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A review by rainbowreadsbooks
Oshibana Complex by Craig Hallam
4.0
Oshibana Complex follows Xev through eir life in Shika-One, which is a dome designed to protect what remains of humanity from the harsh environmental conditions on Earth. Everyone in Shika-One is a clone based off of a few original templates, but there are only so many templates, so everyone strives for individuality to keep from running into someone with the same face. Everyone lives, works, and dies in Shika-One and one day is depressingly similar to all the others. Work is mind-numbingly repetitive and the cost of messing up are high. Xev starts the book with training a new "synth" (or clone) at eir job at the Burger Stop. What Xev doesn't realize is that eir world is about to be turned upside down, and e will have to question what makes life... life?
This book was one of those that I finished and had to sit with for a minute because the ending was, WOW. Since then, I just keep thinking about this one, it was so well done! It took my brain a minute to settle around reading a story where everyone in the book is non-binary, but once it did, it was really amazing. There were a lot of really sad, and soul-crushing moments for Xev, but I really really loved this vision of the future where gender just doesn't exist. This book tackles some really heavy meaning of life stuff as well, and I feel in the space of this book the answers were really satisfying. I also loved the hints that the soundtrack to this story was 80s synthpop. Because being able to cue up just that playlist and listen to it while reading was perfection. I could FEEL the neon in this one!
I highly recommend this one! If you need a gritty neon, dystopian cyberpunk future where gender is a thing of the past that really makes you think, you should definitely pick this one up. Oshibana Complex is available for pre-order on Amazon or from Inspired Quill now! This book is set to be released in ONE WEEK on September 26th, 2020.
A free copy of this book was provided to me by Inspired Quill and author Craig Hallam in exchange for an honest review.
Rep: non-binary MC (and everyone else)
CW: suicide (mentioned), drugs, character death, violence, gore, depression, panic attack
This book was one of those that I finished and had to sit with for a minute because the ending was, WOW. Since then, I just keep thinking about this one, it was so well done! It took my brain a minute to settle around reading a story where everyone in the book is non-binary, but once it did, it was really amazing. There were a lot of really sad, and soul-crushing moments for Xev, but I really really loved this vision of the future where gender just doesn't exist. This book tackles some really heavy meaning of life stuff as well, and I feel in the space of this book the answers were really satisfying. I also loved the hints that the soundtrack to this story was 80s synthpop. Because being able to cue up just that playlist and listen to it while reading was perfection. I could FEEL the neon in this one!
I highly recommend this one! If you need a gritty neon, dystopian cyberpunk future where gender is a thing of the past that really makes you think, you should definitely pick this one up. Oshibana Complex is available for pre-order on Amazon or from Inspired Quill now! This book is set to be released in ONE WEEK on September 26th, 2020.
A free copy of this book was provided to me by Inspired Quill and author Craig Hallam in exchange for an honest review.
Rep: non-binary MC (and everyone else)
CW: suicide (mentioned), drugs, character death, violence, gore, depression, panic attack