Reviews tagging 'Medical content'

Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White

92 reviews

livlamentloathe's review against another edition

dark sad 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? It's complicated

4.0

Hooo boy this was a book for sure!! I didn’t realize going in how intense this would be. But I liked the trial-by-fire method of forcing you to accept and get used to all the queerness. There were so many different identities and pronouns which was a little confusing at times (I had to keep a running list of who went by what) but I sincerely appreciate the authenticity. I love that the apocalypse just allowed queer kids to get queerer. And be more open about their expression.

Benji, my sweet sweet boy. I love him but his body horror was a lot for me. I had to mentally turn off my consciousness (thanks, autism!) whenever the book described the gore and horror of it because it was too much for me. But I enjoyed the full acceptance Benji had for his body, choosing not to bind despite some of his peers not understanding. It was beautiful to see all the individual unique ways that the kids of the LGBTQ+ center held and identified themselves. 

 

When he was deadnamed, I was thrown off for a bit. I had to rewind a couple times to even hear what Benji was reacting to. I liked that his deadname was so unfamiliar that it felt WRONG when used.

Nick’s autism was so well done. I really appreciated the genuine representation of his neurodivergence.

I was worried he and Benji would rush into things despite Theo being such a constant, so their ending satisfied me. Just a beginning. Not a promise of love or forever. It was sweet.

 

Speaking of Theo, he was hard for me to accept. I like people to be good or evil in fantasy novels so the complexities of him being queer and genuinely supporting Benji in his transition and then also being brainwashed was hard. His POV would perk me up a little cause he was so set on Benji being a boy that even his mind never betrayed Benji’s pronouns or identity. But life is complex and so is the life of a religious cult member raised on bigotry and genocide. In a better world, maybe Theo and Benji could’ve had a beautiful life together. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The world was well-sized for the scale and scope of the book. I do wish there were a second book to handle the trauma from after. But it was great in and of itself. Well worth the read if you’re in a place to do so.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Gun violence, Body horror, Genocide, Religious bigotry, Transphobia, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Murder, Gore, Death, Vomit, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Torture, and Violence

Minor: Medical trauma and Medical content

pixeluce's review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Deadnaming, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Vomit, Body horror, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Dysphoria, Death, and Gun violence

Moderate: Grief, Medical trauma, Medical content, Death of parent, and Cursing

dummehure's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.75

This book was everything I could wish for in a queer story. And this is the first queer revenge story I've ever heard of and god was it satisfying. The representation is absolutely amazing, I love finally having a FTM character that isn't violently dysphoric physically and doesn't bind, I love the autistic rep, seeing Nick stim and melt down was so revolutionary for me, I've never seen that before. I'm in love I can't recommend this book enough!!! Do read the trigger warnings tho!!! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Vomit, Violence, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Dysphoria, Gun violence, Misogyny, War, Eating disorder, Sexism, Body horror, Deadnaming, Grief, Hate crime, Medical content, and Murder

meganpbell's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional 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

4.5

#TransRightsReadathon book 3! Religious trauma, trans rage, and teen romance await in this tender and gruesome horror novel. In a disturbing near-future, with the help of a band of young queer survivors, transboy Benji escapes the eco-Christo-fascist cult that raised him (and brought about the apocalypse), but not before being injected with a bioweapon that will transform him—but hey, if they make you into a monster, you might as well unleash yourself. 

I found some of the world-building and the last hour or so confusing, and I expected more flashbacks/backstory, but I am so grateful this book exists and wish I’d had it as a teen myself. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Transphobia, Body horror, and Deadnaming

Moderate: Dysphoria, Grief, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gun violence, Vomit, Homophobia, Hate crime, Medical content, and Murder

Minor: Animal death and Body shaming

five_rats_in_a_trenchcoat's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Confinement, Death of parent, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Body horror, Gore, and Deadnaming

Moderate: Homophobia, Physical abuse, Eating disorder, Murder, Medical trauma, Child death, Grief, Misogyny, Dysphoria, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Racism, and Self harm

cheshiredownunder's review against another edition

I wasn’t a fan of a lot of the content in the book. It was too gory for my taste and it just made me uncomfortable to read it. How graphic the book gets at times is way out of my comfort zone and while I was recommended this book, it went past a lot of my hard “no’s” for media I want to consume. It really effected my mental health and I just absolutely was not a fan. This book is great for what it is but it’s not the book for me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Outing, Sexism, Transphobia, Abandonment, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Ableism, Eating disorder, Genocide, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Hate crime, Violence, Biphobia, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Gore, Death, Misogyny, and Gun violence

caseythereader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Transphobia, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Violence, Death of parent, Genocide, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Dysphoria, and Sexual content

ktkeps's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, Deadnaming, Death, Dysphoria, Gore, Medical content, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Body horror, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, and Violence

onf's review against another edition

dark 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Blood, War, Body horror, Deadnaming, Transphobia, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Violence, Gun violence, Cursing, and Vomit

Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Terminal illness, Confinement, Medical content, Suicide, Dysphoria, Genocide, Medical trauma, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Drug use, Ableism, and Eating disorder

anna_brawn's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Death, Medical content, Gun violence, Confinement, Religious bigotry, Vomit, Transphobia, Grief, Deadnaming, Child death, Blood, Violence, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Gore