Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White

102 reviews

cnaccarato's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

tlaynejones's review against another edition

Either bleak graphic body horror, or oppressive oppressing right wing evangelical Christianity but not both. I can’t do both. The destruction of Benji’s body is so difficult to sit with, and the absolute BS of the endless bible verses and sanctimonious Christian hate has worn away my ability to keep reading. 
I am torn about whether I’ll try another book by Andrew Joseph White. I could tell that I actually really like his writing and storytelling, but if the topics/ themes are similar I may not…. 
I will add that I want to give Andrew Joseph White the biggest hug and offer to fight next to him against the torrential abuse of Christianity I fear he has experienced. ♥️♥️♥️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

clarke's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

3.0

Hell Followed With Us is a multi-POV post-apocalyptic story, primarily focusing on Benji, a trans boy on the run from a cult of ‘angels’, finding refuge at a LGBTQ+ centre. Here, he meets Nick, their autistic leader, who knows that Benji has been turned into a weapon to end humanity. 

 

I’ve had this book on my ‘to read list’ for a while, especially with such an artistic cover, and I’ve heard a lot about it. I was pleasantly surprised when it became available on Netgalley as an arc. The book has a lot of religion involved, but also a lot of representation. It is descriptive of the cult’s violence and mutilations, which some may find graphic but I was left wanting more. The characters are mostly YA, and understandably some of their decisions were juvenile or stupid but mostly felt appropriate. No one is perfect in this book. 

 

There is a portion of the book, after Benji has made his gender and pronouns clear to the group at the LGBTQ+ centre, where Nick refers to Benji as ‘it’ because he knows he is a weapon. I feel this wasn’t called out enough, and whilst it is explored in the narrative with characters purposefully reinforcing Benji’s he/him pronouns and Benji expressing his hurt, it did not feel enough. I imagined it’s to express that even LGBTQ+ aren’t perfect, have prejudice, etc, but he isn’t the only trans person in the group nor do I believe Nick (or any one there) is naive enough to not think that would fucking hurt. As a trans/non-binary person, this was not fun to read and it really didn’t add anything to the story. 

 

Benji’s transition into the bioweapon (Seraph) could be a metaphor for transitioning gender, except he didn’t like these changes. He is reassured that he is still ‘him’ by his twat of a fiance, but otherwise tries to hide the changes and what he is becoming. There is some body horror here. The cult also dead name and misgender Benji, and are similar to IRL religious extremists who hate anyone who doesn’t conform to their values - these ones just set loose a plague and mercilessly kill, all in God’s name of course. These concepts are close to reality, especially in todays political climate. Benji’s identity and new found home serves as the antithesis to the cult and their agenda. They took his family away, leading him on a path to find another. 

 

I would recommend checking out trigger warnings for this book, namely death (including parental), violence, murder, body horror, transphobia, and religious extremism. 

 

Overall, this was a very interesting concept that just didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I found a lot of the book slow and meandering, and was watching the percentage read increase very slowly. I also wanted more horror and less transphobia. Thank you to net galley for the arc. 

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

nikoops's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• 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

5.0

This book is absolutely amazing. The author is a fantastic writer, and the worlds he creates are richly detailed and leave you longing for more. Hell Followed with Us is emotionally devastating yet still carries just enough hope that these characters you come to love will be as okay as they can be in this hellscape of a world they are forced to exist in. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Main character experiences a horrific transformation of his body against his will

_nem_'s review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Rep: Trans MC, Several LGBT+ side characters, neopronouns

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Dysphoria

Minor: Alcohol

entityj's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

• 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Cannibalism

astroem's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I loved this one. The characters in the romance actually communicate and attempt to talk thing out with each other? wild?! Unabashedly a queer story for the queer kids filled with rage and the queer kids who never got to be out without scrutiny, who always had to hide from their family. And ESPECIALLY for all those queer kids with religious trauma. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail

jjacobs1126's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.25

This book tickled my religious trauma in ways I didn't know were possible... But also in the best way possible. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, and War

laurenkimoto's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

Almost biblically accurate angels? 
Please do heed the tws

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Biphobia, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Transphobia, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Lesbophobia, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

theotherallie's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Transphobia, Violence, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Death of parent, Dysphoria, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, and Gaslighting