I really wanted to like this book more than I did. The novel’s premise is very intriguing—especially the idea of an ancestral deity being harnessed in the development of immortality technology—but I had serious trouble following the plot.

As some other readers have pointed out, the first third of the book reads slow and confusing. Nehla is a successful architect, unhappily married, has had a number of traumatic miscarriages, wants nothing more than to be a mother, and doesn’t know the history of her current body, including why she has a bionic arm. Microchipped and regularly interrogated by her policeman husband and state-mandated AI that lives in her bedroom mirror, she needs to prove that she isn’t a criminal, even though she hasn’t done anything wrong—apart from having an affair (which is not a crime in the world of the book, I think) and inhabiting a body whose former host was a supposed criminal. So far so good. Then things get shifty. Often, the narrator seems to contradict herself (did she have three lifespans? four? what’s the difference between lifespans and seasons? did or didn’t get Eli his promotion? editors could help here!), and the nuts-and-bolts parameters of bodyhopping technology and Botswana’s patriarchy are strangely undefined, hard to grasp. What year is it? What does the international order look like? What, exactly, counts as a crime in Nehla’s country? What kind of government is in charge? Does everyone know about Matsieng, the deity that governs the ancient watering holes and that is being used to keep the crime rate down? In this part of the book, I found it difficult to get my bearings. It was hard to tell sometimes how much time had passed between two scenes (even though each chapter has a time code); things felt sort of fluid. I also noticed that the narrator, apart from her fervent wish to be a mother and her rage at patriarchy, doesn’t appear to have a well-defined personality. She’s often all fury, for example when she lashes out at her brother. I can identify with that, but it doesn’t seem to mesh with the image of a successful architect.

Once the main action starts, it’s all action until the end, and the book improves, although I still had questions about what exactly was happening. Nehla and Jan are trying to figure out the logic behind Moremi’s haunting, and the novel seems to make it up as it goes. Sometimes, during moments of intense action, Nehla stops the narrative for internal or spoken monologues, punctuated with endless strings rhetorical questions. This could have been tightened up during the editing process. Keep it moving! Eventually, the onion’s skins have been peeled away and we get the final revelation of what’s happening in Nehla’s world, who she is, who Moremi is, and whether her lover is loyal. So, there’s definitely a payoff in the end.

I think my greatest problem with getting a firm grasp of the story and setting had to do with the narrator’s often florid, overwrought language. Nehla says things like “the froth of darkness embalms me,” “silence screams into my vertebrae,” and "his spiel spills rage into my body.” I laughed out loud at “Jan’s taut muscles writhe in his arms.” Like, not every noun needs to be personified; sometimes less is more. There were some malapropisms and grammatical errors, too, which I hope the editors will catch before publication.

Still, I enjoyed this dive into African feminism, body horror, and techno-dystopianism. Great ideas, great gore, and lots of things to ponder.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me with this ARC of the book for my free and unbiased review.

In "Womb City," a genre-bending African futurist horror novel, Tlotlo Tsamaase weaves a gripping cyberpunk ghost story exploring motherhood, memory, and a woman's right to her own body. The protagonist, Nelah, seems to have a perfect life but is trapped in a loveless marriage with her every move monitored by a microchip. After a desperate act, she finds herself haunted by a vengeful ghost, putting her loved ones in peril. In a futuristic surveillance state where bodies are government-regulated resources, the book delves into power, monstrosity, and the struggle for bodily autonomy. Tsamaase's debut intelligently explores patriarchy's impact and the cost of fighting against oppressive systems.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this ARC of Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase. Looking forward to reading more upcoming titles!

Futuristic black handmaids tell. Makes me happy that I still have my bodily autonomy and sad that even though this is set in the future women live like this.

"Womb City" is an important contribution to the science fiction genre, pushing the boundaries and encouraging us to reflect on the implications of power dynamics in society. It is a story of liberation, strength, and resilience that will resonate with readers long after they finish the last page. A must-read for anyone seeking a powerful and uplifting narrative about the triumph of the human spirit.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this ARC of Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase. I’m grateful for the opportunity to have read it and give feedback.

I want to say, straight off the bat, that this is 100% a fantasy set in a science fiction world.

Womb City is an interesting book. When it’s at its best (the first third), it’s a great exploration of inequalities, identity with body hopping, sexism, and a possible future for Botswana. This gave the book an intriguing, if not depressing, start. For me, it all fell apart once the supernatural/fantasy elements were introduced.

What I’m about to say is in the description, so it’s not really a spoiler. The introduction of the ghost, to me, felt overdone and on the cheesy side. There was emotion there, and the previous elements I enjoyed were there too (inequalities etc), but I lost interest when it became about the main characters saving themselves from this blood-thirsty ghost. The further along it went (especially when shadowy organisations came in), I was just confused.

I saw another reviewer say the make-up of this book is 1/3 sci-fi, 1/3 fantasy, and 1/3 conspiracy theories. I couldn’t agree more.

In terms of writing, this was amazing. Tlotlo Tsamaase has a beautiful voice, and I love the way xe writes. I’ll happily pick up any future sci-fi books or short stories from xer.
The characters were less intriguing. While I understood their struggles and differences, they weren’t particularly likeable to me.
As I said before, I loved the world. A lot of thought and care really went into worldbuilding here, and it was by far my favourite part of the book.
Length-wise, it felt a touch too long for me. It honestly could have been a novella (strictly exploring the sci-fi side) and it would have been a 5 star review from me. As it stands now, I'd like to give it 2.5 in the middle of the road, but Goodreads and Netgalley don't do half stars, so I've rounded it up to 3.

All in all, I’m glad I read it. I try not to read too much of the book descriptions before I pick up a book because I like to be surprised. This is one of the few times that surprise bit me, as I would have been more prepared for the supernatural elements.

Well, this book has so many ideas: body-swopping, microchips monitoring behaviour, flying cars, a gas that seeks out crimes, prisons for souls/consciousness, sentient ghosts, mythological entities as well as misogyny, control of women, human trafficking, racism, corruption etc etc.
I felt that there was too many concepts, perhaps enough for several books. Needless to say there was some repetition, especially in the first half, to describe the world and set the scene. I'm not too fond of SF/fantasy mash ups, and while this was certainly an ambitious book, it was not fully successful for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Erewhon books for the opportunity to read this e-book.

I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Well. That didn't go where I expected. At all.

This one has all the makings of a great dystopian sci-fi horror - there's body recycling, consciousness transplants, a tyrannical totalitarian government, and among it all Nelah, on her third lifespan, desperate to have a child of her own. Living in Botswana, with husband Eli by her side they finally raise enough money to hire a Wombcubator, where their baby girl will live until it is time for her to be born. Their marriage, though, is perhaps not as strong as Nelah once thought and she soon finds herself in the arms of Janith, a man who truly adores her.

Nelah and Jan are drunk, high, and become perpetrators of a hit-and-run where they decide to dispose of the body rather than turn themselves in. And after that, well.... Then shit gets weird.

On the whole I quite enjoyed it - the author has a way with description that's a joy to read. I felt it a little slow in the middle but it all came together in the end. You've got to pay attention or you'll lose some of the background when it's being explained at the end but it's worth it.

Would absolutely read another novel from this author.

“In our city, everyone lives forever. But murder hangs in the air like mist.”

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review. Womb City is a mind bending portrayal of extreme government surveillance and an absence of bodily autonomy for women. What happens when a woman is pushed to her limits while desperately trying to control her thoughts to save herself and her unborn child? In a world where even passively thinking about committing a crime can get you incarcerated, how does someone get away with murder?

Sensitive readers should be aware of the triggering content including but not limited to: incarceration, body horror, drug/alcohol use, sexual assault, emotional abuse.

There were some grammatical errors but they were easily forgotten because the writing is so immersive. Readers who enjoy genre bending, horror, and sci-fi will enjoy this book very much!

This will be book of the year! This is an incredible story with depth, sorrow and overall interest. The world building was amazing! I loved each character and the development of the story had great pacing to keep interest. This is a great entry or expert level story in the sci fi genre and I would likely recommend.

Womb City is a horror, ghost story exploring motherhood, memory, grief and what it means to be human. But what is most prominent me is that it's full of soul.

We follow our main character Nelah. She is complicated and angry and hurt but mostly she's yearning for love and connecting. I adored her. She was twisted in a way that comes from immense pain. She was so human. Seeing her struggle with her body, her feelings and her need to be a mother was not only a strong plot point but also a beautiful and haunting reflection of women in real life.

