this book was absolutely insane. and the ending hurt me in a very specific type of way. i feel betrayed. by the author, by the protagonist, by everyone involved in the making of this book.
but it was brilliant and so smart.
the ideas were creative as much as they were brutal and gory.

i loved the unflinching brutality of it all. i like that it made me physically cringe, that it made me uncomfortable, that it shocked me. all the characters were super sinister and made the whole setting even more atmospheric and dark. the themes explored were great, the details disgusting (amazing) and the ending thrilling in a "he did WHAT" type of way.

my only criticism is that i was a little bored at times, since this book felt more like a long info-dump with a bit of drama in between than an actual novel. like an autobiography written by a man who lives this strange life in this dystopian world. it just wasn't enough to keep me interested and entertained. everything, from the story progression to the writing, was too slow for me. 

so—great ideas, sick world-building, superb gore and body horror, exciting ending, but otherwise uneventful and dull story.