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ellemnope's Reviews (2.4k)
This felt a bit like an amalgamation of Educated by Tara Westover and The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah in some ways. The writing is very evocative of the surroundings and really drives home the isolation of the area and the characters. Things are written very introspectively, so that it feels like a nonfiction work rather than a novel, with a narration style that reveals pieces in small turns, weaving the plot together like a puzzle.
There is a lot at work in this piece and it really is developed magically. The writing is solid and at times beautiful, with other moments leaving me questioning reality or feeling slapped in the face. The lives of the characters are full of heartbreak with only brief glimpses of happiness...this is certainly not a book to grab if you're looking for something light or uplifting.
The construction of the plot can be a little confusing, as it bounces around both in timeline and POV. This works in a way, as it reveals important information in small snippets, keeping the reader gripped and questioning. The multiple POVs do give an interesting view into the characters who truly should be the protagonists (Wade and Jenny), but who instead are left as somewhat secondary characters due to their individual situations (Wade suffering from dementia and Jenny locked inside her own guilt). The choice to use Ann and Elizabeth as the narrators instead was an interesting approach that added something extra to the piece, but at the same time left things a little gauzy.
The ending left me a bit unmoored. I'm not quite sure what I expected or what I wanted out of the ending, but I felt as if I was left mid-sentence in a way. There was some conclusion and some understanding of the trajectory of these characters, but the emotional impact was both disorienting and disturbing in a way. It makes sense in reflection as it really does conclude in a way that follows real life...continuing...it's just not a typical approach and so somewhat caught me off guard.
An impactful work and an emotional one, but not one developed in its entirety for plot. Expect a more literary approach and more of a character study in this one.
There is a lot at work in this piece and it really is developed magically. The writing is solid and at times beautiful, with other moments leaving me questioning reality or feeling slapped in the face. The lives of the characters are full of heartbreak with only brief glimpses of happiness...this is certainly not a book to grab if you're looking for something light or uplifting.
The construction of the plot can be a little confusing, as it bounces around both in timeline and POV. This works in a way, as it reveals important information in small snippets, keeping the reader gripped and questioning. The multiple POVs do give an interesting view into the characters who truly should be the protagonists (Wade and Jenny), but who instead are left as somewhat secondary characters due to their individual situations (Wade suffering from dementia and Jenny locked inside her own guilt). The choice to use Ann and Elizabeth as the narrators instead was an interesting approach that added something extra to the piece, but at the same time left things a little gauzy.
The ending left me a bit unmoored. I'm not quite sure what I expected or what I wanted out of the ending, but I felt as if I was left mid-sentence in a way. There was some conclusion and some understanding of the trajectory of these characters, but the emotional impact was both disorienting and disturbing in a way. It makes sense in reflection as it really does conclude in a way that follows real life...continuing...it's just not a typical approach and so somewhat caught me off guard.
An impactful work and an emotional one, but not one developed in its entirety for plot. Expect a more literary approach and more of a character study in this one.
4.5 stars.
I am not typically one for a sports kind of novel, but apparently if you mix it with some sci-fi, some mystery, and just a touch of thriller, I'm all in. The Body Scout was a gritty and intriguing read from the get go. It took me a little bit of time to understand the basics of the world-building in this dystopian focusing on body modification and genetic alteration, but once I was buckled in, the ride was a solid one.
Michel's writing is something you would expect in a dark crime novel, a kind of "just the facts, ma'am" approach, but with a nice atmospheric rounding. The world is fantastically constructed and clear, easily having me believe the possibilities of this futuristic world. There is no dawdling in the plot and every scene makes sense to the continuation of the story. The characters are diverse and interesting, with the message of a world where everyone is out for themselves and a buck painted incredibly clearly.
There is a lot of baseball in here, but it worked for me all the same. The mystery, the scheming, and the business/medical/political intrigue took over enough that it really didn't matter that there was a central sports focus. That being said, true baseball fans will definitely get even more satisfaction out of this read. I enjoyed the societal commentary and how the entire economic system has taken over all aspects of life. Sponsorships have run amok. Instead of just the stadiums being named after companies, they have purchased entire teams. These big money players run the world and control day-to-day life. Everything feels like a big commercial. It's grim, but a very appropriate extrapolation of how things could easily progress.
I really had a good time with my read. I could definitely do with more from this world or just more from Michel in general. I enjoyed the writing style and the construction.
* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *
I am not typically one for a sports kind of novel, but apparently if you mix it with some sci-fi, some mystery, and just a touch of thriller, I'm all in. The Body Scout was a gritty and intriguing read from the get go. It took me a little bit of time to understand the basics of the world-building in this dystopian focusing on body modification and genetic alteration, but once I was buckled in, the ride was a solid one.
Michel's writing is something you would expect in a dark crime novel, a kind of "just the facts, ma'am" approach, but with a nice atmospheric rounding. The world is fantastically constructed and clear, easily having me believe the possibilities of this futuristic world. There is no dawdling in the plot and every scene makes sense to the continuation of the story. The characters are diverse and interesting, with the message of a world where everyone is out for themselves and a buck painted incredibly clearly.
There is a lot of baseball in here, but it worked for me all the same. The mystery, the scheming, and the business/medical/political intrigue took over enough that it really didn't matter that there was a central sports focus. That being said, true baseball fans will definitely get even more satisfaction out of this read. I enjoyed the societal commentary and how the entire economic system has taken over all aspects of life. Sponsorships have run amok. Instead of just the stadiums being named after companies, they have purchased entire teams. These big money players run the world and control day-to-day life. Everything feels like a big commercial. It's grim, but a very appropriate extrapolation of how things could easily progress.
I really had a good time with my read. I could definitely do with more from this world or just more from Michel in general. I enjoyed the writing style and the construction.
* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *
Edgewood is a YA fantasy that blends themes of magical realism, fairy tale, contemporary, and mystery into a wonderfully magical story. This novel is just a really fun time. There is something comforting about it, despite the fact that there is a lot of tension sprinkled through the narrative.
I loved sitting down and reading through the story. I will admit that the start was a little bumpy for me, but as I settled into the writing I found myself just really enjoying everything on the page. I loved the world and the fun characters and the relationship between Emeline & Hawthorne. (Also, I just really loved the name choices.) There is a great mix of dark and light, with things not going too far into the twisted, but giving just a touch of creepy.
The whole thing just felt effortless. I think that shows the real magic in the writing. Everything felt natural and flowed the way it should. Despite the magical world, it all felt believable and I just had a great time. I consider this a cozy comfort read and would definitely snuggle in and read it again, or be incredibly thrilled to read more from this world.
* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *
I loved sitting down and reading through the story. I will admit that the start was a little bumpy for me, but as I settled into the writing I found myself just really enjoying everything on the page. I loved the world and the fun characters and the relationship between Emeline & Hawthorne. (Also, I just really loved the name choices.) There is a great mix of dark and light, with things not going too far into the twisted, but giving just a touch of creepy.
The whole thing just felt effortless. I think that shows the real magic in the writing. Everything felt natural and flowed the way it should. Despite the magical world, it all felt believable and I just had a great time. I consider this a cozy comfort read and would definitely snuggle in and read it again, or be incredibly thrilled to read more from this world.
* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *
2.5 stars.
I wanted to like this book so much more. A beautiful cover, an intriguing premise, and a diverse cast of characters...I was very much looking forward to it. Unfortunately, I didn't get what I had expected. Instead, this felt like two very different pieces of literature wedged together.
There are two POVs and a dual timeline that weave together to create the full narrative. The first POV is in the present with a folklore background, a fantasy feel, and a writing style that I would place in the middle grade range. The second POV is in the past, is heavily historical fiction with a touch of fantasy, and is written in a way that borders between YA and adult. This odd dichotomy made for a book that felt awkward.
The first POV was the one that caused me the most issues. I love middle grade reads, so the age level feel wasn't a problem for me. Instead, the writing here didn't feel as carefully crafted and often felt like it jumped around without giving transitions or anchoring the story. The characters were a bit gauzy and didn't really get enough development. They were also stated to be teenaged characters, but acted more like the middle grade set. The fantasy element was interesting and I loved the folklore inclusion, but these pieces lost a bit of their logic and just didn't work for me.
The second POV I loved. Seriously. If this book had been written as a historical fiction with some fantasy elements and followed the second POV storyline for a longer period of time with the same writing style throughout it would have been at least a 4-star read for me. These sections felt much more genuine. There was a solid atmosphere, better characters, and a great emotional component. There still were gaps in the logic and a lack of full explanation when it came to the fantastical elements, but I definitely felt more interested in these pieces and had much more of a connection with the characters. A full fleshing out of this plot line would have been magical.
