A review by ninegladiolus
The All-Consuming World by Cassandra Khaw

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

4.5

 A month has passed since I finished The All-Consuming World by Cassandra Khaw, and while I initially had some incredibly conflicted feelings about it, the more I think about this novel, the more I have to admit it is exactly My Brand (TM). The mood is bloody and dark and cyberpunk af, everyone is queer in a variety of ways and no one is fully human, it’s raw and messy, and though many may call it purple, the prose in this novel is rich enough to feast on through several re-reads. No one in the entire cast is without flaw, and Khaw unapologetically leans into those flaws with an alluring combination of the elevated and the lowbrow profane. Though not without flaws, I loved this novel deeply, and I'll be checking out more of Khaw's work moving forward.

Thank you to Erewhon Books and NetGalley for an advance review copy. All opinions are my own.