The supporting characters were all fleshed out. Really, every single one of them felt like a complete character with flaws, background and personality.

I won't say too much, as this is still coming out in 2024, but what I can say is that you will learn to love and hate these characters. They're the backbone of this whole thing and they're strengthening the story and point that Tsamaase is wanting to portray.

Speaking of point; Womb City is a brilliant analysis of motherhood, the oppression of women and their bodily autonomy. It speaks on the usage of AI in something that should only be decided by nature: life and death. This aspect was very interesting to me considering AI is (currently and sadly) on the rise in so many different parts of society. Art and literature being it's most terrifying victims, what if humanity went beyond it and started using it in governmental issues. This book will give you a glimpse of that.

Gender, gender roles, sexuality and self expression is also explored. The later two not in such a big way as gender and the main plot mentioned above but still an undeniably important part of the story.

I enjoyed the Botswana backdrop and all the different African inclusions like slang and other locations.

Oh, btw this has some cyberpunk elements, body-hopping and it's more action and adrenaline packed than you'd expect. Totally not cool and awsome and an absolute brilliant bland of political, love and action, noooope not at all (LIE DETECTED, IT'S ALL OF THESE Things AND IT'S SO DAMN GOOD).

I have to admit that at the beginning I was struggling to get into it. At around 90 pages I was wondering how the author was going to fill another 300. But my god, did it pick up. At around 110 pages I was so captivated I could not stop reading for the rest of the day. Tsamaase's writing style pulls you in by the neck and won't let go. The style definitely defines the story and keeps you going even when your body would rather go to sleep. Xe just has way of writing that makes you so absorbed in the story that you can't wait to figure out what's next.

And what's next? So many things get revealed that I was absolutely blindsided by. I gasped and looked around like I was in a movie theater. IT WAS THIS GOOD.

I adored this book. I adore Tsamaase and will definitely read everything else xe has written or decides to write in the future.

I am truly, utterly honored to have read this as an ARC and i'd be beyond delighted to have this in my bookshelf someday.

Do yourself a favor and pre-order this. Put it at the top of your 2024 tbr.

I LOVED this book! The storyline is great. I was immediately drawn in and couldn't put it down. Totally invested in the characters and plot.

What. A. Trip.

This book took me places I had no idea it would go. It gave me Neuromancer vibes, but then it shifted to motherhood, black activism, slavery, body autonomy and religion.

I was enraptured. I was fascinated. I was disgusted Sometimes I had to put it down because it was 'too much'. It's a lot, and it's heavy, and it has themes we all should pay attention to, as they do apply to minorities, women, children and what it means to live your life.

Sometimes Tlotlo treads into uncomfortable territory, and it's a very interesting and thought provoking take on what makes a human a human, what makes a soul a soul, a mother a mother, a woman a woman.

That being said, these characters give lots of exposition. Pages of exposition. And sometimes it feels like it's to cover a minor plot or world hole, and it occasionally ruins the immersion. I got confused with where people were standing, or who was talking. Was she holding a gun? How can so and so move that fast? Wait, what day is it? But I kept moving because I just needed to know what was going to happen, and that's the sign of a good book.

Thank you so much for letting me read your lovely book!

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

*Some spoilers ahead

Felt myself trudging along because the rules of this system felt impossible to grasp. And I felt the book was also struggling with this because the rules were being brought up over and over and over again. The body hopping stuff is just so incredibly lost on me. In general, the book was trying to do so many things until it felt convoluted on purpose. I felt the true essence of the book’s purpose in the last 30% of the book. The strength of this book was the vivid imagery and beautiful writing. There were some insanely emotional and violent moments that, if you can stomach them, truly bring the characters and plot to life.

Before the murder trials were exposed later in the book, I was really confused why the main emotional conflict was “I can’t believe the men in my life aren’t getting punished like me” after the main character brutally murders (literally strangles, all by herself) a random girl. It felt almost comical that that’s the argument we were making about being a woman: we both were there when I murdered her, why am I being punished more because I have a vagina? The consequence felt unbalanced to the crime, for sure. But the first half of the book felt like the MC was searching for a scapegoat, someone to blame, until it fell beautifully in her lap. I can't blame her for that and I'm sure she was meant to be written like that. But it was definitely frustrating as it undermined the legitimacy of the feminist lens to me, at least for the first half of the book. The ending definitely flips the script where we see the manipulation and abuse of the murder trials. I just wish we had gotten to this bigger conflict earlier because I was seriously struggling to take serious that we were meant to side with the MC.

