Beautiful writing, unique concept, gorgeous worldbuilding, and excellent characterization. I can't sing this book's praises enough!

Admittedly, I really struggled with this one at first. I actually DNF'd it, but with a friends encouragement came back to it, started it over, and ended up enjoying it.

This is a really powerful Queer story about standing up to your oppressors. The book is framed as a response to extremist Christianity which many people (Queer and not) are having to fight against the reality of in our everyday lives. While this is a fantasy-horror book that takes that narrative to the extreme as a plot point, we are already dealing with and fighting against extremist Christianity on a day to day basis in the United States.

Additionally, there's some good parallels to COVID-19 in here. Characters must wear masks to prevent themselves from getting a deadly disease that reeks havoc on your body.

The book is pretty graphic, so your mileage may very depending on you as a reader, but I personally didn't find it too bad;

I did have a difficult time with the world-building which is the biggest reason this was a 4 star and not a 5 star. I just couldn't figure out what was real sometimes vs what was just a representation (still not sure if the angels have physical wings or tattoos of wings?), but it wasn't so challenging that it prevented me from enjoying or understanding the book.

I think this is going to be a super powerful, moving, and important book for so many people and I'm so happy it's out there in the world!

this book was a true gift!!! andrew joseph white is unbeatable!!! a queer horror that doesn’t rely on queer suffering, but on queer power. queer justice. controlling the “monster” within and carving a place in the world for yourself and your queer friends. AJW has some of the most intricate and wondrous imagery of some of the most disgusting things imaginable. not just a queer triumph, but a horror masterpiece as well.

I really enjoyed this YA horror. Surprisingly it actually delivered on the gore and horror elements. It was fast-paced and had terrific themes. Really diverse cast of characters with great development. Would recommend it if you're not squeamish.

Hell followed with Us is a beautiful book with a beautiful cover. A fun and an easy-to-read story featuring loveable characters and plenty of queer representation and diversity.. This one definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. I am so excited to be receiving a gorgeous physical copy of this book in an upcoming book box!

okay so i am THE WORST at writing reviews close to finishing a book and it always leads to having forgotten most of what i've read lol. i did enjoy this though, it was queer and gory and fun and heartbreaking, and i really liked the characters and their portrayal; they felt very real. sometimes i was a tiny bit confused by the plot, but ended up getting aboard quite easily anyways. in short; i liked it

You know…for someone who proclaims they don’t enjoy horror I find myself enamored with way too many queer YA horror and/or post-apocalyptic novels this year. Hell Followed with Us follows sixteen-year-old trans boy Benji, who is on the run from the cult that raised him – a fundamentalist sect that unleashed Armageddon and nearly wiped out the entire human population in the process. Desperate to escape the cult’s clutches – and to keep them from getting their hands on Benji after infecting him with a bioweapon that’s slowly mutating him into a monster – Benji finds himself rescued by a group of teens from the local Acheson LGBTQ+ Center. Their leader Nick is gorgeous, autistic, a brilliant shot and knows Benji’s darkest secret – that he’s been turned into a monster to wipe out humanity once and for all. Still, Nick offers Benji shelter. And for the first time, Benji finds a place where he belongs among the ragtag group of queer teens. Benji couldn’t be happier – if only there wasn’t Nick’s hidden agenda that threatens to turn everything upside down.
There are just some debuts that are extraordinary – and Hell Followed with Us is one of them. This book is like a cake – there are so many layers to it, there’s just no way you can take all of them in at once. Rather, you have to go back to really get a grip on every fascinating aspect this story offers – from extremist religious beliefs, queer survival in the face of utter evil, abusive relationships, gory body horror that is as enrapturing at is terrifying and humans turning against each other yet coming together to stop the end of the world.
Instead of spoiling too much of the plot’s twists and turns, let’s talk about what makes this story so gripping.
First, we have an incredible cast of diverse characters. From the ample amount of queer individuals, the casual use of neo pronouns, the care with which pronouns are validated in general to Nick’s autism that isn’t just implied but actually shown by stimming and sensory issues, this book really said “I see you and you are valid”. I can already tell that so many readers will feel represented by the characters in this story and Benji heads all of this. We get so many insights into the way the world tries to turn transgender people against themselves (a quote that burned into my memory is ”Being transgender is who you are, and the pain is what the outside does to you”) and how to find others who see and accept you for who you are.
Second, we have an incredible emphasis on found family in this story. The group of teens from the LGBTQ+ center have banded together and while there might be squabbles and conflicts (and even a punch here or there ahem), you can tell that their shared experiences really bonded them for life.
And of course, the thing that makes this story so gripping: the ever-present conflict of what makes someone a monster – or human. There are so many little betrayals, unexpected plot twists, kids turned into soldiers, flashbacks that show how Benji was manipulated and treated by the cult and some of its followers that make you truly wonder what, in a world where everything is seemingly about to end or has already found destruction, it takes to turn you into a monster. It’s super angsty and at times messy and White weaved such a rich tapestry of body dysmorphia, bloody deeds and wayward thoughts that mesmerize you as a reader. Yet the story never seems to fully lose its emphasis on hope and perseverance and that makes it a fantastic read in my eyes.
With Hell Followed with Us, White delivers an exhilarating debut about queer rage, dysphoria, the power of community and most of all, finding the monstrous in humanity and the humane in the monstrous. Perfect for fans of All That’s Left in the World and The Witch King.

