I have very back and forth feelings for this book - on one hand, I enjoyed the writing and the way the plot was setup as well as the look into the FMCs unique (and frequently annoying) stance on feminism, racism, and language; however, on the other hand the FMC, Anisa, is unbearably unlikeable, and the pacing/timeline is wacky to the point that I have no idea if the story occurred over the course of two months or 10 years. A large part of my annoyance with Anisa, and in part the writing, was that she was supposedly around her mid-thirties, but she acted like a nineteen or twenty year old throughout the story - and so did Shiba to be honest.

I saw in several reviews that this had been compared to Vita Nostra (which I have read and it was mind-blowing in the oddest way) and Babel (which I have not read, but have heard many things about) and beyond the obvious plot elements - focus on language (Babel) and a secret organization (Vita Nostra), I don't really see the comparison.

Ultimately, the book was enjoyable and a very quick, bingeable read, but I do feel like it could have been more.