Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin

105 reviews

analenegrace's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad 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? Yes

4.0

This was a uniquely fascinating post-apocalyptic novel, especially to listen to. 

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. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Outing, and Dysphoria

noonanjohnc's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad slow-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

bebidocrimes's review against another edition

challenging 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

3.75

A brutal look into how easily TERFs could spread their rhetoric, and just how far they really wish to take it. The horror in the violence and gore was explicit, yet somehow this book kept some levity. After all, what do we have if not the small pleasures and each other? Imagining how JKR died a horrid death was fun.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Child death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

acgeorge's review against another edition

challenging dark sad medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Grief, and Dysphoria

comradeluffy's review against another edition

challenging tense fast-paced

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

1.5

I genuinely was 20 pages away from finishing this book, but couldn't get myself to do it. I should have DNF-ed it halfway through, but hate doing that.

The idea for the book is good and the premise of it is good, but it is not executed well, at all. The characters were impossible to connect with beyond sharing similar labels as a queer person myself. The descriptions of characters and settings were confusing and lackluster and I couldn't keep up with the constant switching of POV's. 

Also, what exactly was the point of all those random sex scenes? I love smut, but come on now. 

Unfortunately, an exhausting read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, and War

Moderate: Abortion

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gore, Blood, Cannibalism, and Alcohol

babayagareads's review

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

I don't think I'm going to make a habit of recommending this read. There are some jarring plot movements without transitional context. 

I'd also add that some of the quirks were a little too on the nose - like naming the ship the Galbraith. That would have been fine individually, but including that detail after specifically killing off Rowling in a side story was a little much. And I'm not a J.K. person either - it's more to say that one of those details would have been a more pure add to the plot and story, whereas both seems too pointed.

This book is definitely not for the weak-stomached.

I'm content with having read this piece, but it's not one that I'm going to recommend to others. If you're thinking of reading something that is going to make you uncomfortable, go ahead. 

The biggest content warning I've got is also a spoiler: very early in this book there is

one of the most graphic anal/yussy rape scenes I've ever encountered in a book or movie.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Child death, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Medical content, Car accident, Murder, Pregnancy, Outing, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

You want to feel uncomfortable? This book has it all!

andykarnik's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny 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

3.0

Mind the trigger warnings! This book was pretty damn intense. The less intense moments where you, the reader, are meant to rest are almost exclusively sex scenes. There were a few satisfying cathartic moments at the ends of part 2 and 3

Bunker brat Sophie getting eaten by her "boyfriend", the ship Galbraith (WTF) being destroyed, and Teach's death

. 

A lot of this book was saying aloud the quiet parts of American society with regards to transgender people so sometimes it was a revelation that other people experience the same things I do and other times horror that things could be so much worse. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Pregnancy, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Fatphobia, Slavery, and Cannibalism

emmablue's review against another edition

fast-paced

4.0

my thoughts while reading: ew. damn. what? 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Deadnaming, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Rape, Sexual violence, Transphobia, Vomit, Cannibalism, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

scandalabra's review

challenging tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A great read, though not for everyone. The authors writing is very evocative, really bringing you into the world. As a post-viral breakout world, it's not the happiest place to be. There are vivid descriptions of death, so as long as you're alright with that, I recommend this book. Always check the trigger warnings.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Hate crime, Sexual content, Transphobia, and Murder

Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Medical content, and Religious bigotry

chelbawamba's review

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

Just wasn’t for me! The writing style and pace were confusing with massive time jumps that I didn’t realise had happened and had to keep going back and trying to find what I missed. There was also a lack of character and relationship development, with lots of new characters introduced towards the end. There are also constant explicit, rough sex scenes which isn’t a “bad” thing, just not my cup of tea.

I definitely see why there are people that love this book. I love a lot of weird gross unhinged horror books. Just not this one!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic