IMMACULATE CONCEPTION is packed to the brim with big ideas, all of them interesting and teeth-gnashing and entirely messed up, and I think Huang generally succeeds in keeping all those threads tied together. It's a book with a lot to say about art and AI and elitism, yes, but my favorite is how the story oscillates thematically between human connection and distance/numbness, and the uncomfortable path from the exploitation of the former to the latter.

Despite this—and the fact that this book contains one of my favorite themes, obsession as a dark side of humanity—I found it more intellectually stimulating than emotionally engrossing, which is a major enjoyment killer for an emotional reader like me. I don't regret reading this, and I see why so many other readers have such positive things to say about it, but it was ultimately underwhelming as a reading experience.

Rating: 🤷🏼‍♀️ (it was fine; 3.5 rounded down)

Thank you to Dutton (Penguin Group) and Netgalley for the advance copy of this title.

Easily one of my top reads of 2025, Immaculate Conception is one of the most original novels I have *ever* read; I was simply astounded by the depth of creativity in this book. From the dystopic plot to the well-developed characters and their complicated relationships, Ling Ling Huang has created a story that is both highly inventive and also a page-turner. The questions posed by the author throughout this book (particularly those regarding generative AI, ownership of art, and the role of technology in creative endeavors) are especially relevant today.

Thank you to Dutton and NetGalley for my advanced copy.

Haunting and Unhinged in All the right ways.

Reading Immaculate Conception is like letting a glass unicorn walk across your ribcage, beautiful, a little painful, and by the end, you’re not sure if something’s broken or just rearranged.

Ling Ling Huang (yes, the sorceress behind Natural Beauty) dives headfirst into the cruel glitter of the art world and emerges with something cold, wet, and softly rotting in her hands: a story of obsessive female friendship, parasitic love, and mind-hijacking technology sold with TED Talk sincerity.

Our protagonist, Enka, is a bit like if The Talented Mr. Ripley went to RISD. She meets Mathilde, gorgeous, tormented, likely allergic to happiness—and the two spiral into that kind of all-consuming best-friendship that feels more like falling into a fever than falling in love. It’s queer in the way that art school friendships often are: unspoken but devastatingly felt.

And then comes the tech. Oh, the tech. It’s empathy-enhancing, trauma-absorbing, "what-if-you-could-bleed-for-her" science, funded by a billionaire Enka conveniently marries. (Women will literally marry into dystopia rather than go to therapy.) What starts as admiration curdles into something more like identity theft, with vibes.

Huang writes with a scalpel dipped in perfume. Her prose is lush and unflinching, the kind that makes you feel a little feverish, a little watched. She skewers the art world, late-stage capitalism, and our hunger for connection so precisely it hurts. There are sentences in this book that made me wince like I had just remembered an old text I shouldn't have sent. By the end, I didn’t know who I pitied more, Enka, Mathilde, or myself for ever thinking I knew the difference between devotion and delusion.

Verdict:
If Frankenstein and Persona had a baby and raised it on performance art and biotech start-up money, you'd get Immaculate Conception. Read it if you’ve ever loved someone so much you wanted to unzip their skin and wear it. Avoid it if you're currently in a friendship that’s already teetering. You might not come out clean.

Early Style

So I'm not loving this as much as NATURAL BEAUTY, which hurts me a little.

I'm not sure if I'm bored or enamored by Enka and Mathilde yet. Could be gayer. However, the way Enka talks about Logan gives me dating PTSD, although most things do these days. Attacked.

Middle Style

I'm already more interested in this section. I'm glad it holds promise.

I will admit the past vs. present was confusing me earlier, but now I'm semi-invested. Mathilde has developed something that transcends art. She has birthed a baby without sperm. The Vatican is horrified. I'm amused.

Well, holy shit. (view spoiler)

Late Style

The pacing of this book feels off. EARLY STYLE was slow. Too slow. We learned a few things in MIDDLE STYLE, so that went faster and was more enjoyable.

This felt too fast? The high point just came and went. Are we about to be brought back down?