I enjoyed the ending. A perfect society, without abuse and discrimination, can only occur when everything is wiped clean. Hard lesson to learn but it was creatively done.

Whaaaaaat the heck did I just read? This was a crazy, wild ride. The first quarter of the book was a slog. I almost gave up on it as the initial world was built, but I read some reviews that said it was worth it. They didn't lie. Once the action started it did not let up. At points my jaw literally dropped and I was talking out loud to the book. If you get your hands on this one, don't put it down! You won't be disappointed. The underlying topics of control, misogyny, racism, sexism, etc.- wow.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read this one!

(3.5 stars)
"Every morning, I have an AI assessment where my husband peruses my memory files."
Womb City is a feminist dystopia set in Botswana some time in the future. Technology has advanced to the point that consciousnesses can "body-hop" or be transferred between bodies. However in a world still beset by racism, classism and sexism, access to this benefit isn't always fair. Add to this, bodies are in short supply: "I was on a waiting list for a body for fifteen years in their Consciousness Bank." While immigration is difficult and risks you losing your existing body, body-hopping is popular with asylum seekers: "being in a different body provides them asylum from the trauma they endured."

Babies can now be grown in artificial womb pods, completely separate from their infertile parents, but, like the beautiful cover drawn by Colin Verdi, always on their mind. The would-be parents pay heavily for this privilege. If they miss a payment the foetus can be grown to adulthood and assigned a new consciousness without the biological parent even knowing who they were when they pass them on the street. The book also incorporates traditional Motswanan cultural beliefs about reincarnation into the science fiction landscape, which increases its uniqueness.

Crime is at an all-time low through giving up freedoms. Bodies with criminogenic tendencies are involuntarily microchipped and surveilled by the state: "female bodies are microchipped more often than men's". To keep power and control, wealthy men are secretly allowed to remember their past lives, but women, particularly young Motswanan women like the protagonist Nelah, don't get to remember who they are: "I've heard some locker-room banter reveal they prescribe women amnesia so they don't remember what was done to them." The body-hopping women are also kept from learning about the past lives of the body (Nelah's is missing an arm) they now inhabit. It all adds up to a very interesting and unique landscape for a feminist dystopia. It chafes against Nelah when her husband plugs into her memories "the same way he uses his penis: mechanically, thoughtlessly." As you'd expect this gendered power imbalance poisons relationships: "My husband has the upper hand in our marriage, because I'm the one with a criminal body." It even challenges Nelah's relationship with her lover, Jan.

My only complaint about Tlotlo Tsamaase's novel is the first part (in particular) is very repetitive. I feel like the author was asked to insert content before the opening chapter, and it hasn't been incorporated properly to cut out repetition. The reader isn't stupid, and doesn't need to be told "my body is fitted with a microchip that observes my behavioural patterns to deter criminal recidivism" over and over again. This should have been picked up by a good edit. Some parts, like conversations between Nelah and Jan on drugs, stretch on forever and need to be cut down. It's also kind of weird, there's no lead in to this drug-fuelled rampage with its language very out of keeping with the Nelah we met before it: "Dinner date with the side-bitch, and I'm the bad bitch." We also don't need to hear every stream-of-consciousness thought that ever pops into Nelah's head, show us what she feels through her actions. Sometimes the feminsm is a bit heavy handed too, we don't need it stated so explicitly, and so often, when we can see through the action the women in the book are being exploited and rising up.

This was a super dark dystopian/sci-fi novel taking place in Botswana, which will be published in January 2024. I was thrilled to get to read an advance digital copy via NetGalley, thank you! This book was hard to read at times due to the intensity of the subject matter, and has haunted me a little bit! The parts I found most compelling were the ethical questions that emerged from the technologies used, and the ways the morality of individual people was assessed. Would I have passed a test like the ones simulated for the protagonist, Nelah? Especially under the specific circumstances she was under? Beyond that, the feminist viewpoint and the corruption within the government of even this “crimeless” world were two standout points.
For me, this book was a solid 3 stars. Certain chapters were a bit challenging to parse, which stylistically made some sense, but at times made for a dense and confusing read. I enjoyed the premise and the main points but did find it to be a bit gory for my personal taste. I enjoyed it, though, and it will be one I recommend to anyone looking for a dystopian book a bit off the beaten path, who isn’t put off by dark and intense content!

