Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'

Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White

28 reviews

ezwolf's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• 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

3.0

I want to say that I can understand why this book has done so well and so many people have spoken highly of this book. But it really just wasn't amazing for me. I think part of it is because I'm not really a huge fan of post apocalyptic stories that are set so close to the actual event, plus I have been avoiding stories about pandemics for obvious reasons. A friend highly recommended I read this so I decided to give it a shot, but I just wasn't as enthused as I had hoped. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Transphobia, Cursing, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Blood, Body horror, Medical trauma, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Child death, Gore, Terminal illness, Genocide, Medical content, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Eating disorder

Minor: Alcohol and Classism

milliyum's review

dark emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

3.5

Before i get into my issues with the book ill praise it for being a fun book full of gore and with the most diverse cast of characters I've read.
It was fun and I'm glad i tried it, i would definitely reccomend it.

Now my issues aren't major, more that it felt lacking in some areas (of course maybe the author had a word limit or I'  too dyslexic to realise i skipped parts of the plot).

I felt like the Flood should of been explained more. If their religion doesn't exist then how was it made? How are the Graces controlled by them in the first place?

I wish there was more character arcs and closeness,

the chapter before Benji revealed Seraph to The Watch felt sudden? That their closeness suddenly felt rushed

the final battle felt a bit rushed and especially the ending of that fight

It even at times felt like i was reading a fanfic of the book.

But either way i loved it, the characters were all enjoyable (even the evil ones) and i loved every scene with Benji's

transformation

especially as the last stage felt like a trans allegory for being fully transitioned and people not accepting that part of you still.
Also do yourself a favor and look at the sick fanart of Benji once you finish the book!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Self harm, Vomit, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, and Genocide

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Child death, and Deadnaming

peroxide_princes's review

adventurous dark emotional sad tense fast-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

5.0

I had the pleasure of reading this book shortly after it came out, and I am so glad it jumped off the shelf at me. This book is so powerful and fast-paced, and speaks not only to my trans trauma but my catholic trauma as well. A disgusting and epic story of survival in the very darkest of times. This book truly made me fall in love with AJW’s writing! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Gore, Sexism, Transphobia, Grief, Violence, Blood, Deadnaming, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, and Body horror

Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Body shaming, Chronic illness, and Cursing

beanaroni's review

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? No

5.0

one of those books that I kept wishing I'd written the entire time I was reading it. andrew joseph white gets it.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Deadnaming, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic, Child abuse, Gore, Violence, Cursing, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Body horror, Murder, Transphobia, Death, Dysphoria, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Grief, and Vomit

Minor: Eating disorder

this is a book that heeds a general body horror warning for its entire length, but please be cautious if you're particular about teeth (as I am).

there is an entire passage dedicated to the MC taking pliers to try to remove one of his monster teeth and it was pretty brutal to read.

hemlockbabe's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense

• 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

5.0

This book was disgusting in a visceral, gore-y way. If I had read literally any trigger warnings online, I would have been prepared, but as is it was a pretty interesting thing to discover as I read this book in the hours that the game store I was managing was completely and consistently dead.
I adored this book. I picked it up entirely on a whim during pride month on the wall of recommended reading at a small bookstore. I read (more like skimmed) the blurb on why the shop employee recommended it so highly. I love reading religious trauma inspired books, so I pretty much was sold immediately. 
I devoured this book during the span of one six hour shift at my workplace. I've always been a fast reader- it's my attention span that ruins my ability to read books. This book sucked me in hard enough that occasionally I had to be prompted multiple times by customers to buy their stuff. 
I don't know if I would have had a different experience with it if I had known of the trigger warnings, especially the violence, purposeful misgendering, and body horror. I've always loved zombie books, and I read those curled up in chairs in the library of my high school, so I didn't think much of the location I would be reading this book.
Public crying, for me, is the highest form of torture, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from the pages of this book. The pacing, the content, the plight of the main character- all of it kept me hooked until the very end. I'm just glad I didn't snap at a kid for interrupting my reading time with a craving for Pokémon cards.
My review doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of public opinion- I have a history of really liking books and movies that had piss poor reviews and ratings- but I loved this book so much. As I've gotten older and more mentally ill, I don't get sucked into the pages of a book like a used to as a kid. I miss the ability to be absorbed in a story until it's done, and this book brought that back for me.
This book is definitely not for everyone, and all readers should be mindful of their triggers to disturbing content. But I definitely enjoyed myself, hence the five star rating.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, Outing, Child abuse, Cultural appropriation, Child death, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Pandemic/Epidemic, Homophobia, Gore, Forced institutionalization, and Self harm

