Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White / 4 stars

[Meli]

From the Kirkus review:
In the aftermath of a plague, a furious transgender boy seeks to end the movement that plans to wield him for their genocide in the name of salvation.

When the book opens, Benji is escaping his extremist Christian group and lands right in the crosshairs of some members of a resistance group who have been hunkered down in an old LGBTQ+ community center. There is action immediately from page one. Death, fights, more death and extreme violence. While Benji tries to make a home with this new group, he is also counting down until his body is taken over by Seraph, a mutation of the virus known as Flood. This virus seems to be causing Benji to rot from the inside out, or mutate from human into this Seraph creature, which comes with its own descriptions of viscera and gore. Add to that the roaming Graces who have been afflicted by the Flood (that ended the world as we know it) and you have humanoid creatures that are truly the stuff of nightmares. Gaping mouths that open from ribs, limbs pointing every which direction, and skin stretched over displaced bones. With zombies and every variation thereof that usually populate the well-trod apocalypse trope, the Graces are a refreshing take on post-apocalypse monsters.

Within all the blood, guts, and humanoid monstrosities is a story about "good" versus "evil," found family, and fighting for acceptance as who you are.

There is trans, queer, and neurodivergent representation.
As a cisgender woman, I found the protagonist's inner dialogue about being trans, and being accepted as trans, to be enlightening. There is also a character using xe/xem /xyr pronouns, which I had never heard of, but once you're used to it the new pronouns easily roll off the tongue. That shows, for me, that it just takes some understanding and respect for the person to use the appropriate pronouns.

The character Benji felt like a real teen, but at the same time wasn't too naive.
I'm in my 40s, so it is getting harder to relate to teens in a YA novel, but Benji's actions made sense while also being relatable.

I loved the action, pacing, characters, and plot, but my main struggle was with the details about the virus Flood. I wasn't sure how it happened and how the mutation Seraph was different than the initial virus... and why it only worked on Benji (as there were some failed "experiments" before him). I was left with a lot of questions in that respect, but this may be a me problem. I am not sure if it wasn't explicit enough or it was a little too complex for me to remember.

Other than that, Hell Followed With Us is an amazing book for readers looking for a fresh take on the post-apocalypse / dystopian story with consistent action, violence, gore, and strong LGBTQ+ representation.

Definitely skip this one if you scare easily or are averse to violence and gore.