I really like the concept of Womb City and I was really excited to read it but I'm 100 pages in and I just can't get into it. I'm confused and also I really don't like books with affairs. I just can't keep reading this.

this book seems to have a three-act structure. in act 1, we are given a lengthy (and draggy) exposition about the protagonist, nelah, and the afro-dystopian futuristic botswana she lives in where government surveillance is the norm and corruption runs rampant. in act 2, something exciting finally happens, but at the same time the story veers away from its sci-fi setting and becomes a supernatural one with curses, the risen dead, and ghosts with superpowers. it gave me whiplash. in act 3, it started to resemble a kdrama with the sudden revelations of familial ties and backstabbing. but somehow that supernatural element is ramped up and we get a vengeful goddess who feeds on blood, crime, sin, pain, and misery. and who can conveniently control every single person. and who becomes incarnate in our protagonist.

Book : Womb City
Author : Tlotlo Tsamaase
Pub Date : 23 Jan 2024

Thank you NetGalley, Kensington Books, & the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This was AMAZING, MIND BLOWING, INCREDIBLE! I honestly had never read anything like this book up until this point. This book takes you into the future of body hopping, no privacy, feminist themed, microchips, you name it, it’s probably in here. I had never even dreamt up of anything like this. The world development/world building and characters are so well built and written that it felt so realistic and I felt like I was right there in the book as I read.

I absolutely do not want to give a single thing away with this book because it is full of twist and turns and shocks. I had my jaw to the floor the entire read. Anything you could imagine being in this type of dystopian futuristic book is probably in this.

This book is absolutely a must read, it is a must own and I will tell all of my friends about this book. It absolutely makes those wheels in you head turn wondering just how real could this be in our actual future.

I really wanted to love this book, and while it was good, it didn't fully live up to what it could've been, in my opinion. For instance, this book makes many great points about the reality of womanhood today, but I wish it was told in a story I could love more. 

The book is billed as "genre-bending" horror, but the first third of the book is whole-heartedly sci-fi, which makes the subsequent horror feel rather jarring in terms of readjusting to the narrative. In that purely sci-fi part, the exposition feels bumpy, to the point of being unclear, and does not allow you to really care about the characters. The character-building is what ultimately disappointed me the most. For example, it's hard for me to buy into a few of the main character's relationships, including with her husband and her lover. In fact, Nelah, the main character, feels a bit two-dimensional and sometimes her decisions don't feel authentic to the character; I actually found myself wishing the book was instead about a character we don't meet until halfway through. 

The language also comes across very flowery at times, which is just not my cup of tea. There were a few times when flowery language seemed to slow the plot down when it was at a suspenseful time, and that really frustrated me. A lot of times, mundane descriptions are directly at odds with the urgency the main character should be experiencing. Finally, the main plot doesn't really start until roughly a third of the way through the book, which is something to consider if pacing is a concern for you. 

Things to note: There is a lot in this book that could be upsetting to some readers, so I suggest reading any trigger warnings ahead of time. 

For those who have read already, I found myself sympathizing much more with Moremi than Nelah. For too much of the book, Nelah's decisions and priorities do not seem understandable, and it often feels like her unborn daughter is her only defining character trait. I found it very hard to buy into her marriage as something that ever was okay, and the plot twist at the end about her husband felt unnecessary and built in for shock value. I didn't care about him enough or their marriage to see it as a betrayal. But that said, I also did not care about the affair and Jan. Both men seemed underdeveloped, and I didn't care about them. 

While I understand the parallelism of Moremi being Nelah's daughter from a previous life, it felt a bit unnecessary, especially when Nelah continues to make decisions that prioritize her unborn daughter over Moremi. Honestly, I wish the book was about Moremi. 

Finally, the ending seemed overwrought with descriptions and pontification. It didn't hit how I expected it to.