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BITE BACK
358 pages, Paperback
Published November 18, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 30, 2025
I read an ARC of this book (thanks Ess!) and thoroughly enjoyed it! It is graphic, brutal, and very queer: perfect for fans of Andrew Joseph White.
March 26, 2026
The concept was interesting but the execution unfortunately fell flat.
This book reads like it was written by an edgy teenager, the dialogue is incredibly corny, it reads like a bad fanfiction. Wish fulfillment was prioritized over the plot making sense. The world building is boring and unoriginal.
This book reads like it was written by an edgy teenager, the dialogue is incredibly corny, it reads like a bad fanfiction. Wish fulfillment was prioritized over the plot making sense. The world building is boring and unoriginal.
June 16, 2026
There are so many problems with this book it makes me want to write a fix it fic so I feel like I wasted my money less.
The main character? The one advertised as as trans masc? Not trans masc. There's a blurb at the end of the book that says he isn't trans masc, and the character's narration and views on himself in relation to women are so blatantly transphobic that I had to double check if there was even a warning for transphobia or internalized transphobia in the first place. Spoiler alert, there wasn't. Every time women are mentioned by Omen, its a coin flip as to wether he says "we" or "us" or if he just shits on all men in his narration. Usually, its both. Omen reads more as a girl in her "I hate pink" phase than an actual trans man, and caused me (a trans man who bought the book to read about a trans man, not a man hating nonbinary asshole) an absurd amount of anger and annoyance whenever I read his narration.
Also, the worldbuilding is bioessentialist and ruins any good the metaphor of cannibalism = misogyny could've done, since women quite literally NEED to be fed upon in order for people to use their stupid divine god powers, which I also have a problem with. Some of them, cough cough General (stupid name btw) dont even have a reason for existing in the first place, since they aren't used or mentioned in the story outside of that first list of divine gifts. Also, I could never figure out whether the author intended the actual act of feeding as a sexual thing or not??? If it is a sexual thing, Ess McKinney you are weird af for making a child enjoy eating a man in the very beginning of your book with no warning for it. If not, then why tf do you write it like that? Literally any clarification on this would've improved the reading experience so much.
Lastly, I dont think the author has ever heard of the words intersectionality or nuance before. The only problem the society presented in Bite Back has is the patriarchy. There is no racism, there is no transphobia, there is no homophobia, there is only misogyny. That is stupid. Blatantly. It makes the "feminist" views this book is trying to present ring hollow, considering how unnuanced the book presents the actual issue of the patriarchy. The message this book has is "the patriarchy is bad because it is bad", not because it divides people, not because it causes people to get hurt, not because it makes women subservient, not because it makes men unable to form close bonds, not because it has close ties to racism, not because it helps uphold purity culture, no. The patriarchy is bad because it is bad. That's it.
Reading this book made me want to beat Omen with hammers.
The main character? The one advertised as as trans masc? Not trans masc. There's a blurb at the end of the book that says he isn't trans masc, and the character's narration and views on himself in relation to women are so blatantly transphobic that I had to double check if there was even a warning for transphobia or internalized transphobia in the first place. Spoiler alert, there wasn't. Every time women are mentioned by Omen, its a coin flip as to wether he says "we" or "us" or if he just shits on all men in his narration. Usually, its both. Omen reads more as a girl in her "I hate pink" phase than an actual trans man, and caused me (a trans man who bought the book to read about a trans man, not a man hating nonbinary asshole) an absurd amount of anger and annoyance whenever I read his narration.
Also, the worldbuilding is bioessentialist and ruins any good the metaphor of cannibalism = misogyny could've done, since women quite literally NEED to be fed upon in order for people to use their stupid divine god powers, which I also have a problem with. Some of them, cough cough General (stupid name btw) dont even have a reason for existing in the first place, since they aren't used or mentioned in the story outside of that first list of divine gifts. Also, I could never figure out whether the author intended the actual act of feeding as a sexual thing or not??? If it is a sexual thing, Ess McKinney you are weird af for making a child enjoy eating a man in the very beginning of your book with no warning for it. If not, then why tf do you write it like that? Literally any clarification on this would've improved the reading experience so much.
Lastly, I dont think the author has ever heard of the words intersectionality or nuance before. The only problem the society presented in Bite Back has is the patriarchy. There is no racism, there is no transphobia, there is no homophobia, there is only misogyny. That is stupid. Blatantly. It makes the "feminist" views this book is trying to present ring hollow, considering how unnuanced the book presents the actual issue of the patriarchy. The message this book has is "the patriarchy is bad because it is bad", not because it divides people, not because it causes people to get hurt, not because it makes women subservient, not because it makes men unable to form close bonds, not because it has close ties to racism, not because it helps uphold purity culture, no. The patriarchy is bad because it is bad. That's it.