Moderate: Ableism, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Body shaming, Suicidal thoughts, Cannibalism, Deadnaming, Eating disorder, and Emotional abuse

Zombie apocalypse, and a religious cult worshipping it as the rapture. Or God's work to cleanse this Earth and remake it anew.

refrejarator's review

dark emotional 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? Yes

5.0

I cannot believe I have lived this long without reading a book about characters like me - queer, autistic, trans, and angry. This felt like coming home in a way I can't quite explain. I am so deeply moved by this story and so thankful to be alive in a world where stories like this can be created and enjoyed.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Dysphoria, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Medical trauma, Transphobia, Animal death, Body horror, Cannibalism, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Eating disorder, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Genocide, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, and War

winterhartarts's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

Was a little slow for the first roughly half of the book, and most of the main characters felt slightly undeveloped at that point. However, once the halfway point happens, this really turn wild, and I was far more engaged until the very end. The world building kept me through the first half as well, so there’s a lot to be said for how the author fully actualized this kind of post-apocalyptic world filled with zombie amalgamations that all at once resembled ones from the games in The Last Of Us series and specifically the big blob from the game Inside. Imagery was always on point too, and I really felt engaged during times it was utilized. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexism, Eating disorder, Xenophobia, Body shaming, Vomit, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Religious bigotry, Pandemic/Epidemic, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Gun violence, Genocide, Dysphoria, Death, Deadnaming, Child death, Murder, Medical trauma, Medical content, Body horror, Transphobia, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Ableism, Grief, Gore, Classism, Homophobia, War, Cannibalism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Forced institutionalization, Cursing, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Torture, Slavery, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Colonisation, Alcohol, and Toxic friendship

loverrbboy's review

adventurous dark sad

• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

i don’t think i’ve torn through a book this fast in years. it’s the first body horror i’ve ever read, and the most trans thing i’ve ever read. the gore was palpable, but necessary. the use of religious terms like angels, grace, seraph, made this feel so heavy and real. the flood obviously feeling like a reflection of the virus, maybe the only time i’ve seen that done well. 

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.

good on theo for giving benji head even as he was actively rotting like that. my respect for theo in that one scene only📈📈📈

soooo many cw tags on this one so i’ll highlight the biggest: VOMIT, GORE, GUN VIOLENCE. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Death, Dysphoria, Gore, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Pandemic/Epidemic, Violence, Deadnaming, Blood, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Child abuse, Religious bigotry, Vomit, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Murder

Moderate: Sexual content, Trafficking, Eating disorder, Child death, Excrement, and Genocide

o3ovin's review

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 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, War, Vomit, Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, Medical content, Murder, Pandemic/Epidemic, Gore, Deadnaming, and Death

Moderate: Homophobia, Child death, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Transphobia

Minor: Eating disorder, Physical abuse, and Sexual harassment

percys_panda_pillow_pet's review

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. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Genocide, Blood, Eating disorder, Torture, Terminal illness, Abortion, Dysphoria, Grief, Pandemic/Epidemic, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Gun violence, Child death, Murder, Gore, Vomit, War, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Violence, Transphobia, Deadnaming, and Death of parent

Moderate: Sexual content, Ableism, Misogyny, Confinement, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Outing, Body shaming, and Chronic illness