I stayed up until 2AM to finish this book and only now that I'm writing my review the following morning did the emotions sink in.

First off, this book was a breath of fresh air. The prose is beautiful and it was easy for me to empathize with the main character early on. I saw myself in her, especially back in my younger years when I had the same thirst for knowledge. I yearned to devour so many books to learn as many things as I can. The MC was inquisitive and introspective, which I reckon contributed a lot to the group's survival.

This book, to me, was an ode to female relationships. As bleak as the setting may seem, we get to see the developing dynamic amongst these women and how friendships, mentorships, and even romance can naturally form in spite of everything. As we follow MC's journey, we witness her growth as she learns about the intricacies of day-to-day human activities and interactions, most of which we may have not even thought twice about. While many other readers may have found this book horrifying, I found it somewhat comforting. Comforting in the sense that, should any devastating catastrophe occur, the human spirit will always persevere. Art, in the form of songs, will survive.

At the last stretch of this book, the MC was technically the last woman alive and, as morbid as it sounds, I was excited for her. This part reminded me of that all too familiar feeling I get when I am finally alone and I get to do things without having to accommodate others. I was looking forward to the adventure that lies for her up ahead.

In the end, we see her eventually realize that she's as human as she could get, despite having believed all throughout her life that she was different from the rest of the women because she could not fathom the kind of world they lived before. However, she too had lived and she too had loved, even if she has never known men.