Tlotlo Tsamaase is definitely a promising author! Womb City is a chilling dystopian novel that merges African futurism with dark social commentary. The story follows Nelah, whose seemingly perfect life is controlled by an oppressive, tech-driven society. The novel delves into complex themes like bodily autonomy, motherhood, and surveillance, painting a disturbing picture of a world where women are constantly monitored and manipulated.

While the premise is intriguing, I found the execution to be somewhat convoluted. The story’s jumps between different plot elements, like the murder and political conspiracy, sometimes made it hard to follow. That said, the book’s unique take on body horror and its eerie, unsettling atmosphere kept me engaged.

Womb city is a captivating dystopian book. It seamlessly blends a fantasy world and complex themes of social issues. The issues highlighted in this book include belonging, womanhood, and community. You’ll learn about these issues as you follow the story of Nelah as she encounters struggles with reproduction, community, technology, and government survival. Overall, womb city is a complex, thought-provoking novel.

I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately I simply don't think it was for me. There were aspects of it I enjoyed, but a majority of it I didn't end up liking it unfortunately. I don't think things were handled as well as they could have been. The cover, however, is gorgeous and the narrator did a good job with the audiobook.

Audiobook received for free through Netgalley

I wanted to like the book and love the premise but I just couldn't get into it. I got 32% through the ebook before finding the audiobook and hoping that would let me continue the story. It stalled out at 50%. I like it but just keep putting it down and forgetting about it.... though I do hope to finish the story but can't keep holding the review hostage.

This was very intense and while I was very intrigued with the story and the magic system it seemed that the story got a bit too big and complex. It felt as if the story was running away from the authors intent and that some plot points were sensationalized. I would have liked to hear more about the society, how it was determined and effected the population and less sensationalized action.

An extraordinary eeriness permeates each and every chapter, the narrator tugs you right into the world the characters inhabit and it swallows you up. Visceral depictions and otherworldly futuristic advances make this a Sci-fi masterpiece that squirms it's way in and through genres like a virus. One of the weirdest books I've had the pleasure of listening to. While typically, horror is my preferred genre this morphed in and out of horrific scenes that are raw, human, and emotional.

I requested, and received, an ARC via NetGalley after reading the awesome premise of this one. It should have been a five star read for me, but felt like too much was jammed in and the pacing was a bit all over. It covers some really important topics but ultimately fell flat for me.

What a fascinating concept! There was so much potential here, but ultimately I wished there was more world-building. I really wanted to know more about the history of body transferring and the politics. I also felt that the writing was a bit too flowery, which muddled the pacing a little. But overall, I was really fascinated by this story and its commentary on black female bodies. I am curious to see what Tsamaase does next.

Really neat concept, but I could not really follow the plot. So many different themes came up and it felt like the story switched every 1/4 of the book. I unfortunately spent a lot of time generally confused. I did appreciate the diversity in characters, but also felt that so many of the themes about racism, classism, misogyny, etc were so bluntly and repeatedly stated it felt like it took away from dialogue or plot.

Such a beautifully written and devastating story (in the best way) the narrator really does the author justice in the audiobook, I can highly recommend!

I love some sci-fi/horror and womb city was just so imaginative. Such a powerful story surrounding the idea of body autonomy

Can’t recommend enough!

Am trying to think of summit that Womb City isn’t? Coz it’s just about every genre nd plot line amalgamated into this interesting, speculative, multifaceted but fluid story

A cryptictechnothriller tale of a body hopping society, where wombs are no longer human and are for sale, where people can die more than once and rock up in another body, where poor means a short life and rich means many, women are persecuted, monitored nd microchipped

It’s horror, thriller, ghost story, speculative fiction, dystopian, mystery, that includes feminism, pregnancy, love (or not) stories, cyber punk vibes, parallel multidimensional (kinda) plot, a futuristic narrative set in Africa

Imagine creamy Black Mirror stirred into Ring Shout ganache, with a pinch of Altered Carbon, slosh of Vox, sprinkle of Total Recall and massive squirt of Handmaids Tale sauce, all served up in a Get Out bowl with an Us silver spoon. A tasty mix up of the best dystopias seeping with horror

It is super well written albeit it a long audio, the narrator was lush to listen to. Am so glad it wasn’t the standard setting of UK or USA, coz an always wonder why dystopias have to be set there!?

Each few chapters will leave ya second guessing ya self and having to re read or re listen to each part to double check. It’s cryptic but brilliant. The writing style is unique nd rocks between poetic prose nd edge of ya seat creepiness

If it was a youngin at a party, the introverts would describe it as “too much” but for people who love that vibe it lands just right

Like a said it’s a long listen, but worth it

(Stole pic from google coz a did audio)

#wombcity

Womb City was a book that caught my attention by its cover. I thought to myself this has to be something special. Sadly, with only a few reasons why to read it, I've decided not to recommend it.

Here's the reasons why:
-The plot is mostly made of world building and very thin characters. Think a basic domestic thriller set in a futuristic world.
-By the time the plot actually starts moving (30ish% in) I was so confused because to me the world was hard to understand. With our MC being so unreliable in a world where I need to know what's going on was hard to read.
-By the end I disliked everything from the characters to the world to plot.

The only thing I did enjoy were the pros and the writing on a line level, not a structure level. I would read more from this author but probably in smaller dosages. But the cover does go hard.

I was a little confused when I started this because I had a feeling I wasn't going to like based on some reviews. Curiously enough after a couple of chapters I was really REALLY enjoying it. I thought it was going to be more focus on the "womb" aspect (meaning the fact that the MC is expecting a child) but it wasn’t.

Nelah and her lover find themselves in a really bad position when they murdered a woman, in a society where people (well mostly women) wear a chip that records every thought and sight if they are suspected to maybe become a murdered. Yes, is as convoluted as it sounds.
Part Handmaids Tale and part Minority Report you’ll find a novel that heavily criticizes a society and their control over women and their bodies in a great use of dark scifi and gore.

I’ll talk about this one more on my channel because text can’t explain how bizarre this book was.

When I started this book, I didn't know much about what this story was about. I knew a woman was trapped inside of a body that wasn't hers and I knew that there was a lot of commentary on the policing of women's bodies. The beginning of this story really plays into these ideas that I had. A lot of it built up the world and the relationship between the main character and her husband to really question just how it is like to be a woman in this world. For lack of a better word, I "enjoyed" the speculation part of this part of the story. It was very slow but I did not mind the questions that it brought up about women's autonomy.

Then we get to the 25-30% mark of this story and everything takes a drastic twist. Instead of being a slow, thought-provoking story, it becomes a horror/thriller. The drastic shift in the tone/mood of the story took me away from enjoying it for the next 10% of the story. The crazy thing is that if I would have read the description of the book, I would have known that this is what the book promised to be; the ghost of the girl she killed and buried coming back to haunt her for revenge. However, it's not the content that made me have an issue with this second part of the story. The shift just felt disjointed from the first part of the story so that they almost felt like two completely different books. I did make myself continue the story, though, and eventually, I began enjoying the horror/thriller aspects. The reveals were great and I still enjoyed exploring this messed up society.

Another part of this book that kind of detracted from my enjoyment of the book is the characters. I enjoyed the inner monologue of the MC but it just started to be a little too much. In the beginning, it was really used to set up just who this character is and explain the world. But almost every single time she would have some kind of thought, I felt that it would go on for too long. And then when you get to the second part of this story, the inner monologue still meandered in the middle of this thrilling scene. I just started getting sick of her, especially because she is an unlikable narrator. None of the characters are particularly likable, and while I love unlikable protagonists, this character just kept being so annoying. Her "side-piece" as the description calls him, does nothing but be there for her and she treats him terribly. Again, none of them are blameless in this society and it's not like she acted like she was above him, but I hated how dirty she kept doing him when all he wanted was to help her at all costs.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and I think I would try more from the author. I just needed a little less experimentation with genre and better pacing and I probably would have enjoyed this more. I don't think a lot of people are going to like this story, but I'm hopeful that it will find its audience.

“Womb City” by Tlotlo Tsamaase is a riveting and thought-provoking journey into a dystopian future where power, control, and bodily autonomy are at the forefront of a harrowing narrative. Set in a world where surveillance is omnipresent, and women’s bodies are commodified by the state, the novel masterfully weaves together elements of horror, science fiction, and social commentary.

