3.79 AVERAGE


What an odd little book. Every time Moly bleeds (really, anytime) a clone will rise! And she has to kill it. Very creative premise. Tarot card: Eight of Swords.

This one was so gripping, and so darn gory (unlike me, but what is happening lately?). I loved the way that Molly as the narrator was in a way dissociated from the world around her, despite her sharp and cautious nature. Being bred to be a master killer, after all, pretty much ensures that you'll be the opposite of normalized in every way. For a small book, it packed the right amount of detail, action, and resolution. Her quest to understand her nature wasn't all that complicated, but it also wasn't disappointing. For me, the journey through the book wasn't about the answer, but the path toward it. The author has a background in social anthropology and psychiatry, and you can see that bleed into the text at certain points (like Capgras Syndrome- "the unshakable belief that people around you have been replaced by doubles, when Molly doubts her own parents"). Also, the writing is often beautiful and contemplativ:

"​'With each failure, each insult, each wound to the psyche, we are created anew. This new self is who we must battle each day or face extinction of the spirit.' I think I'm the embodiment of that sentiment."

I laughed when I learned the Russian expression her mother told her on why women bleed every month: slezy razocharovannoy matki = tears of a disappointed womb. The small comic moments were valuable here, otherwise you'd be reading a diary of a life that is just plain awful and sad.


What a strange book. Every time Molly bleeds, a short time later an exact duplicate of herself appears and tries to kill her. You can guess that this is a bit problematic when she's on her period.

The plot is weird but interesting and Molly works perfectly as the narrator. She is intriguing and strong and I practically teared through the pages to know what happens next. I also enjoyed the writing style and pacing.

The only thing that bothered me was the conclusion at the end. It felt weak compared to the rest of the book and the reasoning for Molly's decision seemed rushed and not plausible to me.

It felt as if Tade Thompson didn't plan out the whole plot and just winged the ending.

I hope the sequel expands on the premise and takes more time to explain everything.

This book was fascinating! I had a great time reading this. I look forward to seeing how this story progresses in the following novellas!
jesstrammell's profile picture

jesstrammell's review

4.0

This was a short read at under 100 pages with a unique plot. My head was spinning the entire time. I enjoyed it!
cierrareadsandwrites's profile picture

cierrareadsandwrites's review

4.0
mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

3.5 - I wish this had been longer or at least had explained the world a bit more. I couldn't figure out where/when this was taking place, and had a hard time picturing any of the action. Also, I'm not surprised by the oddly frequent mentions of sex, and using Molly's sex drive as a plot device. The only other book I've read by Tade Thompson also had excessive mentions of the main character's dick for no reason, so I guess this dude just loves to be awkward.

Anyway, this was pretty good and I did like Molly a lot.

This book was so weird. I didn't really get it's meaning if there was one but it was an easy read and kept me interested. It reminded me a lot of The Adoration of Jenna Fox.
devynwithawhy's profile picture

devynwithawhy's review

5.0
dark fast-paced

You know that spider man meme? 
Yeah, that’s this book. 

So freaking good! I loved every minute of it, except the last page. I shall reserve judgment for the sequel.