Second Nature

by Ling Ling Huang

Bodie is a shy, sweet, curious boy who grows up in the Veil, cared for by his many mothers and devoted to his female God. He spends his days playing in the forest and fulfilling his various responsibilities, which include educating the younger children on the history of their world. Increasingly, he begins to love his closest friend, a boy named Aster, in a way he doesn't understand but knows is infeasible in the Veil.

When Bodie is told that he will undergo fulfillment—a mysterious act which signals his conversion to adulthood—he grows apprehensive. Soon, everything in his world shifts, and a darker truth begins to emerge. To save himself, and those he loves most, he may have to do the one thing that is truly forbidden. . . .

Genres: Horror, Literary Fiction, Fiction, Fantasy, Adult, Speculative Fiction, Cults

Kindle Edition

Expected publication April 13, 2027

About the author

Ling Ling Huang is a writer and violinist. She plays with several ensembles including the Music Kitchen, Washington Heights Chamber Orchestra, Urban Playground Chamber Orchestra, Shattered Glass, and Experiential Orchestra, with whom she won a Grammy award in 2020. Natural Beauty is her first novel.

Reviews

[Marcus (Lit_Laugh_Luv)]

I HAVE AN ARC NOBODY PANIC
---
I have so few auto-buy authors, but you'd best believe that Ling Ling Huang is on that list. I need this EXPEDITIOUSLY

[Brenda Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am such a fan of Ling Ling Huang.
A very slow build story of Bodie - we experience his community's culture and religion as he teaches the younger boys, does his jobs with his good friend Aster. Very melodic, soft existence.
Until he achieves the next milestone in his community.
Brodie has never questioned the rules, ways of life, nothing. As he learns the truths of his life, how will Brodie get through his days?

[Drew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pub Date 13 April 2027

Thanks to Dutton and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Off the bat, I should say that Ling Ling Huang is one of my two favourite authors (the other being Iain Reid), so I went into this book with very high expectations. Her first two books were both 5 stars for me and favourites in their respective years. I really enjoyed this one, but sadly, it was not quite a perfect 5 stars.

I really enjoyed the story, but I struggled to envision the world of the Veil. Huang's writing is gorgeous and descriptive, but I could not, for the life of me, grasp what this world actually looked like. And the worldbuilding itself makes up a large part of the story. For that reason, I can’t quite give it a perfect 5.

As I was reading, I kept getting vibes of The Giver by Lois Lowry. I would love to know if this was inspired by it because I really felt like it was, especially since near the end we are introduced to a character named Lowery. Obviously, the spelling is different, but it felt like too much of a coincidence!

I really enjoyed the ending. It was probably my favourite part of the book. It brought the story together and answered some of the questions that lingered throughout, making sense of things that had been left unresolved earlier in the story.

I need more people to read this! At the time of writing this review, only two other people have reviewed it!

I will say that I think the longer I sit with this one, the more likely it is that it could move up to a 5-star. My mind tends to keep processing books long after I finish them, and I could see myself appreciating this one more as everything settles into place. But for now, a solid 4–4.25 stars!

[Erin McLaughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Edelweiss for the ARC!

Iiiiii was disappointed by this. I was expecting it to be something more original near the end but was disappointed in the directions it went in. The language really bogged it down as well, covering up what could have been some really lovely character moments. I felt like I knew where it was headed the whole time, and was not really excited to get there.

[Kristina Nichole]

I need this!!!!!

[Azhar · Rating 3 out of 5]

have yet to read a cult book that blows me away 🙄



thanking the publishers & netgalley for the arc!!!

[Kate · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

What if society decided that Christianity had gotten it wrong for centuries, and that actually, not only is God a woman, but they needed to hard reset their entire power structure to privilege women instead? This story follows Bodie, a boy living in that Waldorf-pedagogy-adjacent society where women and girls (Edens) hold power, while trying to mitigate the harms men have historically done to society by limiting the choices of the boys. I hesitate to call this a matriarchy (which in my understanding is more horizontal in nature), more a reversal of a patriarchy.

Bodie is a queer kid, who doesn't understand the rites that he and the other boys are working toward, but he's been put in charge of teaching a class of younger boys about the Origins of their society. There's a nonbinary character who "reads" the members of the group and helps determine when they are ready for one of these secretive rites, and until that time, what roles they'll serve. We spend a lot of time with Bodie's blind faith, and sharing of that faith, even when he's being actively harmed by the system. And then we arrive at a dramatic juncture where Bodie realizes what is coming, not just for him, but for all the boys as well as someone he loves.

I wondered early on if this book was headed where it ended up, so it wasn't terribly surprising, but I did really appreciate the emotional interrogation of the fallout of this type of indoctrination. And honestly I love a culty book, and Ling Ling Huang, so this was never not going to be right up my alley. I wish we had spent a little more time in the last 10% of the book around Bodie's choices, but that's probably just me wanting to spend more time in Huang's prose.

If you've ever been interested in deconstructing religion and carving out a space for yourself outside of the framework you were raised in, this book is going to light up the inside of your brain like a pinball machine. The reversal of the roles of genders in this book holds up a mirror to the harms that we're perpetuating and makes those harms easier to see. And honestly in Bodie's desire to be with the babies but lack of access to that role for his gender, we can see a clear argument for how bioessentialism generally and patriarchy specifically hamstrings boys and men.

Thank you to Dutton Books for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. I am a huge fan of Huang's work and will definitely be adding a copy of Second Nature to my bookshelf when it publishes.

[Sage · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ling Ling Huang became an instant read author for me after reading "Immaculate Conception" and "Natural Beauty." I am thrilled to have the chance to review an early eGalley from Netgalley. I will be writing a more in depth review closer to the publication date as is preferred by the publisher.

I will say, the writing from the first sentence is intoxicating and beautiful. The world building starts from the first line and continues to intrigue and draw in the reader as the story progresses. As is expected from a Ling Ling Huang novel, there are characters to love and characters to: be afraid of, to dislike, to be utterly baffled by, and to reluctantly come to adore.

I am a fan of Ling Ling Huang and I can't wait to discuss this novel with more readers as it definitely merits discussion worthy of its depths.

Thank you to Ling Ling Huang for sharing such an incredible talent, to Netgalley for the chance to read this early, and to Dutton for sharing this with me for an early eGalley review, with a longer review near Publication: April 13, 2027.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting dystopian speculative fiction story, and I liked how it explores identity, free will, generational sin, and social expectations of gender roles. I liked the detailed descriptions of imaginative plant-based foods and found myself wanting to try their coffee many times while reading! Although I don’t think the audience is limited to these groups, I think the story will be particularly meaningful for people with experience with or an interest in the effects of religious trauma and for those who have had a child or other significant caretaking role. I struggled to understand some of the MC’s final choices, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like the ending. I more so just wanted to better understand his choices rather than wished the story ended differently, and maybe interviews with the author will help clarify his decisions for me once the book is published. I am adding the author’s two prior books to my tbr.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Thanks to the author, Dutton, and NetGalley.

[Rudi McKay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second Nature got under my skin in a way I wasn’t expecting. Ling Ling Huang creates this strange, isolated world that feels beautiful on the surface, but the deeper Bodie gets into the rules of the Veil, the more unsettling everything becomes. I was especially invested in Bodie and Aster and the way their relationship is shaped by a world that tells them what they’re allowed to feel, who they’re allowed to love, and what they’re supposed to become.

There’s something deeply disturbing about watching Bodie slowly question everything he has been taught to believe. The themes of faith, control, love, survival, and belonging really stayed with me, and I loved how the story gradually revealed the darker truth instead of giving everything away at once.

This was strange, haunting, heartbreaking, and beautifully written. It’s definitely the kind of book that makes you finish reading and just sit there thinking about it. Ling Ling Huang has definitely cemented herself as an author I’ll keep reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

[B K178 · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Second Nature* is the latest work by Ling Ling Huang, who is also known for *Immaculate Conception* and *Natural Beauty*. This story immerses readers in a fantastical matriarchal world that feels both intriguing and unsettling.

While I appreciated the extensive world-building and the effort behind creating the Veil, I sometimes found it difficult to keep track of everything, which made it hard to fully settle into the setting, even as I admired Huang's craftsmanship.

I especially enjoyed how the story explores themes of belief, identity, conformity, and the aftermath of questioning everything you’ve been told. Overall, I enjoyed this book! It’s a unique, thought-provoking story set in an intricately built world.

Though the world-building may require patience, I found the narrative fascinating and appreciated the questions it raises. Fans of *Piranesi* might find this particularly appealing. Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton for providing the ARC for an honest review.

[Pamela · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

Living in the Veil means being part of an isolated religious cult centering a female god. The devotees are cutesy, crunchy-granola land dwellers covered in moss. They eat banana slugs as a snack, and have dozens of names for green.

The language is quite affected with most words slightly altered, that I imagine woodland sprites would appreciate.

As Utopian and ecologically conscious as the community seems, there are mentions of rituals that bring both Midsommar (2019) and Divergent (2014) to mind.

It took me a bit to lean into the writing, but Bodie’s emerging feelings towards Aster and Osia helped invest me.

In the end, I enjoyed the world and discovering things about the cult, but I don’t understand the purpose of their practices.

Thanks NetGalley and Dutton!
Pub date April 13, 2027

[Jessica Holt · Rating 2.75 out of 5]

Thank you to Net Galley for this ARC!

This was one of my most anticipated books of the year as I am a huge Ling Ling Huang fan, but it really fell short of her other books. One of my favorite things about Ling Ling Huang is how her books are usually so creative and different from other things I have read but this felt like a run of the mill cult story. I was hoping for an interesting take or twist but instead it hit a lot of familiar plot beats. The book was bogged down by excessively flowery and at times odd language and I wanted more emotional payoff. I hope Huang can find her stride for her next book.

[Ronnica Fatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our MC is questioning gender role, traditions, and identity in a matriarchal society. What touched me the most was the way our MC processes the deconstruction of the religious beliefs that they were taught and that ruled their life. Ling Ling Huang does it again: weaving a unique story together with beautiful prose and a strong perspective.

Thank you Dutton for the review copy.

[Sara · Rating 2 out of 5]

predictable and overwritten tbh. also, why did i have to read about a thirteen-year-old being repeatedly molested and then having sex with his best friend in such an explicit way? at age THIRTEEN? my god.

[Viviana]

I received a NetGalley ARC from Nicole Jarvis from Dutton, Plume, Tiny Reparations Books today.