4.5 stars - very rarely do i read something that simultaneously manages to genuinely surprise me with a twist /and/ have everything make complete and total sense. some of the metaphors are a little heavy-handed for my liking, but i prefer that to ones that are too subtle for me to catch. overall, biting and reflective in ways that i didn’t expect, really visceral writing that toys with ideas in really cool ways, and an overall really unique story. however, i will recommend looking up CWs before going into this.