*3,5/5

A Season of Monstrous Conceptions is a novella heavy in its dense, thick atmosphere, and the uneasiness of it—and of the monstrous children in the center of it—draws the reader close with each word. With its length not considerable (less than two hundred pages), its plot flows quickly in a way that does not leave much time for in-depth development. The main character, Sarah, a midwife apprentice, is likeable, if not developed as much as she could've been; particularly, the relationships she has with other characters seem to be skimmed over, even though they play a crucial role in the alienation she feels from 1700s London society on several axes, from her gender and sexuality to her otherworldly abilities.

Likewise, while the historical setting is well-researched (yet not hermetic to a modern reader), there's a promise of its intricacies that remains unfulfilled. Lina Rather is a skilled writer, but I believe that perhaps her abilities would shine brighter in a longer form, where there would be time not only to explore all of the interesting concepts that make up the worldbuilding but also flesh out the characters more. Still, a promising read.

Thank you, NetGalley and Tor Publishing, for an ARC in exchange for a review.

Lina Rathers's A Season of Monstrous Conceptions is an eldritch historical fantasy of midwifery, monstrosity, and the rending of the world.

Sarah Davies is a midwife's apprentice who gets in the middle of a cosmic mystery. In 17th century London, inhuman babies are being born, and, since Sarah's own nature is of the uncanny, she soon finds herself caught in-between two worlds. Others grapple for her powers in a combat of science and magic, as the world will be forever changed.

This short, little story absolutely blew me away. It has everything I could ever want: queerness, social commentary, magic, mystery, conflict between the Old and the New, and angry women making their own choices in a world not built for them.

Sarah is a sharp and bristly young woman, and I adored her. She really stood out on the page, with all her messiness and desires, and I loved getting to experience this story through her eyes. Her romance and her introduction into the queer community of 1675 was so beautiful and heartfelt (and steamy), made even more so by the themes of self-acceptance, homecoming, and queerness-as-magic.

Rathers's writing is tactile, flexible, and clever, without the style overwhelming the substance. Considering the shortness of the novella, I am so impressed by the wide array of themes that was covered, but the concise storytelling got them all across safely.

My only complaint is that I wish there was more.

This book had me crying, shaking, screaming, and even now, just thinking about it, I'm tearing up. If you're looking for a book about anger, humanity, and creating your own world, I am begging you to read A Season of Monstrous Conceptions.

Overall, it is a cute story that had its own charm which I genuinely enjoyed, but its not one that I will be revisiting.

I wish it was a novel and not a short story. I adored the idea and a romance subplot, however I didn't have time to fully grasp what was even happening. On the other hand, everything was wrapped up amazingly, although I would love to see a second book about the same characters.

A midwife protagonist in fantasy! Amazing!

I love the character descriptions in this book. They really paint a picture.
In general the plot feels like a movie. It is so smooth.
The character are a tad bit flat, but not to a way that it impacts the story in a major way.
I honestly have never read descriptions that for so well into the narrative like the ones on this story. It all just works for the vibe!

The midwifery also works as a great perspective on the premise of the book, strange children are being born, and it’s refreshing to have an occupation be that central to the story.

A very interesting premise! I enjoyed the mystery and intrigue surrounding the supernatural, especially through the lens of someone who is touched by this otherness. I’m always a fan of reinventing history (particularly with a fantastical or magical twist), and utilizing Sir Christopher Wren’s rebuild of London after the Great Fire was a perfect backdrop.

I feel like parts of this book are very rushed: we get plenty of time to learn about Sarah’s complex opinions of herself and those around her but barely any time with her and Sir Wren’s collaboration. This collaboration is “supposed” to be the main plot, according to the book’s summary, but ends up being more on the sidelines.

Overall, this was interesting while reading but ultimately forgettable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A Season of Monstrous Conceptions was an absolute delight to read. The world Lina Rather has built feels lived-in and the style of writing holds the reader's hand in the best way as the story builds. Lina's writing is reminiscent of the classic gothic and serial novelists I grew up on, with the fantastical elements of the world built organically into the framework of the narrative.
This novel follows Sarah Davis, a midwife in 17th century London with a secret past and otherworldly nature, as she is drawn into a web of an increasing number of peculiar, unnatural births which threaten the stability of not only the community, but the world. Through association with the husband of her latest client, Lady Wren, Sarah learns to delve deeper into her own strengths, but her ambition and trust in those around her put her in danger from not only those who want to maintain the current order, but also those who would remake it for their own.
My one critique of this book is that I didn't entirely buy into the relationships between a few of the characters. However, this seemed to be a stylistic choice on the part of the author in how characters were depicted.
I would happily recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Dracula or Neverwhere.

