Hell Followed with Us

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It features this absolutely incredible dystopian civilization with this twisted, disgusting bioweapon-creating disease that literally rots people from the inside out, and it's over 400 pages long, yet I still never felt like I was getting enough backstory to satisfy me.

Aside from Benji finding solace with a cast of entirely queer and/or poc kids, one of the most prominent side characters (Nick) is autistic. The world is a dystopian hellscape due to climate change and an evangelical eco-fascist group that unleashed a virus that turns people into monsters. I loved the embrace of monstrousness, the way Benji is allowed to be angry, as are the teenagers around him. i didn't mind the constant repetition that much but i understand why one could argue that many characters sole personality trait was being a token representation of a certain identity.Beyond the post-apocalyptic setting itself is a plot that feels entirely driven by convenience and the emotions of the MC, Benji, with very little concern for realism beyond the most passing glance. The world building wasn't there, the characters didn't have any development, I hated the romance (though in the book's defense, I don't usually like romance), it wasn't great.

This book discusses the difference between religion as an imperialistic, oppressive tool and an individual source of faith. I admit this is a bit of a subjective read, but I couldn't help feeling as though much of the actual grit of what it would(/is) like to grow up queer in a fundamentalist Christian household (or more aptly in this case, cult) in favor of a more generalized message that anger at one's abusers is always righteous anger. Andrew Joseph White shows us exactly what it means to be human, in all its horrific and wondrous forms. Benji is their first successful Seraph—the only person who wasn’t immediately devoured by rot they’ve injected into his veins.

I struggled with the writing at times, the pacing, and I personally didn’t connect to the characters.

my main thing, if i had to put it into words, which i guess i do cause i have committed myself to this whole "review business", is that i cared neither about plot nor characters. The trans main character, the endless queer side characters, the neurodiversity, and more—I was absolutely in love with this cast of lil' gay heretics. We at Penguin Random House Australia acknowledge that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are the Traditional Custodians and the first storytellers of the lands on which we live and work. The author uses lots of scripture from the Bible and teachings from these cult leaders and they’re either at the beginning of each chapter and/or interspersed in the chapter. It features a cast of characters with a wide range of pronouns, coming from different cultures and states and following different religion and belief.

This story was about the community fighting war against the Angels, New Nazareth and the bullshit cult and Angels, dystopia etc. Hell Followed With Us is written in such a unfiltered way, followed by an ocean of raw emotions - it's stunning.