CONTENT WARNING: blood, murder, violence, transphobia, gore, domestic violence, religious abuse, bigotry, self-harm, attempted suicide, vomiting, deadnaming, ableism, body horror, grief

I’m sure it isn’t news when I say that I typically avoid horror books like the plague. But in my defense, I didn’t realize that this was horror until I had already gotten into the story, and it was just too good to pass up on.

This is a book that boils with barely repressed rage, grief, and other difficult emotions. And it’s chock-full of content warnings, so make sure to check them out before you start reading. After all that, if you’re able to handle what this book offers, it’s amazing and well worth the time to read it. It doesn’t hurt that it’s a fast read that gripped me from the very first page. And it’s absolutely horrifying, not because of the gore, but because I can absolutely see a bleak future with this happening, although I honestly hope not.

The story takes place in an apocalyptic near-future version of the United States that has been decimated by climate change, a breakdown of society, and a man-made virus that was released by Christian fundamentalists. In this world, we’re introduced to Benji, a trans boy who was raised in one of these cults. On his journey towards freedom of self-expression and acceptance, he’s held back by the beliefs that have been drummed into him and the refusal of the people around him to accept his identity. And even worse, he’s been intentionally infected with a strain of a virus that is actively changing him into a weapon, which the fundamentalists hope to use to change the world to their liking.

But what the cult didn’t count on was Benji himself, and his stunning drive to think for himself and his strength of will. Because as he attempts to escape from this cult, he encounters a group of queer teenagers, and strives to find his own place in this society that is so different from the one he’s running from. Things aren’t easy for him, and my heart broke for this kid so many times. But I still had hope that things would work out for him, even though I had no idea how that could happen.

There’s plenty of other characters in this story, and we get POV chapters from two more. I loved seeing what was going on in their heads, and how they cope with what is happening to them. Although there were only a few, it was so interesting to see how differently each of the characters think, and to get some insight into the motivation behind their actions, especially the autistic character. And perhaps the best part for me was the found family aspect of this story—Benji is running away from a mother and group of people who don’t accept who he is, who don’t even bother to find out who he is, and finds a new group of people who completely understand him.

This story gave me so much insight into the struggle that trans people face. Like, I’m aware of the societal and family issues that they often face, but Benji’s POV let me see inside the process of accepting himself and how difficult it is simply to be trans.

“In places like the ALC, after Judgment Day, it’s easy to forget you’re trans. Or maybe a better way to word it would be, it gets easier for me to forget the pain of being trans. Being transgender is who you aren, and the pain is what the outside does to you. The pain is what happens when you and the world go for each other’s throats. In the ALC, I almost forget that being trans can hurt.”

It’s an excessively violent and gory story, but when I sit back and think about it, it isn’t far-fetched at all. Trans and queer people face all kinds of issues similar to these, especially among parents who hold strong Christian beliefs. And with recent legislation being passed around the country, I can’t help but think it’s going to get worse. However, these bills won’t stop being from being trans, being who they are, but rather they’ll stop them from receiving gender-affirming care and support. And we know that never works out well.

