I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2023 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2023/01/2023-reading-list-announced-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

This one was not for me.
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Manhunt is a gender based post apocalyptic story. If you’ve ever wondered about how those diseases that kill off every man(or woman, but usually it’s men) would affect transgender people, this is the book that looks to answer that.
I loved the idea of this book. It’s such a unique take, and one that many people have either wanted to read, or needed to read. I was fully prepared to love this, because of the synopsis, as it is a question in post apocalyptic works that I wanted answered.

Unfortunately, Manhunt didn’t work for me. I’ve seen a mix of reviews of people who loved it or hated it, so don’t take my review as an end-all to what you’ll think of the book, if you think it’s a subject you’d enjoy. It’s worth reading for forming your own opinion on.

What didn’t work for me was just the writing style. When I received the e-arc, I struggled with the writing. It felt like a mix of very blunt writing, which I appreciate, mixed with almost a purple prose, which I’ve never, ever liked. Because of this, I found the writing jarring, and I couldn’t get into it. So, I waited until an audiobook came out, because sometimes if I don’t like a writing style, listening to it works better for me. It didn’t work in this case, and I still couldn’t get into the story. After giving this two chances with different mediums, I decided Manhunt wasn’t for me, through no fault of the story. I still think it deserves the two stars just for being such a good topic though, and I want everyone else to get more from this than I did.
What I did manage to read, I liked the bit of backstory that I got, and the set up for how this post apocalyptic landscape and disease was affecting transgender people. It seemed like it was going to be a brutal story, so some readers might struggle with the violence of it. I didn’t find it too brutal, but I found this was where the writing was more purple prose like, so I couldn’t focus properly on what was happening.

I hope this book sets up a standard for other authors writing about gendered diseases killing off half the population, and being more inclusive in how this will affect transgender people. I would really like to read more books like this one.

I was unable to finish this book because I am a wimp and did not realize it was so gory. I will not be providing feedback for that reason.

It was billed as experimental... and that's one good thing about reviewing books: I have the freedom to try many genres and authors. Horror is also not one of my preferred genres, but I wanted to try it out.
Welp, I found that this is definitely not to my taste. Just too much gore and scenes that are just too hard to read.

Absolutely outstanding. I got this right before it was published and actually just waited until it was out. I bought my own because I knew I would love it. My library already has several copies.

I didn't like the writing style, but I tried to stick it out for the trans rep and the horror. Unfortunately, this was not my type of horror and the writing style made this so hard for me to read. It felt like a chore. I wish this had been a win because the premise was so interesting, but I couldn't get into it.

The way I was living for the controversy surrounding this book LET ME TELL YOU I was howling.

This book is bonkers in the literal best way, and let's be honest it also obviously wins the award for best cover ever created. It is unlike anything I have ever read before, and I was stoked to read something that held a new surprise on every page.

The rep in this book makes it worth the read alone, but it is also just horror at its most over-the-topness, so this will be a go-to rec for anyone in the mood for something a little extra that will add fuel to your (I hope you have one of these) fire that wants to burn down the patriarchy, capitalism, etc, etc and so on.

Loved this.

Thanks so much for the review copy!

An incredible read for any fans of dystopian horror. The queer life details were perfect, down to the haircuts on the TERFs. Cried at the end, can't wait to see what Felker-Martin does next.

I really wish I'd enjoyed this one, because I've seen so much review bombing of this book because of the content it deals with and I don't agree with that at all. But unfortunately, this book just was't for me. This story is very important because it combats the removal of trans characters from every gender based dystopia published in the past, by making these characters the centre of this story. I've never read a horror like this one before, but I thought it could be something I'd really enjoy. However, I struggled to follow the large cast of characters and what was going on with them because of the writing style and choice of sometimes complex language, leaving me quite bored whilst reading. The graphic scenes, particularly the depictions of sex, just completely grossed me out- again mostly because of the choice of language used. I can respect other people's enjoyment of writing like this, but it's not for me. I did really appreciate the intention behind this story and the way it combats stereotypes in literature whilst maintaining a sense of fun despite the dark events. I think this could mean a lot to some readers, it just wasn't for me unfortunately.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a advanced ebook copy of this title!

So it’s April 1st! April Fool’s Day! This photo is not a joke - my face is actually smiling! Pictured here is a book I cannot recommend enough! It’s original, it’s fun, and as you can see from the cover, it’s a stretch from reality! BUT don’t let that fool you because there’s a lot of real life subject matter to think about in the underbelly. Or should I say under-balls?!

Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin is... not for me. It was a little too heavy-handed with its social commentary. But, I can see why folks would enjoy it, I can see the importance of the piece itself in the overall cultural impact it has. So I will still recommend it to my readers, but with a heavy dose of "your mileage may vary".

This book was amazing. I coudn't put it down. It was magical. Higly recommended! The characters, the plots, the writting: wonderful and perfect.

One of the scariest dystopian novels I've read in a long time. This book will follow me into my nightmares.

Beth and Fran spend their days traveling the ravaged New England coast, hunting feral men and harvesting their organs in a gruesome effort to ensure they'll never face the same fate.

Robbie lives by his gun and one hard-learned motto: other people aren't safe.

After a brutal accident entwines the three of them, this found family of survivors must navigate murderous TERFs, a sociopathic billionaire bunker brat, and awkward relationship dynamics―all while outrunning packs of feral men, and their own demons.


I was really surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. It immerses you in a reality that’s probably never as far away as we might think it is. A world where everyone must constantly fight for their own survival and never knowing if their loved ones will make it through another day. This story may not be for every reader as it’s main theme is based around anti-LGBTQ2IA violence. That being said, it kept me on the edge of my seat waiting to see how relationships will change, if they would last through the next night, and would the protagonists outwit the antagonist? I became easily attached to Robbie and Beth, and it was always interesting to see things through the eyes of Ramona of the Legion (aka the bad folx). If you are looking for a survivalist thriller and don’t mind violence and sex, then this could be the next book for you. Book provided by @netgalley. #queerbookstagram #lgbt #queerbookclub #horror #postapocalypse

Extremely graphic and splatterpunky, Felker-Martin's Manhunt definitely isn't for everyone. Set in a post-apocalyptic world where the male population has been turned feral, this book is as electric as it is gore-filled.

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. *

It feels wrong to call a book "fun" when it is so relentlessly gruesome and dark, but Manhunt perfectly blends comradery and spite into a dark and horrific descent. The story follows a post-apocalyptic world where a plague renders people with high levels of testosterone into snarling creatures, and our main characters battle with TERFs and feral men. I really enjoyed our main characters, all trans or queer in some form, and how modern-day commentary played into the apocalyptic setting.

While the plot was a little convoluted at times, the real pleasure of this book was the tender moments of connection and understanding that played out in character relationships. However, don't go into this one expecting gentleness - it's absolutely packed with violence, and requires a thorough check of TWs before diving in.

MANHUNT is, hands down, the queerest, grimiest, gross and goriest apocalyptic horror I've ever had the pleasure of reading. It's heartbreaking yet somehow still hopeful, and utterly unforgettable. This one will stick to your brain long after you're done reading.

I should know better than to pick up gender essentialist dystopian novels like these- despite this being about as close to what I would consider "good" it's still too simplistic for my tastes.