Pretty sure I only understood about half of this book’s content. It doesn’t matter. This book is brilliant!
Let’s start with the two main characters. You could write an entire trilogy about each of them and you still wouldn’t run out of things to say. It felt like meeting some cool stranger on the bus, sharing a moment together and then never seeing them again. Come on, we’re talking about a scary mermaid and a mysterious plague doctor. What more do you want? Gorgeous writing? Don’t worry, Cassandra Khaw got you covered. Soul-crushingly beautiful sentences, right next to some gory, messed up science fiction logic that will creep you out. Yes, there are some difficult words, but that’s usually the case with horror and/or sci-fi books. It reminded me of „This is How You Lose the Time War“. Not for its contents but its length, the introduction of the characters and the extensive backstory, which we only get a glimpse of. Probably not a beginner’s book for the genre, but absolutely worth reading if you’re up for something unconventional.
