A review by tristatereader
Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I added this book to my tbr during the Trans Rights Readathon. Horror is not typically one of my go to genres, but this post-apocalyptic, dystopian masterpiece was amazing. The story was so imaginative and the writing style was beautiful and poetic. 

Benji is a trans teenage boy who escapes a vicious religious cult, but not before they are able to infect him with an incredibly powerful bio weapon called Seraph. While on the run from the cult, he meets another teen boy, Nick, who offers him shelter and safety at a LGBTQ+ center called the ALC. Benji finds that despite the fact that the monster Seraph is slowly taking over his body, he has never felt more clear in his mind. He will move heaven and hell to protect his new found family.

I absolutely loved Benji. His strength to overcome horrific trauma was awe-inspiring. Nick was an incredible leader at the ALC and for the Watch. I can’t thank the author enough for writing an autistic character (who was actively stimming in the book!) in such a strong and positive way. I loved all the side characters at the ALC (although I was glad when Calvin kicked rocks). And Salvador (xe/xem) might be the first character with neopronouns that I’ve ever read in a book! 🥳 There was truly every kind of representation and diversity in this book and I highly recommend that everyone add it to their tbr lists ASAP.