I wanted to read this book on a whim and am glad I decided to check it out. A Season of Monstrous Conceptions by Lina Rather included almost everything I want to see in a book. It's also the first time in awhile I've read a book that lightly grazes across medical history in an engaging read to help individuals delve into different historical narratives.

We meet Sarah, a midwife, at a tumultuous time in London as children are born touched by another world. What seems like an oddity not quite connected with her life becomes more and more interesting as we learn how close Sarah is to the core of this narrative.

When she's asked by a man of science to help him better understand this phenomenon, she helps. Her main goal is caring for his wife as a midwife but can't help but linger on the idea of this other place only to learn he cannot be trusted.

The storyline is fast paced and nicely compacted into a novella. Though it left me wanting a lot more. There was so much of this world I wanted to explore while also feeling content by the end. I think also this is due to my love of history of medicine and witchcraft.

Lastly, and almost most important, I was surprised to find this was a sapphic tale. It's something I think should be brought out more. I know as a fellow Sapphic I'm more likely to pick up any book knowing this. And it was nice reading a historic Sapphic read with a happy ending though I sure was scared for a second there.

thank you both netgalley and tor publishing for letting me read this e-arc, in exchange of an honest review.

this novel for me felt way rushed, even for a novella maxing out at approx 105 pages from memory. in turn, i had dnf’d this book because of it . the initial concept of the novel seemed quite interesting but i didn’t enjoy the way it was executed. there is a lot of potential when it comes to the magic system which is shown within the book, but more so this magic system would have worked in a full length novel rather than a novella.

furthermore, i will also have to mention there is no explanation at all of the plot line - which had me very confused. as the main descriptor being “otherworldly babies???” (nothing could have left me more confused, if i don’t say so myself).

This queer, fantasy novella set in 17th century London is excellent. The world-building is fantastic, the back-story of the protagonist is deftly created and told, and the characters were rich and fully-fledged. While I don't always like the incorporation of actual historical figures into fiction, the use of the Wrens here was very well done. I am 100% going to seek out other work by this author.

I just didn't bother to finish this book. The setup seems interesting enough but it deals with child bearing A LOT and that's just a turn-off for me. I don't really care to read about it at all. So I found it very hard to find time to pick this up and ended up reading other books instead.

I'd also worry about how short this is. I didn't realise it's a novella and not a full length novel when I picked it up. There's a lot of potential for the world building and the magic system. I only read half of this book and it was barely mentioned. The book would have been more captivating if that had been more central to the story.

A Season of Monstrous Conceptions wasn’t at all what I was expecting. I absolutely adored the world that Rather created and I wanted to know so much more about it and the characters. I absolutely loved the writing and how easily it flowed. This book has an atmosphere that’s haunting and I wish I could have spent more time in it. Rather did a great job building these characters and this world, but once we got to the part where the Other Place started to merge more with ours, I felt that it all happened to quickly. I wanted to see more off that world as well.

In late 1600s London, as described in this achingly spare novella, we encounter witches and a break between worlds. A break that lets in babies that are decidedly "other." And in this version of London, we also find Sarah. A woman capable of seeing between the worlds and using great power, but only sometimes.

Sarah, after circumstances of birth and life leave her in the dubious hands of Mrs. June as an apprentice midwife, finds herself swept up in the lives of Lady and Sir Wren, and asked to attend to Lady Wren's upcoming birth. She is at odds with the group of midwives that Mrs. June consorts with, and also finds herself swept up in the promises given to her by Sir Wren to fix the breach between the worlds. At every moment Sarah's life is held by the whims of those that lay claim to her, and the society she must move within. Her moments of want and love are furtive, risking her reputation.

A Season of Monstrous Conceptions is nothing that I thought it would be. It is a brief tale, but it is rich in threads of horror and magic and societal expectations. It brings the feeling of "otherness" to the forefront, and asks Sarah to make a choice that is often given to those that are powerful - how would you fix the world? Can it even be fixed? And who decides what is the right path to take? And is it so wrong to be different?

