A furious, queer debut novel about embracing the monster within and unleashing its power against your oppressors. "A long, sustained scream to the various strains...
A furious, queer debut novel about embracing the monster within and unleashing its power against your oppressors. "A long, sustained scream to the various strains of anti-transgender legislation multiplying around the world like, well, a virus." --The New York Times INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Sixteen-year-old trans boy Benji is on the run from the cult that raised him--the fundamentalist sect that unleashed Armageddon and decimated the world's population. Desperately, he searches for a place where the cult can't get their hands on him, or more importantly, on the bioweapon they infected him with.
But when cornered by monsters born from the destruction, Benji is rescued by a group of teens from the local Acheson LGBTQ+ Center, affectionately known as the ALC. The ALC's leader, Nick, is gorgeous, autistic, and a deadly shot, and he knows Benji's darkest secret: the cult's bioweapon is mutating him into a monster deadly enough to wipe humanity from the earth once and for all.
Still, Nick offers Benji shelter among his ragtag group of queer teens, as long as Benji can control the monster and use its power to defend the ALC. Eager to belong, Benji accepts Nick's terms...until he discovers the ALC's mysterious leader has a hidden agenda, and more than a few secrets of his own. Perfect for fans of
Gideon the Ninth and
Annihilation.
A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year A William C. Morris Award FinalistA Publishers Weekly Best Book of the YearA Booklist Editors' Choice SelectionA BCCB Blue Ribbon BookNamed to the ALA Rainbow Roundtable's Rainbow Book List "A defining voice of our generation." -H.E. Edgmon, author of
The Witch King "Hands down the best YA horror book I've read." -Aden Polydoros, author of
The City Beautiful "A chimera of horror, romance, and something stranger." -Rose Szabo, author of
What Big Teeth "A timely and riveting tale." -Ray Stoeve, author of
Between Perfect and RealAuthor: Andrew Joseph White
Publisher: Peachtree Teen
Published: 05/09/2023
Pages: 448
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.20w x 1.20d
ISBN: 9781682635636
Audience: Young Adult
Award: William C. Morris YA Debut Award - Honor Book
About the AuthorAndrew Joseph White is a queer, trans author from Virginia, where he grew up falling in love with monsters and wishing he could be one too. He earned his MFA in creative writing from George Mason University's Creative Writing program in 2022 and has a habit of cuddling random street cats. Andrew writes about trans kids with claws and fangs, and what happens when they bite back. Find Andrew on Twitter and Instagram @AJWhiteAuthor.
