Hell Followed with Us

I loved the unique science-fantasy concept explored in this book. I liked the characters. I liked the (eventual) plot. What drove me batty was the rimming--can I say that here?--of the pacing. Each chapter read like there was going to be a pay-off, a release of fury or emotions, and then nada. Nope. Over and over and over for 400 pages. It made me want to tear my hair out. What's that musical thing that sounds like it's increasing constantly without ever reaching climax? Yeah, that. It kinda ruined the end for me, honestly, because by then I just didn't care and wanted it to be over.

Also a good tale.

All the content notes needed here — the 16yo trans protagonist escapes a Christofascist cult that released a genetically-engineered plague that has killed most of the world and has himself been infected to transform him into a tool of their god’s wrath and deliverance. There is physical and emotional abuse, body-horror, deadnaming, and even shaming about “doing queer wrong”.

But underneath all of this is an entertaining (if horrifying) tale of, as the author puts it “trans kids with claws and fangs, and what happens when they bite back”. I’m not sure I’d want to offer this much body horror and religious trauma as a present to a queer young adult, but I’m sure I’d’ve devoured it as a queer teen myself, so I should prolly just get over myself.

I liked it! It’s a YA book where I never once wanted to punch the main character in the face, a first for me!

A landmark achievement written with love and hate and the perfect amount of bitter transmasc fury. God, I adore this book, and I’ll be obnoxiously shoving it in the faces of everyone I know