Reading this book made me want to beat Omen with hammers.
June 10, 2026
I picked up this book because I kept seeing it recommended with great reviews and because of its trans protagonist but after finishing it, I wish I would’ve DNF’d instead. This is the first book I’ve read by the author, and they seem very passionate about story telling and representation, which I respect greatly, but as a book and story, I felt there were too many factors breaking the immersion needed to care about the story.
To start, the telling versus showing, and the disparity in their proportion. With any event or interaction, it seems Omen will immediately launch into an explanation and insert pessimistic thoughts of men as a whole whenever he can. When it happens enough, it seems more like the author’s personal thoughts rather than a character processing their anger. Then, it’s hard to take Omen seriously despite his living in such a violent society.
Second, the humor. I think the humor used in the story also makes it harder to take it and its characters seriously. Supposedly, this society has been engaging in cannibalism for generations. I find it hard to believe the humor of these people is the exact same as ours
Third, the grammar mistakes. I get that some typos or errors may slip through, but it was frequent enough that I’d pause my reading to reread sentences wondering why they didn’t sound right. In the acknowledgments, it’s mentioned that several people looked over it and suggested helpful edits so I’m confused on how so many mistakes made it to publication.
Fourth, I didn’t learn anything. I think good books should inspire you, teach you, do something to you that has you thinking more on what it all means, or make you reflect on your life. Maybe it’s partly because I already understand the trans/woman experience but I felt the story didn’t take itself/its premise seriously enough to teach anything.
Omen got his revenge, Elysian did as well, and we are left with the implication that they’ll continue to fight. Fair enough. We just reiterated the real-life frustration of minorities. Something minorities already understand and live through every day without Omen explaining every bit of oppression he experienced/sees.
Overall, should’ve DNF’d but finished out of obligation to fully understand the intentions or meaning behind this book.
To start, the telling versus showing, and the disparity in their proportion. With any event or interaction, it seems Omen will immediately launch into an explanation and insert pessimistic thoughts of men as a whole whenever he can. When it happens enough, it seems more like the author’s personal thoughts rather than a character processing their anger. Then, it’s hard to take Omen seriously despite his living in such a violent society.
Second, the humor. I think the humor used in the story also makes it harder to take it and its characters seriously. Supposedly, this society has been engaging in cannibalism for generations. I find it hard to believe the humor of these people is the exact same as ours
Third, the grammar mistakes. I get that some typos or errors may slip through, but it was frequent enough that I’d pause my reading to reread sentences wondering why they didn’t sound right. In the acknowledgments, it’s mentioned that several people looked over it and suggested helpful edits so I’m confused on how so many mistakes made it to publication.
Fourth, I didn’t learn anything. I think good books should inspire you, teach you, do something to you that has you thinking more on what it all means, or make you reflect on your life. Maybe it’s partly because I already understand the trans/woman experience but I felt the story didn’t take itself/its premise seriously enough to teach anything.
Omen got his revenge, Elysian did as well, and we are left with the implication that they’ll continue to fight. Fair enough. We just reiterated the real-life frustration of minorities. Something minorities already understand and live through every day without Omen explaining every bit of oppression he experienced/sees.
Overall, should’ve DNF’d but finished out of obligation to fully understand the intentions or meaning behind this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2026
The first book I’ve found on TikTok that I’ve actually enjoyed. On a craft level, this is a well-written and solid book. I think it’s great. It had an interesting concept and complex characters with strong convictions. Most of the characters felt like real people with rich, inner worlds. I appreciated the nuanced and multidimensional approach this work took to discussing patriarchy, fascism, police/military ethics (I’m sure there’s a better way to word this but if I don’t write this review now I’ll forget), misogyny, the exploitation of women’s bodies. You rarely see that done well in newer dystopian books.
The pacing also felt very smooth and full of suspense. At no point was I ever bored (this is high praise to me), and I was always eagerly anticipating what would happen next. Nowhere in the book did it feel like the narrative dragged or slogged.
My main criticism is that it was a bit too heavy-handed. The author should have more confidence in their work’s ability to portray their message. It was a bit annoying and repetitive when I already understood what was going on and then the narration would say it again like it wasn’t clear. Then again, many readers today have short attention spans and can’t understand themes even if they get bluntly hit over the head with them so I’m willing to forgive this— especially in an indie, self-published work.
The bond between Omen and Elysian didn’t resonate with me emotionally. The author intended for them to be platonic soulmates but I couldn’t be convinced they were even friends. If their relationship had been further explored and Elysian had been further developed as a character, I feel like the climax of the story would’ve hit so much harder.
