Ling Ling Huang's debut, Natural Beauty, was so weird and original and one of my most memorable reads of 2023. Her sophomore novel, Immaculate Conception, is therefore one I was eagerly anticipating. I devoured it. I already want to discuss and maybe read again before its release date in May 2025.

Immaculate Conception doesn’t retread any old ground for readers of Natural Beauty; it’s set in the art world and concerns a friendship between two women who meet at art school: Enka, ambitiously striving to establish herself through her art focusing on human engagement with emerging technology, and Mathilde, withdrawn and eccentric but seemingly imbued with a natural vision and brilliant originality that brings her immediate fame. The plot follows their intertwined lives and experiences and goes to some definitely weird, and sometimes very dark, places.

Ling Ling Huang writes in a way that is absorbing and eerie, unsettling but beautiful like the literary equivalent of an A24 film. I really liked this one.

This is a fast, impactful novel, told in breathless bursts and divided into three sections. Like an artists's statement, the sections are Early Style, Middle Style and Late Style, followed by a Retrospective.

This book is the story of two artists, creating work in a world that is heavily divided between the have and have-nots. The rich have cordoned off the world using "buffers" - immense screens that keep the poor out and the wealthy protected. Those that are inside are "enclave" citizens and those outside are "fringe." Our two characters, Enka and Mathilde meet in art school. Enka is a fringe student, on scholarship, while Mathilde has been given every privilege, but has also lived a life of unspeakable tragedy. The two form a strange bond of envy and trust.

Enka rises to fame and power through the means of aligning herself with the wealthy, while Mathilde's fame creates art that is original and stunning. Their stories take us through a world where technology is shaping the art world, the greater world, and even our own consciousness. The book brings up questions about originality in a world with AI, plagiarism and empathy.

I found this book fascinating, and at time horrifying. Huang is a master of the futuristic macabre, similar to Natural Beauty, she uses body-horror to showcase the desperation humans have to avoid death. If you enjoy speculative fiction that explores feminism, art and the morals of technology, you'll love this one.

In Immaculate Conception we take ourselves into the art world. A world with haves and have nots and groundbreaking science. A place where jealously and greed are looked at through the lens of tethered friendships.

1000% yes. I loved this speculative science fiction novel. It was filled with the beautiful, haunting, lyrical writing that I’ve come to look forward to from Ling Ling Huang.

Thank you NetGalley and Dutton for the ARC!

I will start by saying I am a Ling Ling Huang STAN. Natural Beauty was a masterpiece. Her writing in this, her sophomore novel, is absolutely top tier -- the world in which she crafts her story? Detailed and at a risk of being punny, immaculate. Not a single thing slips through the cracks, and when considering the complexity of the technology she wrote about, this could have been entirely possible. That is where I am blown away. Not a single speck, not a rock was left unturned.

That being said, it didn't hit the way I hoped it would. The ending was a tad disappointing to me personally -- perhaps I had too high of expectations when considering the leaps she made with Natural Beauty as a body horror. This was spooky and shocking, don't get me wrong, but it didn't accomplish the feeling of unease I was hoping for with the subject matter. The theme of bodily autonomy and Mathilde though.... wow, yeah. Scary.

Anyway, I love Ling Ling. Her writing will never disappoint. Only this story's conclusion.

“But no matter what I said, or how much I embellished, I couldn’t shake the feeling that our lives had already been determined.”

Huang has done it again. After reading Natural Beauty, I was ecstatic to see Huang’s latest work, Immaculate Conception, and it did not disappoint.

The story explores the friendship of Enka and Mathilde, young art school students and covers themes of class, accessibility, jealousy, technology in the art world and the aspects of how trauma produces art.

Similar to Natural Beauty, Huang places readers in a world that is futuristic technology-wise, but is also easy to picture because at times it seems it is where our world and society could end up.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Science fiction is far from my favorite genre but Huang still manages to amaze me. Immaculate Conception is a remarkable piece that is enjoyable to read and will get the wheels of your brain turning.

Meditations on greed, AI and technology, digital identity, friendship, ownership over art, the wealth divide, bodily autonomy, and so much more. One of the more fascinating parts of Immaculate Conception (to me) was its focus on something that I have questioned a lot lately: what qualifies as original? Is there still such a thing as an original thought, an original idea, an original piece of work? Or are we all just regurgitating each others’ thoughts and words and feelings in various forms?

