Nocturnal Book Reviews

Egalley thanks to Random House

This book reads like a mad inventor's fairy-tale. I love crazy, but sometimes it was too much even for me. That's why I think I'm having difficulties describing what I feel about this book.

You've read the synopsis, right? A mad, mad world full of genetic mutations, hard work and extreme climates.

Sorykah is a Trader, a rare mutation with genetic make-up of two people. Her other half, Soryk has been suppressed all her life and only comes out for short spurs of time when Sorykah's body goes through too much stress. Sorykah doesn't remember what happens when she is male, Soryk doesn't know he is a Trader and blames what he can't remember on memory loss.

Sorykah has baby twins, who get kidnapped by an absolutely mad monstrous Collector of rare mutations, and the poor woman has to go through numerous trials and tribulations to save her babies. It's a classic fairy tale but from a very twisted angle.

I look back and all I can see is a slew of images imprinted on my brain after I finished this book...

Sorykah's dogs get eaten by a giant seal; Dunya, the dog-faced housekeeper of Collector's house keeps the children safe in her kitchen; Soryk falls in love with mutants' Queen who hides her people in the big trees of the forest; Sorykah goes to Collector's son, a sexual deviant who lives on an island where pleasure is the only ruler; Soryk cuts his little finger to use as a key to Collector's house; merged personality, mad battles, weird hazy conversations, torture and evil experiments....

Mad enough for you?

It's an undeniably unique and interesting book, it's gripping, frustrating and exhausting with plenty of fascinating secondary characters. Will I read book #2? I guess I will when I feel brave enough.