There is definitely a good sense of imagination to the narrative. There is some great storytelling talent there and I think with some work on the writing and consistency to the feel of the narrative, there could be some great works from this author in the future. Unfortunately, this debut piece just didn't shine as much as I had hoped.
* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *
I wanted to like this book so much more. A beautiful cover, an intriguing premise, and a diverse cast of characters...I was very much looking forward to it. Unfortunately, I didn't get what I had expected. Instead, this felt like two very different pieces of literature wedged together.
There are two POVs and a dual timeline that weave together to create the full narrative. The first POV is in the present with a folklore background, a fantasy feel, and a writing style that I would place in the middle grade range. The second POV is in the past, is heavily historical fiction with a touch of fantasy, and is written in a way that borders between YA and adult. This odd dichotomy made for a book that felt awkward.
The first POV was the one that caused me the most issues. I love middle grade reads, so the age level feel wasn't a problem for me. Instead, the writing here didn't feel as carefully crafted and often felt like it jumped around without giving transitions or anchoring the story. The characters were a bit gauzy and didn't really get enough development. They were also stated to be teenaged characters, but acted more like the middle grade set. The fantasy element was interesting and I loved the folklore inclusion, but these pieces lost a bit of their logic and just didn't work for me.
The second POV I loved. Seriously. If this book had been written as a historical fiction with some fantasy elements and followed the second POV storyline for a longer period of time with the same writing style throughout it would have been at least a 4-star read for me. These sections felt much more genuine. There was a solid atmosphere, better characters, and a great emotional component. There still were gaps in the logic and a lack of full explanation when it came to the fantastical elements, but I definitely felt more interested in these pieces and had much more of a connection with the characters. A full fleshing out of this plot line would have been magical.
There is definitely a good sense of imagination to the narrative. There is some great storytelling talent there and I think with some work on the writing and consistency to the feel of the narrative, there could be some great works from this author in the future. Unfortunately, this debut piece just didn't shine as much as I had hoped.
* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *
Welcome to a case of "this book was NOT for me". I know there are a lot of readers who enjoy things similar to me who have lauded the praises of this book. But I was severely underwhelmed. The plot was SUPER slow and unrewarding. There were some brief moments of interest when I thought things might pick up, but overall I just found it meh. In fact, there were several times I considered a DNF and I kind of wish I would have gone with that initial instinct. But...by the time I seriously considered it I had already invested too much time and I just had to wrap it up.
The writing wasn't bad, but felt a bit overly chatty and things certainly could have gotten to the point a lot more quickly. There was a great premise, but the execution just didn't work for me. Instead the primary plot felt like a sideline that simply existed to give the smut something to be wrapped up in.
The characters are okay and there is definitely some gay rep for those shouting about this being fantastically queer, but I just didn't find anyone interesting. Instead they came off mostly pretentious and annoying. The smut felt more awkward and aggressive to me than natural to the storyline and I just got ick factor from it instead of feeling like it made sense for the progression of the relationship. I just struggled to find anything that was really above average for me.
Like I said, I'm certainly not in the majority here so maybe I just went in expecting something that wasn't what the synopsis was intending to sell. Regardless, I won't be continuing this series. I'm mildly sad about that because I want a good series with these tropes, but I'm not going to willingly subject myself to this mind-numbing plodding again.
The writing wasn't bad, but felt a bit overly chatty and things certainly could have gotten to the point a lot more quickly. There was a great premise, but the execution just didn't work for me. Instead the primary plot felt like a sideline that simply existed to give the smut something to be wrapped up in.
The characters are okay and there is definitely some gay rep for those shouting about this being fantastically queer, but I just didn't find anyone interesting. Instead they came off mostly pretentious and annoying. The smut felt more awkward and aggressive to me than natural to the storyline and I just got ick factor from it instead of feeling like it made sense for the progression of the relationship. I just struggled to find anything that was really above average for me.
Like I said, I'm certainly not in the majority here so maybe I just went in expecting something that wasn't what the synopsis was intending to sell. Regardless, I won't be continuing this series. I'm mildly sad about that because I want a good series with these tropes, but I'm not going to willingly subject myself to this mind-numbing plodding again.
4.5 stars.
