Reviews tagging 'Cannibalism'

Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White

17 reviews

marloesisalive's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

3.5

The book is quite heavy on body gore. I do still have a lot of questions, like

why did Benji survive and how did Seraph form his body

I don’t find it realistic that everyone was quite mentally stable despite the flood happening in 2015. Benji’s dialogue also did not always fit, I would have like to see some personal growth.

He talked a lot about his feelings about bodydismorphia but I didn’t feel his emotions. When he changed into Seraph he mentioned feeling a different bodydismorphia. I did not feel it, the author should have showed and not told us about it instead. I wanted his dialogue to reflect more that he finally could be open and out trans man.

It was the first horror book I read and it was enjoyable. The antagonist is a christian cult so that is something yoy have to consider before picking up the book. There is quite some religious criticism

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Torture, Transphobia, and Murder

Minor: Confinement, Cursing, Grief, Cannibalism, and Classism

mogojojo1013's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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 absolutely loved this. The body horror was so visceral (definitely make sure you check the content warnings before reading! LOTS of gross in here). All of the grotesque body horror moments that Benji experiences are SO very relatable as someome who is nonbinary and has experienced dysphoria. Really knocked it out of the park, for me. I loved the world building, and I love how flawed Benji is as a character, and he really feels and reads like a teenager. I also loved the tender moments of found family and friendship that help break up the scenes of intense violence and gore, it was a breath of fresh air and was comforting. Highly recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Deadnaming, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

raccoonfoo's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense 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

5.0

Dark, powerful, thrilling, and mind consuming. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, and Pandemic/Epidemic

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

miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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

4.75

SO FUCKING GOOD BRO
u should read this if u want a 10/10 queer horror book that has a p wild and original plot and shit

Also this is the second book ive read this year about religious groups at the end of the world which is cause by a ‘flood’- what does this say about me?

The only thing is i wanted a bit more at a couple points esp the last lil bit

‘Stand on any roof, wall, or hill tonight and watch the world slow down. Watch it empty.’

‘In what world was their God ever a benevolent one?’

‘If they believe in judgment, let them feel it.’

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

hemlockbabe's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense

• 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? It's complicated

5.0

This book was disgusting in a visceral, gore-y way. If I had read literally any trigger warnings online, I would have been prepared, but as is it was a pretty interesting thing to discover as I read this book in the hours that the game store I was managing was completely and consistently dead.
I adored this book. I picked it up entirely on a whim during pride month on the wall of recommended reading at a small bookstore. I read (more like skimmed) the blurb on why the shop employee recommended it so highly. I love reading religious trauma inspired books, so I pretty much was sold immediately. 
I devoured this book during the span of one six hour shift at my workplace. I've always been a fast reader- it's my attention span that ruins my ability to read books. This book sucked me in hard enough that occasionally I had to be prompted multiple times by customers to buy their stuff. 
I don't know if I would have had a different experience with it if I had known of the trigger warnings, especially the violence, purposeful misgendering, and body horror. I've always loved zombie books, and I read those curled up in chairs in the library of my high school, so I didn't think much of the location I would be reading this book.
Public crying, for me, is the highest form of torture, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from the pages of this book. The pacing, the content, the plight of the main character- all of it kept me hooked until the very end. I'm just glad I didn't snap at a kid for interrupting my reading time with a craving for Pokémon cards.
My review doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of public opinion- I have a history of really liking books and movies that had piss poor reviews and ratings- but I loved this book so much. As I've gotten older and more mentally ill, I don't get sucked into the pages of a book like a used to as a kid. I miss the ability to be absorbed in a story until it's done, and this book brought that back for me.
This book is definitely not for everyone, and all readers should be mindful of their triggers to disturbing content. But I definitely enjoyed myself, hence the five star rating.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry, Outing, Cultural appropriation, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Deadnaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Cannibalism, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

Zombie apocalypse, and a religious cult worshipping it as the rapture. Or God's work to cleanse this Earth and remake it anew.

refrejarator'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
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I cannot believe I have lived this long without reading a book about characters like me - queer, autistic, trans, and angry. This felt like coming home in a way I can't quite explain. I am so deeply moved by this story and so thankful to be alive in a world where stories like this can be created and enjoyed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Eating disorder, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail

winterhartarts's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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

4.0

Was a little slow for the first roughly half of the book, and most of the main characters felt slightly undeveloped at that point. However, once the halfway point happens, this really turn wild, and I was far more engaged until the very end. The world building kept me through the first half as well, so there’s a lot to be said for how the author fully actualized this kind of post-apocalyptic world filled with zombie amalgamations that all at once resembled ones from the games in The Last Of Us series and specifically the big blob from the game Inside. Imagery was always on point too, and I really felt engaged during times it was utilized. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

erebus53's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

Not sure how this one ended up on my TBR but it's likely that it's because of other authors I heave read this year. This is a story that's steeped in twisted Christian doctrine and its clash with real life. It ended up feeling like some sort of mad fever dream something like Berserk, Neon Genesis, Locked Tomb (by Tamsyn Muir), The Walking Dead, Seanan McGuire, and a smidgen of Rick Riordan... o.O it's gory and messy and queer A.F. 
Yay! 

Set in a world where an Apocalypse cult has pretty much succeeded, and weird virus sculpted monsters 

This is a horror story in a lot of ways, not the least of which is body horror, and dysphoria. The main character is AFAB, trans- and a gay boy. Having been raised in a zealot community this leads to some serious baggage, and a lot of emotional unpacking. Other major characters include NB, Ace, POC, Autistic, and folk with a smattering of different faiths or lack thereof. This may seem weird but this is what happens when a community centre for queer kids becomes a survivalist enclave in a the end-times.

So there's a little bit of sexual content, and an anime-horror level of once-human, virus-twisted, flesh-eating demons, gun violence, and existential angst. I thank the author for the overt content warnings at the start of the book, especially all the deadnaming and misgendering.

Entertaining read, if very full-on.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Deadnaming, Gore, Transphobia, and Blood

Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Cannibalism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Self harm, Islamophobia, and Alcohol

lreeve's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing and Toxic relationship

Minor: Sexual content, Cannibalism, and Alcohol