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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
"Womb City" is a searing, genre-defying debut that grips you from the first page and refuses to let go. Tlotlo Tsamaase masterfully blends speculative horror, Afrofuturism, and noir to craft a deeply original narrative about memory, justice, and bodily autonomy. Set in a haunting near-future Botswana, the novel follows Nelah, a woman whose every move is monitored in a surveillance state, until a single decision unravels everything.
The writing is lush, visceral, and unapologetically bold. Tsamaase tackles themes of gender violence, colonialism, and spiritual reclamation with both rage and grace. It’s brutal, but also poetic and profound. The worldbuilding is rich and unsettling, and the story pulses with the urgency of survival.
I was particularly struck by the parallels between the reproductive surveillance in Womb City and the current erosion of women’s healthcare and bodily autonomy across the globe. Tsamaase doesn’t write from a place of speculative fear so much as sharpened realism; exaggerating systems that already exist to expose their inherent violence. Nelah’s struggle echoes the lived experiences of those whose rights are stripped under the guise of safety, morality, or tradition. In this way, "Womb City" becomes not just a chilling dystopia, but a mirror held up to the world we’re already living in.
The writing is lush, visceral, and unapologetically bold. Tsamaase tackles themes of gender violence, colonialism, and spiritual reclamation with both rage and grace. It’s brutal, but also poetic and profound. The worldbuilding is rich and unsettling, and the story pulses with the urgency of survival.
I was particularly struck by the parallels between the reproductive surveillance in Womb City and the current erosion of women’s healthcare and bodily autonomy across the globe. Tsamaase doesn’t write from a place of speculative fear so much as sharpened realism; exaggerating systems that already exist to expose their inherent violence. Nelah’s struggle echoes the lived experiences of those whose rights are stripped under the guise of safety, morality, or tradition. In this way, "Womb City" becomes not just a chilling dystopia, but a mirror held up to the world we’re already living in.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I found it very difficult to get through. The writing felt rushed. The plot was very interesting but it didn't feel very fleshed out. The characters all seemed to be very angry and arguing ALL the time which made it had to try and connect to any of them. I read about 75% then skimmed to the end to find out the ending which in itself was wild.
I generally enjoy books that have some basis in mythology but there just wasn't enough explanation about really anything that was going on.
I generally enjoy books that have some basis in mythology but there just wasn't enough explanation about really anything that was going on.
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Book was excellently writtten, but just wasn’t for me so I have chosen not to give it a star rating.
Womb City is a dystopian horror about a woman being haunted by the woman she killed.
Trying to prevent her family from being hunted and killed, she must first determine why and how this is happening.
This was a creepy read. It had the potential of being really good, but the pacing was off for me.
I found the beginning slow and a little boring, then a lot started happening all at once, and then the ending slowed right down again.
There were some twists that redeemed it a bit, but in the end I didn't think this was an amazing read.
Trying to prevent her family from being hunted and killed, she must first determine why and how this is happening.
This was a creepy read. It had the potential of being really good, but the pacing was off for me.
I found the beginning slow and a little boring, then a lot started happening all at once, and then the ending slowed right down again.
There were some twists that redeemed it a bit, but in the end I didn't think this was an amazing read.
Too dark for my current mindset and a little too surreal for me
Too problematic and anti-everything.
A future where I don't want to be born, live or be revived.
A future where I don't want to be born, live or be revived.
I keep getting lost in the complex sci-fi system that's introduced here. Tsamaase relies on a lot of telling to get their ideas across, leading their sci-fi dystopia to seem overly-complicated. It's a shame because the premise is super interesting— the author simply doesn't translate their thoughts and world-building to paper very well
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Pregnancy
I really enjoyed this book - characters with half memories or no memories in a world where immortality is somewhat normalized but racial prejudice and wealth inequality still reign supreme. Bodies are currency and a corrupt government controls the people through religion. The characters are morally grey and the journey following them was intense.