#QueerLitLoft

As a reader who favours dystopian and post-apocalyptic themes above all else, and who also recognises how few Sapphic stories of this nature there are, I wanted to love this book, but instead found myself torn over how I felt about it.

Set in a fictional world that draws comparisons with how our real world operates, the plot focuses on Aurelia DeCallum the leader of a group of freedom fighters known as the Tallawens. The Tallawens, at great risk to themselves help opposers of the current regime of Klowdyn cross into the democratic nation of Sandslot. It’s upon returning from one such mission that Aurelia and her crew stumble upon the battered and prone form of Blue, who remembers her first name and little else.

As if Aurelia’s job wasn’t dangerous and risky enough, now she has no choice but to provide at least basic care to Blue, without even knowing who she is, where she came from, or how she got herself in her current predicament. As Blue’s amnesia persists with only fragmented and fleeting memories skimming in and out of focus, she finds herself growing closer to Aurelia and her found family of Tallawens. Trust begins to be earned but as Blue’s memory returns, what she remembers may shatter both her and Aurelia’s fragile foundations.

The overall book is well written, and I loved the world building. As a reader you really do get a feel for the danger and oppressiveness of Klowdyn and the shadow its residents live under, without becoming overly exposed to new terminology or ways of life.

I also liked the characters of Aurelia and Blue as whole, and there are some good secondary characters such as Milton, Mac, and Dacia to round out the story; although I do admit that Dacia’s name instantly reminds me of the car brand of the same name!

The initial connection between Aurelia and Blue is believable and well paced, but there’s a point in the story where it seems to turn a corner rather quickly given the circumstances and environment they are in. It’s at this point that a part of the narrative doesn’t do the story justice and I found it hard to believe, both that Blue would make up her mind so suddenly (and with so little deliberation) about where her loyalties lay, and that Aurelia would ‘get over’ Blue’s true identity with so little angst. Perhaps, the low angst vibe was what the author was aiming for, but the stark contrast with the rest of the plot pulled me out of the book, which is a pity.

I can’t see that this story is a part of a series, which is a shame as despite what I felt were flaws in the plot, I did enjoy the characters and the world building and I would have picked up the next book in the series to see how it fared.

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