reading this book was such a strange experience. it took me a really long time to get into and i don't really understand why because it has every element that i usually care a lot about in fiction, meaning concept, writing style, and pace. i actually bought this book for my secret santa at work and thought the plot was so interesting and unique that i ended up buying myself a copy too. the writing is very, very poetic, which im usually a huge fan of, though i think maaaaybe this is part of what made it tough to get into because there were areas where i was quite confused about what plot detail i was supposed to have grasped. it's also super slow-paced which, again, is something i really love in a book, but combined with the confusion i think it just took a while for me to discover why i was reading it in the first place.
(one thing that consistently irritated me throughout the entire thing, though, that i HAVE to mention is the lack of quotation marks. im sorry to be so harsh, but i hate it when authors do this. it adds absolutely nothing to the story. it's not quirky or minimalistic or cute. it makes the book difficult to read. punctuation is not optional? it's literally just bad grammar.)
anyway, overall i ended up loving it. mid-way through (ish) i caught on to the whole vibe and read most of the second half in one sitting. it's so so so beautifully written and i loved the main character, Hirut, for her defiance and spirit and strength. definitely recommend. honestly i wouldn't be that surprised if other people had no trouble with it at all. probs just me lol.