As a non-binary person I love reading genre books with an enby main character. There’s something so fulfilling about seeing something about seeing some part of yourself represented in a fantasy or sci-fi setting. I recieved this book in return for a review through the Harper360 YA newsletter and was super happy to get it.
Quinn is genderqueer. Sometimes they’re a girl, sometimes a boy, sometimes neither and sometimes both. But in the world they live in that doesn’t matter. The city of Brume is filled with monsters, gangs and is surrounded by fog. But this isn’t the only Brume and two other versions of Quinn exist too.
So, this is a book that plays with an alternate universe concept in a different way. Quinn isn’t travelling through different universes, they all exist at the same time and you get glimpses into the problems of them all. There’s a universe where Quinn presents as female and is sent to a queer conversion camp and a universe where Quinn presents as male and is the figurehead for a rebellion at war. The people in the different universes are different in each one and that was a lot of fun.
You really do feel for Quinn but my favourites are Caleb from the main and conversion camp one. As well as Lloyd in the camp universe too. One of my favourite thing about writing AU’s is seeing how the characters I love and hate behave differently in different universes. How the relationships change with different lives and back stories. This book portrayed that so well and I enjoyed it.
The romance changed from universe to universe so I never was quite sure what to think about it. I liked Caleb and Lloyd best in one verse and Caleb and Lia in another. I stan the bi/pan boys, okay? I was never really a fan of Quinn and Lia. It always felt like they could do better, y’know and that maybe some of the side girls would be a lot better for them. But as this is a standalone I guess we’ll never know.
I do have to be honest and say I wasn’t the hugest fan of this book. It had it’s good traits and I did enjoy it. But it had long chapters and with the universe flipping it could get a little slow. I found myself wanting to put it down but I knew if I did I wouldn’t pick it up again. And that would be a shame as when I was reading it, I was enjoying it.
This book was pretty different but it’s one you might have to find some time to actually sit and focus on it. But it’s worth it.
3/5 Stars
BUY LINKS:
Lace and Dagger Books 