Tasmanian Gothic

I really enjoyed this book, I didn't know what to expect but it was definitely much better than I predicted. I also think the cover is really stunning and interesting. It was dark, dystopian and really enjoyable

This one was quite a ride, and so unique. Love that it was so original, and the plot development was amazing, as were the very fleshed out characters. Can’t wait for more! 4/5 stars!

n a grim future, Tasmania is a walled-off state separating the prosperous North from a lawless South beset by strange mutants arising from nuclear radiation. Solari is a biochemist on the run from a violent drug lord. In a desperate move to escape, she commits an act of self-mutilation in order to pass as a mutant and enter one of the secure enclaves where they live.

Things do not get much better for Solari, as she finds she in not so safe within the enclave either. She also learns that the mother she thought was dead is still alive, so she once again risks capture in order to head North and seek out her long-lost mother. She is accompanied in her flight by the mutant Alcaeus, who has been exuled from the enclave.

This book is a wildly imaginative tale which hearkens back to Tasmania's colonial past, when indigenous minorities were also persecuted and driven out. The criminal elements of the plot are firmly grounded in the drug and vice worlds of today and completely believable. The only aspects of Kopievsky's story that I could not accept where why Solari's human immune system did not immediately reject her self-mutilations, and just why she became so obsessed with tracking down a mother that she had barely ever seen, despite the enormous cost that this quest imposed on her and others.

If you can suspend your disbelief a bit more than I was able to, then this is a cracking story in the dystopian fantasy genre.

A very dark, very weird, and totally wonderful fantasy story. Clever and original and highly enjoyable. And look at that fantastic cover!

Buckle up, you're in for quite a ride! Dystopian mutants, trafficking, drug dealers, crime lords, amd betrayal all come together in an adventure of escape, freedom, finding love and ultimate acceptance.

The cover is what drew me to this book. I love a good sci-fi story. It had a Mad Max feel to it with an turned upside down world except with mutants. Solari the female protagonist was a force to be reckoned with. It was action packed and I found it very good. It even gave me some romance which is always my favorite part of every story. I highly recommend adding this to your list.
Thanks BooksGoSocial via NetGalley.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for this ARC! This was a dark, but wild ride, and I felt like I had whiplash throughout. the concepts were incredibly interesting and the cover was attention-grabbing I am glad I read this book. Definitely a wild ride.

I want more cyberpunk-y, plant-y earth-y bio hazard, rough sci fi pieces like this one. Makes me feel like I am reading a dystopian that is fresh and visceral and messy.

"Tasmanian Gothic" by Mikhaelya Kopievsky is a gothic dystopian masterpiece. It's, violent, malicious, gruesome, disturbing, and absolutely merciless in its delivery. The story unfurls at a breakneck speed, making it impossible to put the book down until it's finally over and even then readers will be thirsting for more.

Solari is an orphan in a world divided between north, south, and the Fringes--a place where bloodthirsty mutants thrive. In the South, Solari is caught in the midst of a gang war, surviving the only way she knows how: by making a highly addictive drug to sell to a warlord as a way of paying off her debt. Yet when an abusive ex makes a reappearance in her life, stirring up trouble and jeopardizing her safety, Solari has no choice but to run.

The only option Solari has left is to find safety in a mutant enclave, which means becoming the very thing she hates. Yet the further Solari hides, the more danger she finds herself in until she has no choice but to rise up against those who hunt her or to be brutally and painfully tortured to death.

Everything about this book is worth reading. From the highly imaginative world-building, the freakish mutants resulting from ozone radiation, the mystery surrounding Solari and her family, and the non-stop action that occurs from start to finish. Solari is tough as nails and full of unyielding resilience as she fights her way tooth and nail toward freedom. She's absolutely badass and a hardcore female lead that readers will love and rave about. One aspect about Solari that made her more relatable was her flaws, especially the flaw in her opinion toward mutants. It was nice to have a character that wasn't perfect or had minor flaws that could be overlooked. It took time for her to come to terms with the mutants and it was nice that it didn't take a handsome knight in shining armour to completely change her outlook. The way Solari felt about mutants was entirely up to her to change.

Overall, I really enjoyed the grittiness of this story. It reminded me a lot of X-Men, Divergent, the Hunger Games, and all those other stories where people are fighting against the system and looking for a better life for themselves and their community, with a little bit of a freakish fantasy mix thrown in. I love the mash-up of genres, where it's a little bit of horror, a bit of dystopian and fantasy, along with punk and sci-fi. It really adds a whole new fresh feel to the story that makes it easy to pick up and impossible to put down.

There's a little bit of everything in this story for readers to enjoy and it's definitely a book worth picking up and giving a chance at reading because the story is so beautiful and unique, even though it is brutal and vicious. It's worth being aware of the content warnings before picking it up as there is quite a lot of verbal and physical abuse, as well as gore and strong language.

"Tasmanian Gothic" by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky is out now and available for purchase! If this seems at all interesting, it is 100% worth giving a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for giving me a free e-arc copy of this story and for the opportunity to share my honest opinion in this review.

A psychedelic trip of a read, this one! Tasmanian Gothic by Mikhaeyla Kopievsky is an engrossing story set in a dystopian world with mutants. The plot is unique and the characters well-developed. I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would!