Another criticism I have is that I felt like religion was just there to season the work without much depth. Perhaps it is because it is from Omen’s perspective and they don’t subscribe to their society’s religion, but it didn’t seem like ANYONE (okay… maybe Elysian…) actually believed in it even though the religion is one of the pillars of their society. In a work where characters such as Omen and Conan had such strong beliefs and worldviews when it came to politics and tradition, I don’t think that the religious aspect of Bite Back’s society was developed enough.
It was good but it felt like these flaws held it back from being excellent and earth-shattering, if that makes sense.
Still, I did enjoy it. It kept me gripped the whole time. I will definitely be reading the sequel since I purchased that one as well. Looking forward to future works from this author.
The pacing also felt very smooth and full of suspense. At no point was I ever bored (this is high praise to me), and I was always eagerly anticipating what would happen next. Nowhere in the book did it feel like the narrative dragged or slogged.
My main criticism is that it was a bit too heavy-handed. The author should have more confidence in their work’s ability to portray their message. It was a bit annoying and repetitive when I already understood what was going on and then the narration would say it again like it wasn’t clear. Then again, many readers today have short attention spans and can’t understand themes even if they get bluntly hit over the head with them so I’m willing to forgive this— especially in an indie, self-published work.
The bond between Omen and Elysian didn’t resonate with me emotionally. The author intended for them to be platonic soulmates but I couldn’t be convinced they were even friends. If their relationship had been further explored and Elysian had been further developed as a character, I feel like the climax of the story would’ve hit so much harder.
Another criticism I have is that I felt like religion was just there to season the work without much depth. Perhaps it is because it is from Omen’s perspective and they don’t subscribe to their society’s religion, but it didn’t seem like ANYONE (okay… maybe Elysian…) actually believed in it even though the religion is one of the pillars of their society. In a work where characters such as Omen and Conan had such strong beliefs and worldviews when it came to politics and tradition, I don’t think that the religious aspect of Bite Back’s society was developed enough.
It was good but it felt like these flaws held it back from being excellent and earth-shattering, if that makes sense.
Still, I did enjoy it. It kept me gripped the whole time. I will definitely be reading the sequel since I purchased that one as well. Looking forward to future works from this author.
March 9, 2026
It is an amazingly gorey book of feminism, fighting against the patriarchy, family relations, and cannibalism!!! Id 110% read again!!
June 16, 2026
you would think i'm the target audience here. I'm a trans guy who as a small child would beat people up if they said girls couldn't hit. I'm intersex and used to identify with a more nonbinary transmasculinity until a few years ago. However, this feels like a poor understanding of what it is like to navigate the world as a passing trans guy. Most trans guys do not say we and women in the same sentence. Most nonbinary people do not either. this only vaguely gestures to an intersex character getting operated on without their consent without even including a trigger warning for that inter sexism or dealing with what it feels like to reckon with your own gender when your sex is altered without your consent. There’s also no TW for transphobia despite the fact that characters are misgendered both internally and externally. I read this after my friend, who is also a trans guy, read this and was appalled. It feels really unrealistic that Conan would not point out the visual similarities to his own brother upon seeing him, even if he didn't recognize him. This, despite being written by a trans author, feels like it is inventing a whole new transphobic trope of trans men as sleeper agents who hate men.
To me, Conan is like John Normal. It is impossible for me to hate him because he has an extremely reasonable response to most circumstances, (even if acting within a corrupt system) and seems more accepting of his brother as a man than omen does himself. I want to point out that hormones change your body, and it's weird to think omen still has womanly divitose levels or whatever. I get that this is fiction, but that feels like the author doesn't understand how completely hormones alter your body.
I feel like the world building is also generally not very rich.
To me, Conan is like John Normal. It is impossible for me to hate him because he has an extremely reasonable response to most circumstances, (even if acting within a corrupt system) and seems more accepting of his brother as a man than omen does himself. I want to point out that hormones change your body, and it's weird to think omen still has womanly divitose levels or whatever. I get that this is fiction, but that feels like the author doesn't understand how completely hormones alter your body.
I feel like the world building is also generally not very rich.
March 7, 2026
I cannot express how much I loved this book. I found it off of Tiktok and liked the cover, saw a video of the text on the back, ordered it on Amazon a bit later. I just finished it today.
Very very mild spoilers, vague but still.
I've always loved a cult-type book, dystopian horror, cannibalism in literature, but this absolutely tops it for me. Other than maybe a few spelling/grammar mistakes and some dialogue that felt a bit cheesy to me but was harmless otherwise, this is a perfect book to me. The end felt a bit abrupt but I like that it didn't end fully rounded out, I probably would've walked away feeling a bit odd everything just suddenly fixed itself at the end.
