I was given the opportunity to read this as an ARC by the author, Erik Fox.
This is supposed to be the end, but I WANT MORE. I want more of these characters. I want more of this story. I want more of EVERYTHING.
I simultaneously love and hate this book. I love watching characters get completely dissolved and rebuilt into something new, something different, something more. There’s something fascinating about watching people be broken down and transformed, especially when you’re not entirely sure what they’ll become on the other side.
But cowardice? I despise it. And there’s one particular character who absolutely did not get their just desserts nearly enough for my liking. I have some unresolved feelings about that, and I reserve the right to be salty about it.
Monarchs symbolize transformation, rebirth, and change. Stinkbugs, on the other hand, are associated with survival, self-protection, and boundaries. But what happens when the thing you need protection from isn’t an outside force? What happens when the threat comes from within?
How do you protect yourself from something you can’t escape?
Erik Fox, you may have intended this to be the end, but I am not ready to let these characters go. Not even a little bit.