The writing in this book is superb and exactly what I expected having read and loved Huang’s previous work. Something about this one though feels superficial; connections between characters and the rise of certain technologies grew at an alarming rate or occurred mostly off-page. Initially I enjoyed this style—the way it seemed like Huang was cutting through all the bullshit and unnecessary fluff in order to break through to the real story—but by the end, I found myself wishing for more depth and excavation.
Even still, that didn’t steal too much enjoyment away from me and seems minor when compared to the quality of the rest of the book.

Thank you Dutton Books for the early copy in exchange for an honest review! Available May 13 2025

incredible, imaginative, beautifully written. ling ling huang is a language genius, consistently crafting such beautiful prose to describe the relationships we have not only with ourselves but with others and with technology. i really enjoyed what this novel had to say about technology in the arts, especially at a time where AI generated images are widely shared and sometimes widely viewed as "real art" and manipulated for profit. how would this impact art? how does this impact the lifes of artists? of culture? i really, really loved this.

4.5 rounded up to 5, and easily one of my favorite books this year. Huang's ability to tackle such a wide swath of themes is astounding & I especially appreciated her commentary on the biotech industry, body ethics, & art snobbery.

To start simply, I think this book was really great.

I liked Natural Beauty, and that's why I wanted to read Immaculate Conception (thank you Netgalley) and it was even better than I expected. The theme of bodily autonomy and the question of 'Who controls your life/body?' is one that is relevant for all of us, not just public figures. It reminded me of The Vegetarian in that way.

I also really like the depiction of the art world. Usually when characters are this pretentious I find it really annoying, but somehow Huang made it come across as just an interesting plot aspect.

Enka and Mathilde are both so interesting as characters. At first I felt that Enka was boring, and the real story is about Mathilde, but as the story progresses I understood the choice to have Enka as the narrator. I don't want to spoil anything so I wont say more. .

I think Immaculate Conception is the type of book that makes you think critically, and that is always good.

I wanted to love this book and did find the concepts very interesting. Ling Ling Huang introduces a future world heavily influenced by AI and uses it to ask how art will keep up with and be affected by technology. She clearly makes the case for art and creativity being necessary for the human experience, and she supposes that as technology advances, humans will start to chase art as a means of interacting with the natural world. If this isn’t enough to cover in one book, she also discusses how human relationships will change as we become more reliant on technology.

I loved how much Huang wants her characters and the story to make us as readers think, but I can’t ignore how incomplete this book felt. I wish there was a little more introduction to this technologically-advanced world. Instead, each time a new piece of technology is introduced, it feels too jarring and underexplained. The characters also lacked depth. I wished there was even more backstory to Enka’s character and why she felt so inadequate. I would have loved to see more of her and Mathilde’s budding friendship.

Overall, Immaculate Conception has so much potential, but it needs more – more world building and more character depth. I would happily read another 100+ pages within this world if it meant that the characters and their relationships felt more real.


Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

4.5 - Ling Ling Huang has to be one of most impressive writers and freshest voices working today. Her work feels so singular, and I am amazed with how she bends genres so seamlessly. I had such high expectations for this after Natural Beauty, and I’m so pleased to say that this lived up to them for me.

I probably need more time to really articulate my thoughts on how Huang uses sci fi elements and the art world to create commentary about a variety of things (art, technology, friendship, etc). Truly my only complaint is that I wish we had gotten a bit more time with Enka and Mathilde during their formative years and watching their friendship grow because at times I didn’t really feel their bond after being told they were best friends, but everything else was perfect.

What a book!

I found Immaculate Conception to be thoughtful, vibrant, and incredibly intelligent. Enka was a fascinating protagonist, while Mathilde and Logan were just as interesting. The writing style was intensely readable, as well. I can't say that certain claims made of Enka's world were entirely believable, but every character behaved believably in reaction to these circumstances. I enjoyed the novel and would recommend it.

“Everyone is jealous but they find a way through it.”

“To me, she was the moon, and I, the tide, alternately lapping at her bright milky feet and receding toward the dark shore.”

Quick synopsis: Two girls meet at art school and form a quick and intense bond. Enka, although talented in all her own rights, heeds in Mathilde’s natural creative genius so much so that she wants to crawl inside her brain and untap her genius for herself— and so she does.

