South of Heaven by Erin Louis

GREETINGS STACK WORMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today I'm reviewing South of Heaven by Erin Louis.

Before I get into the review I must first apologize to HellBound Books for taking so long to finish this book. I don't want to make excuses so I'll just say simply life became shit and I had a lot to deal with. However, I was asked to read this book for a review and feel guilty for taking so long. Again, my deepest apologies I will do better in the future. If you still want to work with me that is. I don't know if I can apologize enough so I'm just gonna get to the review. 

I did give this book 4 stars on Goodreads. No, not because I'm kissing ass because I fucked up but because it was an enjoyable read. I'll let you know why it didn't get a full 5 stars in the trigger warning. 

SPOILERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Duh...

TRIGGER WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Christianity 

-Catholicism 

-Animal death (and it's fucking graphic) (immediately lose 1 star) 

-God (yes, he is a trigger) (no I will not be capitalizing he or god unless it's a beginning of a sentence) (moving on)

-Sex

-Stripping 

-Slutism 

-Swearing (again grow up or get off my blog)

-Alcoholism 

-Pot

-nudity 

-hell/heaven

-demons/angels 

-Suicide attempt 

-Murder attempt 

-Fat shaming (from the angels not our MC)

-I guess it takes liberties but really no one knows what heaven or hell is like < I will go on a rant later just wait

-death (I mean duh)

-blood

-glitter (a trigger for our author apparently jk hon just poking fun)

-And lovely cat buttholes (like their actual sphincter not that they're assholes)

Kat is dead. Well, she dies rather early in the story. She was taking her cat, Buster to his vet appointment without a crate and predictably he gets in her face which leads to them having a car crash. Yes, they both die. Buster goes to hell because all cats go to hell...hm. Fuck you, god. Anyway, Kat finds herself at the pearly gates with St. Peter being an asshole. Kat gives him the birds before being let in, which shocks her, but she did repent before dying so she wins a spot in paradise. Right next to Jeffrey Dahmer and a child murderer. And honestly not that far from Hitler. 

That's right. If anyone repents before death and accepts god as their creator/savior then they get to go to heaven. No matter how many people they killed or what vile things they did on Earth. 

Kat tries her best to enjoy her place in heaven. However, between the bullying and the murderers around her, she can't really settle down. So, after meeting a demon through a rip between heaven and hell she decides she's going to get kicked out of heaven. Then proceeds to fail. Though she is chastised by Jesus and god. 

Kat wallows in despair as her heaven cat-ish creature worries over her. Together they leave heaven when they find out that the portal is deteriorating which means they might be able to pass through. Luckily, they got through just fine and find that hell is mediocre but better than the hell heaven was. 

In hell Kat finds herself a demon-sex partner, Buster, and peace. 

LIKES:

-The short chapters are really nice 

-Lucifer (the cat) is adorable 

-Kat basically goes to hell to find Buster 

-When Kat is sinking deeper into depression I really feel for her and Lucifer because he's worried about Kat. The fact that I am invested to see Kat and Lucifer happy means that the author did a good job creating the characters

-Things do get a bit gruesome 

-Kat coming to the conclusion that heaven is a lie is perfect 

-God is the biggest asshole EVER I mean she sort of got that on earth (which is why she is no longer a catholic) but it really hits home when she talks to him. 

-The relationship between Kat and Lucifer is the best part of the story. Them getting to know each other and Kat helping Lucifer figure out how to be an individual is so cute. 

-Despite my worry that it would just be Kat being sarcastic all the time, there were in fact deep and poignant moments. 

-I'm so fucking happy that this wasn't an It was all just a dream. Thank you, author. That would have been easy to do and explain the problems in heaven if they were all just in her head. But no the author stuck to their guns and made heaven a living hell. 

-The fact that Kat and her mom's relationship is still healthy after Kat stops practicing Catholicism, is amazing. At least that's what it seemed like in the story. 

-Author made god and heaven flawed. Which is the absolute truth of Abrahamic monotheistic religions. 

*Imma pause here for a rant. First, let me find my soapbox* 

This rant is about the hypocrisy of Christians and how they don't even know the mythology of the religion they're stealing from. That's right I said stealing.

*Also, please keep in mind I'm not an expert on religion and the effects that different religions have on each other*

The god we see here is a bastardization of a Levantine deity named YHVH/YHWH (often pronounced as Yahweh) from a polytheistic pantheon. They only became the creator god after the Babylonian captivity. And the reason they stopped calling him YHWY is because they saw it as too sacred to be saying. Which is where the whole 'don't take the lord's name in vain' came from. It was only to be spoken during a special time of year. So, instead started calling him 'lord' 'god' or something along those lines.  

Do they teach this in church? No. You ask the average Christian or Catholic, they'll tell you that god doesn't have a name. Despite the fact that they tell you that the Bible has never been changed or edited. When it literally has been translated from the original text which if I'm not mistaken was a sin to begin with. And there are dozens (if not hundreds) of different editions of the Bible. 

Christianity as an umbrella term, is an amalgamation of other religions to control people. They shift and mold this 'god' into anything they want him to represent. Which is based on lies and hypocrisy. 

But really the question is, why is it believed today? In the past, gods were created to explain natural events. Today though? Why choose to believe something so hateful? Trust that their god will save them in death? Trust in their community? The solace it brings them from the fear of death? Or is it just from fear? 

It's hard to be different or think differently from society. If society decides to believe in this thing that one doesn't agree with, then that person is ostracized, disowned, hated, and oftentimes killed. People fear for their lives so much that they continue to believe which feeds into this never-ending cycle of fear and hate. 

Which South of Heaven explores. If you don't play the game this gods' way then you're in for a miserable existence. 

DISLIKES:

-There were just moments when something was allowed in heaven but other things weren't that didn't make sense. 

-Example: Kat wishes for a sword to kill an angel who has been tormenting her, yet when she goes to strike the angel down it turns into a pool noodle. Why was she given a sword if she couldn't use it? God did it for the shiggles? 

-Example: Alcohol is allowed, bullying is allowed, murder is apparently allowed, but pot is where god draws the line? What? This doesn't make sense since god is the one that created the plant. Along with opium. So, he's literally just giving himself a worse rep. 

-YOU KILLED A CAT!!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean I understand why and I'm glad Kat and Buster reunite but I'm still not happy with the description of his death

-I feel like Satan would not wear a jumpsuit. ew. 

-Kat and Amon ending up together is fine I guess just predictable. 

-Also, if someone took my cat in my afterlife and didn't give them back after being asked politely there'd be no god in existence that would keep me from getting my cat back.

I'll end it there. I hope y'all enjoyed the review. Please, if you're remotely interested then read the book. It's a fun time with some heart. Short and sweet.

Again, I'm sorry that I took so long. Thank you HellBound Books for the free ebook and continuing to work with me. Much appreciated.

Now, I had a little difficulty picking a song for this review. I was thinking Deicide, Ghost, or Lacuna Coil. So, I decided to go with: 

P.S. 

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈

P.S.S. 

If you're wondering where I'd go if hell or heaven exists, well let's sum it up here with a few things. I'm panromantic, asexual, gender-queer, and I live with my trans girlfriend and no we're not married. These are my pronouns She/They. My father, uncle, and great-aunt are all part of the LGBTQ+ community. 

Have you read the book? What did you think? Would you agree or disagree with me? Would you pick up the book? Did you like the review? Is there anything I can do to make it better? Or is there anything you'd like to see me doing in the next review? Remember I always encourage constructive criticism. Thank you for reading!! Toodles, luvs! 

-Bug