Mad Sisters of Esi

What first caught my eye was obviously this incredibly beautiful cover. Then I read the blurb, and then I saw the Piranesi mention. While I don’t try to listen to these comparisons too much, this immediately made me even more interested. From the blurb, the comparison made sense: “Myung and her sister Laleh are the sole inhabitants of the whale of babel. They roam within its cosmic chambers, speak folktales of themselves, and pray to their creator, the Great Wisa. For Laleh, this is everything. For Myung, it is not enough.” A place with infinite rooms, creatures, and a mysterious creator? Sounds right up my alley. The time we spent within the whale sure feels like you could spend eternity in it. However, once Myung leaves the whale, we discover people, places, and myths that go way beyond what I imagined. We switch between POVs, timelines, places, dreams, reality… I especially enjoyed the little in-world academic comments and articles. All of this book simply screamed my name. Anyway, to avoid spoilers at this point, I will stop here, but let me just say that this book is beautifully written and will take turns that you will not see coming. Few things are as they seem, and whenever you think you know what is going on, you will be surprised again. I’ve certainly never read a book like this before, and I will give it all the stars! Thank you to DAW Books and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!