Cover Image: Hell Followed with Us

Hell Followed with Us

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Member Reviews

What a hidden gem this was! I had no idea this would be so good. As soon as I started, it was hard to stop. Benji was a complelling reader. Benji is angry and frustrated but also feels stuck and unable to change the trajectory his life is going.

I liked that Benji was just a very raw and real character. I like that I saw two parallel stories being told, one seeped in zealous cult teachings but also the gray area of saviors manipulating survivors. I loved that I felt the rage and power at times but also the sadness of feel apart from the others because of what makes you unique.

I was completely swept up in the story, wondering who was telling it straight on and what everyone's uderlying reasons were. There were definite parts that were hard to stomach, but I loved the broken down world and these brokenly, lovely teens.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

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I need this book to be talked about more. A queer book? Sign me up.
I enjoyed every bit of it even though some part started to drag so much and I skimmed through but asides that, I'll definitely be recommending this one.

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A great YA Horror, with really good representation. Some pretty intense horror and gore for a YA but thats one of the reasons I absolutely had such a great time reading this. Just needs a lil tidy up with writing and pacing in my opinion! But such a great idea!

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I'm not really one for post-apocalyptic stories, and I'm an atheist so religion isn't really my bag either, but the cover on this one is gorgeous so I gave it a change and I'm really glad I did. The gore could be a lot at times, so really if you can't stomach that it's not a book I'd recommend; but if when you get past that I thought the heart of the story was really well done. There was some really incredible and imaginative world building, and some truly lovely characters and representation. I thought Benji was a great MC and even though they were struggling through a lot showed tremendous strength and growth throughout the story. I'll definitely pick up more from White in the future

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*4.5*

This is not a book I would normally pick up. Post-apocalyptic body horror is a bit out of my wheelhouse, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.

I ended up loving this book. It’s a story full of rage and the queer representation is incredibly well done. I also loved the commentary on religion and religious trauma in relation to queerness. I cannot wait to read more from this author.

This is definitely a book to check content warnings for, it’s gruesome in regards to horror, body gore, and transphobia especially

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Forget cute queer stories, it's time for QUEER RAGE. I didn't realize how much I needed a book like that until I've read it. Full of unapologetically being yourself (tho not without internalized issues because the world sucks) and anger at the world and your oppressors.

It might be my fave book of 2022 so far. Definitely a strong competitor.

I have do much love for all the ALC characters. Benji, of course, I loved Benji with all my heart. What a character to root for. Nick with his bead lizards, always fighting for everyone. Sweet, amazing Erin. Salvador and Sarmat and Faith and Aisha and everyone. Even Cormac. So many amazing queer people.

Theo, omg, Theo. It's a long time since a character provoked so many mixed emotions in me. I hated him. I almost grew to like him. And the rollercoaster continued.

The whole premise, the plot, the worldbuilding.... a masterpiece.

It won't be a book for everyone but I can definitely imagine a lot of people loving it to bits just as I did.

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I really wanted to love this book, but for some reason I couldn't get into it. Might be a case of right book, wrong time.

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In this post apocalyptic world we learn about the bioweapon unleashed upon the world by an extreme religious sect following Benji's escape from their clutches. As he finds his own way in a broken world and figures out how to fight back with the hand he has been dealt, Benji also finds an unexpected family. If you love horror, trans boys with teeth, found family and bloody justice...this book is for you. For such a gruesome, body horror-filled world that is Benji and Nick's, the two main characters. I related to both characters a lot. Benji really helped me embrace my transness and my body.

In a world where any future at all is uncertain, this is a book about fighting to live no matter what. It's a book about queer kids fighting back against the people who want to erase them. It's about knowing who you are despite how you look and how you're perceived, finding the people who will continue to choose you, and fighting back against those that would use you. I advise all readers to check content warnings before reading this one, as it deals with some heavy topics re: religious trauma, body horror, abuse. This book is a battle cry that screams: trans people have teeth, and we will not go down without a fight.

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“Just finished it. I’m obsessed. Amazingly powerful. So well written. Bought a Kindle copy and heading to order a few physical copies for my students and friends. Truly adore it.”

That’s exactly how wonderful this book has been. It’s right on top with the good ones. Can’t wait to revisit this wonderful story.

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A unique concept here in it's approach to the apocalypse. The specifics of the plague are odd and unsettling, not to mention absolutely gruesome. That's the first thing to note about this book. It does not shy away from gory details. It is, quite frankly, grotesque. So this is not for the faint of heart. There is some character development, though it is not as character driven as I'd have preferred.

