I didn’t know this book was the second in a series when I picked up the ARC, but I think it’s well able to be read as a standalone. While I was dropped right into the story and expected to catch up, catching up wasn’t hard, and while there are quite a few words and phrases unique to this world and setting, they were easy to grok through context.

In this world, Levi and his people, the Reisende, are a people punished for the actions of their ancestors. Their genes are considered dirty, corrupted, impure, their genes filled with GLEtches; before two Reisende can become a couple, they have to have their genes checked. Their children must also have their genes checked as infants to decide if they’re worthy. They live on the fringes in a nomadic while the ‘pure’ humans — the ones whose ancestors didn’t tinker in genetic engineering — hold all the power.

Levi, though, turns out to not to be quite so impure as he’s supposed to be. Which means his father did something almost blasphemous and genetically engineered his son. The same thing that caused their generational suffering in the first place. Then there are the mutated plants — a hybrid between fungus and plant and which seem to have the skill to grow out of human flesh — which has lead to the death of a nearby Stamm.

There’s a lot here, and a lot I like. The thoughts on eugenics, on punishing an entire people for mistakes their ancestors made, whether any one group has the right to control another. Climate change ,genocide, soft powers, the chains that unchanging traditions wrap around people — when traditions don’t grow with the people needs — and how easy it is to give over control to someone who promises safety … without any thought for what that safety will mean one, three, or five generations down the line.

This is a very good science fiction story … but I think the ideas are better than the writing, and the writing is better than the characters. Honestly, the characters are just flat mouthpieces with neither energy nor emotion, and I found it very hard to want to keep reading, as I prefer a more character forward story. However, this is a book worth the read, but it will be up to individual readers whether they enjoy the flat, almost clinical writing style (which reminds me a lot of classic sci-fi from the 60s and 70s).

I don’t know that I’ll keep up with the series, but that’s just me. If you give this a try I do hope you enjoy it. Thank you so much to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

I was hooked the minute I started this story. Books with genetic engineering is my jam and I usually pick it up when I find one. This one delivered with fantastic engineered creatures and plants that just added another level of mystery to this world. Why were these creatures created? Well I don't want to give anything away, just read it. I think you will love it too and I hope you are left just as stunned as I was at the end. I will be diving into more by this author!

With this beautiful cover and the interesting premise I really looked forward to reading Neuen. I loved it, but, it should be longer, more parts. I would like to dive into the world more, get some more charachter development over time and not feel stressed at the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC. All opinions are my own.

I really liked this book until the end. I feel like it definitely should have been a multi book series. not just because i spent all this time learning the world and the characters, but because the plot was fantastic. I can see it being a trilogy minimum. but the ending the author picked put an abrupt end to it for me.

if you like dystopian scifi, definitely give it a read.

I'm always interested in books about revolutions against oppressive systems, so this held my attention. The plot twist near the end did indeed surprise me, and took care of some of my earlier objections -- the smallness of the population, for example, and the unlikelihood of the feats the main character pulls off. I think we needed more development / the plot reveal to occur sooner.

Thank you to HypIn Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Neuen!

Neuen is a gripping, thoughtful sci-fi mystery with depth and heart, ideal for readers who appreciate substance over speed. It unfolds on a slow-turning planet where extremes of heat and cold dictate not only how people live, but who gets to survive.

Singerling constructs a society in which genetic “GLEtch” determines exile. The privileged remain in climate-controlled cities; the rest are forced into nomadic life as Reisende, wandering the margins of habitable space. It’s a brutal, slow-moving system of segregation that doesn’t need violence to sustain itself, just silence and routine compliance.

The world-building is rich with subtlety. Rather than sweeping exposition, Singerling allows the landscape, the climate, and the unspoken rules to tell us everything we need to know.

Lyn and Levi, the two central characters, reflect the novel’s deeper tensions. Lyn is a monitor of genetic compliance, sent to investigate a settlement that’s begun to fail. Levi, a Reisende and plant pathologist, is both a guide and skeptic; of Lyn's mission, her institution, and everything she represents.

Their interactions are compelling but never romanticised. Where Lyn is analytical and distanced, Levi is grounded and wary. Their relationship feels like a negotiation between two worldviews, shaped by the environments that made them. However, at times, their individual arcs feel slightly underexplored, especially Levi’s, whose emotional depth deserves more attention than the plot sometimes grants him.

The science is well-integrated and engaging, especially for readers interested in genetics, plant pathology, and climate. But its integration into the mystery isn’t always seamless. There are moments when the pacing slows to accommodate dense commentary, which may frustrate readers looking for immediacy or action.

Still, Neuen succeeds in what it sets out to do: it asks uncomfortable questions and lets them breathe. For readers drawn to political undertones, quiet resistance, and speculative worlds that feel eerily plausible, this one will linger.