As this has been archived, I'll be reading this book at a later date and will post my review once I have finished.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

'Toxxic' is a thought-provoking exploration of the dark underbelly of the social media landscape. The text explores the dangers of online toxicity, cyberbullying, and the insidious impact of digital echo chambers. A good read for anyone seeking a considered exploration of the modern human experience through social media.

Really loved this feminist speculative gender informed post apocalyptic narrative! It really was an interesting critics analysis of gender roles and norms in place in society and how these are used to created hierarchical structures that control agencies and subjectivity of people based solely in n their gender. This flips patriarchal norms and in doing so highlighting the inherent sexism and power structures of society

In Jane Hennigan’s riveting sequel to Moths, Toxxic plunges readers back into a world on the brink of transformation, where the fallout from a catastrophic event continues to shape human lives in profound and unsettling ways. With a blend of suspense, speculative fiction, and social commentary, this follow-up explores the aftermath of an apocalyptic change and the quest for redemption in a world that remains hostile and alien.

Forty-four years have passed since the devastating hatching of moth eggs that unleashed a deadly toxin on the world. The fallout from this event has left men isolated in protective facilities, shielded from the lethal poison that rendered the outside world uninhabitable for them. Now, with the advent of a revolutionary vaccine, men are given a chance to re-enter society. This development promises new hope but also heralds unforeseen challenges.

Hennigan’s sequel masterfully builds on the foundation laid in Moths, delving into the complexities of reintegration and the stark reality of a world that was never intended for men. The new vaccine offers a tantalizing glimpse of freedom, but the transition is fraught with danger and uncertainty. As men emerge from their cloistered existence, they are met with a world that is both awe-inspiring and perilous, filled with hidden threats and remnants of the past.

The novel excels in its portrayal of this new world and the difficulties faced by those trying to navigate it. The contrast between the wonder of rediscovering a world that was once familiar and the grim reality of its dangers creates a compelling narrative tension. Hennigan’s writing captures the sense of wonder and dread experienced by the characters as they confront a world that is as hostile as it is mysterious.

One of the strengths of Toxxic is its exploration of themes related to survival, adaptation, and the human condition. The vaccine represents a fragile hope, but it also exposes the vulnerability of its recipients as they grapple with a world that is fundamentally different from what they remember. The psychological and emotional impact of their re-emergence is depicted with depth and nuance, adding layers of complexity to the story.

In summary, Toxxic is a thought-provoking and engaging sequel that expands on the intriguing premise of Moths. Jane Hennigan continues to deliver a captivating narrative that blends speculative fiction with profound themes about human resilience and the cost of progress. For readers who enjoyed the original novel or those who are drawn to stories of survival in the face of extraordinary circumstances, this sequel is a must-read.

I really liked this book. I have to admit, I haven't read Moths, but this didn't feel like the kind of book that required you scour the first one back to back. I generally enjoy pandemic/dystopian stories with gender at the centre, and this one didn't disappoint. Fair warning, there are quite a few POVs and quite a bit of violence, but if that doesn't bother you, neither will this book! The characters all feel real and raw, especially the women, who straddle the line between remembering a world with a lot more men, and the world they have now. There's a lot of truth here, which I think some readers will find overwhelming and confronting, but despite that, I think this is absolutely a book that fits the genre so well.

This review is going to be short as I found this novel to be overbearing in its descriptions of violence and, due to this, I could not finish. Not for me.

In book one, Moths, we encountered the Moths. Their eggs hatched, and the caterpillars spread toxic threads into the world over forty years ago. These toxins only affected men, killing them, or turning them aggressively and psychotically violent. The toxin got released all at once, causing widespread violence, with men killing women across the globe, with horrific outcomes. Women eventually got things under control, and since then men have been kept indoors in closed facilities, sheltered against the toxin, to protect them, and the remaining women across the world.

But now there is a vaccine available. One that lets men leave the protection of the facilities without dying or becoming psychotic. A programme is set up and select men are given the vaccine and released into the care of volunteer women in a selection of communities. There is very mixed feeling among women about this programme. Some women feel that the men should stay locked away, for all women's safety. Others feel that now that there is a solution, reintegration should happen. Those who remember the male-dominated patriarchy, and the massacre when the men went mad, are very opposed. Where does this leave women now?

