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winterhartarts'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
4.0
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
loverrbboy's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
from just reading the blurb, i expected a fanfic-y depiction of queer rebellion in the post-apocalypse. however this was full of nuance, spiritual exploration, and of course, found family. imperfect people, in a ducked up world, making the most of what they have. expressions of queer rage, insecurity, and beauty.
quote from the author: “if i wanted to write authentically about myself, i had no choice but to write about a trans boy turning into a monster.” like yeah
also i HAVE to mention.
soooo many cw tags on this one so i’ll highlight the biggest: VOMIT, GORE, GUN VIOLENCE.
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Child death, Eating disorder, Genocide, Sexual content, Excrement, and Trafficking
jamievincent'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
4.5
The moment i read the description of this book i knew that this was the queer religious horror of my dreams, and besides some qualms with the style/structure (most of which relate to it being a teen book which is not really a flaw) I throughly enjoyed it.
I love how throughly this book embraces the idea of community and aid during tough times just as much as it acknowledges what being queer amidst hostility really means. In this case, rage. deserved rage, rage that doesn’t contradict with that at all.
My only other issue with the book is honestly the character development. There are certain characters that I found unbelievable or who’s bonds with each other I just couldn’t get invested in. I think maybe the small details that flesh them out as people weren’t as there as I would have liked them to be. I loved Benji though.
Any issues with this are also somewhat negated by the very interesting apocalyptic world that the author created, because I was able to absolutely buy into it and was super intrigued by everything surrounding all its grisly history. Loved the little bits of sermons or journals or bible quotes that start off chapters and i thought those were often used for unique worldbuilding.
TLDR; We need more books with trans joy and also trans revenge and I will be reading more Andrew Joseph White
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Child death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Transphobia
Minor: Eating disorder, Physical abuse, and Sexual harassment
percys_panda_pillow_pet'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
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.
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
anxiousnachos's review against another edition
4.0
Please do read the full list of content warnings on Andrew Joseph White’s Goodreads review or website before starting.
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
fromthefoxhole'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
We watch as Benji, our trans masc main character, escapes a Doomsday cult committed to seeing the end of days through any means necessary. He's been fighting his entire life, though, so it's no surprise the fight is what pushes him forward.
He finds a home with ALC, a rag-tag group of queer kids who found themselves together when the world ended, and he sees himself in Nick, the autistic boy leading their battle party. He wrestles God, he wrestles the Flood, the sickness that rots away at him from the inside out, and he wrestles himself. What hope is there for absolution amongst the carnage?
I'm not kidding when I say this book is everything to me. I highlighted massive swaths of text, whole chapters even, captured by how relatable Benji is to my own history of fundamental religion being at odds with my queerness. Benji's victories became my own, his failures that much more painful.
White's prose is relentless, interwoven with twisted scripture and teachings, filled to the brim with references and callbacks. Everything within the story is connected, joined together at odd angles and dripping with sick. It's disgusting, it's visceral, it's stunning. A perfect match to those same things within Benji.
I'm never going to stop thinking about this book, and none of you can stop me!
Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Death, Eating disorder, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
dummehure'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
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Dysphoria, and War
five_rats_in_a_trenchcoat'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Deadnaming, Genocide, Gore, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Dysphoria
cheshiredownunder's review against another edition
Graphic: Ableism, Biphobia, Body horror, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Outing, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
onf'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
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Dysphoria
Minor: Ableism, Drug use, and Eating disorder