I liked the world-building associated with the various alien species including the anatomical variances. Though this was a short book, it established a found family cast of characters that I'm interested in following further.

I find myself enjoying this series. It definitely leans heavy into the detective noir vibes, but the characters are enjoyable enough to carry through the slow quest for clues. The audiobook absolutely boosts my enjoyment as I might be too impatient to get through otherwise.

This was my first danmei and I was honestly surprised and how much longer it took me to read than usual. I enjoyed the story and am interested in continuing, but will need to remember the greater brain/time investment for future volumes. I am not sure why, but I do tend to have this happen with some translated works.

I have mixed feelings on this book. 1. It is written by a white man. Particularly within this topic area, that's more than a little uncomfortable. The author even acknowledges that Indigenous folks should have space to tell their own stories. And yet. 2. This book is well researched, but is inherently told from a settler perspective. This is somewhat appropriate given the author and the vast majority of primary sources available to the author, but is nevertheless not the history I want to know. 3. I can hold space for the aforementioned things and still appreciate a written record to attempt at limiting the loss of knowledge over time.

I do think the author attempted to take care in the construction of this book. But it still feels a bit... hard to support wholeheartedly. The scholarship seems solid on its face, but who tells a story and the lens through which they process the information does matter.

Officially a fan of this world and absolutely committed to keeping up with this series. Characters are easy to root for and love. Cool takes on monster anatomy and world building also.