Reviews

This book is a dystopian horror novel about a scared boy who is trying to figure out who he is while the world is trying to turn him into what they want him to be.

I loved the idea of an LGBT+ youth community centre being a safe hub in the apocalypse. I would have liked maybe some more warm moments from that. But I know, as the author attests, that the book comes from rage and that is evident throughout. I thought it was interesting the sort of parallels between the idea of transitioning and Benji turning into the Seraph. The characters were also complex and not usually black and white which was well done. This is evident in Theo, who even though he has done bad things, you can still understand his way of thinking.

I would have liked to have seen more of Benji and Nick's relationship blossom. I'm not sure if this book will be having a sequel, but that would be interesting. Its great to see books with so much trans and autistic representation.

I think this book might resonate more with queer Americans as I know that the Church is quite different there to other places. From what I've seen from American media, this book seems pretty plausible.

It was well written, and I read it quite fast as I kept needing to know what happened next. I'm not sure why it wasn't five stars for me. Maybe because it was so consistently bleak and horrific without much beauty. I think a few more moments of joy and hope would have made it a more enjoyable read.

Content Warnings

shannonreadssometimes's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

i have a bad habit of never writing reviews for my favourite books. sometimes it's so hard to articulate the impact of a book, how much it made you think and feel and literally change your life. or at least your outlook. this book helped heal some of my past hurt that I've been holding on to for too long, and it validated parts of me and my reaction to the hurt in ways I've never had. so thank you, A.J.W, I needed this. I could only share some quotes because my actual annotations will never see the light of day

okay, sappy stuff aside, this had some ICONIC lgbt and neurodivergent rep, with almost every character being lgbt, and our mains being trans and gay, and gay and autistic. and it actually demonstrated the neurodivergence in a really realistic and honest way, and wove it into the story so well it did not feel crowbarred in for woke points or anything. i adore these characters with all my heart. they have been hurt, broken down, forced to do things they couldn't imagine and still they choose love every time. like its not even hard. but the author does let his characters feel the rage and anger and upset at what they've been through, and that's what I really love.

decades in the future, a terrorist organisation of evangelical protestant Christians have infected the world with a virus called The Flood. Its covid-esque& rots your body from the inside out& maybe you'll grow a second ribcage or too many eyes. our mc has been infected with the newest, final strain, and is slowly becoming the seraph. and boy, he will bring the righteous rage down on the congregation and give them a taste of their own medicine.

this book was horrifying. it was so gory I wanted to be sick. it was such a lovely, kind-hearted read. i will be recommending this to everyone I can.

sassolinosassoletto's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

5.0

trintonofthesea's review against another edition

Go to review page

4.0

Splendid queer dystopian fiction, great representation for trans people without much body dysmorphia as well as solid depictions for autistic people. Body horror was top notch, with extra points for originality. The ending felt a little chaotic and rushed but still felt satisfying.