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o3ovin's review
- 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
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
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
magnan1mouse'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
I found it to be well-written and while I HATED Nick at some points (for his actions, not how the character was made),
Graphic: Hate crime, Grief, Gore, Death, Violence, Body horror, Religious bigotry, Pandemic/Epidemic, Deadnaming, Death of parent, Vomit, Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, War, Trafficking, Medical trauma, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Deadnaming, Child abuse, Kidnapping, and Medical content
Minor: Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Misogyny, Cannibalism, Terminal illness, Mass/school shootings, and Child death
math_scooter's review
- 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: Gun violence, Death, Body horror, Blood, Classism, Transphobia, War, Gore, Genocide, Grief, Deadnaming, Cursing, Vomit, Violence, Death of parent, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, and Confinement
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Sexual content, Alcohol, and Infidelity