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Plastic, Prism, Void: Part One
Not yet published
Expected 19 May 26"Delicious, insane, intoxicating." —Maya Deane, author of Wrath Goddess Sing
A riotous trans enemies-to-lovers romantasy that roars off the page—in which a magical girl-gone-bad and a renegade mech pilot must find a way to stay on a date forever...
...even if it means destroying the world.
Don't you want to help them?
An extraordinary meld of adventure, rom-com, and experimental fiction, Violet Allen’s unstoppable debut is the cosmic thrill ride of a lifetime. Give in, succumb (you know you want to) to Plastic, Prism, Void.
A riotous trans enemies-to-lovers romantasy that roars off the page—in which a magical girl-gone-bad and a renegade mech pilot must find a way to stay on a date forever...
...even if it means destroying the world.
Don't you want to help them?
An extraordinary meld of adventure, rom-com, and experimental fiction, Violet Allen’s unstoppable debut is the cosmic thrill ride of a lifetime. Give in, succumb (you know you want to) to Plastic, Prism, Void.
336 pages, Paperback
Expected publication May 19, 2026
8 people are currently reading
3879 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
Did not finish
January 19, 2026DNF @ 20%
Even with what little I read of this, it was... a whirlwind, lol. The writing style is so unlike anything I've read before, and quite purposefully disjointed. Not to mention the plethora of weird references which I struggled to follow.
Though parts of it were quite witty and piqued my interest, ultimately I just couldn't stay focused for long enough chunks of time to keep on reading to the end. I'm sure there's plenty of people who'd enjoy this sort of experimental fiction, and the writing was in no way bad, it was just all a bit too much for my poor brain 😂
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Even with what little I read of this, it was... a whirlwind, lol. The writing style is so unlike anything I've read before, and quite purposefully disjointed. Not to mention the plethora of weird references which I struggled to follow.
Though parts of it were quite witty and piqued my interest, ultimately I just couldn't stay focused for long enough chunks of time to keep on reading to the end. I'm sure there's plenty of people who'd enjoy this sort of experimental fiction, and the writing was in no way bad, it was just all a bit too much for my poor brain 😂
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
It is very rare these days to find a book that is able to truly break boundaries, but Allen manages to achieve that here. Whether it's the unique typesetting or the subversive story structure everything comes together to offer me an experience I have never had before. That's not to say it's uniquity is always perfect; The stylistic choice to change perspectives in the middle of paragraphs or even sentences sometimes left me disorientated and having to backtrack, but I also believe that was what the author was going for so I don't really know if I can fault them for it. Off of that I would also comment that overall I did enjoy the non-linear storytelling, combining flashbacks from many different periods together to round out the narrative right up until the very end, working to meld together the time periods, echoing the themes of the story more generally.
Onto the plot itself, I'd say it almost defies genre, to pin it to one I agree its a romance as advertised but its also so much more than that, its adventure, its fantasy, its sci-fi, I might even call it psychological horror. Onto the romance though, I think its a little misleading to pen this as an enemies to lovers story, as they are introduced as lovers before we flashback to enemies, but also its a sort of ebb and flow, as we explore the intricacies and history of their relationship through the years and the struggles they each have. In other stories hating both the main characters might be a flaw, as you have no one to root for but I find that Violet keeps them just on the cusp of relatability that you can't ever want them to suffer. Acrasia, our protagonist, is a sort of moth goddess, alongside her cousins/sisters who each have a power bestowed upon them by their possibly evil mother, and each pursuing a different art. Acrasia's art is writing, primarily poetry, shown by her slightly pretentious style of speaking, but each other the cousins offer a unique and interesting perspective on the place of art in the modern day. Acrasia's romantic interest, Opus, is a sort of cyborg spaceman from another dimension, meaning they can only see each other very irregularly. All of the characters bounce off of each other in a very believable way, and you can especially glean the family dynamic very quickly between all of the cousins.
