A Season of Monstrous Conceptions

I found this to be a wonderfully paced short story, it wrapped up well and was engaging the whole time. The main character is great, and the setting makes this a great mix of historical fiction with splashes of horror and fantasy mixed in. Highly recommend for a short sweet read.

Honestly, my only issue with this book is that it's too short. I wish it had been a novel instead of a novella.

I've read the previous two sci-fi novellas from the author and really enjoyed them, so I had to give this new fantasy a try. Set in 1600s London and following an apprentice midwife who happens to have some otherworldly powers, this short book turned out to be atmospheric, spooky, a bit horrific, and very interesting on the whole. Sarah is a nice protagonist to follow - one with a past she is escaping, desires she is scared to act upon lest she lose her reputation and vocation, someone who just wants to be seen as a whole person for who she is. While the book is very short, I liked her character arc and where she ended up. The plot itself isn't too complex and was pretty predictable too I guess, but it still left me satisfied. I don't think this will be a series, so I can only hope for a new installment in the author's Sisters of the Vast Black series.