Reviews

Dark Lullaby by Polly Ho-Yen

strangecandy's review against another edition

4.0

Dark Lullaby by Polly Ho-Yen is a bleak look at a future where women can no longer have children naturally. They have to go through a process called induction in which they have to take a regimen of drugs to help their bodies be able to sustain a pregnancy. For women who decide not to have children, well they are considered "outs" having opted out of this process. Women and their partners who decide to go through the process are paid more, have better housing and obviously valued more.
But once you have a baby, the "governments" involvement doesn't end there. Enforcers, people who watch you raise your child and give you IPS (infractions) for doing anything they consider wrong. After so many IPS they take your baby.
This story is about two sisters, one who wants and has a child and the other who is an "out". The story is told back and forth between the present "Now" and the past "Then". Its a very dark look at the choices women make and the lengths that they will go to keep their children.
I really enjoyed the book, it definitely had Handmaid's Tale (by Margaret Atwood) vibe about it as well as Vox by Christina Dalcher.

rominadelap's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

emeraldreviews's review against another edition

4.0

Polly Ho-Yen has an exceptional ability to build a world in your mind. She does this through eloquent descriptions and vivid character creation. I was instantly transported into the mind of Kit, I had become a part of her doubts, her worries, her happiness and her determination. It was such an inclusive feeling, very rare in the reading world.

The author's writing style in this book is very different to any novel I have read before. Polly Ho-Yen bounces us from past to present in each ‘chapter’. This results in cliffhanger after cliffhanger which plays havoc with my anxiety but in a very intriguing, thrilling way. Polly has a beautiful way of terrifying you in one moment then overloading you with adoration of characters in the next instance.


Kit’s story emanates with me on deep levels. I myself have 2 little girls and the thought of being in Kit’s situation terrifies me. Not only because of Polly’s exceptional writing, but through the likelihood of that version of society actually becoming more than fiction. Honestly, I feel like it could happen within some societies in real life. A horrific notion.

I spent 85% of my time reading this, sat in pure terror. Even so, I was gripped entirely and struggled to tear myself away. This carpet bomb of cliffhangers approach generated great feelings of ‘just one more chapter,’ so much so that I stayed up for hours at a time reading this. I highly recommend giving this story a read, but beware, this is a heavy, psychologically impactful read that will both terrify and delight. Congratulations Polly Ho-Yen for a superb book that is sure to make some bestsellers lists.

snuzzbobble's review against another edition

dark sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

graciousreads's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

emb8's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

jaketrbl's review against another edition

4.0

4 stars | I really liked this book. The story was like the Handmaids Tale but the world around it was more modern, that's why I related to the story more. In the beginning I needed the get used to the writing style and the different story lines the book started with. But when I got in in the storylines more it was really hard to put this book away.

lucawartna's review against another edition

3.0

It took me a while to finish this book, and I can’t really make my mind up about it. I liked the writing style (constantly switching between the past and the present), but the jumps became too abrupt and quick. I liked the setting and pace, but missed a lot of character development. The story became quite boring about halfway through because of that. But the plot twist at the end made me appreciate the story more again.
If you can’t get enough of dystopian novels like The Handmaid’s Tale, it’s worth a read. Otherwise, I think there are better written books of the same genre out there.

waadyk's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

amelia_shorter's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0