DNF @ 42%

I really wanted to like this book. The cover is fantastic and the synopsis sounded interesting. Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book though since I just couldn't get into it. I liked the general concepts and how creepy it felt but I wanted more horror. I see what the author was trying to do though, and I think if you like domestic thriller books, you might like this one.

Thank you Tor and Netgalley for providing me with this eARC!

DNF at 40%.

I had to verify a few times over the course of my brief reading of This World Is Not Yours that I was, in fact, reading the right book. Over the last few days, I've been inundated with sponsored posts on my Facebook feed advertising this book as "nonstop action." The book's synopsis even describes this work as "action-packed" and promises the threat of an alien goo on a hostile world. Well, dear readers, at 40% in, I am still waiting for the action -- any action at all -- and the alien goo, the Gray, which exists to cleanse the world of invasive organisms, has only been briefly mentioned. The one big action set piece that has been introduced thus far, involving a raid on one colony by another hostile colony, has occurred entirely off-page and described only through exposition.

So, no action, and little to no alien goo thus far, and we're just shy of the half-way mark. The author, Kemi Ashing-Giwa, focuses instead on relationship drama between a dysfunctional polycule that has been mandated by the colony's government and torn apart a lesbian relationship to force our central protagonists into breeding with men. The central concern is whether or not Vinh and Amara's marriage can be saved, set against the lasting memory that Vinh has left Amara once before. I suppose, if one were to view this in a particularly skewed and slanted way, one might consider this a type of action, in much the sense that opening or closing a door is an action, just not a particularly exciting one. I, however, consider the handling of all this to be dull melodrama and boring relationship stuff.

I can't help but feel like there's been a bait-and-switch here between the book I thought I was getting when I requested this review copy, versus the book I actually got. But, one must review a work based on what it is and how well it goes about being that, rather than what one wanted or hoped it to be instead. Yes, I had hoped that This World Is Not Yours would be the next big work of alien horror, but the more I've read of it, up to this point, the more it has resisted and defied those expectations. What it is, then, based only on this book's roughly first half, is a toxic relationship drama that's presented to readers in the most deliberate and least interesting ways possible, despite offering a scenario still brimming with potential within this persistently at-odds and forced-upon dynamic. It's a book that's easy to set down and forget about, and that's exactly what I'm going to do now. I do like the cover, though, but even that promises more interest than the book can deliver.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This little novella is an action packed space horror about a toxic polycule consumed by jealousy and their attempts to survive in a failing colony on a hostile planet. But it’s actually SO much more than that.

Kemi Ashing-Giwa is extremely skilled at sci-fi worldbuilding. As a scientist herself, Kemi has some of the most unique and believable alien worlds you can find in sci-fi books. Just the descriptions of the flora and fauna on her planets are breathtaking.

This is definitely a captivating read. I love the blend of sci-fi, horror, and toxic sapphic romance. Kemi’s characters are always extremely multifaceted, one of my favorite parts of her writing.

Perfect for fans of SA Barnes and complex sci-fi politics!

A creative and creepy take on space eco horror!!! I ate it up. This combined a lot of aspects I really love in a sci-fi: gays, gay wrongs, toxic relationships, science, and horror! I think this has just enough chills to keep horror fans engaged, but it's not so scary that I would caution the more scaredy-cat customer to avoid it.

Unfortunately this was a miss for me.

Based on the title, cover and comps (SA Barnes and Cass Khaw) I was expecting space horror, but we spent the first 50% of the book on the chaotic toxic relationship between two women, who don't seem to have ever loved each other.

The world building is creative, but also left me questioning things. Another colony attacks and critically damages items in the main colony, but there are still fancy restaurants where you have to pay extra for bread. There's a real concern that the planet is going to kill all the humans, but we still have time to arrange a funeral including providing food and having small talk.

This probably would have benefited from being a longer book, so that the author could fully flesh out the setting, plot and characters in a more cohesive way.

Nope. Got 42% of the way in and I want out. I usually love Tor titles but this one just isn't doing it for me. It's too heavily focused on the lives of two married women and the men their home colony "pairs" them with in order to propagate and keep the human species going after a rival settlement stole their genetic regeneration whatevers. Ugh. It oozes toxic relationship stuff when I thought it was going to ooze pissed off alien goop stuff.

There's a strong part of me that wants to continue pushing through just in case the focus shifts and crazy alien stuff starts happening because you know, DNFing is such a hard thing for me. But I'm going to try to fight the urge to keep picking it up...

... ... ... ... ... ... ...

... Ok, I am a weak DNFer. I picked it back up and finished it. It got better. Not immensely so, but right after the place I was going to DNF, the book did what I thought it was going to do and shifted focus.

Was it worth not DNFing? Eh. Am I glad I went back to it? Eh. But at least it's finished and I don't have to worry about whether I DNFd too soon and didn't give it a fair shot, right?!

This one was interesting. The choices made in this book were like, "really? That's what you're going with?" Pretty creepy and self destructive, this book definitely packed a punch in the novella length. Very good!

Wow, what a difficult read! This was a real "I support queer wrongs" novella and it took me so much longer than normal to read because of all the cringing at terrible choices. By the end, I was kind of siding with the Grey, honestly.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for allowing me to read this book and share my thoughts.
I really enjoyed the idea of the new planet, especially the Gray! The science fiction part of this novella hooked me and made me curious about the story's direction. The ending, in my opinion, was great and chilling because of the decisions they took and the fate of the colony. I was like, "Did they really just do that?!" Plus, the planet taking matters into its own hands was cool.
That said, I did not really enjoy the priority of Vinh & Amara's relationship in the story and the constant reminder of how unhealthy their relationship dynamic was. I felt there was a lot going on for such a short read. I feel like I would have loved it more if it was longer.
This one wasn't for me, but I still had great ideas!

When I first picked up This World is Not Yours I knew the bare bones. That it was a scifi horror centred mostly around humanity’s penchant for self-destruction, but I wasn’t really aware of how. Was this going to be self-destruction on an individual level—one person self-sabotaging either due to a flaw in their character or because of circumstance—or would it be a social satire that condemns society’s need for control over nature and dedication to hierarchical systems of power? The answer is both.
What I think this book does so well is that it creates two very different narrative themes based on the same idea. The result is a novel that examines not only toxicity within relationships when possessiveness, greed, mistrust, and jealousy begin to erode at strong social bonds, both romantic and platonic; but also one that presents that insular discourse amid a wider social discourse of over-consumption, colonisation, and control.
Essentially, what does self-destruction look like on a personal level, as well as how does that then translate to an entire society progressing towards their own annihilation? While I don’t necessarily think This World is Not Yours answers either of those questions, it does make you ruminate on them while also entertaining you with a very atmospheric and creepy story.
The narrative had this almost cannibalistic quality to it—which ultimately made it feel more taboo and disconcerting.
Personally, I really enjoyed This World is Not Yours. The ending was absolutely fantastic, even if the beginning was a bit slow. If you’re a fan of scifi or queer horror I would highly recommend it.

3.5

Thank you to Tor and NetGalley for providing me an eARC to review!

I enjoyed this a lot more than I was expecting! Not super ooky spooky, and a really fast read, but managed to include some interesting thoughts around humanity's role in space colonisation and co-dependent relationships.

I think this was a cool take on eco-horror, with a different structure where you were piecing things together along the way. I like how it didn't info dump everything on you, though it did make for a bit of a confusing beginning. I was skeptical going in about the relationship content, but I think this did a good job of working it into the story and horror well without it feeling too melodramatic or domestic.

Overall while I wasn't completely invested, this was a unique little read and would definitely recommend it!

Whew, this is a whirlwind of a book. I loved the concept, and all the ideas. I think it maybe (and I never say this!) could have stood to be a bit longer, maybe, to flesh out those ideas a bit more? Regardless, I enjoyed what I did read. The story is basically Vinh and Amara, how their relationship evolved, and how they ended up in a really messy situation on an even messier (for them, anyway) planet. The vibes are definitely on point in this story- you feel the tension of all the stressors immediately and consistently, and I loved that.

I don't want to say too much, because this is a novella, and a thriller at that. I feel like the only thing I can really say is that I loved all the elements of the story- the complex relationship, the characters, the very intriguing and imaginative world, the survival aspect, and even the political climate. I just really wanted more of all of those things. I almost never want more pages in a book, but in this one I did. Which is, in essence, a compliment to the story, as I liked it so much that I wanted to know so many more things! I feel like there is so much potential here, and while it perhaps didn't totally satisfy me, I liked what I did get quite a bit. And I am absolutely here for whatever the author writes next, because she definitely came up with a lot of great stuff here!

Bottom Line: A unique and thrilling adventure in a bonkers (in the best way!) world, I just would have liked more of the story!

This was a delightfully disturbing sci-fi/horror that I thoroughly enjoyed. I thought the characters were fantastic and had a lot of depth, which is impressive for such a short book. The relationship between Amara and Vinh felt authentic in it's toxicity and the way things changed between them as the situation just kept getting worse was intriguing. Overall I had a great time with this debut and I will definitely read from the author in future.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The story is divided into chapters starting at 036 and ending at 000, with additional chapters and notes. It is narrated from three perspectives: Amara, a lead scientist who sacrificed her inheritance for the opportunity to start a new colony; her wife Vinh, who is in charge of security; and their close friend and fellow scientist Jesse, who may have deeper feelings for them.

This book can be confusing at times and is best read in one sitting to fully appreciate and understand the story. Amara and Jesse are researching a new planet and its enigmatic entity known as the Grey, which functions to rid the planet of invasive organisms. However, when a rival colony awakens the Grey, things take a turn for the worse. As the Grey becomes active, tensions rise, leading to conflicts between Vinh and Amara, while Jesse becomes enticed by the Grey and its hidden secrets.

This book is recommended for readers who enjoy stories about complex and tumultuous relationships, as well as those who appreciate science fiction and horror genres.

Give me domestic drama, but let’s also make it space and eco horror.

Toxic lesbians, lonely friends, feuding colonies, scientists sciencing, repopulation efforts that disrupt existing relationships, a freaking self-cleaning planet that wipes out entires species’ it recognizes as a threat. I mean, there’s so much to unpack here. It was a wild ride and I was HERE FOR IT. The worldbuilding was very well done and impressive, considering the page count.

Something I really love about space horror is the strong themes of isolation and fear of the unknown. That was very evident here in a variety of ways. Love that.

This was a damn good novella that I can see myself reading again. And that body horror towards the end was so well written that I’m actually salivating at the thought of a full length novel by this author.

Totally recommend! Especially if you enjoy SA Barnes, sci-fi horror, and domestic issues in horror settings.

Amara and her fiancé Vinh are part of a new planetary colonization project along with Amara's childhood friend Jesse. The new planet is beautiful but deadly, producing a substance called "The Gray" that obliterates invasive and dangerous lifeforms while leaving everything else untouched. The colony has been careful to minimize damage as they get established, but as Amara, Vinh, and Jesse settle into their new lives, danger quickly surfaces when a rival colony wakes The Gray and it sets its sights on all human life.

A really thought-provoking and well written novella recommended for fans of space horror. The concept was very interesting and the world building and characterization were well done considering the short format. I will say the time jumps back and forth were a little tricky to keep track of at first so you do have to pay attention, but I liked the chapters counting down as opposed to going up, to add to the sense of eeriness of the book. I do wish it would have been longer to explore the concept a bit more, but I definitely enjoyed reading it as is.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of this story.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW

This was a very interesting read. The world felt VERY established as there was a lot of talk about things that happened in the past and colonies that were spread across the entire galaxy. I don't really know if I liked Vinh or Amara though. Their relationship felt very toxic and destructive. They literally brought out the worst in each other. What Amara did to Henry is unforgivable and I can't believe she would do something like that. (I actually can believe based off how she was characterized but it's still wild to me). Jesse was actually my favorite character and so when he was accepted by The Gray and not killed by it, I was glad. The concept of The Gray was also very interesting. The hive-like mind concept is always fun and I really liked how it was done in this story.

I think that this novella may have benefitted from being a full on book, as I didn't feel like I got enough context or world building to be fully invested in the story and its characters. I think that another issue is that this is pretty heavy on the Sci-Fi elements and all the things that come with that, and while I fully can see Sci-Fi people really enjoying this, as someone who was there more for the horror it was a little bit of a challenge for me. But I will say that the horror stuff is TOP NOTCH and incredibly disturbing. Had there been more of it I would have been more fully on board. As it was, I wanted more. But man, Sci-Fi fans who really love space horror absolutely need to check this out.

This World is Not Yours by Kemi Ashing-Giwa is a claustrophobic, deeply unsettling environmental horror set on a distant planet when an existential crisis forces a fledgling colony to make a drastic decision. Faced with extinction, the colony runs rough-shod over its people’s rights. Settlers Amara and Vinh find their already troubled marriage suddenly annulled, both women forced into new relationships — Vinh with a stranger, Amara with a childhood friend — the new family units tasked propagating the species.

So begins a toxic spiral of jealousy and hatred that proves to be even more destructive than the strange amorphous substance which is creeping across the landscape, seemingly intent on devouring every human being in its path.

With deceit and distrust on every page, the sense of doom never lets up, but you can’t help but be pulled into the mire of Amara and Vinh’s increasingly toxic relationship, fearing for everyone’s lives as disaster looms.

Bleak, yes, but beautifully written.

DNF @ 46%

The only thing scary about this book is how easily things could have been solved if Vinh said one (1) sentence to her wife. I did not sign up for ridiculously contrived domestic drama; I signed up for space horror. If your colony is on the verge of potential failure, why do you have fancy restaurants and vacation destinations? Why is literally the only thing of concern to anyone sexual reproduction between partners of the opposite biological sex? There was no chemistry or even warmth between Vinh and Amara - just Amara being insecure/paranoid/jealous and Vinh not telling her WIFE about any of her trauma.

Amara also randomly mentions her privilege (like the dress made from a long-extinct species or essentially being a princess of at least one galaxy) but since Vinh never actually confronts her about said privilege, nothing is ever done.

Even the guy giving into an intrusive thought that was literally “please swim naked in some alien goo that has the capability to systematically delete entire species - and don’t forget to breathe some in your lungs for good measure” didn’t pay off with anything in the first HALF of the book?

I was expecting at least SOME horror in almost 100 pages, but that’s not what I got