Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White

37 reviews

ryanandrew23's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, and Violence

Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Sexism, and Abandonment

gremlinpride's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

bottleofink's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail

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.

readswithrachel's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment

fozlandgirl's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad 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

4.0

I enjoyed this a lot but I don't know if I was the target audience as it was really young. So much body horror. So much.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

wheelyautistic's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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

Finishing this book felt bittersweet because I wanted to find out more about what happened but I am so glad I read it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

brynalexa's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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? No

4.25

I’m not much of a horror reader so this was VERY gory for me but the gore was done in a way that painted a realistic picture. I did not question anything about the characters or setting, I was there with them. Awesome LGBTQ+ rep and disability rep. Love the exploration of religious trauma. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Sexism, Sexual content, and Alcohol

emjams's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Xenophobia, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Outing, Abandonment, and War

Minor: Animal death, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Alcohol

This book has basically every imaginable TW on it EXCEPT for sexual assault, but even that is briefly touched on. Benji has trauma from assault, but only from physical/emotional abuse, not SA.

pewter's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.25

Really enjoyed both the story and how it was written. It wasn't too colloquial but still had an organic narrative rhythm and some excellent lines. But mainly the world built here is not at all unimaginable, and the themes of found family and queer joy are easy to embrace and not hammy. I think this truly does encompass many of the dissonances we queer folk encounter, from our bodies to how people see us, to struggles with religion and Heaven. Wild ride. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Dysphoria, and War