“I thought I was tired of an Angel’s womanhood, of loyalty and purity, of all the terrible things they tried to cram into our heads. But that was never enough, all the excuses were never enough, and dysphoria had to wrap its hands around my neck and hold me down, baptism in drowning, before I faced the fact that living as a girl would kill me long before the Angels did.”

The topic of dysphoria comes up a lot. Not just gender dysphoria, but the fact that Benji is sick and literally turning into something else, something not quite human, and considered to be a monster. It’s painful to see him buckle under the weight of this dysphoria, and all I wanted was for him to find a place and a happy ending.

“My dysphoria comes from the way other people see me, and I can’t help but look at myself from the outside.”

Having lived through a pandemic, and seen the way that it can bring out the absolute worst in society, this book is a scary new thing to think about. And the scariest part wasn’t the gore, wasn’t the abuse, wasn’t the transphobia, but rather the Christian fundamentalists and the beliefs they cling to. It’s not all that different from these groups today, and it’s the kind of thought that made me struggle to sleep. They’re not accepting of any beliefs or ideas outside their own outdated and strongly held beliefs, and it inevitably causes pain and suffering for those who don’t fit the mold—ethnic, racial, and religious minorities, and LGBTQ people.

“It’s what the Angels have always done to humanity—what society has always tried to do to us. Always taking, always sinking in its teeth.”

This is an amazing read, and I couldn’t put It down. It’s fast-paced with plenty of action, and some incredibly plot twists. Although it hasn’t changed my mind on horror as a genre, this is a standout.

Honestly I requested this book from netgalley because of the gorgeous cover and I was pleasantly surprised when the book was as beautiful as the cover. The writing in this book was amazing and easy to fly through, the characters were so lovable and multidimensional, the queer rebresentation was amazing and made my heart warm with glee. My favorite part of the book was the gore and body horror that made me squirm in my seat. All in all I would recommend this book to anyone intrested in queer ya horror.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advanced copy of this to read and review.

Benji, a trans male teen, has grown up in the post-apocalyptic world where this story takes place, inside the cult church that created the virus that caused it. The church feels that humans have sinned too much and the best way to fix this is to wipe everyone out and start over, including themselves, who they believe will go directly to heaven. To help with this reckoning, the church have created the perfect angel monster weapon and injected Benji with it, causing him to have limited time before he turns into Seraph and brings about the destruction of what's left of the world. As Benji tries to escape before this can happen, he comes across a group of queer young adults who are fighting the church. But it's not that easy to switch sides or do what's right, when a monster is brewing in your own skin.

I struggled to pick this book up and I struggled to summarize it above. This is a heavy read, be forewarned. There is a heartfelt introduction and caveat by the author on the first page and I encourage everyone to read it, study it, and not to take it lightly. This is one of the heaviest but best books I've read in a long time. It's difficult to summarize because so much happens in this book. Not just through actions to move the plot forward, but in terms of character development of Benji and world building. This book does not hold your hand when it comes to terminology or the terrible things that happen and have happened to our characters. It does not spare you the gory details, literally but also figuratively. If you do not like body horror, this is not for you, but the descriptions and the parallels between Benji struggling with becoming Seraph and Benji struggling to be accepted as a trans male were beautiful and heartbreaking and well done.

Benji is likable, but also understandable. He is dealing with serious body dismorphia as well as anxiety, grief, and guilt. I loved how Benji dealt with his feelings realistically, including having hesitations and defeatism that comes with being a teenager. He never sounded too all-knowing or too wise for his age. Some of the saddest parts of this book came from reminders that he's just a kid. The rest of the crew were just as interesting and real as Benji. The representation in this book is amazing and each character had their own personality. Details were given so each person could be pictured clearly. I also liked how the Center wasn't depicted as this perfect safe haven. It had its own problems, including rationing supplies during an apocalypse and negotiating with neighboring jerk organizations. I also appreciated that tensions were shown between the various members of the Center, especially related to how they each live their own lives as members of the LGBTQ+ community and what it means to them. It is difficult for me to exactly put into words what it is that struck me so hard about this book, but I couldn't put it down. And I think about it a lot. And I want to hear more from these people. And I may just re-read it because I seriously can't stop thinking about it. I've been itching for a true horror book, and this was it.

