wtf

"He wondered if there wasn't another Antichrist before him, maybe several more, a long chain of his kind that all ended up too in awe of and in love with the world to hurt it. Too in love with the person next to them to let it happen."

Thanks to CLASH Books and NetGalley for this Advanced Reader Copy (ARC). 

This book was described as 'a priest falls in love with the antichrist and even God can’t stop the horror it will bring'. That's not a fair representation of the story by my standards. 
I would describe it as a queer horror where a teenage Antichrist and his older pastor-lover are caught in a blasphemous, abusive relationship as visions from God urge them toward the apocalypse. This isn't a horror with an opposite-attracts love story - but a relationship that's dark, messy and graphic (especially the opening paragraph).

I was so excited for this as I'm a sucker for religious horror. The weight of the upcoming apocalypse, and the prophetic nightmares haunting each character had brilliant imagery as they both faced the upcoming end. I'm also a sucker for people battling a destiny. Both main characters are given a job by God, and I love seeing how they grappled with their futures and what morality actually means.
There were some great moments from the prose, but otherwise I didn't find it anything special, and the run-on sentences were actually at times a little confusing for me. Additionally, while I appreciate it's a novella, this story would have benefitted from more breathing room. Character motivations aren't fully explored, consequences aren't fully realised, and I think the ending will be polarising.

Overall, while I'm happy to have read this, I wouldn't be racing to recommend it. If you know this type of horror is for you, you'll enjoy it, but I don't think it will convert the unbelieving. 

A little needlessly long, but otherwise a masterclass in high fantasy and worldbuidling.