This is one rare time where a cover selection worked well in my favor. Based on the cover, this is NOT the story I was expecting, but it was still fantastic. I don't know why, but something about it (I assume the title and my brain's automatic association with Keanu Reeves as a result) made me think this would be a sci-fi. Welcome to, hey...read the synopsis idiot. Guess what...it's medieval historical fiction. I could NOT have been farther away.
Good news though...I like historical fiction. In fact, I particularly love historical fiction about England/France...mostly the Tudor/Plantaganet era. So...this just about nailed it in that regard. The story is centered around Marie de France, a semi-mysterious historical poet who is envisioned as the illegitimate sister of Eleanor of Aquitaine for this novel.
The writing is gentle and feels casual with great historical context and the construction of a character in Marie that I just found fantastic. She is strong and brave and takes on the...matriarchy? (it's a matriarchal society under Eleanor, but let's be real...it's still men being chauvinistic for the most part). I found her interesting and inspiring and I WISH that all of this was historical fact. Because this Marie is awesome, though she has little in common with the historically documented one overall.
The historical context outside of Marie's character is really well done and I loved the atmospheric content to the writing. The book felt realistic in that regard (though let's be honest, I'm no scholar on the 12th century so my opinion here is really unfounded). The narrative can be a bit languid and there is a bit of a literary feel to the book in that regard, but I still really enjoyed my experience reading this and I will ABSOLUTELY be reading more Lauren Groff in the future.
Side note: There is some good commentary on fat shaming and the judgement of women's physiques that I found well handled and realistic even for today's society.
Moral of the story: Some cover buys work out great, just not in the way you necessarily thought they would and the word Matrix isn't always synonymous with choosing between the red and blue pills.
This is one rare time where a cover selection worked well in my favor. Based on the cover, this is NOT the story I was expecting, but it was still fantastic. I don't know why, but something about it (I assume the title and my brain's automatic association with Keanu Reeves as a result) made me think this would be a sci-fi. Welcome to, hey...read the synopsis idiot. Guess what...it's medieval historical fiction. I could NOT have been farther away.
Good news though...I like historical fiction. In fact, I particularly love historical fiction about England/France...mostly the Tudor/Plantaganet era. So...this just about nailed it in that regard. The story is centered around Marie de France, a semi-mysterious historical poet who is envisioned as the illegitimate sister of Eleanor of Aquitaine for this novel.
The writing is gentle and feels casual with great historical context and the construction of a character in Marie that I just found fantastic. She is strong and brave and takes on the...matriarchy? (it's a matriarchal society under Eleanor, but let's be real...it's still men being chauvinistic for the most part). I found her interesting and inspiring and I WISH that all of this was historical fact. Because this Marie is awesome, though she has little in common with the historically documented one overall.
The historical context outside of Marie's character is really well done and I loved the atmospheric content to the writing. The book felt realistic in that regard (though let's be honest, I'm no scholar on the 12th century so my opinion here is really unfounded). The narrative can be a bit languid and there is a bit of a literary feel to the book in that regard, but I still really enjoyed my experience reading this and I will ABSOLUTELY be reading more Lauren Groff in the future.
Side note: There is some good commentary on fat shaming and the judgement of women's physiques that I found well handled and realistic even for today's society.
Moral of the story: Some cover buys work out great, just not in the way you necessarily thought they would and the word Matrix isn't always synonymous with choosing between the red and blue pills.
A second chance romance type of story, but this book is more than it seems on the surface. It's a genre bender with mystery, sci-fi, and YA contemporary mixed in as well. As with a lot of mystery reads, I highly recommend not reading the full synopsis before reading. Going in knowing very little heightens the impact and really makes the whole experience a bit more rich.
The plot is intriguing. I enjoy a "lost memory" type of story, where the reader is learning the reality alongside the protagonist. There is definitely a lot here that could have been ratcheted up and the story could have continued on longer, but I found it entertaining and intriguing enough to keep me sucked in. The characters are good, though a bit flat, and things move at a decent pace.
There are a lot of heavy topics addressed in the narrative, but they are handled in a way that doesn't feel overly oppressive. It's what I would refer to as a "surface level" story where you just get a taste of the ugly...enough to hit you with the conflict but not leave you a sobbing, broken mess on the floor. Bad things happen, bad things have happened, and there is trauma to deal with. It could have been explored in a more hefty way, but the execution works fine for a YA contemporary style read.
