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A review by tigger89
Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White
dark
emotional
tense
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
4.5
Y'all, this was really good. I will warn you that it leans heavily on gore and body horror, so if that's not your thing you might want to give this one a pass. The other major horror element is the religious cult, an aspect that I found absolutely bone-chilling. Benji's transformation was scary and suspenseful, but his interactions with the cult members were what really hit the horror vibe for me.
Something that might surprise readers is that the publisher's summary teases a romance that ultimately isn't a major focus. Yeah, Nick's cute and all, but really there's bigger concerns at almost every point in the plot. This definitely isn't your typical YA post-apocalyptic romance, and if that's the primary reason you picked it up you'll probably walk away disappointed.
The author is both trans and autistic, and that really comes out in the plot and character design. Something I picked up on that I thought was clever was the use of masking, with a literal mask being worn(or not) as Benji chose to hide(or not) an aspect of himself. That specific terminology is from the neurodivergent community, but the concept isn't unique and can certainly be applied to gender and sexuality, though usually we refer to it there as "closeting" rather than "masking". But it's fundamentally the same concept, the act of altering your natural behaviors in order to be perceived as "normal".
I would recommend this book to anyone who isn't afraid of blood and cracking bones, loves a good rageful power fantasy, and who finds satisfaction in the idea of reclaiming monsterhood.
Something that might surprise readers is that the publisher's summary teases a romance that ultimately isn't a major focus. Yeah, Nick's cute and all, but really there's bigger concerns at almost every point in the plot. This definitely isn't your typical YA post-apocalyptic romance, and if that's the primary reason you picked it up you'll probably walk away disappointed.
The author is both trans and autistic, and that really comes out in the plot and character design. Something I picked up on that I thought was clever was the use of masking, with a literal mask being worn(or not) as Benji chose to hide(or not) an aspect of himself. That specific terminology is from the neurodivergent community, but the concept isn't unique and can certainly be applied to gender and sexuality, though usually we refer to it there as "closeting" rather than "masking". But it's fundamentally the same concept, the act of altering your natural behaviors in order to be perceived as "normal".
I would recommend this book to anyone who isn't afraid of blood and cracking bones, loves a good rageful power fantasy, and who finds satisfaction in the idea of reclaiming monsterhood.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Pandemic/Epidemic