bit too fast, and the plot never really settled. There are no breaks in this book beyond the sex scenes, which are important to the plot anyway; instead, the characters are constantly physically and mentally on the move, never stopping.
My biggest criticism was related to the pacing and how the audiobook did the narration. I haven't seen a physical copy, so maybe it's like this in the book as well, but the internal monologue would shift narrators constantly, mid-chapter, without warning, and often shift locations in the same way, and it made it somewhat hard to listen to. The audiobook narrator also did accents for some but not all of the characters, so when she did them, it came as quite a shock.
I really recommend this one but with heavy warnings for brutality, violence, sexual violence, external and internal transphobia, and death.
Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Body shaming, Dysphoria, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Cursing, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Torture, Transphobia, Confinement, Death, Body horror, Outing, Murder, Sexual content, Rape, and Physical abuse
noonanjohnc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Ableism, Abortion, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Medical content, Torture, Abandonment, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Misogyny, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Religious bigotry, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Body horror, Deadnaming, Gun violence, Homophobia, Infertility, Sexism, Drug use, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Mental illness, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body shaming, Confinement, Racism, Self harm, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, War, Colonisation, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, and Trafficking
breadhag's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Death, Murder, Rape, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Cannibalism, Torture, Transphobia, Body horror, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
acgeorge's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Blood, Torture, Sexual violence, Transphobia, and Murder
Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Gore, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Dysphoria, and Grief
disco_sophia's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Rape, Gore, and Sexual violence