My absolute favorite parts were any involving Elysian. I loved their character and arc as a whole, and always loved a mutilation trope, especially in this context as a dystopian horror. It very much reminded me of Hell Followed With Us, one of my favorite books, that uses the same trope and is also a dystopian horror. Follows the narrative of a transgender man, has a similar 'radicalist' approach though HFWU is more apocalyptic and based in false religion. I would definitely recommend if you liked BITE BACK to read HFWU. They're so similar and so different at the same time, very good reads.
I'd definitely wanna hear some recs, whether it be another author or another of McKinney's books that might be a good follow up after this one, because I love their writing and approach to it, even the cover is gorgeous in my opinion.
S
Very very mild spoilers, vague but still.
I've always loved a cult-type book, dystopian horror, cannibalism in literature, but this absolutely tops it for me. Other than maybe a few spelling/grammar mistakes and some dialogue that felt a bit cheesy to me but was harmless otherwise, this is a perfect book to me. The end felt a bit abrupt but I like that it didn't end fully rounded out, I probably would've walked away feeling a bit odd everything just suddenly fixed itself at the end.
My absolute favorite parts were any involving Elysian. I loved their character and arc as a whole, and always loved a mutilation trope, especially in this context as a dystopian horror. It very much reminded me of Hell Followed With Us, one of my favorite books, that uses the same trope and is also a dystopian horror. Follows the narrative of a transgender man, has a similar 'radicalist' approach though HFWU is more apocalyptic and based in false religion. I would definitely recommend if you liked BITE BACK to read HFWU. They're so similar and so different at the same time, very good reads.
I'd definitely wanna hear some recs, whether it be another author or another of McKinney's books that might be a good follow up after this one, because I love their writing and approach to it, even the cover is gorgeous in my opinion.
S
January 17, 2026
Overall Rating: 5/5 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Plot Development: 5/5 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Ease of Reading: 5/5 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
I usually don't leave reviews but for this book, I HAD to. First of all, I would rate this book a five out of five. Were there a few editing issues? Yes. Did I really care? No. The story was so interesting that it kept me engaged no matter what type of typo there was.
Maybe I'm new to this genre but I have never read anything like this. The entire concept was like... I don't even know the right word to use? It was captivating.
I don't want to spoil anything in the book or even the main purpose of it because I felt like it was better just going in blind. But I will say... WHEN IS THE NEXT BOOK? IS THERE A NEXT BOOK? I NEED IT.
When I reached the end page, I scrolled to the next one expecting it to continue and then my Kindle was like... "leave a review!" and I WAS DEVASTATED. AHH. Anyway. Lovely book. :)
-- EDITED TO ADD...
I JUTS READ THE AFTERNOTES AND LEARNED THERE IS
Plot Development: 5/5 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Ease of Reading: 5/5 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
I usually don't leave reviews but for this book, I HAD to. First of all, I would rate this book a five out of five. Were there a few editing issues? Yes. Did I really care? No. The story was so interesting that it kept me engaged no matter what type of typo there was.
Maybe I'm new to this genre but I have never read anything like this. The entire concept was like... I don't even know the right word to use? It was captivating.
I don't want to spoil anything in the book or even the main purpose of it because I felt like it was better just going in blind. But I will say... WHEN IS THE NEXT BOOK? IS THERE A NEXT BOOK? I NEED IT.
When I reached the end page, I scrolled to the next one expecting it to continue and then my Kindle was like... "leave a review!" and I WAS DEVASTATED. AHH. Anyway. Lovely book. :)
-- EDITED TO ADD...
I JUTS READ THE AFTERNOTES AND LEARNED THERE IS
April 23, 2026
Amazing book. Never reading it again.
It's well written, thorough and brutal in its critiques of a patriarchal society. It is still a painful, brutal read, not for the faint of heart. Those trigger warnings at the beginning? Dead dove. Dead dove times a thousand, they are so incredibly serious. Nothing is a light mention or brushed off. It is there, raw and torn, bloodied and exposed with no mercy. I don't have any of the traumas portrayed, not directly, but I am afab, and I know all too well how realistic everything portrayed in this book is, even with a society built on super powers given by cannibalism. It resonates a deep, painful cord that anyone capable of critiquing their world will hurt reading, and it will likely overwhelm anyone who's experienced the traumas portrayed. To those who have traumas they can correlate to scenes in the book, and who still read on, Godspeed. You are either intending to harm your mental well-being, or you are made of unbreakable steel, and either way, I wish you folks all the best and more.