The wasn't anything that truly blew me away, but I found it cozy and paced quickly enough to feel a bit like a beach read. For the reading mood I was in at the time, I liked that. It's one of those books that are great for a relaxing afternoon. There is just enough suspense to keep you wondering, a tenseness that propels the plot naturally. There are tense moments and things at stake, but the intensity is a bit restrained. That's not to say that it wasn't a good read. A lack of "edge of your seat" intensity is perfectly fine and works well for this genre mix. I would have been happy to read something with a bit more depth and, in fact, still would enjoy exploring this trope in additional ways (I'm nothing if not stuck in my ways), but I had a good time with this read.
* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *
The plot is intriguing. I enjoy a "lost memory" type of story, where the reader is learning the reality alongside the protagonist. There is definitely a lot here that could have been ratcheted up and the story could have continued on longer, but I found it entertaining and intriguing enough to keep me sucked in. The characters are good, though a bit flat, and things move at a decent pace.
There are a lot of heavy topics addressed in the narrative, but they are handled in a way that doesn't feel overly oppressive. It's what I would refer to as a "surface level" story where you just get a taste of the ugly...enough to hit you with the conflict but not leave you a sobbing, broken mess on the floor. Bad things happen, bad things have happened, and there is trauma to deal with. It could have been explored in a more hefty way, but the execution works fine for a YA contemporary style read.
The wasn't anything that truly blew me away, but I found it cozy and paced quickly enough to feel a bit like a beach read. For the reading mood I was in at the time, I liked that. It's one of those books that are great for a relaxing afternoon. There is just enough suspense to keep you wondering, a tenseness that propels the plot naturally. There are tense moments and things at stake, but the intensity is a bit restrained. That's not to say that it wasn't a good read. A lack of "edge of your seat" intensity is perfectly fine and works well for this genre mix. I would have been happy to read something with a bit more depth and, in fact, still would enjoy exploring this trope in additional ways (I'm nothing if not stuck in my ways), but I had a good time with this read.
* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *
4.5 stars.
There aren't a lot of books that can make me cry, but Lily and the Octopus did it. There were definitely pieces of this book that read like a fever dream, but it has a lot of emotional content that I could definitely identify with. It hurts my heart just thinking about it. This is definitely a book that I will reread in the future and that may find itself bumped up to a 5-star with subsequent readings.
Prep your heart for this one if you are an animal lover. It rings so true in terms of how it displays the closeness of the relationships that can develop between humans and their pets and hits hard.
There aren't a lot of books that can make me cry, but Lily and the Octopus did it. There were definitely pieces of this book that read like a fever dream, but it has a lot of emotional content that I could definitely identify with. It hurts my heart just thinking about it. This is definitely a book that I will reread in the future and that may find itself bumped up to a 5-star with subsequent readings.
Prep your heart for this one if you are an animal lover. It rings so true in terms of how it displays the closeness of the relationships that can develop between humans and their pets and hits hard.
4.5 stars.
Wow. Where to start with this one. This was a very strange book and at first I wasn't sure I was going to like it. There was a moment when I did consider a DNF, but I'm so glad I stuck it out. The Last House on Needless Street is a creep fest with the strangest plot, unreliable narrators, and just a whole host of WTF.
The construction of this book is brilliant. I didn't see it when I was in the middle of the read, but the last third just blew everything apart and made this book stellar. I did put a few of the pieces together along the way, but I was SO far off on a couple of things. The characters are just a jumble of screwed up and they're mostly unlikable, but they're also incredibly intriguing and overly damaged in a way that had me both totally turned off by them and not able to look away.
The plot is disjointed, creepy, and just plain weird. The narration moves through several points of view...none of which is reliable...and a timeline that feels incredibly disorienting. There is a definite ick factor and the story made my stomach turn more than once. I felt this story to my bones in some places and ran a gamut of emotions during my read.
The Last House on Needless Street is not a read for everyone, but if you like to be totally sketched out by your reads and enjoy being confused for a good majority of the narrative...this is for you. Haunting, damaging, and full of trigger warnings. It feels weird to say I liked the book...it feels a little twisted given the contents...but I did enjoy the journey of reading and I am in awe at the absolute talent that went into its construction. Brava to Catriona Ward.
* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *
Wow. Where to start with this one. This was a very strange book and at first I wasn't sure I was going to like it. There was a moment when I did consider a DNF, but I'm so glad I stuck it out. The Last House on Needless Street is a creep fest with the strangest plot, unreliable narrators, and just a whole host of WTF.