Tsamaase’s prose is evocative and immersive, drawing readers into the unsettling landscape of “Womb City” with its complex characters and chilling political machinations. At the heart of the story is protagonist Nelah, whose desperate bid for freedom sets off a chain of events that forces her to confront the brutal realities of her society.

What makes “Womb City” truly compelling is its exploration of themes such as patriarchy, oppression, and the quest for agency in the face of overwhelming odds. Through Nelah’s journey, Tsamaase sheds light on the ways in which women are pitted against each other and forced to navigate a system designed to exploit and control them.

But amidst the darkness, there is also hope. As Nelah fights to protect her loved ones and uncover the truth, readers are reminded of the resilience of the human spirit and the power of collective action against injustice.

In “Womb City,” Tsamaase delivers a gripping and timely narrative that challenges readers to question the boundaries of power and autonomy. It’s a haunting debut that will linger in the mind long after the final page is turned, leaving readers eager for more from this talented author.

I was disappointed in this book and I think that says more about me than it does about the book. I try over and over to read and love sci-fi. Theoretically, it should be a home run for me. I love technology and politics and epic stories.... but I can never get into it. This book was no different. It felt almost too complicated and maybe would've been better as a series or even a series of graphic novels.

The concept of this book was super interesting to me; a world where people can body hop and live hundreds of years while simultaneously, everything women do is controlled, even down to pregnancy. But unfortunately, I think most of it went right over my head. Things were a lot deeper than they originally seemed and it just confused me every time new information was given to the reader. I did enjoy the social conversations this book had throughout about wealth, race, sex vs. gender, and the overall struggles of being a woman, and I think that's what saved this book for me. I was super excited about this novel and I'm only slightly disappointed that I didn't love it. I also really did enjoy the audiobook! The narrator was perfect for the main character and added so much emotion to everything. The narration felt tense during the tense scenes and angry during the scenes where the main character was angry. Afterall, it was a good time, I just didn't love the book!

I initially started this as an audiobook but I found it hard to keep up with the story that way. So I flipped to hardcover and tucked in. 65

Nelah was a fascinating character. I found their world interesting. But the ways that Nelah is different - the check ins, the family dinners, the struggle with the family. It was interesting to think of the ways this would and wouldn't work and I pushed my brain to imagine a world I knew looking like this.

But somewhere along the way, the story bogged down and lost me. I wanted to feel the anger and the rush of change but I just couldn't keep myself engaged and feel pulled in. I really wish I'd been able to keep this as an audiobook. The narrator was great and I think the 2nd half of the book may be better for audio than the first half. Interesting story, but maybe just not my cup of tea.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Womb City is an amazing Black science fiction horror set in Botswana. This is a difficult book but soooo worth the time. I listened to this on audio over the course of about 10 days and now I want to pick up a physical copy and really take my time absorbing the story. It was hard for me to follow everything that was happening in this world, some names and words were unfamiliar to me and the science was advanced.

The Host meets Silo.

“Womb City” marks Tlotlo Tsamaase’s debut novel, offering a captivating blend of cyberpunk sci-fi and supernatural horrors within a dystopian setting. In this world, technology both liberates and oppresses, with cyborg enhancements and body swapping commonplace. However, beneath the facade of a utopia lies an oppressive regime characterized by strict surveillance, hierarchical structures, and rigid gender roles.

The story centers on Nelah, a closely monitored cyborg whose desire to become a mother is hindered by the criminal’s body she currently inhibits and the societal constraints imposed upon her. As she navigates her identity and struggles for bodily autonomy, the narrative delves into themes of ethics, the price of utopia, and the consequences of technological advancement.

While the novel excels in its rich world-building and compelling narrative, some critics have found fault in Tsamaase’s heavy-handed approach to addressing its themes. Despite this, the novel’s ambition and captivating storytelling make it a worthwhile read. Tsamaase’s talent as an author shines through, offering readers a thought-provoking exploration of societal issues within a thrilling speculative fiction framework.

Overall, “Womb City” stands out as a promising debut, leaving readers eagerly anticipating Tsamaase’s future works and hoping for a refinement of their storytelling techniques. Thank you @netgalley and @erewhonbooks for the ARC.