It's well written, thorough and brutal in its critiques of a patriarchal society. It is still a painful, brutal read, not for the faint of heart. Those trigger warnings at the beginning? Dead dove. Dead dove times a thousand, they are so incredibly serious. Nothing is a light mention or brushed off. It is there, raw and torn, bloodied and exposed with no mercy. I don't have any of the traumas portrayed, not directly, but I am afab, and I know all too well how realistic everything portrayed in this book is, even with a society built on super powers given by cannibalism. It resonates a deep, painful cord that anyone capable of critiquing their world will hurt reading, and it will likely overwhelm anyone who's experienced the traumas portrayed. To those who have traumas they can correlate to scenes in the book, and who still read on, Godspeed. You are either intending to harm your mental well-being, or you are made of unbreakable steel, and either way, I wish you folks all the best and more.
June 23, 2026
I annotated as I read this book. I'm usually not a huge fan of most contemporary lit, but I greatly enjoyed this novel. Most of my issues lie in the handling of its themes, which often feel very spoon-fed to you, which is unfortunate because when the book hits, it HITS; I won't spoil, but this book made me tear up multiple times, and one particular description of cannibalism made me legitimately sick. I also take issue with some of the dialogue. As an author who struggles with writing dialogue myself, I recognize that it's hypocritical of me to criticize, but I just can't help but notice how same-y the characters feel and how, sometimes, characters REALLY fall into "therapy-speak". Lastly, for me, most of the humor fell a little flat and seemed a little too Tumblr-esque, coming from someone who grew up on Tumblr. All of this being said, these are really just nitpicks, and I would still definitely recommend Bite Back and will be picking up the next book in the series when it comes out! I'm interested to see how Ess McKinney will develop their writing style, as well!
February 27, 2026
I finished reading this in 2 days. It was gory at times I didn't really expect, but that's because I didn't take the trigger warnings on the first page very seriously. Cannibalism and autocannibalism are mentioned in that list.
it was a very interesting take on the patriarchy and how it effects everyone whether they're a woman or if they may be trans or even men can be badly effected by it. It got its point across very well and i did start to enjoy it more about halfway through.
the gore did make me feel a little physically sick at times, but that was the entire point of it being there. it's not my usual cup of tea, but it is great writing none the less.
it was a very interesting take on the patriarchy and how it effects everyone whether they're a woman or if they may be trans or even men can be badly effected by it. It got its point across very well and i did start to enjoy it more about halfway through.
the gore did make me feel a little physically sick at times, but that was the entire point of it being there. it's not my usual cup of tea, but it is great writing none the less.
April 5, 2026
Character building 10/10 I do wish we got more world building I want to know what the state is like yes they are bad and oppressors. But how’s it run? what’s day to day like? What do the temples look like? Why is the outskirts so run down and abandoned? I guess I just like to know everything. I definitely was expecting a vampire book but honestly it is theres so many types of vampires obviously its bot count Dracula but its definitely vampire adjacent. I read this book after reading you werent ment to be human Andrew white fans would love this book
July 7, 2026
i liked the concept but felt this needed editing and further development... i also feel it's lacking in intersectionality // the writing reminds me of ajw, but transness is somehow different in this fantasy world ? as in, the author stated the mc wouldn't be fully trans masc in our modern world . it does get into trans men's proximity to conditional male privilege and the trauma of being raised to fit into girlhood . but i feel for a book with a trans man it needed more development in exploring healthy masculinity, the masculine identity, the conditional aspect of privilege
February 18, 2026
it was so good, the representation was amazing, really relateble to being trans and the metaphors for the entire book explained everything so well, not to mention the vessel and omens brother was a great way to add more
April 1, 2026
small grammar issues, but pretty cool book
March 18, 2026
Holy shit this was the most uncomfortable I’ve been reading a book and i loved it amazing truly amazing story and i love the ending i won’t say more but if you can read it!!!
June 1, 2026
Best book I’ve read. It’s like handmaids tale, but cannibalism. And I love it.
January 13, 2026
Perfect
I downloaded this books in hopes of a good story to read after I saw it on Tiktok. I got exactly what I asked for and more. I have never read something more beautiful that somehow perfectly captures the feelings of being a Trans man. I have never seen myself more in a character like I saw myself in Omen (minus the cannibalism lol). This is definitely a favorite now.
I downloaded this books in hopes of a good story to read after I saw it on Tiktok. I got exactly what I asked for and more. I have never read something more beautiful that somehow perfectly captures the feelings of being a Trans man. I have never seen myself more in a character like I saw myself in Omen (minus the cannibalism lol). This is definitely a favorite now.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews