This book is set 44 years after an infection broke out which infected men’s brains and caused them to become “manic”, attacking women. Since then, women have rebuilt society while men were locked away for their safety, and women’s. Now, there’s a vaccine and it’s time to trial integrating men back into society.

I didn’t realise this was the 2nd book in the series, but fortunately this could also be read as a standalone and I didn’t have an issues understanding the context and background of this story.

This book had a lot of positive points for me:
- The characters. I feel like we got to know them (particularly the women) and I loved the family dynamics.
- The dual timeline. It gave us a glimpse of the first infection, which allowed the reader to understand the experiences the women went through. That gave us greater context for people’s thoughts and feelings towards reintegration.
- It was such an interesting look at how a female only society could be built, and how that could impact women’s attitudes towards men.
- I found this story very gripping and I flew through it wanting to find out what would happen next!
- The author did a great job of adding information regarding events that occurred in book one (Moths) it allowed this to be read as a standalone without (I imagine) being repetitive for anyone who read book one.

There were a couple of points which missed the mark for me:
- Some of the science felt a little unrealistic (e.g. the vaccine provided protection instantly).
- The ending felt rushed and unfinished. It completely surprised me that the book was just over.
- Some of the characters lacked character development (particularly Artemis, I felt like we never truly got to know him).

Overall I really enjoyed this book, I rated it 3.5 stars and I would recommend it! If the ending had been stronger, this could have easily been a 4.5 star read for me.

I am unsure if there will be further books in this series, however this book sets itself up well to be a part of a trilogy. I would happily continue this series should another book be released in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I enjoyed this follow up to Moths but it did feel like the middle book of a trilogy. The scene and plot was set and developed well in the first book and this continues the tale. I did feel that there was more to be said and the end of the book did not answer all of my questions in a satisfactory way. Is there more to come ?

I enjoyed this thought provoking thriller that extrapolates the next pandemic that follows covid. I felt invested in the characters and a huge amount of pathos for the situation the world has found itself in. A pandemic had swept the world, transferred by moths, that infected mostly men and elevated their levels of aggression. The bloodbath that followed wrecked havoc on the infrastructure and men were rounded up and institutionalized, leaving women to run the world.

The storyline occurs 40 years later as the government begins to explore programmes to integrate men back into the world. But not all factions are in favour of this change. The chapters alternate between present and the past, which cleverly helps to give context to present day decisions and emotions.

I had not realised there was a book before this but in hindsight it makes sense as there were a few gaps that felt like they were answered too briefly. I suspect the book will work best as part of a trilogy.

Lastly, I cant look at moths the same way and I feel a bit bad for the ones that crossed my path while reading this novel!

This was a hard and challenging read for many plot-related reasons, so I'd only recommend reading Toxxic if you've read and enjoyed Moths (the first in the series) first.

That aside, I also found it compelling and thought-provoking, so it was a worthwhile read for me.

Let's get into the plot: 44 years ago a plague of toxic moths infected all men. Half died almost immediately, while half became 'manic' and killed millions of women around them. Since then, surviving uninfected men have grown up in prep houses and sanitoriums, with meds to keep them calm and shaved heads to enable easy checking for moths. Until (in book 1) a vaccine was found...

The only problem is, after 44 years many women don't want them back. When a fostering programme is introduced for the first few men allowed outside, it's quickly targeted by the 'XX', a group that doesn't want them out at all.

Book one had an empathetic narrator who was a great introduction to the before and after times of the moths. This book has a few narrators who range from the loveable (Tony, one of the test releases) to the interesting (Evie, about to foster) and also a member of the XX, who of course hates all men - because of her very valid experiences when the moths came. She's largely what makes the book a tough read. She is not hugely sympathetic, she talks about men in horrible ways, and her experiences of the world reveal so much incredibly awful violence that you might just want to put the book down. But you have to separate character from author and realise that she is a product of her experience and it makes logical sense. It's also what makes the book interesting but not necessarily enjoyable. I enjoyed the exploration of this particular apocalyptic-style event, but it won't be for everyone.

To an extent, it felt a bit like a middle book of a series, where there is some progress but also some hope lost. I want to read the next book, if there is one, and find out that there's a positive future for these people! So give me more please!

The second in this fast paced dystopian series picks up where the last left off. With a vaccine now known about, a trial is being organised, with men allocated to houses out in the wide world. But some women don't think it's right; some think it's unnatural. And some remember the horrors men inflicted even before the moths, and they want these men to pay for it...

I read this very fast as I badly wanted to know what happened! Having accidentally read these out of order, I can tell you that this one would stand alone if necessary, but with the first one you get a better understanding of the relationships between different characters. This one features more flashbacks to the days everything went bad, so you're not lost with what's happening, and it also, I think, has a better explanation of the world, as it's not confined to care homes like the last one.

My heart broke several times reading this, and I really hope Jane has more planned; I'd like to find out what happens next to our intrepid little band and how they live in this very changed world. Brilliant.

I did not realize that this was sequel to Moths until I kept saying "hmm am I missing something?" Yes, yes I am missing some things it seems. Good job me. Anyways, I loved the idea of this novel and really wish I had of read Moths first .This book was dark for sure, and I've recently read reviews about both books to see if I should read Moths before posting this review, but here we are anyways! I still might go back and read Moths but I enjoyed this books concept and although it was a bit dark for me personally, it was still a good book.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

The novel is in my comfort zone but while reading it I noticed some plot problems. A lot of irons in the fire but almost nothing is explained, All very fast and simplistic in my opinion.

Not for me - I expected to love this book but unfortunately after reading quite a few pages it has failed to grip me.

I struggled a bit with the violence described in this book. I mean I read the synopsis and figured, there would be some violence, but some of the scenes were hard to read.
I truly loved the idea and I enjoy reading different types of dystopian fiction, but this one was difficult. Maybe as a women it just hit too close. Either way, the writing was good and if it had been a bit less graphic I think I would have enjoyed it more. 2.5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC

The sequel to Moths, the story continues with a group of young boys and men vaccinated and placed in foster care in the outside world. I enjoyed the world building though there is a lot of violent imagery. A few loose ends so I hope there is a third book to conclude the story. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

This is the second book in this series and I would strongly recommend reading 'Moths' first. I didn't and it felt very much like I was late to the party. The author does provide some background, and there are other snippets interspersed which broke up the flow and didn't really add much clarity.

The premise is that some moths mutated and caused a virus which only affected men and caused them to become violent and aggressive. By this second book we are further along, the men have been in camps for 40 years and women have forgotten pretty much how to exist alongside them. Then someone develops a vaccine that stops the aggression, and a sample of men are sent out to 'foster homes' to see how they cope and how the new world copes with them.

Its an interesting premise, and I enjoyed the read, I just felt maybe I would have got more from the book if I'd read 'Moths' first. Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received this as an ARC - thank you for the opportunity to read.

I ventured outside of my comfort zone on this one, and it did not really pay off for me. This was not the book for me.

Last week I read the first book in this series, *Moths*, and gave it a glowing review. On the one hand, I think *Toxxic* pairs well with *Moths* in many ways. But I PROFOUNDLY did not enjoy reading it.

*Moths* told us the story of a world where, 50 years before, a toxin that only effected men had spread like wildfire. The toxin either killed the men outright, or else drove them permanently into violent psychosis. Nearly all men died, either from violence or being unable/uninterested in caring for themselves. Only a few were able to be kept alive, constantly sedated. New generations of men were kept carefully cloistered in clean facilities, and society as a whole developed into a women-only one.

In *Toxxic*, following the development of a vaccine, society is looking at the re-integration of men. Yet there is opposition. Many of the older women, who lived through the incredible violence of the initial plague, remember men as sources of fear and terror. And they remember the world before, male-dominated and patriarchal, when it was frightening to go walking alone at night, you had to keep a careful eye on your drink at a bar, and male-superiority was baked into nearly everything to one degree or another. Even if the vaccine works, and we don’t have to fear men becoming violent psychopaths, they ask, do we really want to go back to that?

This is where I will address the ways that *Moths* and *Toxxic* play against each other. The protagonist of *Moths* was one of the women who survived the initial outbreak, and did so with her sense of empathy intact. Her life’s vocation was as a carer in one of the clean facilities. Her husband died in the initial infection; her son became violent, and attacked her, but was taken safely into custody. Crucially, despite her son’s assault, she was spared the worst of the violence.

One of the primary POVs in *Toxxic* did not. She survived as a teenager, and was witness to some of the most horrifying of the violence that happened. Unsurprisingly it left her deeply, deeply traumatized, and when it is announced that men are going to be reintroduced into society, she joins a movement to prevent this by any means necessary.

So this book was *hard* to read. The depictions of violence, which includes sexual violence, are unflinching. The first book was bad enough; this one was worse. While I understand why the author chose to do it the way she did, it nevertheless felt gratuitous to me. As an artistic choice, fine. But I don’t particularly want to read it.

And there was one change that was subtle, but once I realized it I was profoundly bothered by it. In the first book, the toxin-induced psychosis seemed like just that: psychosis. The men went mad and became violent. In this book, they didn’t seem to go *mad* so much as go *sadistic*. It seemed to really almost cheapen the story, and is a large part of the reason I say it felt gratuitous.

So to sum up: I enjoyed the first book, and thought it was excellent. I did not enjoy the second book, and am undecided on whether it was excellent or not. This might be one of those books I think about for a long time, but I really, really hope not.

Trigger warnings on this book: Sexual assault (both violent and coerced); grooming; graphic violence; suicide.

thank you to the publishers angry robot and netgalley to let me rea and review this book by providing me with ARC version of the book.
first of all, the book is amazing. the concept of the book is so unique it grips you right from the start. i was not even sure with the description where the story would go. but i have to admit the simple language in this story actually worked this time. i am a big sucker for hard language that needs to be deciphered thoroughly by me, but now i understand there are books that are like indian action films (indian action films have no physics and people just fly all the time) you just read it and enjoy.

anyway i loved the book with all of my heart!!!

read it when you want to just chill and have a coffee with a fantasy book

From the point of view of the serial science fiction reader, this novel has a few weak points. First of all, the unoriginal premise, since the pandemic that sends half the world's population out of their minds is not exactly a new idea. Then, the, shall we say, post-pandemic situation is hardly credible, with rural communities with a rather primitive atmosphere combined with very advanced situations and environments, both in terms of the confinement of male members of the community and the fields of study that are proposed. There are many suspended situations that would require either elaboration or elimination, and others that are completely inexplicable. To give one example, Sam admits to being a male who has agreed to pretend to be female as he is immune to contagion: this is an element that could have had a huge bearing on the story, but instead is thrown in, without further development.
In all this, the story nevertheless manages to generate enough curiosity to be carried through to the end and, even if one suspects something at one point, the ending is not entirely predictable. With a little reorganisation and a little more clarity of ideas, it could have been a good novel.

spectacular. angry robot press's books are fantastic, and this one is no exception. i would recommend this one quite a lot, the virus plays VERY well. thanks for the arc.

I absolutely adored the first book Moths, even though I was slightly worried it would be another story piggybacking off of COVID, but it had so much more to it that the idea of it being a virus almost faded into the background. For me, it's more about human nature and emotions and whatnot, than the actual thing they're facing. And I was eager to see if Toxxic was more of the same.

Whilst some books in a series may be read as a standalone, this definitely isn't. I mean, sure, you could read it without the first one, it won't be the end of the world, but you'll have absolutely no idea what's going on. So definitely read Moths first, trust me, you'll get so much more out of it if you do. And it's another excuse to read a fabulous story.

I don't know if this is just a two book series or if there's more. It ends perfectly fine, and I would be happy with the ending if this was it, but I am really enjoying it and would be more than happy to read more. Even if she doesn't, I hope there's more books in Jane as she's definitely got a talent here. Whether it's in the dystopian thriller genre or not, I'm intrigued to see. She's got such a way of writing character emotion that is as good as I've read.

I don't like books that bash men (or women) just for the sake of it; that in order to be a feminist, you have to actively hate men. That's not for me. However, Jane steers clear of that and actually presents some very interesting discussions around gender and equality and inequality, and what we'd change if we could. I think they'd be good book club reads as they're great for conversation - or arguments.

Once again, there's a great cast of characters, some we know from the first book and some that are new. The ones we already know have been fantastically expanded upon and built upon, which was great to read as we become close to these characters. And then the new characters seemingly fit into this world and more than hold their own.

I won't quote the line in case it doesn't end up in the final book, but there is mention of my hometown Stevenage in this book and that made me smile. Not very important for most readers, but I rarely see it used in literature, and so it made me smile every time.

It's quite gruesome this one. With Moths, all the violence from the initial infection is touched upon or mentioned in passing, whereas with this one, we get full on chapters depicting the horrors from "before". Jane hasn't left anything out or sugar coated anything, it is all there in its terrifying glory.

It is perfectly paced. It's fast paced but not so much that you get lost, but fast enough that you're really on edge and really involved in the terror and the thrill of the story.

I really enjoyed it. If I had to choose I'd say I marginally preferred Moths, but that's only because I really enjoyed the scenes in the facility and enjoyed reading about Mary, and the men locked inside. Whereas this one is about what happens when the men are allowed back out with the women. It's a completely different dynamic, a different feeling, a different read, but equally as enjoyable to read.

These are books I possibly wouldn't have picked up for myself initially but I'm sure glad I got the chance to read them as they're really great. If dystopian thrillers are your thing, then I definitely recommend this duology.

Commence the raving. I loved this!! I’m all about post-apocalyptic dystopian fiction, and this is a fresh take on the whole “people get infected and start killing one another” trope. Here, only males are infected, and you’d best believe there’s a hefty amount of gore. Hennigan uses several viewpoints to let us know, little by little, what society was like before, and women’s reactions to a vaccine trial in the present day.

Is the vaccine effective? Can men really reintegrate into society…or should they remain locked up and sedated in facilities? The government wants to give the vaccine to men and boys (but only monthly…we can’t have them getting ideas, after all!!), but not everybody can forget the past.

(Insert ominous music)

I’m already itching to read more stories in this world!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot for a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest feedback.