With thanks to Daphne Press & NetGalley for the ARC!

This was a brilliantly visceral book. I’ve discovered a new favourite writer, I think. The rage leapt off the page, and I thought the worldbuilding in this, so clearly taken from our actual world, was clever, but so real at times it was hard to stomach.

The characters we met all felt very real, from the Angels to Benji, Nick, and the people at the ALC. It was a fast-paced read but there was still a lot of development and character building. It was such an incredible read, and I will definitely be looking to purchase a copy of this book for my shelf.

Rating: 4 stars to 4.5 stars.

I’m not a massive fan of dystopian settings especially when they involve zombie or monster like beings. I actually very rarely actually enjoy dystopian media at all. But the description of this book as well as the cover peaked my interest. And i’m happy to report that I still managed to enjoy this book. In fact, it hooked me in immediately from chapter one.

Despite being in a setting I don’t normally love I found this one refreshing. There weren’t exactly zombies but something similar called ‘graces’. I guess they were more like monsters with a feel of zombies to them. I think what I found most unique about the book was where it mainly takes place; a LGBTQ+ centre. I loved the idea that if an Armageddon did happen since a lot of LGBTQ+ children wouldn’t be able to go home as they didn’t feel safe there they’d stay at an LGBTQ+ centre. Felt a very natural way to get in a lot of representation.

Benji was a wonderful protagonist. I loved their personality as well as their inner voice. They felt very real and I definitely felt their struggles and pain. All what they were going through is what kept my interest throughout the book. The secondary main character, Nick, was the best representation I’ve seen or read of autism yet. Despite how much I loved Benji he actually ended up being my favourite character. I liked the rest of the characters too but felt there were a little too many that I didn’t get to know them very well. They were at least all likeable or got good character development.

This book does come with a lot of content warnings such as a body horror, transphobia, abusive parents etc. so I do recommend if you struggle with anything to read up on the full content warning before read this book. Another warning is I couldn’t tell if this was a religious book as it has a lot of bible quotes or an anti-religion book in the end with all that happens. As the author says in the beginning, it’s at least a book that shows the terrible things people will do in the name of religion.

For myself I’d rate this book a 4 stars. Critically I’d rate it anything from 4 stars up to 4.5 stars. It had a fantastic main character, felt very unique, and was well written. I will definitely be reading the author’s other books. It’s also a book I would recommend to others though always with content warnings.

Thank you to NetGalley and Daphne Press for granting me an Advance Reader Copy. All opinions are honest and my own.

(My ARC was a digital version but I enjoyed the book so much I preordered a fancy Waterstones physical copy. Can’t wait for it to arrive especially so I can lend it out to friends.)

Hell followed with us by Andre Joseph White - review

Unfortunaly this wasn't the book and story for me. I tried to battle myself through the story and ended up reading upto 51%, but I just couldn't get into the story. I therefore decided to DNF (did not finish) this one.
I just didn't really understand the plot with the Angels and Seraph. It might have been that it was to hard to understand and that I was tired when I was reading, or that it was just not a writing style that was for me.

On the other hand, to still be positive, I really liked to read a book about a transgender boy, Benji. To learn more about the thoughts and what is like being LGBTQ. I also really liked that the ALC is a safe haven for any LGBTQ children/teenagers.
But not understanding the plot and what Seraph was and how it worked, it just frustrated me and caused me to not enjoy the story.

It might be that the timing was not right for me, with this book, but I won't be continuing the story. I might revisit the story on a later moment, but for now, I will stop my reading.

I do think this is a lovely book if you want to read a dystopian horror novel.

The story is about a sixteen-year-old trans boy Benji, who decided to run away from the cult that has raised him. He desperately searches for a place where the cult can't get their hands on him, and more importantly the Seraph.
When cornered by monsters, Benji is rescued by a group of teens from the local Acheson LGBTQ+ Center, in short ALC. The ALC leader Nick, is a autistic boy, who knows Benji's darkest secret, that the Seraph is attacking him, to wipe humanity from the earth.
Still, Nick and his friends offer Benji shelter in the ALC. Benji accepts Nick's terms. But than he uncovers that the mysterious ALC leader a hidden agenda, and also some of his own secrets has.

Hell Followed With Us is a multi-POV post-apocalyptic story, primarily focusing on Benji, a trans boy on the run from a cult of ‘angels’, finding refuge at a LGBTQ+ centre. Here, he meets Nick, their autistic leader, who knows that Benji has been turned into a weapon to end humanity.

I’ve had this book on my ‘to read list’ for a while, especially with such an artistic cover, and I’ve heard a lot about it. I was pleasantly surprised when it became available on Netgalley as an arc. The book has a lot of religion involved, but also a lot of representation. It is descriptive of the cult’s violence and mutilations, which some may find graphic but I was left wanting more. The characters are mostly YA, and understandably some of their decisions were juvenile or stupid but mostly felt appropriate. No one is perfect in this book.

There is a portion of the book, after Benji has made his gender and pronouns clear to the group at the LGBTQ+ centre, where Nick refers to Benji as ‘it’ because he knows he is a weapon. I feel this wasn’t called out enough, and whilst it is explored in the narrative with characters purposefully reinforcing Benji’s he/him pronouns and Benji expressing his hurt, it did not feel enough. I imagined it’s to express that even LGBTQ+ aren’t perfect, have prejudice, etc, but he isn’t the only trans person in the group nor do I believe Nick (or any one there) is naive enough to not think that would fucking hurt. As a trans/non-binary person, this was not fun to read and it really didn’t add anything to the story.

Benji’s transition into the bioweapon (Seraph) could be a metaphor for transitioning gender, except he didn’t like these changes. He is reassured that he is still ‘him’ by his twat of a fiance, but otherwise tries to hide the changes and what he is becoming. There is some body horror here. The cult also dead name and misgender Benji, and are similar to IRL religious extremists who hate anyone who doesn’t conform to their values - these ones just set loose a plague and mercilessly kill, all in God’s name of course. These concepts are close to reality, especially in todays political climate. Benji’s identity and new found home serves as the antithesis to the cult and their agenda. They took his family away, leading him on a path to find another.

I would recommend checking out trigger warnings for this book, namely death (including parental), violence, murder, body horror, transphobia, and religious extremism.

Overall, this was a very interesting concept that just didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I found a lot of the book slow and meandering, and was watching the percentage read increase very slowly. I also wanted more horror and less transphobia. Thank you to net galley for the arc.

4/5 stars

I just know Hell Followed With Us is going to stick with me for a long time. It has such visceral world-building, a terrifying evangelical cult and dynamic characters. I haven’t branched into YA for a while, but this horror really held no punches despite the younger characters. The body horror was intense and the religious trauma was at the forefront of this story. The world was truly brutal. I would definitely note that this book is full of transphobia and misgendering from the evangelical characters, so definitely something to take into account before jumping in.

Teenage Benji is on the run from the Christian fundamentalist cult that he was brought up in…the very same cult that brought about Judgement day that has destroyed most of the worlds population. As a trans boy, Benji knows he can’t go back to this group, so he escapes and luckily finds a haven in a local LGBTQ+ centre where he finally fits in. Although he feels accepted, he is harbouring a major secret about his real identity and how it might impact the Armageddon they are trying to survive.

This is such a unique and captivating book, please let the glorious cover art be the first sign that this book is worth your time. It dealt with a lot of dark and messy themes in a really honest and well-rounded way. Despite such dark subject matter and frequent action, there were many sweeter and more intimate moments in the book to make you smile and laugh. The characters were lively and individual, which really grounded such an ambitious and expansive story. There were also lots of twists and turns, meaning this was a constantly gripping book that I couldn’t put down.

This has to be one of my favourite horror books I’ve read recently, and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Really enjoyed this, the text on the kindle version made it very difficult for me to read however this wasn’t a fault of the books it just took me longer to read and meant I couldn’t get as into it as I think I would have otherwise. The story is unique and so are the characters, it’s a slower burner then i would have liked however the story as a whole is very interesting.

This was such a unique read for me, not my typical genre but initially the cover caught my eye and then after reading the blurb I couldn't resist. At first it took a while to wrap my head around what exactly was going on, the book was straight into the action and there was new terminology to learn for what was happening in the book.

The way the book describes the relationships and feelings of the LGBTQ community was such a refreshing read.

As an atheist it was really easy to get on board with the story and really root for the main characters.

I absolutely adore this book, it’s incredible and horrific and visceral. I really feel for Benji with all the trauma he’s been through and the changes he goes through as he becomes the Seraph. The descriptions of him vomiting up his guts and losing parts of his face are really disgusting, but descriptive so I can do thoroughly imagine what is happening to him. I’m glad that he found his place and his people in the end. I also thought it was a really interesting writing dynamic that Benji’s chapters are in first person, and the Nick and Theo ones were in third person.

Phenomenal! I love Andrew White, he is one of my all-time favourite authors! This book is grimey, creepy, and all-around amazing. Queer normalized/queer-centric worlds are the perfect read, and this one uses gore to take it to the next level. Loved this!

A violent, harrowing, and beautiful story about religious trauma and acceptance.

Benji is trans, sort of an angel, and an unwilling weapon in the making for the cult that raised him. Said cult is responsible for the apocalypse, which made a former LGBTQ+ youth community turn into a group of angel killers. Nick, the autistic leader of this group, allows Benji to take refuge among them – if he uses the monster he’s becoming to help.

Hell Followed With Us shines a light on injustice, but at the heart of the story is the connections and relationships we still find and make. There is hope, there is love, and there is a future.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Daphne Press for a free e-arc in exchange of an honest review.

What a book! The characters journies in finding themselves, the Armaggedon and the religious trauma didn't let me put down the book. There were parts where I got confused due to the writing, but that didn't take from my enjoyment

This was so good. This was my second book by the author and I've really enjoyed both that i've read this year.

The thing I think I like most is the queernormativity. That might sound strange considering both books so far have featured characters who for various reasons haven't been allowed to transition or are struggling with homophobia/transphobia. But I mean this more in the sense of seeing queer people interacting with each other on page. You really get a sense of the community and all the different facets and ways of being queer. In this book especially since a lot of it takes place in a LGBTQ+ youth center.

There's good people there and people who aren't at all likable. Just like in real life and I think the setting was a really good way to explore that because it felt very natural. Queer people aren't a monolith. It would have been very easy to just have all of the kids in this book getting along but that wouldn't have had as much of an impact. It's a subtle way of letting us into the way the main character defines himself within that setting as well (the conversation around what dysmorphia means to him specifically and the fact another trans man doesn't understand why Benji doesn't want to wear a binder was particularly well done and not something I've read before.)

In this book Benji has escaped from a religious cult called the angels who have introduced a plague to mankind. I think this plot point honestly really worked. The Angels were frightening because in some ways this could plausibly happen. I'm not American but from an outside perspective, the way religion, especially Christianity and evangelicalism is used to control people even to the extent it affects the way the country is run is a real and frightening prospect. Like there are many religious sects that believe the rhetoric that the cult in this book does. This book examines that through the lens of the supernatural, but there's a lot to be said for the allegory of what it means to be a non believer or a queer person within a cult like that. Benji's eventual transformation and the rage of the virus inside him and what that does to him and what it does to characters like Theo. Honeslty it was just so clever.

Nick as a character was very interesting and I was glad we got some chapters from his perspective as some of the things he does in the beginning of the book are decidedly not great. I can't speak to the representation of autism in the book but I think it was well handled and again, flowed seamlessly through the book in a way that made sense.

I will say there were moments that got a bit confusing for me. There are dream like visions but you often don't realize till like half way through the scene that that's what's happening. Especially during the last part of the book. And visualizing Benji at the end was a bit difficult as well. I think I would have liked maybe an extra chapter to just show more of how he navigates the world in the body he eventually inhabits, because the book ends at sort of an abrupt point.

But overall this was a really good read. Lots of queer rage which we love to see. I'm going to be on the look out for the authors next book which sounds great.

This book was everything I hoped it would be—gritty, dark, rage-inducing. The characters were loveable, the story was amazing, and that cover is perfection. It also rekindled my love of making beaded lizards. 😂 I can't figure out if I love this one or A Spirit Bares Its Teeth more.

Andrew Joseph White has my utmost respect for the sorts of YA books that they write. They do not condescend to young people and water down the content to make it more palatable; they present the horror, gore and pain of existing in a world that you don’t feel you fit into in a way that is nearly visceral. I’m not a particularly squeamish person when I’m reading, but both of AJW books have been the closest I’ve come to throwing up in my mouth a little.

For my reading experience, this book is a perfect example of why ‘own voice’ stories are so critical to sharing the understanding of the challenges another person experiences in their lives. As someone who is neither trans, nor religious, I do not have the life experiences to truly understanding the impact of navigating the process of discovering and understanding that you are trans, nor unpacking the complicated relationship with religious trauma. But through reading this I feel like it allows a small window of understanding to that fear and anger as well as the importance of finding people who accept and love you.

That being said, having read ‘Hell Followed With Us’ after ‘The Spirit Bares its Teeth’ it’s clear to see the improvements in AJWs writing craft. I did find that there were times where the story dragged a little and the interspersed bits of scripture could at times be distracting.
Queer horror stories are just the greatest.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this eARC

I didn't like the writing style. I also found the writing very repetitive. I don't see the reason for the hype. I couldn't get through it

This book has such a cool concept and I really really enjoyed it. It was a great mix dystopia and horror (body horror). I also liked the way the element of religion and religious trauma was applied. Additionally it was just a a very beautiful story about found family and queerness.
I would have liked to get to know the characters a bit better, because so many were introduced and then just not really elaborated on further, but overall I had a great time with this book. You really need to be okay reading about gore and violence though.

This was well timed for approval, as I read it for one of my selections for the trans rights readathon. It was my first book for the readathon, and what an incredible start. This book is so visceral and angry and alive. Truly, truly a work of art. It reignited my love for post-apocalyptic settings, and was a masterpiece of worldbuilding, with an utterly believable landscape. Benji, the MC, feels so utterly real and utterly human that you can’t help but become emotionally invested.

However I cannot stress enough the need to be aware of content warnings. I love horror and am not particularly bothered by body horror but there are some scenes that had me shutting my eyes to try and escape the imagery.

If you can cope with that, I cannot recommend this book enough.

Hell Followed With Us is a story ultimately about the trauma that follows queerness and fundamentalism that rejects it. When you are forced to grow one way, into a shape that does not fit or describe you. But it is also about love, loss and found family - and bead lizards. This was a hard and uncomfortable read at points as Benji describes the post-Armageddon landscape and the changes that they are going through as a consequence of it. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be thinking about it long afterwards.

This book was fantastic I found the whole storyline great, and it was well wrapped up. I quite liked the representation and benji was a fabulous main character. As someone who doesn’t love horror or gore all to much, I adored this book. Looking forward to more from this author