I received an advanced copy of this book. This is my own review. I quite liked this. It grabbed me from the start but I always enjoy books about witches and magic as a rule. It seemed to me that I read it really quickly. I would like to know more about Sarah and the other place so would definitely read a second book if there was to be one.

This novella was a very confortable read, pleasant and interesting. The background was convincing (1900 with a pinch of fantastic-an eruption of strange births, the babies presenting 'malformations') and the evolution of the story was rather convincing for such a short format. I say rather, as I was a bit ambivalent about the transformation of the heroine from a apprentice midwife, gifted with some vague magic, not really understood and not mastered, to a champion to save the world.
Byt clearly the theme is that of embracing ones differences and live openly with them, without shame, proud of it, ready to be strong, useful and happy, and I like that the differences were magic but also sexuality: the stories with lesbian relationships aren't so numerous! Quite a good feminist story too.

(I thank Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for sending me the ARC in exchange for my honest review)

An atmospheric blend of magic and historical fiction where you really have no idea who to trust until the final few pages. I really enjoyed the tying of magic to this theory of 'the other side', and how the climax underlines all that we've learned so far about the strange children being born and the muddy, bloody world of midwifery Sarah inhabits. Often, I get frustrated with books like these aas the characters seem a little too 'modern'- this was pitch-perfact, believable, and still managed to be satisfyingly queer.

Thank you to Netgalley for this copy for an honest review.

A Season of Monstrous Conceptions has some of my favourite themes in books: fantasy, quirky, gore, spooky, uncanny and sapphic.

Sarah is a young widow who has become an apprentice midwife after being accused as a witch by the residents of her home town and in 17th century London babies are being born with animalistic traits - something Sarah herself knows all too well about. These babies are somehow connected to the 'Other Place' a realm beyond ours but somehow attached and vibrating in a similar space. It gives the midwives of London power and they use it to enhance themselves and their stations.

I genuinely relished this novella. It has a unique story and premise, but also reminded me of Vertigo's Sweet Tooth comic series - now a popular Netflix show.

The historical setting I felt did an excellent job of enhancing the story, questioning gender roles, sexuality, morals and having them also confront a vastly more challenging society - one where magic is not simply imagination, but terrifying and destructive to eldritch proportions.
What I liked most about the novella was the group of ladies that acted as midwives throughout London, intercepting uncanny knowledge and cataloguing it for themselves because it would inevitably be stolen by more official sources. The writing and descriptions of scenes were also some of my favourites parts, they were visceral, graphic and expressive.

However, that's were I was somewhat disappointed. I was spoiled by vivid and striking events that when it came to conjuring the 'Other Place' it was severely lacking. I get it; it's mysterious, beyond our knowledge, but 'because' is not a good enough reason for fantasy in my opinion. I wanted more from this author - I know they could have provided, easily.

That being said this novella is well worth a read. Perhaps there will be future installments to sate my desire - it's not the authors fault I was a glutton for their story.

Such a short but impactful read - I loved the gothic vibes, the queerness made me think of Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters, and the writing was lovely and vivid. You can almost smell the sweat, blood and fear in the birthing rooms... The storytelling and characters don't suffer from the book's length, on the contrary. Carefully wrought and convincing account of women's lives in the 17th century, through a monstrous metaphor that's eerie and enhances the gory aspects of childbirth in a beautifully poignant way.

I posted a rhyming review on TikTok (something I do for favourite reads), link below.

A Season of Monstrous Conceptions was an intriguing novella I finished in a single sitting. The concept was interesting and I liked Sarah as a character, especially enjoying her interactions with Wren, of which I wish there could have been more even though the book, as a whole, felt the right length for the story. This is a genre-blending piece that is part historical fiction and part fantasy with a dash of gothic flare. It gets fours stars from me and I recommend it to readers looking for a quick historical fantasy read.

This book was a mix of alternate history, fantasy, some unexpected queer romance, and a dash of suspense. This is a world where mutant babies are born, and I wish there was a little more back story on that, but the plot was smooth and the ending satisfactory. Hints of Lovecraft. 3.5 stars. for collections with a strong demand for Victorian-era type fantasy.