sagareads 's review for:

Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White

4.5

challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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A big queer rage book, and a little heavy on the gore and body horror for my personal enjoyment (especially given that I often read while eating). That's not a criticism, though -- just a matter of personal taste. The writing is excellent and the characters are very well-crafted, an authentic mix of messy, flawed, very human teenagers making the best of awful situations. I also appreciated the nuanced, visceral exploration of the book's dark themes, including queerness, transphobia, and religious fundamentalism. Definitely worth reading if you have a strong stomach, but don't go in expecting a happy ending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Gore, Self harm, Transphobia, Violence, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness