Reviews tagging 'Ableism'

Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White

64 reviews

vixenreader's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

One of my favourite books this summer, this book portrays what it means to find chosen family, confronting dogmatic prejudice, escaping past abuse (especially biological family), and going through Hell and back. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Stalking, and Classism

Minor: Pedophilia, Racism, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and War

The scenes of the protagonists barging up their organs is creative and grotesque, and the dogma of the cult could be triggering for anyone who has experienced abuse from a zealous community. Be warned that there is also maternal abuse, critique of religion being used for violence and genocide, an almost forced marriage, biological experimentation on unwilling victims, and bodily mutation.

poopy43809's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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

I read this book when it first came out and I can't believe I forgot to review it lol This is by far my favorite book. Absolutely wonderful.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Transphobia, Violence, and Death of parent

Moderate: Ableism and Racism

michaelion's review against another edition

dark inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

The best books leave me speechless when it comes to the review. God damn, that was magnificent. I love when little gay kids are so engulfed with rage they turn into biblically accurate angel monsters and burn the world with their fury. Like as a queertrans that's just so real and true and ugh I love it. The only notable flaw was that the pacing felt fast. But then the story actually was fast. It takes place in a month. But it's such a minor flaw. Like yeah. Gay people do fall in love, do anything really, that fast. So real. So true. So real.

I can't tell you how fucking G A G G E D I was when they said we're gathered here to join these families in holy matrimony! I threw the book! I screamed and paused the audio!!! The utter and absolute shock!!! The audacity!!! I love it here!!!!!

If you loved this book for the same religious reasons I did then you'd love the song Don't Worry, We'll Be Watching You by Gotye. And the music video!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Deadnaming, Genocide, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Gore, Self harm, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Dysphoria, and War

Minor: Ableism and Racism

whiskers_and_lipstick's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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

4.0

So good, but not for everyone.

If one word could describe Hell Followed With Us, it would be TENSE. The synopsis doesn't quite capture the depth of this story - just the vehicle for telling it. I signed on for a survivalist story about a trans teen (Benji) on the run from a religious cult, finding refuge with a group of LGBTQ+ teens fighting to make a life in a post-apocalyptic world where all non-believers are labeled "heretics" and wiped out from the face of te earth. I was expecting The Handmaid's Tale meets The Last of Us. And while those themes are certainly present, HFWU centers on queer rage - the "what if" the queer community actually became the monsters they are made out to be and decided to unleash their fury on those who vilified them?

My husband and I read HFWU together. I was so grateful for that co-reading experience because of how much there was to unpack and reflect on (the weaponization of religious tenants, the cognitive dissonance of those who subscribe to extremist belief systems, the intersectionality of marginalized populations and how that can lend to the occurrence of oppression and discrimination within marginalized communities). What we spent the most time grappling with was all of the ideas about gender identity, transness, and what transitioning means to different people.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

alkemistimole6'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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

percys_panda_pillow_pet's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious reflective 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

There's honestly not much to say here. Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White is a fantastic book that had me gripped from the dedication page all the way until the end. I read it so quickly that I had extra time on my hands I didn't account for because I thought it might take me a little longer to read. The pacing was fantastic, the switch between character points of view was masterful, I loved all the little in-universe epigraphs, and, of course, the writing was amazing.

White definitely knows his craft because the descriptions of the horror and apocalyptic world were disgusting and terrifying how realistic he made it all seem. The commentary of current society and religion and politics, and how adults actually act like kids and the kids are forced to grow up faster than they were supposed to, was so on point it hurt. The fact of the matter is that the world depicted in Hell Followed With Us actually feels like a possibility in our future is insane. 

As well, White is the first author who has been able to write LGBTQ+ characters with a modern tone/use of internet knowledge and slang without me wanting to rip my hair out in frustration or cringe at the attempt. He actually made it believable that a character can have xe/xem/xyr pronouns and not seem out of place, or for a character to outright state they're trans without a long tirade on what it means to be trans. He made it seem natural and normal, which it is.

Truly, hats off to Andrew Joseph White for accomplishing what so many authors have attempted with not great success. I look forward to reading his new book, The Spirit Bares Its Teeth. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Eating disorder, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Ableism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol

Minor: Body shaming, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Outing, and Toxic friendship

mir_frog73's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny 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? It's complicated

5.0

I loved this book so much! New favourite book. Also I can’t wait for this authors other work to come out.

I felt so represented by this book and the writing was so good and the gore and all of this It was just amazing! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Ableism and Physical abuse

antijeffbozo_love2read's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual content, and Alcohol

Minor: Ableism, Genocide, Homophobia, and Panic attacks/disorders

bookwormbi's review against another edition

challenging dark medium-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? Yes

3.5

I am disturbed but the writing was beautiful 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Gun violence, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Racism

cactuspunk's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

5.0

 As a creative-minded person, I tend to believe that the best books are not the ones that appeal to the widest audience, have the most beautiful prose (not to say this doesn't have incredible writing), or the deepest message (again not to say this doesn't), but rather the ones that stick with you and inspire your own creation after they're finished. And this book hits that mark incredibly. I haven't had a book which filled me with as much passion and inspiration since I read Challenger Deep back in 2019. This book has so much creative prowess and powerful lines you can't help but be dragged into the story whether you want to or not. The writing is tough, gruesome, and packs so many gut-wrenching lines that it sticks within your mind and begs you to continue. Every character has something to love or loathe and not a single feels wasted. The world is beautifully fleshed out in its horrific glory. Even when Benji makes mistakes (which dang he does plenty of) you still can't help but root for him out of the readers pure need for vengeful glory along with him. And when that vengeance is achieved the satisfaction of it is so bittersweet yet satisfying that you can't put down the book despite its gruesomeness. I loved the portrayal of Benji and Nick's relationship of one without the need for grand romantic gestures (especially when modern romances are jammed pack with sexual details) which was extremely refreshing and adorable. In total I absolutely adore this book and it has definitely risen to a spot among my favorites. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Ableism