Seske is set to become the next matriarch to a spacefaring clan living inside a beast they have restructured for their own survival. Seske is thrust into leadership at a tumultuous time for the clan when everything seems to be deteriorating quickly. 

 

I think I have an unpopular opinion on this one. I missed the content warning about body horror and that is something I am absolutely NOT into, so I should have DNFed it when I realized that the majority of this book was just one body horror scene after another. It can get very graphic, so be warned if that is not your thing. 

 

That said, the characters and the setting of this book are quite imaginative. I also thought the political/social system was well developed and those aspects are what kept me engaged in the story. It’s full of diverse and intersectional characters, which I love to see. 

 

However, I get really frustrated when characters are constantly given choices to make and without fail choose the worst one every time. It’s just not realistic. Even someone who is completely devoid of rational thinking would accidentally make a good choice at some point. Seske and Adalla are both written as smart, clearly rational thinking, capable women, so it just did not track for me that they made so many poor choices constantly. 

 

I was still hanging in there, again because of the world building and characters, but the ending. THE ENDING. If I hadn’t been listening to an audiobook, I would have genuinely thrown this book across the room. IT TOOK A TURN. And no, you absolutely could not have predicted that turn because WHAT?! 

 

Needless to say, I won’t be reading the second book. If you’re in to bizarre science fiction with a heavy dose of body horror and looking for a diverse cast of interesting characters in a well developed political/social world, then this one might be for you. But if you don’t like weird or body horror... do yourself a favor and pass. 

Vivid, imaginative world building that made it easy to imagine yourself within the body of the Zenzee/beast the society was living in (note: If you dislike graphic depictions of bodily functions and organs, this is not for you). The development of the physical environment was hands-down the best part. Unfortunately, we didn't get as much detail on the social structure and culture of the society itself, and I would have liked more discussion of this to better understand the actions of several plot points.

The character development was hit or miss for me. I adored the characters of Adalla and Laisze, and felt their growth, motivations, and reactions were clear and well done. They were also two of the only characters who seemed to think of

other characters whereas the others were more selfish,

which made the others hard to root for. The other characters were either highly unlikable or underdeveloped.

Another thing that didn't work for me is that it felt some scenes were rushed over, especially the plot which went by so quick. I would've liked to see a slower pace and more detail into the psychologies of the characters so it felt like what was happening had more consequences and impact.

Couldn't focus during the height of the first plague year, and the body horror kept making me set it aside until I couldn't continue. May pick it up again one day.

If you have a fear of pregnancy, maybe sit this one out.