Retrospective

I'm still mad about the pacing. And the overall "horror" of the book. Even if it's the horror I've come to expect from East Asian diaspora authors, which I usually know and love. But, I'll continue to read Ling Ling.

📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton

Could your friendship last if you had access to their memories? Enka and Mathilde have an interesting dynamic. They’re each artists, so of course their relationship is borderline obsessive, intense, and occasionally pretentious. Enka adores Mathilde. Her art is one of a kind. Enka is also jealous of Mathilde. She’s never seemed to be able to create something so wonderfully original, controversial, or intense. When Enka’s husband offers a piece of new technology where Enka can see and experience Mathilde’s trauma in an attempt to absorb some of it and lessen the blow, Enka jumps on it. But, she might also have other benefits as well.
I really, really enjoyed this. This first half of the book is fairly slow, but the last half packs such a punch that it kind of makes up for it. I loved so much of this. The character analysis is intriguing and also heart breaking at some points. This is truly an exploration of two women throughout their friendship as they grow their relationship, explore art, attempt to compete with ever advancing technology, and so much more. There is so much incredible commentary throughout the book, which I adore.

GENRE: lit fic/sci-fi
VERDICT: I loved it!
MOOD: 🤨🤯🫣😧

A haunting blend of art, technology and identity. This book really makes ya think.

IMMACULATE CONCEPTION explores so many fascinating and layered concepts and it's so unsettling at times...but I simply could not look away! It’s a dark take on the future of AI, especially in how it intersect with art, creativity and originality. It also explores the themes of jealousy & obsession and how the influence of privilege and wealth subtly guide/divide us.

Being in Enka’s head was something else; her codependency and competitiveness with Mathilde was intense and ultimately drove the story in a direction I didn't see coming. I also have to say — this would make an incredible Black Mirror episode.

What you can expect/read if you like:
🎨 artistic ambition and inspiration
📱 ethical conversations about advancing technology
🧠 speculative fiction + dystopian settings
💥 blurred lines of identity and toxic friendships
❔ morally grey characters

This is an instance where I’m so glad I picked up a book based on it's over. Ling Ling Huang’s writing is original and absorbing. I’ll be thinking about this novel for a long time and can’t wait to see what she does next. And I'll definitely be reading NATURAL BEAUTY in the meantime.

This book asks a lot of interesting questions, I won't really get into it in detail to avoid spoilers, but it does make you sit there and think for a while.

🎨 the intrusion of Ai and its exploitation of artists'
🎨 Nature vs. Nurture.
🎨 the ethics of advancing technology.
🎨 is it friendship and love or jealousy and manipulation.
🎨elitism and wealth inequality.

🤯🤯🤯There was a twist in here I did not see coming 🤯🤯🤯

I also think this would make a fantastic Black Mirror episode.

❗️This would of been 5 stars BUT I took a star off for the pacing, it was a little too slow and inconsistent at times and even though it was an engaging read and I enjoyed the story as a whole I think it took a little too long to get to the SCAFFOLD plot.

📖 Read this if you enjoy: art, technology, obsession, grief, trauma, intense codependent relationships, blurred lines of friendship, frayed boundaries, slow burns, dystopian, litfic/speculative/scifi, thought provoking stories.

✨️quotes✨️

"All I'm trying to say is, I didn't concent to being healed."

"If jealousy was a well, I'd never reached the bottom, hadn't realized the well was a tunnel to the mother of envy, which is awe."

"What an unbelievable scam it is to get everything you've been told to want."

Many thanks to Netgalley & PENGUIN GROUP Dutton | Dutton for sharing a digital copy. as always, opinions are my own.

