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dani_aurora_reads'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
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, and War
Minor: Genocide
page_karla's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Biphobia, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Dysphoria
flavicos'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: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Dysphoria, War, and Injury/Injury detail
kiwiiwwiik'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
Graphic: Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Abandonment, and War
hannahrogers'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, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, and Classism
Minor: Sexual content
parasolcrafter'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
going through the story as benjis body is rotting from the inside, transforming into something he never wanted to be, never asked to be, never consented to be is such a horrific way of showcasing what its like to be trans and to not be allowed to be yourself; what forcing down the purest version of yourself does to you, how it can kill you. it was done so beautifully and so tragically and it just...illustrates it so well. the ultimate conclusion of benji becoming seraph, the end form of what he was turning into the whole story, was done so wonderfully, as well; how he gets taken over by rage and bloodlust when hes back in the cult he was raised in, how seraph awakens then as hes back to the abuse and transphobia he was raised in...it truly is poetic. he ends up the savior the Angels raised him as, only he's not their savior and he never was.
and nick...oh, i truly do love his character so much and i only wish we got into his mind more because hes such a beautifully written autistic character, which is, sadly, a rarity. hes so authentically written and represented and i felt so much of myself in him and his subtleties. his hatred of being touched, his stimming, his masking, his constant need to have it all together even when he wants to fall apart...it was so well written and i truly appreciate him so much. hes so, so special 💖
this book has so much heart and hope, and even though the story is over, i know these characters can claw into the dirt and pull themselves from the Hell theyve been plunged into. i know that they can survive and, as said near the end, maybe they can even grow up. its the least they deserve.
the small issues i have with this book - i felt the writing was a bit weak at points and i wish benjis time in the ALC was a longer portion of the book because i do feel that part was lacking; we dont get to know much of the other characters as much as i'd like - definitely dont retract from how much i enjoyed it because what the book does and the story it tells are much greater than any flaws it has. thank you Andrew Joseph White for this wonderful book 💖💖💖
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Torture, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Colonisation, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Animal death
ktv's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Child death, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, and Colonisation
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
sample_text'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Dysphoria
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, and Medical content
tifftastic87's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Two years ago a religious eco-terrorist group released a bioweapon called The Flood and killed 9 billion people. They founded New Nazareth and infected Benji with a variant of the virus to create the Saraph. This variant will mutate him and allow him to lead the church's militia and flood abominations to bring everyone to heaven.
I feel like this needed a bit more time curing before it was released to the world. Benji oscillated between guilt, which didn't use the religious trauma enough to make it feel real, and lusting over the Nick. Nick, the leader of the rebellion group that saves Benji, was very 2D. He was much more of a plot element than a character. I needed more between them than Nicke giving orders and Benji being like "damn he's cute."
The body horror was there, and probably at a good level for YA but somethings were not explained very well and I really couldn't tell what was happening. The story was in firsf person, so perhaps it was intentional, but it was not clear it was intentional.
I have a lot more opinions on the world building and the lack of justification for the relationship between Benji and Nick (other than it's YA and they have to). But I'll leave it at there were a lot of inconsistencies.
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Eating disorder, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
meaghanelizabook'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Confinement, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Dysphoria, and War