praisethee's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Vomit, Hate crime, Murder, Outing, Transphobia, Deadnaming, Genocide, Gun violence, Death, Blood, Abandonment, Body horror, Torture, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Body shaming, Gore, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Confinement, Toxic relationship, Child death, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Grief, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Pandemic/Epidemic, and War
moreadsnrambles's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Gore, Deadnaming, Gun violence, Genocide, Dysphoria, Cursing, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, War, Vomit, Violence, Xenophobia, Transphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Blood
3martini's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Blood, Body horror, Deadnaming, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Violence, Child death, Murder, Death, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Religious bigotry, Vomit, and Transphobia
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Cursing, Sexual content, Homophobia, and Domestic abuse
scifi_rat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Deadnaming, Death of parent, Body horror, Religious bigotry, Transphobia, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Outing, Physical abuse, Child death, Torture, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Hate crime, Terminal illness, Blood, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Misogyny, Grief, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Homophobia, Bullying, Confinement, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Self harm, and Sexism
Minor: Racism, Alcohol, and Panic attacks/disorders
brynalexa's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Dysphoria, Genocide, Deadnaming, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, Colonisation, Cursing, Confinement, War, Murder, Body horror, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
Minor: Sexual content, Sexism, and Alcohol
aryelee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
My absolute favorite aspect of this novel is how empathy is Benji's greatest strength. He does his best to connect to the teenagers in the ALC who take him in, he understands the pain of the monsters created by the Flood, he even empathizes with
Spoiler
Theo after his betrayal and attack, to the point that even I couldn't be mad at Theo when the rest of the Church had done so much worse, even to him.This is a very dark world and dark narrative. I can see why this isn't everyone's cup of tea. But I flew through these pages, loved the writing style, and how people are the focus and the forces of the world/narrative. I'm fine without having a detailed explanation on everything! I don't need to know absolutely everything about the Seraph and how it's a monster, a separate being, inside Benji changing him while also being a metaphor for being trans while growing up in an environment that portrays transness as evil or monstrous. This is a very contained world; it's the remains of one town. There is a world still out there past the bridge, but we never cross it. Everything happens in one place, and we know all we need to know about it. Not once did I feel overwhelmed by the author trying to shove as much worldbuilding information on the page as possible. No, this took all the time it needed, kept a strong focus on Benji and Nick, and left off at a hopeful note.
Hell certainly did follow with us, but there's a life past hell worth living. Benji has made his way there despite everything. I hope the readers who need this book get there too.
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Religious bigotry, Body horror, Genocide, Deadnaming, Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, and Violence
Moderate: Classism, Child death, Self harm, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, and Pandemic/Epidemic
karenreadsbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, War, Homophobia, Confinement, Genocide, Deadnaming, Gore, Toxic relationship, Blood, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Body shaming, Death, Death of parent, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Transphobia, and Violence
mixmousereads's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Deadnaming, Gore, Medical content, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Child death, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Genocide, Vomit, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Violence, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Kidnapping, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Confinement, Misogyny, Sexism, and Sexual content
woweewhoa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Violence, Gun violence, Blood, Death, Religious bigotry, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Child abuse, and Vomit
Moderate: Homophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Deadnaming, Medical trauma, War, Racism, and Medical content
Minor: Sexual content and Alcohol
tigger89's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Something that might surprise readers is that the publisher's summary teases a romance that ultimately isn't a major focus. Yeah, Nick's cute and all, but really there's bigger concerns at almost every point in the plot. This definitely isn't your typical YA post-apocalyptic romance, and if that's the primary reason you picked it up you'll probably walk away disappointed.
The author is both trans and autistic, and that really comes out in the plot and character design. Something I picked up on that I thought was clever was the use of masking, with a literal mask being worn(or not) as Benji chose to hide(or not) an aspect of himself. That specific terminology is from the neurodivergent community, but the concept isn't unique and can certainly be applied to gender and sexuality, though usually we refer to it there as "closeting" rather than "masking". But it's fundamentally the same concept, the act of altering your natural behaviors in order to be perceived as "normal".
I would recommend this book to anyone who isn't afraid of blood and cracking bones, loves a good rageful power fantasy, and who finds satisfaction in the idea of reclaiming monsterhood.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Gun violence, Deadnaming, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Vomit, Blood, Religious bigotry, Transphobia, and Violence