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An absolutely vital title that will influence the YA literary scenes moving forward. Captivating and un-put-down-able.

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3,5

This story is very unique and the idea is amazing. For me I had a bit of difficulty with the pacing at the beginning but overall very good, but I don't think I was the right audience for this book. Also I could I say not to that beautiful cover you know.

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Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White is a phenomenal work that features well thought out and portrayed LGBTQ+, POC, and neurodivergence themes. The story follows Benji a young trans teen who has been subjected to being raised by a religious terrorist cell called the Angels. This cell had engineered the end of the world through a mass bio weapon attack and swooped in during the downfall of humanity to gain total oppressive control of what remained.

Benji manages to escape the group at the cost of losing everything. He runs as far as he can from the group in the hopes of never being caught and brought back. After escaping he meets a rogue band of rebels who are doing everything they can to survive and be rid of the threat the Angels pose. Benji is brought into the fold and learns what it is to be accepted all while dealing with secrets of his own. He fights along side them to overcome the oppressive force.

Benji is a fantastic character and truly embodies the fight every person goes through- the right to exist unapologetically and wholly embrace who they are without fear. This book has wonderful character growth and builds amazing relationships between characters on the foundation of the found family trope so many love. This book brings forth guttural and real reactions and emotions as you follow Benji’s tale. The depiction of queer relationships and neurodivergence is truly believable and well developed. I cannot recommend this book enough. Most definitely worth 5 stars!

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Great concept, but sadly the storytelling wasn't there for me. Reading it felt like looking at a slightly out of focus picture. The author surely has potential and I'm excited to see what else they have, but this book just wasn't for me.

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At 40%, I'm struggling to stay engaged with this one. I'm so disappointed--it sounds like my kind of book. Fantastic premise and rep, meh execution. Others LOVE this book, so ignore me, k!

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wow. so i'm not a horror fan, generally. and especially not a religious trauma, blood and guts, body horror fan. but this book. there is so much that i hated and i think that's why it's so good. a genuinely uncomfortable and disturbing read.

check the author's content warning at the beginning, this isn't a kind book.

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A trans boy escapes from a religious cult and lands in a lgbtq+ youth center and then nothing happens for the next 65% of the book.

I was intrigued by the premise. It’s so unlike everything I’ve ever read and I liked the combination of religious cult and monsters. Sadly it was not quite what I expected.

All of the characters, except for maybe Benji, are shallow at best. The author included so many side characters whose names I couldn’t possibly remember because they were so irrelevant to the story. They do nothing. Which is on theme because nothing actually happens for most of the book.

Yeah they kill people and gory stuff happens, but to me it was all for show, not anything that moves the plot forward. It was so boring. I skimmed the ending because it was so underwhelming.

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A fundamentalist cult has released Armageddon on the general population, and Sixteen-year-old trans boy Benji is on the run. The cult has infected him with a bioweapon and believes that he will be their savior. As the bioweapon changes him into a monster, he’s saved by by a group of teens from the local Acheson LGBTQ+ Center, affectionately known as the ALC, and their autistic leader, Nick. Nick has motives of his own, however, and is hiding his own secrets.

This book ticked a lot of my interest boxes. Trans main character. Post-apocalyptic plague. Weird, religious cult. Queer rep. Neurodivergent rep. Sci-fi/fantasy. Dystopian. If any of these things are your jam, definitely check out this weird book. It’s got a lot going for it. You can get it now wherever you procure your books.

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Benji is an intriguing main character, we see him trying to escape from the Angels right at the start of the book, and his journey from there is fascinating. The body horror and the trans representation are right up my street. I love Nick, and the autistic representation shown through his character is very accurate and relatable. This book is about survival, and a bunch of queer teens sticking together - not only to keep each other alive, but also to defeat the genocidal Angels. As much as I love this book, I do wish there had been a bit more of an explanation at the start about how the world came to be in the state that it's in. The story is excellent though and I'd love to read more of White's work!

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A blood splattered debut masterfully exploring the horrors of fundamentalism and the insidiousness of Christian "save the children" rhetoric. Adults in White's post apocalyptic world are mostly useless or actively harmful, leaving the teens to fight back against a world that's trying to use and/or destroy their bodies. It's rare to find a YA book that lingers over every gory detail and celebrates monstrosity like this!

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