There were some places where I was a bit confused, but just in terms of physically picturing things, especially related to Seraph. I had a hard time following Seraph's size and mutations. I would picture one thing, but then a line of text would make me think I'm wrong. This is a minor thing that didn't keep me from following along.

This book is written by an own voices author, and you can tell the amount of thought, creativity and care that went into this book. He also apparently went to the college 20 minutes from me, so that's awesome! I hope to read more from this author in the future.

This book was a must read for me as soon as I learned of it, and when I saw it was up on NetGalley I instantly took my chance to read it. And I have to tell you, the hype was justified. This book was SOOO DANG GOOD!!

This book handled the horror and creepy elements so well, and the dystopian world riddled with monsters was so fun and chilling to read about. The representation, the diversity, the queerness of this book was so well done. I loved everything about this book. And I am soooo happy that I pre-ordered a copy for myself, cause I can't wait to reread this book again!! I honestly can't recommend this book enough. It was everything I was hoping it would be and more!

A very HUGE thank you to NetGalley and publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley for allowing me to review this book!

First off, I need to say how insanely good this book was! Such a gripping and intense story that I could barely put it down. I'm not usually a horror/monster story reader but this has made me question my tastes, I need to read more stories like this!

Thanks to Netgalley for letting me read an advanced e-arc of this book!

I finished this book about a month ago, so while I may no longer remember specific moments, I remember how stressed I was with reading the whole book. I was invested in where the story went, and every character interaction held my interest!

The plot, the religious trauma, and the body horror all hit hard. But not to the point where it was overwhelming for me, I found the content warnings at the beginning to be very helpful in preparing me for all that came with the story, and I'm grateful for that.

I wish I had put down better notes while reading, but time got away from me. I look forward to the publishing date and celebrating the book and the author that day.

I feel so fortunate to have been provided an arc for this book. What a unique experience to read a queer YA story that has actual LGBTQ rep. There was such great representation throughout the book’s characters and I delighted in reading this. A perfect blend of horror, gore, found family, all in a dystopian world. 4.5 stars!

This is the queer apocalyptic horror story everyone needs to read in their life. From the get-go you were rooting for the main characters as you followed through a darker path of the book.

This isn't what I'd normally read, but despite this I really enjoyed this book and the narrative it followed. Religious themes are usually difficult to follow without reaching insensitivity but this book avoided that completely and still showed the vast expansive opinions and beliefs whilst offering a tantalising narrative.

Please check TW's but this book was very worth the read!

Wow! Hell Followed with Us was a wonderfully queer horror story that I didn’t know I needed to read. It was such a unique plot with fully developed, heartfelt main character. I rooted for Benji from the beginning. It had a myriad of literary elements that spanned fantasy, dystopian and horror. I could felt the passion White put into writing this book!

Hell Followed with Us by Andrew Joseph White is a queer apocalypse horror novel that will suck you in immediately.

This is a very, very dark book with an even darker ending, but the action and stakes will have you at the edge of your seat. Definitely check the trigger warnings!

You will feel angry and validated at the same time- but make sure you take care of yourself while reading it!

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

This book was SO good. holy crap man.. i'm so grateful for authors that feature trans characters in their books. The representation is SO SO important.

This author is insanely talented... and I seriously cannot wait to read others by them.

Benji escapes the fundamentalist cult he’s been raised in and finds refuge in the Acheson LGBTQ+ center (the ALC). However, he can’t escape the flood rot (the plague that had destroyed the world) that the cult had infected him with. For Benji, a young trans man, time is a luxury. Instead of the privilege to explore his gender and accept himself, he’s faced with a life-threatening situation. He’s slowly transforming into a Grace, a beast meant to eradicate humanity. And the Angels, the members of the cult he had just fled from, intend to use him as their ultimate bioweapon.

As a (recently out) transmasc who has yearned for Queer and trans stories about monstrosity and transformation, I bless Andrew Joseph White for penning the novel of my dreams. Benji’s devastatingly beautiful narrative arc still breaks me after the last page. He learns to not only embrace his monstrosity but to strike back at the people willing to use him for their own means.

Read the rest of the review: https://www.sagecigarettes.com/hell-followed-with-us-review