The first line of this drew me in & I never wanted to escape. I was hooked to this the whole time I was reading, it's not one I'll forget in a hurry.

In the first couple chapters I noted how I couldn't be sure what to make of this & even after finishing it I feel the same. This isn't a negative though, I feel it's just one of those books where you're enjoying it but can't even understand why or you almost feel like you shouldn't be. There was definitely a strong 'femgore' element to this which is what kept me gripped & intrigued but not one to read if you have a fairly weak stomach. It's still surprising to me how this is Virdi's debut, the writing was so strong all the way through, I'm actually desperate for more.

I thought all the characters involved were well written, none more so than the FMC of Avni. I found them all so strange but in the best way & with Avni, I couldn't stop myself being oddly attracted or connected to her throughout. She's a bit of an unreliable narrator but it's clear there's something else running deep & the whole time I was desperate to find out what has made her the way she is. I loved the twists in the last half, it was unexpected & really well done.

For me, the ending felt quite sudden. This is most likely just a personal thing rather than anything to do with how the writer's chosen to end it, I just think in comparison to the rest of the book, I wanted something more. Other than that, this was a wild ride, full of really vivid imagery & strangely quite funny too to the point it had me laughing out loud at certain points. It was also obvious there was a deeper commentary in this which I think a lot of readers will resonate with or relate to & I enjoyed how Virdi incorporated this into the plot.

This gave me very similar vibes to Boy Parts by Eliza Clark & Bodies by Christine Anne Foley so if you enjoyed those and/or you just need some twisted, bingeable, queer, femgore litfic, I'd strongly suggest picking this up. Bonus points for having places local to me mentioned too!

Thank you HarperCollins UK & Netgalley for the free eARC!