The tension was held high throughout the story and always gave just enough information to keep me wanting more from each of the timestreams, piecing together the puzzle throughout, until a very dramatic ending that had me begging for more. I guess I now see the issue with reading ARCs as now I have to wait even longer before I can read the next book, though maybe if I'm lucky they will let me advance read that too :))))
Anyway I would 100% recommend this for fans of experimental literature and in particular fans of XX with the design choices.
Onto the plot itself, I'd say it almost defies genre, to pin it to one I agree its a romance as advertised but its also so much more than that, its adventure, its fantasy, its sci-fi, I might even call it psychological horror. Onto the romance though, I think its a little misleading to pen this as an enemies to lovers story, as they are introduced as lovers before we flashback to enemies, but also its a sort of ebb and flow, as we explore the intricacies and history of their relationship through the years and the struggles they each have. In other stories hating both the main characters might be a flaw, as you have no one to root for but I find that Violet keeps them just on the cusp of relatability that you can't ever want them to suffer. Acrasia, our protagonist, is a sort of moth goddess, alongside her cousins/sisters who each have a power bestowed upon them by their possibly evil mother, and each pursuing a different art. Acrasia's art is writing, primarily poetry, shown by her slightly pretentious style of speaking, but each other the cousins offer a unique and interesting perspective on the place of art in the modern day. Acrasia's romantic interest, Opus, is a sort of cyborg spaceman from another dimension, meaning they can only see each other very irregularly. All of the characters bounce off of each other in a very believable way, and you can especially glean the family dynamic very quickly between all of the cousins.
The tension was held high throughout the story and always gave just enough information to keep me wanting more from each of the timestreams, piecing together the puzzle throughout, until a very dramatic ending that had me begging for more. I guess I now see the issue with reading ARCs as now I have to wait even longer before I can read the next book, though maybe if I'm lucky they will let me advance read that too :))))
Anyway I would 100% recommend this for fans of experimental literature and in particular fans of XX with the design choices.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to Netgalley and Little Puss Press for this e-ARC.
I do love a crazy, genre and format defying sci-fi! And Plastic, Prism, Void - with its different fonts, colourful words, symbols, words on different parts of the page, time skips and even music and phrases in other languages- certainly ticks those boxes. It is understandably not kindle compatible!
This book was a LOT! And it was brilliant! The writing was certainly unique, it was lyrical and poetic. The book was riddled with random references, I certainly didn’t get all of them, or even most of them, but the ones I did get were very well done. Everything was purposeful and had a meaning. A story about love, identity, time, sisterhood, friendship and art.
The characters were messy and real, they weren’t always the most likeable and had their problems, but I liked reading about them. I was invested in their stories and interactions and wanted to see what would happen to them. It was also just lovely to see the normalisation of queer and trans people and their relationships and struggles.
The story line itself was undeniably confusing, there was a lot going on, I quite quickly understood the time skips, but there were some random plot things that I’m sure you might have to read a few times before they properly make sense. This was similar to the magic system and wider world building, it was absolutely fascinating, but you were thrown right into it with not a lot of background information. It was definitely a bit jarring at times. But still, I really liked it. I found that this craziness more so contributed to the story rather than detracted from it. This is the type of book you need to not try and make sense of, you just have to go along with it and see where it takes you, and if you go into it with that mindset, you will get a lot more out of it.
What’s more, it is very fast paced, I was absorbed by this high-octane story and found myself flying through it.
Despite the craziness, it was thoroughly enjoyable and a lot of fun. This is certainly not a book for everyone, but those who love crazy, experimental, genre-defying stories will really enjoy this.
I do love a crazy, genre and format defying sci-fi! And Plastic, Prism, Void - with its different fonts, colourful words, symbols, words on different parts of the page, time skips and even music and phrases in other languages- certainly ticks those boxes. It is understandably not kindle compatible!
This book was a LOT! And it was brilliant! The writing was certainly unique, it was lyrical and poetic. The book was riddled with random references, I certainly didn’t get all of them, or even most of them, but the ones I did get were very well done. Everything was purposeful and had a meaning. A story about love, identity, time, sisterhood, friendship and art.
The characters were messy and real, they weren’t always the most likeable and had their problems, but I liked reading about them. I was invested in their stories and interactions and wanted to see what would happen to them. It was also just lovely to see the normalisation of queer and trans people and their relationships and struggles.
The story line itself was undeniably confusing, there was a lot going on, I quite quickly understood the time skips, but there were some random plot things that I’m sure you might have to read a few times before they properly make sense. This was similar to the magic system and wider world building, it was absolutely fascinating, but you were thrown right into it with not a lot of background information. It was definitely a bit jarring at times. But still, I really liked it. I found that this craziness more so contributed to the story rather than detracted from it. This is the type of book you need to not try and make sense of, you just have to go along with it and see where it takes you, and if you go into it with that mindset, you will get a lot more out of it.
What’s more, it is very fast paced, I was absorbed by this high-octane story and found myself flying through it.
Despite the craziness, it was thoroughly enjoyable and a lot of fun. This is certainly not a book for everyone, but those who love crazy, experimental, genre-defying stories will really enjoy this.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Plastic, Prism, Void is a wild ride of a romance sci-fi literary fiction adventure through form and one messy relationship. Acrasia is a magical trans girl who comes across as pretentious. Opus is a mech-piloting trans guy. They were enemies, but then that changed, and then their universes separated. Now they're back in the same place again, but Acrasia's schemes to keep Opus there might be finally going too far.
I love the publisher, LittlePuss Press, and the blurb fascinated me as (apparently) a romantasy with shades of House of Leaves. Plastic, Prism, Void takes the textual form experimentation of House of Leaves, the sci-fi romance of This Is How To Lose The Time War, and mixes them both with a healthy dose of pretentious references and a complicated relationship between two trans people with weird baggage. It took me a little while to settle into the style and the way the narrative jumps around in time and voice and format (and the advance copy I read on a too-small screen didn't help so I think the physical book will be much easier to read), but then I became invested in the central relationship. I like the way that, despite everything else going on, it boils down to people who didn't like each other but then fell in love and now can't work out if they can sustain something when they're both in the same place. So, despite the fluid, mind-boggling narrative, it is also something strangely relatable.
I'm sure there's great swathes of this book that I didn't get, but that feels like some of the point of it, with Acrasia and Opus's banter often being about whether or not they get each other's references (made more complex by the multiple universes). This is a book that is pushing boundaries in a fun way and you don't need to understand every sentence to have a good time with it.
I love the publisher, LittlePuss Press, and the blurb fascinated me as (apparently) a romantasy with shades of House of Leaves. Plastic, Prism, Void takes the textual form experimentation of House of Leaves, the sci-fi romance of This Is How To Lose The Time War, and mixes them both with a healthy dose of pretentious references and a complicated relationship between two trans people with weird baggage. It took me a little while to settle into the style and the way the narrative jumps around in time and voice and format (and the advance copy I read on a too-small screen didn't help so I think the physical book will be much easier to read), but then I became invested in the central relationship. I like the way that, despite everything else going on, it boils down to people who didn't like each other but then fell in love and now can't work out if they can sustain something when they're both in the same place. So, despite the fluid, mind-boggling narrative, it is also something strangely relatable.
I'm sure there's great swathes of this book that I didn't get, but that feels like some of the point of it, with Acrasia and Opus's banter often being about whether or not they get each other's references (made more complex by the multiple universes). This is a book that is pushing boundaries in a fun way and you don't need to understand every sentence to have a good time with it.
January 25, 2026
okay where to start with this one
for 60% of this book i kept thinking “man if this was written like a normal narrative it would be so good.” but in that latter 40% i began to think that there is no way the themes and ideas explored in the book could occur with standard prose and somewhat linear storytelling
so i somewhat amend my previous statement: this book would be so good if it was advertised as having such an experimental prose. the summary drew me in, and as my first ever ARC (thanks netgalley) i was ready and roaring to blaze through it. i was stopped dead in my tracks by page 1. if anywhere in the summary they mentioned a unique or subversive style, i would’ve known what i was getting myself into and likely enjoyed myself much more. time fuckery and dimension hopping is quite trippy, it makes sense the writing itself reflects it
second note, the summary feels like it didn’t actually happen in the book. i finished the book, reread the summary, and thought “well, i guess they were on a first date for most of one book…none of that other stuff feels like it was present in my mind while reading.”
as for the plot/characters…absolutely fascinating. totally realistic to messy queer friend groups and toxic situationships. realizing acrasia was an unreliable narrator (maybe later than most lol) was really enjoyable. opus was also great, loved his chara. the others i was more so so on simply because HOW are you giving this girl so many chances when she literally screwed all yall over (but towards the end it all made sense for one of them…)
it definitely has rereadability, chances to spot foreshadowing and go “ohhh that’s what that meant” and i do believe i will read the sequel whenever it crosses my desk. i would just highly implore whoever is marketing this to change the summary
for 60% of this book i kept thinking “man if this was written like a normal narrative it would be so good.” but in that latter 40% i began to think that there is no way the themes and ideas explored in the book could occur with standard prose and somewhat linear storytelling
so i somewhat amend my previous statement: this book would be so good if it was advertised as having such an experimental prose. the summary drew me in, and as my first ever ARC (thanks netgalley) i was ready and roaring to blaze through it. i was stopped dead in my tracks by page 1. if anywhere in the summary they mentioned a unique or subversive style, i would’ve known what i was getting myself into and likely enjoyed myself much more. time fuckery and dimension hopping is quite trippy, it makes sense the writing itself reflects it
second note, the summary feels like it didn’t actually happen in the book. i finished the book, reread the summary, and thought “well, i guess they were on a first date for most of one book…none of that other stuff feels like it was present in my mind while reading.”
as for the plot/characters…absolutely fascinating. totally realistic to messy queer friend groups and toxic situationships. realizing acrasia was an unreliable narrator (maybe later than most lol) was really enjoyable. opus was also great, loved his chara. the others i was more so so on simply because HOW are you giving this girl so many chances when she literally screwed all yall over (but towards the end it all made sense for one of them…)
it definitely has rereadability, chances to spot foreshadowing and go “ohhh that’s what that meant” and i do believe i will read the sequel whenever it crosses my desk. i would just highly implore whoever is marketing this to change the summary
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The book is funny on occasion, so I’ll give it that. The romance was also cute. And of course, having trans rep is cool.
However,
sci-fi and fantasy didn’t really work with the casual language, mundane situations and the pop culture references that made it difficult for me to take anything seriously. I constantly wondered if this was a fantasy/sci-fi at all and the main character and Opus are just normal people making shit up for 1/3 of this book. This book is also just confusing in general. I had no idea what was going on half of the time.
The main character is horribly rambly in her thoughts without getting anywhere and constantly strays from whatever is happening around her. Acrasia comes off as a person who tries too hard to be deep and philosophical and sometimes it feels like the author is just trying to flex their repertoire of fun facts.
The footnotes kept taking me out of the story and often weren’t even useful most of the time. The visual storytelling was interesting as I hadn’t seen that in a book before, but that was very much hit-and-miss for me. Mostly miss, could have been a description instead. I was also not a fan of most of the fonts.
This book was not to my taste, but I’m sure someone out there will find it poetic and beautiful or something. 2 stars.
However,
sci-fi and fantasy didn’t really work with the casual language, mundane situations and the pop culture references that made it difficult for me to take anything seriously. I constantly wondered if this was a fantasy/sci-fi at all and the main character and Opus are just normal people making shit up for 1/3 of this book. This book is also just confusing in general. I had no idea what was going on half of the time.
The main character is horribly rambly in her thoughts without getting anywhere and constantly strays from whatever is happening around her. Acrasia comes off as a person who tries too hard to be deep and philosophical and sometimes it feels like the author is just trying to flex their repertoire of fun facts.
The footnotes kept taking me out of the story and often weren’t even useful most of the time. The visual storytelling was interesting as I hadn’t seen that in a book before, but that was very much hit-and-miss for me. Mostly miss, could have been a description instead. I was also not a fan of most of the fonts.
This book was not to my taste, but I’m sure someone out there will find it poetic and beautiful or something. 2 stars.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Actual rating 3.75 stars
Plastic, Prism, Void is a black, trans, science fiction, fantasy, love story. Acrasia (magic girl) and Opus (Space guy) are from different universes, sometimes these universes mingle and they are able to spend a day together. Acrasia wants to spend forever together though, and she'll do anything to make it happen
This book reads like a fever dream, that might be a compliment. I'm not truly sure. It took me until probably about 50% in to truly get a grasp on what was going on. The author utilizes some very unique formatting choices, which at times can be confusing. This wasn't a bad book, just a challenging read. Probably better suited for the thinkers of the world. The right person is going to absolutely love this book.
The characters kept me hooked. I LOVED Acrasia. I think anyone who has ever been in a messy situationship is going to connect with her. Despite Acrasia being, well, a little crazy, you can't help but root for her.
Thank you to NetGalley and LittlePuss Press for eARC of Plastic, Prism, Void, by Violet Allen. All opinions are my own.
Plastic, Prism, Void is a black, trans, science fiction, fantasy, love story. Acrasia (magic girl) and Opus (Space guy) are from different universes, sometimes these universes mingle and they are able to spend a day together. Acrasia wants to spend forever together though, and she'll do anything to make it happen
This book reads like a fever dream, that might be a compliment. I'm not truly sure. It took me until probably about 50% in to truly get a grasp on what was going on. The author utilizes some very unique formatting choices, which at times can be confusing. This wasn't a bad book, just a challenging read. Probably better suited for the thinkers of the world. The right person is going to absolutely love this book.
The characters kept me hooked. I LOVED Acrasia. I think anyone who has ever been in a messy situationship is going to connect with her. Despite Acrasia being, well, a little crazy, you can't help but root for her.
Thank you to NetGalley and LittlePuss Press for eARC of Plastic, Prism, Void, by Violet Allen. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I was very excited to read this ARC! According to the official synopsis, this book is about a magical girl and a mech pilot who fall in love. As a fan of Sailor Moon, I thought that the story would be at least somewhat similar, or that if it's a deconstructed parody, that it would at least be funny. Unfortunately, this book seems only tangentially related to the magical girl genre. The publisher compares this book to House of Leaves, and that's what I think the book is most similar to. Graphically and narratively, it is very disjointed, with references to random things that I don't get, and the plot is definitely not linear. In addition, because I couldn't follow the plot that well, I'm not sure if it delivered on being a "romantasy" as it says in the synopsis, but I would caution fans of that genre to stay away. If you're intrigued by the synopsis, or if you're a fan of books like House of Leaves, you can check out this book when it comes out in May!
I was very excited to read this ARC! According to the official synopsis, this book is about a magical girl and a mech pilot who fall in love. As a fan of Sailor Moon, I thought that the story would be at least somewhat similar, or that if it's a deconstructed parody, that it would at least be funny. Unfortunately, this book seems only tangentially related to the magical girl genre. The publisher compares this book to House of Leaves, and that's what I think the book is most similar to. Graphically and narratively, it is very disjointed, with references to random things that I don't get, and the plot is definitely not linear. In addition, because I couldn't follow the plot that well, I'm not sure if it delivered on being a "romantasy" as it says in the synopsis, but I would caution fans of that genre to stay away. If you're intrigued by the synopsis, or if you're a fan of books like House of Leaves, you can check out this book when it comes out in May!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
good / worth reading / original and unique
Plastic, Prism, Void is unlike anything I've ever read. While I was reading this, I saw one of those daily book questions of: 'if your current read was a drink, what would it be?' and my answer for this book is: a multi-layered cocktail that is set on fire.
Plastic, Prism, Void is disorienting and nonlinear. The main character is not likeable; she is 'spiky', incredibly pretentious and talks constantly in classical + pop culture references. It is chaotic. But this book is fully aware of what it is and who the characters are and by the end, I even found a rhythm in the mid-sentence time jumps. This is definitely not for everyone, and heads up - this is only Part One*, but if you like experimental books, books that play with format and the fourth wall, go pick this up. I look forward to Side Ω.
*Some people might call this a cliffhanger ending.
Thank you to Netgalley and LittlePuss Press for the advance reader copy!
Plastic, Prism, Void is unlike anything I've ever read. While I was reading this, I saw one of those daily book questions of: 'if your current read was a drink, what would it be?' and my answer for this book is: a multi-layered cocktail that is set on fire.
Plastic, Prism, Void is disorienting and nonlinear. The main character is not likeable; she is 'spiky', incredibly pretentious and talks constantly in classical + pop culture references. It is chaotic. But this book is fully aware of what it is and who the characters are and by the end, I even found a rhythm in the mid-sentence time jumps. This is definitely not for everyone, and heads up - this is only Part One*, but if you like experimental books, books that play with format and the fourth wall, go pick this up. I look forward to Side Ω.
*Some people might call this a cliffhanger ending.
Thank you to Netgalley and LittlePuss Press for the advance reader copy!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
PLASTIC, PRISM, VOID was witty and funny and delightful and baffling and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I think the comparisons to THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE THE TIME WAR and HOUSE OF LEAVES are very apt, and this felt like a gorgeously magical version of both of those.
Acrasia is sharp and maybe a little pretentious, but I found her so charming and lovable. I am a sucker for any kind of magical girl protagonist, and she’s a really fantastic example of one. The nonlinear narrative was compelling, and I loved watching the relationship between Acrasia and Opus change throughout time, sort of unraveling and rejoining as their histories and shared experiences were revealed throughout the story.
I can’t wait to buy a physical copy of this, because while I think the e-book formatting was fantastically done, a story like this, which plays so wonderfully with form and structure, really needs and deserves a physical copy.
Thank you to Netgalley and LittlePuss Press for the ARC!
Acrasia is sharp and maybe a little pretentious, but I found her so charming and lovable. I am a sucker for any kind of magical girl protagonist, and she’s a really fantastic example of one. The nonlinear narrative was compelling, and I loved watching the relationship between Acrasia and Opus change throughout time, sort of unraveling and rejoining as their histories and shared experiences were revealed throughout the story.
I can’t wait to buy a physical copy of this, because while I think the e-book formatting was fantastically done, a story like this, which plays so wonderfully with form and structure, really needs and deserves a physical copy.
Thank you to Netgalley and LittlePuss Press for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This book was WILD! In the best way! I really feel like it took me on an adventure! It felt human in a way that you don’t find very often in books.
Plastic, Prism, Void is incredibly creative, both within the story itself and within its formatting. I love it when a book gets creative with its pages! I imagine having a physical copy of the book would work even better! I’m not usually one that will see out anything that could be considered experimental or prioritises non-linear storytelling, but I’m so glad I picked this up. I was smitten two pages in and laughing out loud. I thoroughly enjoyed this ride!
Now, this book is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. That can be said about every book. I for one cannot stand Wuthering Heights, but my dislike of that book does not diminish its status in the literary world.
This book deserves ATTENTION! Put eyes on it! All the eyes!
Plastic, Prism, Void is incredibly creative, both within the story itself and within its formatting. I love it when a book gets creative with its pages! I imagine having a physical copy of the book would work even better! I’m not usually one that will see out anything that could be considered experimental or prioritises non-linear storytelling, but I’m so glad I picked this up. I was smitten two pages in and laughing out loud. I thoroughly enjoyed this ride!
Now, this book is not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. That can be said about every book. I for one cannot stand Wuthering Heights, but my dislike of that book does not diminish its status in the literary world.
This book deserves ATTENTION! Put eyes on it! All the eyes!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
this may be the most unique book i’ve ever read!
it had such interesting formatting. different fonts, colours, word sizes, and images were used to create an immersive experience! i think this is definitely the kind of book that won’t be for everyone but there will definitely be people who love this.
the story felt extremely random and very confusing, honestly at times it felt like my brain was in a blender. but a blender full of glitter and fun stuff ?
i adored the queer representation and the bizarreness of Acrasia! i can definitely see the sailor moon influences and that aspect felt very nostalgic to me
unfortunately this is just not really my style of book although i felt i was still able to appreciate what it was doing! i definitely recommend it to anyone wanting something eccentric and truly unique!
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review
it had such interesting formatting. different fonts, colours, word sizes, and images were used to create an immersive experience! i think this is definitely the kind of book that won’t be for everyone but there will definitely be people who love this.
the story felt extremely random and very confusing, honestly at times it felt like my brain was in a blender. but a blender full of glitter and fun stuff ?
i adored the queer representation and the bizarreness of Acrasia! i can definitely see the sailor moon influences and that aspect felt very nostalgic to me
unfortunately this is just not really my style of book although i felt i was still able to appreciate what it was doing! i definitely recommend it to anyone wanting something eccentric and truly unique!
thank you to netgalley and the publisher for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review
November 24, 2025
Plastic, Prism, Void is a time jumping, perspective hopping magical girl story with a darkish twist. The prose is indescribable and unfaltering, ensorcelling the reader with every turn of phrase. As for the characters, they are an absolutely delicious shade of grey; the epitome of moral complexity and lovability.
This was an absolutely scintillating read, and I absolutely be sticking around for more of Violet Allen's work!!
Thank you to LittlePuss Press for providing this book for consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
This was an absolutely scintillating read, and I absolutely be sticking around for more of Violet Allen's work!!
Thank you to LittlePuss Press for providing this book for consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
2.75/5
I was rather confused and disappointed with this book.
The formatting was very unique, but also strange. I don't really think it worked, at least, not for me. It felt very disjointed, the changing of formats. It just felt thrown together.
It did have some interesting and fun moments, the tone was very upbeat and intriguing, but I just felt confused with the story.
I'm sure there are some readers who love this sort of thing, unique formatting, but it's just not for me.
Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!
I was rather confused and disappointed with this book.
The formatting was very unique, but also strange. I don't really think it worked, at least, not for me. It felt very disjointed, the changing of formats. It just felt thrown together.
It did have some interesting and fun moments, the tone was very upbeat and intriguing, but I just felt confused with the story.
I'm sure there are some readers who love this sort of thing, unique formatting, but it's just not for me.
Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!
January 24, 2026
First off - props to whoever did the formatting work for this digital book, the frequent color, size, style and even how the text is conveyed changes rapidly, sometimes multiple times on the same page, and it had to be a hell of a job making sure it stayed intact on the conversion to digital files. We get a hell of a swing of a debut novel about a situationship between a transmasc mech pilot and a fallen transfemme magical girl, about the desperation you feel in your own life sometimes and the escapes you try to make with the tools you have at the time, only to find out years down the road that maybe this thing is toxic for the both of you. I loved the way Allen plays around with literary style and formatting a lot, and I may have been cheering for Acrasia out loud by the end of the book. Allen is almost gonzo in her descriptions of what unfolds here, and I may be going and reading her backlog after finishing this. Pick this up when it comes out in May, it's a hell of a ride.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
You ever have one of those days where what you really need is a messy, queer, postmodern, sci-fi, romance? Yeah me too.
Plastic, Prism, Void is a delicious mash-up of some of my favorite literary motif-monsters: intertextuality, genre hopping, unreliable narrator(s), rambly distortion of time and space, mildly meta.
It's an adventure, a comedy, a fantasy, a sci-fi, a trans-dimentional love story, and, ultimately, exactly what I needed.
If you could use some experimental literature that doesn't take itself too seriously, track down this book!
Plastic, Prism, Void is a delicious mash-up of some of my favorite literary motif-monsters: intertextuality, genre hopping, unreliable narrator(s), rambly distortion of time and space, mildly meta.
It's an adventure, a comedy, a fantasy, a sci-fi, a trans-dimentional love story, and, ultimately, exactly what I needed.
If you could use some experimental literature that doesn't take itself too seriously, track down this book!
December 9, 2025
ABSOLUTE CINEMA
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
sometimes you're a butterfly dreaming you're a human woman with borderline personality disorder, okay?
this vomited 80s/90s anime/SF nostalgia into my soul
i'm furious that i didn't write this
this vomited 80s/90s anime/SF nostalgia into my soul
i'm furious that i didn't write this
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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