A religious cult unleashed a pandemic known as The Flood on the world, killing nearly the entire population of the world. The cult continues to hunt down the few survivors in the name of god with flood-infected creatures called Graces.

Two years later: Benji, a 16-year-old trans boy, flees the cult after they murder his father and finds refuge in a group that is the remains of the local LGBTQ+ centre and begins to fall for Nick who leads the group. But Benji harbours a secret, he has been infected with a form of the flood that will slowly destroy him but give him the ability to control the Graces and turn them against the cult, or wipe out the few remnants of humanity.

This has been on my list for soooooo long! It is a dystopian YA novel with a lot of body horror, religious abuse, transphobia and violence but it still manages to feel hopeful and sweet in its romance. While triggering in parts its path of revenge against the cult feels cathartic (especially in the context of growing Christian nationalism). I enjoyed it a great deal but it is not an easy read.