Set in a dystopian future, there is a difference between the privileges of an enclave person, and the starker life of the fringe. One's classification determines how much of the internet can be utilized, and what limitations are placed on people's lives.
Enka is a college student, majoring in art. She is limited by the artificial divisions and boundaries of the time because she is a "fringe". She is not part of the student elite and watches from the sidelines.
Mathilde, another student, is totally immersed in her art. Emma notices the differences between herself and Mathilde, who receives opportunities , compliments and endless encouragement to succeed. She feels " less than" because she is not part of the enclave elite. It is a social classification that limited Enka's access to resources and knowledge, that makes her road to success an upward climb. It is not a reflection of her capabilities or mindset or the interest invested in her studies. The classification covers the whole family, and every person in the dystopian times. She is not an enclave; she is a fringe and she feels it. Even though the girls are "friends", the differences set the mood for envy , jealousy, and desire for recognition.
This novel embodies the dystopian world of artificial intelligence in a cold, biased future and satirized what is important to us in all its hidden meanings. No wonder Enka feels jealousy and envy. Her future has been set by her designation, not her talent.
In presenting something so engineered, the self loses its shine and our individuality loses focus. Our humanity lacks meaning, leaving the soul to ask whether our interactions with others are something that we ourselves should pursue. For what?
I found this book disconcerting and questioned the concept of sharing ourselves in a negative world that strips a person of his or her humanity and individuality. Their world functions more like a cult in its execution. How concerning.
The kind of envy that engenders destroys " love", shared values and opportunities and minimizes our very existence.
It turns our intentions sideways.
I took several moments to think about the message behind the words. Which is an easier path? To envy or admire, to rejoice or to stew? Enka' s entire outlook in life was skewed and affected her choices. To love or to possess...That is the question. Not a world I would be happy in indeed.
Read it and take a moment to yourself. An interesting look at how society can evolve.
Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC copy. All opinions are my own.

I'm definitely in the minority here, but I'm not sure if I "loved" this book. I found the writing style striking, and the story engaging at times, but overall found it to be kind of a slog. I think there's a lot of "telling" over "showing", which dragged the pacing down a fair amount, and made me feel always just outside of being invested.

The themes in here are timely and carefully crafted, so I hope it continues to find its readers!

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity.

This was a really good read and I think it had a decent writing style and story! Would recommend to anyone looking for next read

Huge thanks to Dutton and NetGalley for an eARC copy of this story in exchange for an honest and unbiased review!

Ling Ling Huang is writing some of the more insightful, unique, and interesting horror stories in recent years. While at times I wished that this story leaned into the speculative, dystopian world it opened up more (the barriers between neighborhoods, etc), I loved all the different avenues it explored. Jealousy and friendship are feelings/concepts/experiences everyone has a grasp of, and I think there are pieces of each that anyone could relate to here (if not to the extent Enka takes it).

A gripe I have more with the marketing & synopsis of this story rather than the actual execution is the reveal of the technology used to share trauma between the characters. This isn't revealed until a point in the book that I think the synopsis should have kept secret.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton Books for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Immaculate Conception releases May 13, 2025

2.75

The themes in this novel are smart and timely. Everything about Mathilde’s art is striking, but Enka’s lack of individuality as a main character unfortunately makes this such a laborious read.

4.5
I absolutely loved Natural Beauty so when I saw Ling Ling Huang had another book coming out I knew I had to read it. Immaculate Conception explores so many interesting concepts. It is a terrifyingly dark take on the future of AI, technology and its impact on art, artistic ability, creativity and humanity as a whole. It's a scary take on jealousy, obsession, and competitiveness among friends and peers. How privilege and class guide and divide us all. Being in Enka's head was something. Her codependency and competitiveness with Mathilde was beyond obsessive and ultimately leads them down a disturbing path. I'm so glad I stumbled upon this author last year. I find her work to be original, engrossing and thought provoking. I was blown away by the ending. I enjoyed this novel very much. I'll be thinking about it for awhile and am excited to see what Ling Ling Huang does next.

Ling Ling Huang’s Immaculate Conception plunges the reader into the depths of desperation and creative ecstasy, only to drag them back—dazed, haunted, and profoundly moved. This harrowing and thought-provoking novel explores the fine line between genius and madness, friendship and rivalry, originality and artificial mimicry.

At the heart of the story are Enka and Mathilde, two artists bound by a complicated friendship that morphs into something far more unsettling. One is a blazing creative force; the other, an unlikely competitor whose presence gradually fractures the boundaries between them. Their relationship becomes a gripping lens through which Huang examines envy, ambition, and the fragile sanctity of original thought.

A fever dream of envy, genius, and obsession. Immaculate Conception is a razor-sharp meditation on friendship, originality, and the terrifying power of AI

Strange, daring, and completely unforgettable. Huang blends myth and reality in a way that felt surreal but emotionally grounded. Some passages were confusing, but the risk-taking paid off. This won’t be for everyone—but I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Wow... I have no words for how good this book is. Like, holy shit. It's probably the most engaging horror, sci-fi books I've read in a while, and it's also so fucking smart. I won't be able to do it justice with a review, but know that if you like character-driven stories with commentary that makes you think instead of feeling talked down to and the kind of plot that makes you never want to drop the book to do anything else, then you need to add this to your TBR.

Immaculate Conception has so much to say about obsession, artistic ambition and envy, human relationships, and how complex, messy, and crazy they can get, betrayal, wealth inequality, technology and AI in art, self-acceptance, and I probably missed more themes. It's ambitious, but it doesn't bite off more than it can chew, and all of these themes intertwine seamlessly, so they're explored in a very smooth way that meshes very well with the plot.

The premise is unique and fresh, and it's executed in a way that doesn't disappoint. This made me feel the kind of horror that doesn't come from gory scenes or disturbing imagery, but from the actions and decisions of human beings. The tech really is disturbing, and how normal it is for the characters makes it even more off-putting. The way they use that technology is horrific, but also fascinating and so creative. This worked so well for me, it's easily one of the best books I've read this year.

This was great. But I expected it to be considering that I thoroughly enjoyed Huang’s debut Natural Beauty. Lots of topics were touched and discussed, but not preached. Nothing was heavy handed which I really appreciate as a reader, I need the author to trust me.

I don’t like SciFi so this was a little out of my element and I think it’s the main reason I didn’t rate it higher. If you do like scifi, then this might really work for you, it’s a good blend of literary fiction and science fiction.

Aside from the genre that was clearly not for me, I have two minor complaints:

1. I needed more from her relationship with Logan. I know that her marriage was not the focal point, but still wanted to know more. It felt very underdeveloped while still quite central to her person so I think more exploration of their relationship and their dynamics would’ve benefitted the overall narrative. Their relationship was very flat in my opinion and it made it difficult for me to care about one of the big reveals.

2. I felt that the ending was a little too tidy. There was one small thread that was left, which I really appreciated, but for the most part, it all seemed too perfect. I wanted something a little more open, ended or more imperfect.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Dutton for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

From the author of Natural Beauty, set in the fiercely competitive art world, a novel about an obsessive friendship upended by a cutting-edge technology purported to enhance empathy and connection

if "do i want her or do i want to be her" was a book.

Immaculate Conception follows art students Enka and Mathilde as they move through the constantly evolving art world and dealing with their very toxic relationship. Enka is immediately drawn to Mathilde who is a very troubled soul who makes beautiful art, while Enka struggles with her own art and how she feels that her work lacks originality. The girls quickly develop a very close bond, though it turns into a very toxic relationship, with each one relying on each other to just simply exist. After Mathildes career begins to take off, Enka begins to feel jealous of her friend, and the need to keep her friend as close to her as much as she can, no matter what she has to do.
I absolutely adored this book, it was the perfect combination of horror, scifi and literary fiction and it had me invested. The beginning of the book does lack a bit as they have to set up the world that this is taking place in, as well as giving the audience the basics of the art world that they are being placed in. The dynamics between Mathilde and Enka were engaging and there were points where I was literally yelling at my book saying not to do something.

I finished this days ago and I haven't stopped thinking about it.
Truly a fantastic mix of lit fic, sci fi, horror. Perfect for Black Mirror fans. It's so cinematic.
There's are a few scenes that are etched into my mind.