The construction of this book is brilliant. I didn't see it when I was in the middle of the read, but the last third just blew everything apart and made this book stellar. I did put a few of the pieces together along the way, but I was SO far off on a couple of things. The characters are just a jumble of screwed up and they're mostly unlikable, but they're also incredibly intriguing and overly damaged in a way that had me both totally turned off by them and not able to look away.
The plot is disjointed, creepy, and just plain weird. The narration moves through several points of view...none of which is reliable...and a timeline that feels incredibly disorienting. There is a definite ick factor and the story made my stomach turn more than once. I felt this story to my bones in some places and ran a gamut of emotions during my read.
The Last House on Needless Street is not a read for everyone, but if you like to be totally sketched out by your reads and enjoy being confused for a good majority of the narrative...this is for you. Haunting, damaging, and full of trigger warnings. It feels weird to say I liked the book...it feels a little twisted given the contents...but I did enjoy the journey of reading and I am in awe at the absolute talent that went into its construction. Brava to Catriona Ward.
* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *
Manhunt is a very mixed bag of a dystopian horror. Based around the idea of a virus resulting in feral genetic males and told via a diverse cast of characters including several trans individuals, the concept is interesting and the social commentary is strong. The writing is decent and the primary character construction is fairly well executed.
However, the good things about this novel get overshadowed by a heavily angry undertone to the writing. Bitterness and frustration come through in a way that dulled out the story and made it hard to enjoy. It is clear that this book was likely written from a place of trauma and acted as a way for the author to vent in some capacity. That is perfectly fine and can sometimes result in the best kind of stories, but I think it would have been more effective following a breather and some editing to give the story a bit more balance. Instead, the entire story is very intense without any escalation or deescalation in the tension. This consistent wrenching made it feel overwhelming to begin with and then resulted in a kind of numbness, desensitizing me to the plot because so much awful had already happened. I just lost the ability to care what was going to happen to the characters because there was so little light.
The book started off with an excellent cover, a fantastic premise, and some good potential. Instead, it became a constant rant about the evils of humanity with regard to sexual orientation. There is merit to this discussion, but it wasn't handled well. Instead, it was just too heavy handed. The dialogue is filled with rampant misogyny and there are very few redeeming qualities to the characters. A little more balance would have been highly appreciated and would have made the storyline a bit more realistic as well as palatable.
There are decent things about the story and it does have some good underlying messages and considerations, but a heavier edit would have been very helpful. The good things existed enough to squeak Manhunt into a 3-star rating (3.04) for me, but I'm not sure what audience I would recommend it to. You will need a strong stomach and some good resilience toward an incredibly vicious plot.
If you consider a read, be forewarned: there is a LOT of graphic violence. It is raw and visceral and is intended to shock.
* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *
However, the good things about this novel get overshadowed by a heavily angry undertone to the writing. Bitterness and frustration come through in a way that dulled out the story and made it hard to enjoy. It is clear that this book was likely written from a place of trauma and acted as a way for the author to vent in some capacity. That is perfectly fine and can sometimes result in the best kind of stories, but I think it would have been more effective following a breather and some editing to give the story a bit more balance. Instead, the entire story is very intense without any escalation or deescalation in the tension. This consistent wrenching made it feel overwhelming to begin with and then resulted in a kind of numbness, desensitizing me to the plot because so much awful had already happened. I just lost the ability to care what was going to happen to the characters because there was so little light.
The book started off with an excellent cover, a fantastic premise, and some good potential. Instead, it became a constant rant about the evils of humanity with regard to sexual orientation. There is merit to this discussion, but it wasn't handled well. Instead, it was just too heavy handed. The dialogue is filled with rampant misogyny and there are very few redeeming qualities to the characters. A little more balance would have been highly appreciated and would have made the storyline a bit more realistic as well as palatable.
There are decent things about the story and it does have some good underlying messages and considerations, but a heavier edit would have been very helpful. The good things existed enough to squeak Manhunt into a 3-star rating (3.04) for me, but I'm not sure what audience I would recommend it to. You will need a strong stomach and some good resilience toward an incredibly vicious plot.
If you consider a read, be forewarned: there is a LOT of graphic violence. It is raw and visceral and is intended to shock.
* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *