Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White

43 reviews

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

magellen's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• 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

I wish teen me had this book 20 years ago - the body horror and dysphoria were visceral reflections of what it's like being trans in an unwelcome world. Benji's strength and sense of self carry the book well, even through his poorly made teen choices.
Loved it 💖

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Body horror, Death of parent, Death, Cursing, Murder, Dysphoria, Blood, Physical abuse, Violence, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Transphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Outing, Deadnaming, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, and Gore

makredmon's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

Wow. Just wow. Please be sure to check content warnings before reading this book. #TransRightsReadathon 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Medical trauma, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Violence, Genocide, Murder, Religious bigotry, Blood, Death, Gore, Body shaming, and Dysphoria

jale_sellards's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Transphobia, Violence, War, Body horror, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Vomit, Blood, Death of parent, Genocide, Body shaming, Deadnaming, Cursing, Death, Excrement, and Murder

fuguefire's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This book was a fantastic story about a trans boy who is being turned into a monster by those he loved, and who is fighting tooth-and-nail to become something different. If you have been looking for queer horror, you have found it. I think that this book serves as a really good allegory for the consequences of evangelistic christianity on LGBTQ+ people.

The primary aspect of this theme is the main character Benji himself of course. Seraph, the mutation Benji has been infected with, is literally devouring his body from the inside out, causing him to vomit organs and his skin to fall off in sheets. This is a graphic portrayal of the body dysmorphia that trans teens feel every day: the betrayal of one's own body transforming into something grotesque, and being helpless to stop it. Even worse: knowing that if your family really loved you the way they should, then things would have been different. Indeed, the real horror that seems to plague Benji throughout this book was NOT his profane metamorphosis, but the knowledge that none of it- the death of billions, the murder of his father, the hatred of his identity- had to happen at all. If the church had simply accepted the world the way it was, the world would still be standing, and perhaps Benji would become the man he knows he should have been. 
The second part of this theme is displayed by Nick, leader of the ALC, and once a member of the Angels. throughout the book, we see Nick's mistrust of Benji, and with good reason. There was a really good moment where benji confronts Nick about using the pronoun "it" in stead of "he" and I think it was a really good example of how trans (and minority) characters cannot be written like they exist in a vacuum, and also the ways that people even inside the queer community can still level violence at one another. Of course, at the end of this intense scene, half of benji's face falls off, and suddenly the audience is reminded that this whole conflict over pronouns might not be happening if not for christian extremism in the first place. Perhaps there is a world where Benji and Nick would happily be friends, celebrating their queerness in a loving community. But that world is not theirs anymore.
Finally, I think that Nick's fate in this story is worth noting. Nick, leader of the ALC, whom nobody expected had any ties to the Angels, still gets partially transformed by the latent virus that he was inoculated with as a kid. This is a perfect metaphor for the life-long consequences of being exposed to religious abuse. Even years after you've escaped their influence, and after spending your whole life dedicated to righting their wrongs, a trace of it is always there with you, waiting to bare its teeth.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Murder, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Homophobia, Deadnaming, Hate crime, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Genocide, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Gore, Religious bigotry, Vomit, Death, Body horror, Blood, and Body shaming

Moderate: Dysphoria, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Mental illness, Outing, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Stalking, Medical content, Rape, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, War, and Misogyny

sapphicacademic's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional 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

5.0

I love queer horror/dystopia so much. I started this book in December '22, got busy, put it down for a bit. Then a friend of mine wrote his final essay on it and I needed to finish the read. I loved it so much. As a former GSA president and current queer youth advocate, I could see myself and the kids I work with in so much of the ALC. You can tell the author has been involved in queer culture, it's such a realistic and casual depiction. Also I LOVE having autistic characters where the story isn't ABOUT their autism, Nick's autism is written so well. If you want to read queer stories, don't look for the cute palatable love stories. Read this.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Vomit, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Transphobia, Gun violence, Genocide, Emotional abuse, Religious bigotry, Classism, Dysphoria, Death of parent, Deadnaming, Blood, Death, Cursing, Chronic illness, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Alcohol, Child abuse, Classism, Chronic illness, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Colonisation, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, and Panic attacks/disorders

This book is, despite its fantastical elements, about the reality of being queer. The author has really good trigger warnings detailed on his website/goodreads.

kiseao's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, Body shaming, Gun violence, Deadnaming, Transphobia, Suicidal thoughts, and War

rupu's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

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

0.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Vomit, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Deadnaming, Excrement, Genocide, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, and Toxic relationship

mothman19's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Transphobia, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Sexism, Self harm, Terminal illness, Body horror, Bullying, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Genocide, Medical content, Abandonment, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Cursing, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Cannibalism, Death, Blood, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Religious bigotry, Violence, War, Vomit, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Abortion, and Sexual content

Minor: Eating disorder, Pregnancy, and Excrement

samhart8's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful tense medium-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Dysphoria, Vomit, Sexual content, Death, Deadnaming, Blood, Murder, Gore, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, and Body horror