I didn't realize there could be a post-apocalyptic novel more grim than _The Road_ or _Handmaid's Tale_. Yikes. The book is heartbreaking, particularly the first half. It's also excellent. I love the narrator's flat style. She seems like she's describing horrible events dispassionately. But the emotion comes through. As does her background, middle class LA suburban, Black, oldest sister. It's a good POV for this novel.

I'm less clear what to make of the extra elements. The Earthseed religion, the phenomenon of pain sharing. They seem a little superfluous. OTOH they also seem like essential elements of the character. And I presume they are setting up some story elements in the second novel. I like them, that they're there. Not every aspect of a book has to fit the plot like a perfect jigsaw puzzle.