There are some books that are difficult to describe. The ones that when you try to tell your friends about them, it sounds like you are making it up or recounting a fever dream. This book is kinda like that.

It is wild. It has demons. A Queen of Hell (yas queen). A Devil Went Down To Georgia-esque violin challenge. Aliens. And delicious donuts.

The description of the donuts in this book made me EXTREMELY hungry. Like the seat at my local donut shop might have a permanent imprint of my butt after reading this.

There is so much going on in this story that you wouldn’t think that it would work. But Ryka Aoki manages to pull it all together in a way that feels believable. You feel invested in these characters despite, or often because of, their flaws.

One of the best things about this story is how the aliens and the demons do not give two flaming poops that the main character is trans. They care that she is an amazing violinist and a kind person.

The main character is definitely that. She has suffered from the cruelty of the world, but instead of it making her cold, she has remained kind. I could talk all day about how much I love Katrina.

In my opinion, the best science fiction makes you question what it means to be human. It makes you grapple with the best and the worst of humanity. This book manages to tackle issues such as immigration, refugees, racism, trans-phobia, anti-gay prejudice, adoption, and more. But the author manages to do this in a way that the book retains its humor and its joy.

This book will end up being one of my favorites of the year, and definitely one that I will continue to talk about.

You should definitely read it. Click the link below!