Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC from netgalley in exchange for a review.

I picked this story up for two reasons: The first line in the summary promising queer disabled joy and the fact that it was tagged as fantasy on netgalley, which is a genre where disabled people often do not really feature. If you want more disabled fantasy like I did, this book absolutely delivers on that wonderfully and I adored it so much for that.
I am incredibly excited to see that Me/Cfs is slowly gaining representation in media and I found the way it was portrayed here great. In general, one of my favorite parts of this book was its nuanced examination of dis_ability, crip4crip solidarity, crip wisdom etc. I also liked the way the disabled society had formed here, found new ways of living together and exist in solidarity and care for each other, while still examining the negative aspects of disabled people being pushed in segregated spaces like these, even if they can be the best place for survival for some. And I also really enjoyed that a few aspects of disability studies were featured in the story (such as disabled time). I also liked the way polyamory was handled and the very low-key trans rep (mentioned in one sentence, but concerning important characters, which I found lovely).
The story itself is a bit of a cozy mystery as we follow Laceco, as he tries to figure out what is causing these manifestations and how to stop them, but also the way he forms connections and finds community with others, as well as unlearn internalized ableism, but also deal with what he termed “the Oro Virus”, a fictional way of dealing with the prejudiced stereotypes and negative ideas we can absorb if we grow up in a prejudiced society. I also really enjoyed getting to follow the other characters as they dealt with their problems, some related to their disabilities, others caused through other issues. It was both interesting and comforting for me to read this and I really found a lot of joy in it.
My only problems with the story were some worldbuilding issues that are rather minor in the big picture, but include some things I would have liked examined a bit more. Why are the terms masc and femme used in this story, while the terms woman and man also exists? What exactly do they refer to here in this fantasy world? What about people who fall outside of that binary? Are they just a replacement for man and woman or are they about gender presentation? Laceco always seems to know whether somebody is a masc or a femme, but how? As you can see, that was something that was bothering me a bit. I also would have liked a definition of the term “Q.A.P.I.T. people”, as that is a term that is unfamiliar even to me, somebody raised on tumblr. And finally, I need to know what the ties stand for. I kept a list for every meaning mentioned and while I have guesses for the purple tie (severe disability?), I have no clue what the yellow, the black and the brown tie stand for. They are mentioned, but we never find out what they signify, and I would have liked to know.
But if my only problems with this story are these minor questions of worldbuilding and what these terms signify, I think you can tell that I otherwise had a really great time with the story. It was refreshing to read a story with that many disabled people, disabled community and kinship and care, disabled joy and disabled love. This is certainly something I need to recommend to some friends of mine.

TW: attempted drugging, ableism, internalized ableism, misogyny, illness, prejudiced (aka racist, sexist, transphobic) society