Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White

95 reviews

jamievincent's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes

4.5

What an amazing fucking read.

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 

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Content Warnings

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

magnan1mouse's review against another edition

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

5.0

I can't describe how much of a sucker I am for the found family trope. 

I found it to be well-written and while I HATED Nick at some points (for his actions, not how the character was made), 

I'm glad he was good in the end.

 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Gun violence, Infidelity, Medical content, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Child death, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, and Cannibalism

marywahlmeierbracciano's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

With much inspiration taken from the ancient horror stories of the Bible, Hell Followed with Us is a post-apocalyptic adventure featuring queer teens as the heroes.  A new plague has been released upon the world by an evangelical cult, The Angels.  Benji’s mother is one of their leaders, his father his greatest ally, and he: a trans boy trapped inside their compound, slowly transforming into a monster, a “savior” of their own creation.  Benji escapes—at a great cost—and joins a group of queer teens hiding out in an LGBTQ+ center, a place beyond his wildest dreams.  This primal scream of a novel is, at its heart, about survival.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Death, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Confinement, Sexual content, Vomit, and Alcohol

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

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

nicolescottwv's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Body shaming, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Dysphoria

Minor: Misogyny and Gaslighting

satsumaorange's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

3.5

Great book! Well-written and impactful, even the very heavy-handed parts were not overdone. Very overly dramatic at times, but you can kinda understand why when you remember that the narrator is a teenage trans boy with deep religious trauma. 
It was a good read to get me out of my comfort zone, but ultimately, not the perfect book for me. Enjoyed it though! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Cursing, Deadnaming, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Medical trauma, and Classism

Minor: Bullying, Grief, Outing, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

This book is FULL OF GORE. And violence. And death. There's a whole opening note from the author warning about potential triggers. Reader beware. Dead dove do not eat.

bimess_'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

5.0

Before you read it, take the trigger warnings SERIOUSLY. I held my own, but there were moments that I just couldn't. This author has a talent for horror, and I'm in awe. I will be getting the physical copy. Would I read it again? I would. But only because I'll be more mentally prepared. Loved that everything was explored. The ending has me by the neck, though. 

(also I've been glued to this book for the past few days, couldn't read anything else.)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Dysphoria, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Deadnaming

majamatcha's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Violence, Vomit, Religious bigotry, and Dysphoria

summermorning's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Murder, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Dysphoria