BULB by Bradley Wind offers an interesting exploration of a world where every action is recorded and visible through a system called the "Grand Archive." The protagonist, Ben, is dealing with the loss of his father while caring for his conjoined twin brothers. His involvement with the system leads him to uncover some unsettling secrets about the world he lives in.

I appreciated the thought-provoking themes around privacy, technology, and the consequences of a fully transparent society. The concept of a world with no secrets was unique, and the ethical questions it raised were definitely engaging. However, I found the pacing a bit slow in parts, and it was hard to connect with some of the characters. The complexity of the world-building also made it harder for me to stay fully immersed at times.

Overall, while BULB had a lot of potential and an intriguing premise, it didn’t fully captivate me. If you're into speculative fiction and exploring themes around technology and privacy, you might enjoy it more than I did!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

While for the most part, I thought the prose was well-written and the premise of this book was interesting, in the end, it just...didn't grab me. Was it unique? Yes. Was it hard to follow? Also yes, and not really in a good way. Dialog felt very stilted, and that was jarring in comparison to the prose itself.

And then, of course, the elephant in the room: sexual assault. It felt like, at the best of times, a cheap plot device. At worst, it served no purpose and could easily have been left out. It bogged down the narrative, and ultimately, while I would otherwise have given this a 3-star, that definitely bumped it down to a 2 star.

This is pretty good and pretty ambitious. It could be called speculative fiction, and it shows the author's impressive imagination. With interesting tech and a compelling premise, it's mostly engaging and not predictable. It doesn't have the polish of a more experienced author but still solid overall. I'm going to read his other book next.

I really appreciate the review copy!!

Pros: the prose was done well, the plot was alright, the Siamese twins were a nice touch.

Cons: the protagonist whined far too much about his former fiance, the author hinted too many times that the archives were going to be important to the plot.

Bottom line: OK but no big deal.