2.75/5✨

Baby X is a sci-fi/dystopian mystery/thriller that follows three women in a world where most diseases are now curable and designer babies have become the norm.

I was really excited to get into this one and found it easy to read from the get-go. The world was alluring and I was intrigued by the ramifications of a society where babies were not only selected for desired traits, but DNA could be stolen and used to create both eggs and sperm. I think what attracted me to the story the most was the science fiction elements and societal impact.

However, where this story fell short for me was the plot and the characters. I was most invested in the logistics of the world and how the three character’s stories would weave together. However, after about 30%, I found everything predictable and realized I didn’t care about a single one of the characters. I really wanted to like this more. Unfortunately, this was a DNF at 50% for me, as it sorely disappointed.

I think this story could work for some people, but it just fell flat for me.
[Note: Check Trigger Warnings]

Not gonna lie, I was wondering what the hype was all about most of the time while reading this book and then... wow!!! Turns out the joke's on me all along because 🤯🤯🤯

Filled with intrigue and suspense, this is a bold and imaginative sci-fi thriller set in a dystopian future. I love the refreshing concept here, but at the same time, what's scary is that it's not hard to visualise such a world centuries from now.

Interestingly, I didn't particularly love any of the 3 POVs and felt detached to the characters... until everything came together so perfectly and beautifully and I had to read the book again from the start. Just... beautiful!!!

The writing and ending really made it for me 🥹

Full review and links to social will be posted as soon as possible.

I'd like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent book, love it! Looking forward to more from this author! Apologies for the lateness of my review

This is one crazy ride with multiple points of view. It has some good twists. There are some areas that were too detailed or unbelievable, but this is an entertaining, thought-provoking read.

Baby X was a pleasant surprise for me - I went in without knowing anything about the plot. The story of genetically engineered kids (and the theft of people's DNA) kept me totally engaged and guessing until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really, really liked the concept of this book. It was very interesting and a very unique idea of a world that might not be too far off in some ways.

I thought it was very interesting how this book all goes together, but I was overall a little bored with this book. I wasn’t able to get fully into this story as I had hoped I would.

While this is very Black Mirror it still does a really good job of being it's own thing. Also gave me Antiviral from Brandon Cronenburg vibes throughout it. Very interesting few of the future.

Loved how bold and thought-provoking “Baby X” was. I’ll be interested to read Kira Peikoff’s next book and highly recommend “Baby X”!

The craziest Black Mirror-esque novel you'll ever experience. A solid book with twists and turns everywhere you look. This would make for such a great movie adaptation! Highly recommend!

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the digital arc!

Baby X
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Author: Kira Peikoff

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and Dreamscape Media and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: In the near-future United States, where advanced technology can create eggs or sperm from any person’s cells, celebrities face the alarming potential of meeting biological children they never conceived. Famous singer Trace Thorne is tired of being targeted by the Vault, a black market site devoted to stealing DNA. Sick of paying ransom money for his own cell matter, he hires bio-security guard Ember Ryan to ensure his biological safety.

Ember will do anything she can to protect her clients. She knows all the Vault’s tricks—discarded tissues, used straws, lipstick tubes—and has prevented countless DNA thefts. Working for Thorne, her focus becomes split when she begins to fall for him, but she knows she hasn’t let anything slip—love or not, his DNA is safe. But then she and Thorne are confronted by a pregnant woman, Quinn, who claims that Thorne is the father of her baby, and all bets are off.

My Thoughts: I am not a huge science fiction/fantasy fan, however, I think this premise can float across all genres. The author has an amazing Mimagination. Our celebrity Trace Thorn is tired of his DNA being a victim of theft and hires bio-security expert Ember Ryan to protect his DNA. Ember will go to the ends of the earth to protect her clients. When more than DNA security starts to erupt between Trace and Ember, they are confronted by a pregnant woman alleging Trace is the father of her unborn child. To what end will the Vault, the black market DNA ring, go to sell celebrities DNA? Will Ember be able to trace how this woman, Quinn, was able to get Trace’s DNA?

The story is narrated by multiple characters, which I love. I feel like you get a good picture with multiple points of view. The POV is round robin between Ember, Quinn, and Lily. The characters range from likable to not very likable. I like that we had hero’s that I could cheer for and villains I could yell at. The characters were well developed with depth, mysterious, secretive, and intriguing. The author’s writing style was complex, imaginative, suspenseful, twisty, and engaging. The characters are slowly built up, then the plot is developed in twisty layers until we reach the mind-blowing conclusion. You do have to dispel believe for this one and some concepts are a little far-reaching, but still an enjoyable read that I found hard to put down.

The author did a fantastic job at explaining the science terms and kept the story interesting. I listened as much as I could each time I picked it up, as I could not wait to find out what happened next. This was the first speculative fiction I have read, even though you really have to suspend your belief and some of the scenarios seem really far-fetched, I still enjoyed this story. If you love Margaret Atwood, this book will be right up your alley. I would recommend it to others.

This book had excellent themes, like I really loved the inspiration behind the book and how it wasn't just a typical sci-fi thriller. But it seemed pretty boring to me. I pretty much hated the main character by the end of it, which honestly is really important to my overall love for a book.

Easily one of my favorite books of 2024! What a unique and engrossing story! I was so excited to recommend to my sister so we could discuss.

Extremely ambitious novel that feels like it lost itself halfway through the book. If can get over the glaring logical issues, the pacing does not work and the multiple perspectives confuses the overall goal of the book.

What an interesting concept! What if someone could create a baby using just a bit of your DNA? Sound chilling and invasive? Yes, it is. This speculative fiction novel explores just that. The plot had some good twists and turns. I also found the ending to be satisfying. Ultimately, it’s a creepy concept and would make for great discussion. I recommend Baby X to readers who enjoy pushing the boundaries of reality with some twists and turns mixed in.

Special thanks to The Quick Brown Fox & Co and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC via Net Galley.

A futuristic take that might not be that far fetched.

Quinn is pregnant but whose baby is it.
In this new age world DNA can be stolen and turned into an egg or sperm regardless of who the DNA is from.
This puts high profile people in significant danger of non-consenting use of their DNA.
A blackmarket/underground company is profiting from finding and create these opportunities and auctioning them off to the highest bidder.

A great read for those who enjoy reading a very possible and scary future. Overall really enjoyed this book. The plot, characters and twists. Would highly recommend.

Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for this ARC so I can provide an honest review.

This was a very unique thriller and such an interesting premise! I thought the characters were well done and I loved the multiple POVs!

Not enjoyable for any fan of sci-fi, this was comical at times. I'm sur eit will have an audience but I don't think it will be the sci-fi crowd.

Baby X is one of my favorite thrillers of 2024. It's a character-focused and twisty thriller with science-fiction elements that had me fully absorbed in the world and the characters' lives after a few short chapters.

The blurb compares Baby X to Black Mirror, which is a very good comparison. Reading Baby X felt like watching one of the best episodes of Black Mirror.

The story follows three main POV characters: Ember, Quinn, and Lily. Ember is working as a new kind of security guard whose job is to protect her clients' DNA. Quinn is a professional surrogate. Lily is a new journalist who is digging into an old case for a story. All three women's stories show how the technology of the era has impacted the world in both good, complicated, and horrifying ways.

Baby X has some great twists and turns! It's also full of great characters and is set in a truly fascinating world that feels disturbingly possible.

This book is an entertaining read that has become widely popular across book subscription services. It allows for good interpersonal relationship discussions and book review questions. Excellent building of characters.