This book was the second in a series, which I didn’t realise when reading it. It is set in a dystopic world, where women are now all who remain in charge, and men are no longer in control or safe. It is a very feminist novel, showing the impact that a world without men can have. Women live, for the most part, in harmony. There is a lot which has fallen apart due to large amounts of knowledge and the volume of workforce loss, but women are learning the skills, and rebuilding to get power, internet and all other infrastructures back into place. Healthcare, childcare, education, justice, housing, and jobs, all is working well, and people, for the most part, are happy. The matriarchy has it all figured out it seems.
The issues addressed in this book are all real and present in society. The women in the story who remember the old days recall the days when women were the weaker sex, always at risk of male violence, in a state of constant wariness if not fear when out in public. Having to live by guidelines, not walking alone, especially not at night, don’t wear that, don’t upset a man etc. As a woman reading the book, a lot of the issues women now no longer fear in this new dystopic world seem amazing, and you wonder at the society being built. A place where a woman can walk down a dark laneway to a friend's house at night with no fear. A place where all women’s voices are heard.

However, you start to see the undercurrents of power-wielding, and thirst for control that exists among some women. The desire for power, and to hold it over others is not a gender discriminatory corruption. Men just have more opportunities to hold such power. In the book, the characters work through many emotions as they try to come to terms with yet another major shift in their perception of how the world is going to sit for them now. It is interesting to see how this all plays out. Overall, a thought-provoking read, but perhaps one that is a little less enjoyable because the subject matter is so close to the truth. It stings more when you feel conflicted about the message, and what side you feel you should be on.

It is worth noting again, that this is the second book in the series, and I do recommend reading the first book to get fully up to speed. I read this without the first book, and while it does work stand-alone, I feel the story would make a lot more sense when read in series.

*I received this book from NetGalley for review, but all opinions are my own.

This is a fascinating story, the second in a dystopia. I don't know if it's feminism, I know that the men are not lucky and the new world they see is not one for them.
The question is if they will be able to survive and be part of this new future.
I'm a bit on the edge and I liked some parts and think that some are a bit over the top.
Well written, good storytelling.
3.5 upped to 4
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Another phenomenal book from Jane Hennigan!!
Was so excited for this book and it did it disappoint. Absolutely loved it. The characters were either absolutely love or loathe them !!
You could really picture the world which they lived.
Looking forward to more books by this author

Moths is an interesting series. In Book 1, Moths, we read about a matriarchal world where men are held captive in special facilities. 50 years before, a toxin either killed all men and boys or turned them into furious, sadistic killers of any women they could get their hands on.

In Book 2, Toxxic, a vaccine has been developed and there is a move to reintegrate men into society, in a controlled way. The women (all of 'society' is now women only) are not in agreement. Those who remember the massacre ask why would they want to risk it. And women who remember the world before the plague, male dominated and patriarchal, do not want to go back to that world.

In both novels, women reminisce about the bad ol' days. It's horrible to read, because it's our world. Where women are, essentially, the [physically] weaker sex, forever at risk of male violence. They're talking about women living in the United Kingdom, and by extension all women in the developed world and, basically, anywhere. Women who live in a constant state if not of fear, at least of wariness. We know all the social codes of how to behave 'like a woman', where we can or can't walk alone, especially at night, how to behave in situations where males might be roused to anger, etc., etc.

There's no doubt that living in a male dominated and patriarchal world is shit. Sure, 'most' men are not like that (blah di blah), many women will never be victims of male violence, etc., but.... Oh don't get me started, it's too damn depressing.

Maybe some younger women are not as triggered by these books, but you don't reach my age without having seen some crap, in your own life, or in your family or wider circle. Male violence towards women is deeply embedded in our culture and daily lives. And now we are seeing women's rights being eroded, again, in the backlash against feminism that is turning nastier by the day, spreading its filth from country to country, like an unstoppable toxin.

So it's hard not to dream of a matriarchal society. Even if it's not ideal and, surprise surprise, if it turns out that women can be just as/nearly as corrupt, power-thirsty and awful as men, when in power. Still...

In short, Toxxic and Moths are difficult books to read. They are fantasy, dystopian stories but, like The HandMaid's Tale (and plenty of other books), there is too much truth for comfort.

It's also difficult to be objective about Toxxic's literary value. Hard to think about plot, characters, dialogue and pacing when emotions are running high. It's beyond me, to be honest.

So how many stars does that add up to? Let's be generous, and go for the full 5, because, well, hell, we women need to stick together.

2024 Book 44 - Toxxic by Jane Hennigan

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

⭐️⭐️⭐️

OK, so probably really, really helpful to read the first in this series first - not plunge head first into the second one and wonder why you're so confused? The first, if you're interested, is called Moths.

Post-apocalyptic dystopian thriller. My kind of thing! Except, there was just something about this one that wasn't quite right. Quite a few character perspectives, one which spends a lot of time reviewing the past, some less than elegant dialogue, and possibly not enough depth in the characters for my liking. It's almost like a gender bent Handmaid's Tale, but less eloquent.

Set approx 50yrs in our future, a virus spread by moths has infected all men, killing half instantly and sending the other half completely insane and psychotic - and they take out their rage on women. Women have overcome this, creating institutions that raise the male children and house the adult men, and now one woman has created a vaccine for the virus. But is the world ready for them to be released?

#books
#bookstagram
#toxxic
#janehennigan
#2024books
#netgalley
@netgalley

I will just start by pointing out, I took a bit more in reading this book because I didn’t realized this was book two on the series, so I had to grab the first book and read it first to better have a grasp on the story…

while I liked the story and how this was a dystopian society, I didn’t like quite some things… for instance, all the characters have the same speech and therefore the same voices, if I ended a chapter in the middle, more often than not I had to go back to read who the character was supposed to be… we also have some lose ends… for instance the situation with the lady that sells candy apples was with Artemis and Daniel, not with Tony, why did it was latter as if it had happened with Tony, even more because he only reunited with Artemis in Mary funeral…

Other thing that I didn’t like was how extreme the exploration of the violence was, you don’t need to tell all details for us to understand how bad the violence was… and I don’t mean only the first wave… also, the women that wanted to prevent men coming out from facilities are as bad as the men that weren’t infected by the moths…

I got a bit tired of the book and had to have long breaks, but never mind me, maybe you’ll love it, and this book just wasnt for me…


Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robot, for the free ARC and this is my honest opinion.

This is the second book in the series, which is set in a world, where a plague carried by moths, and affecting only men has decimated the population.
I requested the book on Natalie UK without realising that it was the second one of the series and decided for completeness that I should read the first novel first. Having said that I think that there is enough of the story in this novel to make it stand pretty well on its own.
I’m big fan of dystopian novels and had missed the moths when it was published. I am very glad that I found Found it and I’ve enjoyed reading these novels very much.

This is primarily Story based novel the set up in the sciences a trifle unbelievable, but I personally don’t mind this in dystopian novels. If you can suspend your disbelief and go with the Story, it is very enjoyable and the world seems real.
The author has a clear easily read, flowing prose style and I read the book in one sitting spending 48 hours in the world of moths
The fact that the plague affects men only allows the author to look in a very different way at sexism, and the way that this changed in a world where women have all the power and a few men left alive were aligned on them to stay healthy. The second book looks at this in more detail , for example, the generation of women who have lived their lives, without men present, adapt to suddenly having men living freely within their society. I found this a very interesting concept and enjoyed the way that the author discussed this. she managed to do this with sensitivity a lightness I’ve left you pondering the issues after you finished reading the book
Jane’s characters are well developed and feel like real people. It was easy to understand why they behaved as they did.
I really think that these books would make a fantastic TV series and wouldn’t be surprised if the rights for this were grabbed up. I would definitely watch a Netflix series based on these.
The novel was published in the UK on the 12th of March 2024 by Angry Robot
This review will appear on NetGalley, UK Goodreads and my book blog bionic SarahS book WordPress.com, Anne And, Amazon, UK.

Just incredibly sad and all too believable. You still have a bad relationships and unkind people, even in this female dominated society. Is humanity the problem rather than biology? Can humanity survive when it is at odds with itself or are we too power hungry, unforgiving or scared to see similarity and love.
Gender dynamics, power struggles, and survival. A thought provoking read with plenty of action to keep you engaged and wanting to find out more, why and who.

I didn't realise this was a sequel until I started reading it. However, I would have wanted this ARC anyway based on the description The opening rnt about men is so good. UGH the stuff about working twice as hard for half the rewards. I loved the world building.
Anyway I felt a lot of empathy for all the characters, which I guess is the point. . This was alright.

I loved this book which is the 2nd book in the Moths series. I love a dystopian gender-based novel where only males are infected with an illness. I absolutely loved the gory parts of this book! There is a vaccine, and I enjoyed seeing the different viewpoints of the pros and cons of the vaccine. This is definitely a series I enjoyed.

Toxxic has a sharp stark cover featuring the bright neon green on a dark background. Theres also the clever use of a hypodermic needle as the “I” in Toxxic. I really like the cover, it fits well with the first book in the series, and would make me pick it up from a book store shelf to learn more about it.
The danger of the Moths and their threads is still apparent so men are still in facilities……for now! There are differing opinions on what should be done with them. There’s those that want the men to live out their days confined to the facilities, yet at the same time complain about the resources needed to keep the men there. Then there’s the other people who want to reintegrate the men into society. A vaccine has been found and it’s decided a small test group will be formed. A man from a facility and a boy from a prep school will be given the vaccine and placed in a home, into a family to see how they cope and how the dynamic works.
Of course, the families housing the males are to be given incentives such as extra land, a scholarship for a member of their family either at agricultural or engineering or a non- resident teacher course. The hosting families are also given training in how to deal with the men/boys along with extra clothing, and more food & travel vouchers. The males are placed within the families in kind of a buddy system, a boy from a prep school and a man from one of the facilities.
Tony and Artemis are two men chosen and they are paired with two young boys Layton and Daniel. The males, both boys and men are to experience life outside and a freedom to move around that they have never had before. They are expected to work and do chores in exchange for a roof over their heads, food and clothing. They are supposed to integrate into the community of Eastor but it soon becomes apparent that not everyone is happy about the vaccine, the males or the families accepting the men in the trial either. Life becomes much harder and dangerous for the males on the trial and the families they are placed with. That’s probably why Evie and Molly become closer as they hare both in the same situation.
Whilst there are those that support the system there are many that oppose it and will go to any lengths to sabotage the experiment. The main underground opposition are the Womens Conservative Society, with its Head Quarters also known as XXHQ on the outskirts of Citadel. All the women that are part of the society are referred to by numbers such as XX104 who joins the movement to prevent males being let out of the different facilities.
We read about the day to day things the women take for granted that the males are now becoming part of. Tony isn’t used to the hard physical work but makes up for any short comings with enthusiasm. Artemis starts off sullen and thinking about running away to becoming attached to both the young boy put with him as part of the buddy system and Evie. The men get to be outside, not looking at the outside from behind glass, they can breathe real fresh air that hasn’t been through a filtration system. They experience friendships and being around females that aren’t staff members for the first time too. There are some really poignant scenes within the book. Of course, the males “mess up” but they do their best to do whatever is asked of them. They also feel responsible when a beloved animal is killed purely because of their presence in Eastor.
There is so much going on in this book, theres the daily interactions between the males and their foster families, the way the foster families are shunned by neighbours for even having males in their homes. Theres also the member of the Womens Conservative Society XX62 who went into a meeting at Chesterford, another area chosen for the male integration trial and blows herself up, injuring many and killing four little boys.
Two of my favourite characters were Mary and Tony. The way Tony wrote to Mary about everything that was happening, he didn’t forget her kindness towards him at the facility. Tony really has a lot to deal with throughout the series, people he thought dead and long gone suddenly reappearing, then the loss of Mary, the hate from the women who think the men should remain in the facilities. I also enjoyed the way the tough, grumpy Artemis softened when placed within a family and tried to nurture the young boy placed with him.
I would have loved a happier ending for Tony, Daniel and Layton, and a way that Evie could keep her child whether it is born male or female. I’d also have liked to know more about Sophia and how/why she has Logan and Nathan. So I’m kind of hoping that there may be a third book?
As soon as I finished reading Moths, I couldn’t wait to start reading Toxxic, I really wanted to know what was going to happen next. There were a couple of occasions when I was slightly confused as the book does jump from the past to present etc quickly. But once you really get into the book its addictive reading, and I did not want to put this book down. I haven’t read two books in the same series back to back like I did with Moths & Toxxic for a long time and I really enjoyed immersing myself into this futuristic, but scarily realistic world and didn’t want it to end!
My immediate thoughts upon finishing reading Toxxic were that the book covered a lot of controversial subjects in a very clever way. The way the males are put away in facilities and women run everything, the way “male born women” were also rounded up with the men and “female born men are told they must live as women. The families just consist of women. The way women were compensated for bearing male babies and handing them over. The way that women go to visitation to have sex just for fun rather than reproduce with males. The book kind of turns “normal society” on its head.
I certainly was not disappointed and honestly would love there to be more books set in this world!

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley.

Another excellent dystopian thriller in the world of Moths from Jane Hennigan. I think I may have liked this one even more than Moths.

This one picks up slightly after the ending of moths and we see the return of some beloved characters from Moths as well as new voices and perspectives. While Jane Hennigan is such a good writer that you could understand what happened in Moths just by reading this one, I would highly recommend reading them in order to fully appreciate the world building and horror that came with the first book.

This felt like it leaned more sci-fi thriller, whereas moths felt a little more sci-fi horror. We have conspiracies, warring political factions and people caught in the middle. There are some harrowing descriptions of the initial infection event as well as moments of extreme violence happening in Toxxic’s timeline.

This was a worthy sequel to Moths and I’m really impressed at what Jane Hennigan has done with this series. A unique dystopian world seen from the perspective of individuals trying to live their lives and do the right thing in a challenging, and often dangerous situation.

I find it really hard to write reviews for sequels because there's so many ways to slip up and spoil the previous book(s). So I'm going to keep this very simple and short.
WOW! The sequel to Moths that I've been wanting and NEEDING!! Loved it!
I liked that the story is told from several different perspectives and also the added mystery of figuring out who survived the initial outbreak and who they had become in later life.
There was a great range of characters with people to love and people to hate. I got really invested in the story and really wanted things to turn out ok. And then the twist at the end..... fabulous!