Review: This book felt so fresh, new, and creative. It follows Enka and Mathilde from art school until they are in their 40s. Enka gets into art school on scholarship and meets Mathilde. Most people are intimidated by Mathilde but Enka is enamored and quickly becomes obsessed with her art and wants to get closer to her. The girls form a deep bond and friendship with each other.
Here is where this book takes a light scifi turn and becomes a wild ride I do not want to spoil too much. Essentially this book is one that touches on topics of girlhood, friendship, betrayal, love, loss and grief, depression, jealousy, the dangers of technological innovations, and penance. This is one that will forever live in my head rent free. I felt so many emotions reading this and felt so close to these characters. This is a beautiful and tragic story of one sided jealousy and betrayal and the other side deep love and admiration. 10x recommend!!
Thanks @netgalley and @dutton for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Immaculate conception out everywhere books are sold May 13, 2025

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
⭐️3.75⭐️
The premise is really interesting, and I love the way she writes her characters. I feel the same way that I did with Natural Beauty overall— interesting concept but the last half was hard to get through for me and I’m not sure why.

I was both excited and nervous to dig in to this book. I enjoyed Natural Beauty so much, and I couldn't wait to see what Huang would write next. Thankfully, Immaculate Conception was not a disappointment.

Huang is covering a lot of ground here and all of the themes are tightly woven together, so it's hard to tease out a "main theme". If I had to highlight one though, it would be this: friendship and the fine line between awe and jealousy. As Huang writes in this book, "Everyone is jealous, but they find a way through it." The dedication ("for the jealous") immediately let me know that this is a book about a jealous person who does not "find a way through it". Enka starts out feeling insecure, and befriending the seeming prodigy Mathilde just makes these feelings spiral.

It's also an exploration of technology and its many uses. It first comes up in the mention of the barriers that are erected around the country, separating cities into "enclave" and "fringe" areas. Then there is the discussion of AI (Huang never explicitly calls it that, but I think it's obvious that this is what is being discussed) and its effect on the art world. And then we have the one-way mind meld, intended to heighten empathy and heal trauma but instead abused by Enka to live out her dreams of success.

I think Huang does a good job of hitting all these points, and the moral of this novel was quite apparent to me. My only issue is that some of the commentary felt more like it was sort of tacked on at the end of certain scenes to check off a box rather than weaving it in with the narration.

I also really appreciate how Huang found a way to tie music in to this book and Mathilde's artistic process. It both brings to mind the fact that Huang is a violinist and makes me wonder how music affects her own artistic process.

This had a lot of really interesting concepts in it that I'll probably think about from time to time. I did find it somewhat entertaining to read about the performative art pieces Ling Ling imagined and found them fairly pretentious but also fairly plausible. The scifi backdrop was very interesting and imaginative.

I think the main thing that didn't work that well for me was the character writing. I don't think anyone is intended to be particularly likable, but I didn't feel like I developed any attachments to Enka, Mathilde, or Enka's husband.

Received a free copy from Netgalley.

This unique, fascinating concept delivers a penetrating study of artistic ambition, technological innovation, and the intricate threads of human relationship. The novel tracks Enka and Mathilde, two artists whose connection becomes a nuanced investigation of creativity, desire, and the murky boundaries between inspiration and ownership.

Enka, wrestling with her artistic identity, becomes deeply enmeshed with Mathilde, an emerging talent in the contemporary art scene. Her intense need to remain relevant in Mathilde's world drives her to an extraordinary choice: marrying into a tech enterprise developing a revolutionary method of mental intersection. This narrative mechanism becomes a potent allegory for artistic and personal intimacy, challenging our understanding of individual selfhood and emotional proximity.

Huang's writing is sharp and atmospheric, capturing the art world's intricate power dynamics with surgical precision. The novel explores the psychological terrain of two artists linked by a relationship that defies simple classification—part mentorship, part competition, part desperate connection. The speculative technology functions not as a narrative trick, but as a sophisticated lens examining human fragility and the extreme measures people undertake to comprehend one another.

The book's power emerges from its willingness to confront difficult terrain. It interrogates challenging concepts about originality, understanding, and the ethical landscape of technological intimacy. Huang resists providing comfortable resolutions, instead presenting a narrative that demands intellectual engagement and moral reflection.

While addressing weighty themes—trauma, artistic competition, technological ethics—the novel maintains a delicate balance between intellectual depth and narrative energy. The story avoids sensationalism, instead offering a carefully constructed exploration of how personal yearning intersects with broader technological and social questions.

Immaculate Conception represents a sophisticated reflection on creativity, connection, and the increasingly fluid boundaries between individual consciousness in an era of rapid technological transformation. It will resonate with readers who value literature that challenges conventional narrative structures and investigates the profound complexities of human experience.

Note: The book contains mature and potentially challenging thematic elements.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for providing me this unique horror concept's digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang is a polarizing and ambitious novel that intertwines the intense dynamics of a friendship with the unnerving possibilities of futuristic technology. The story focuses on Enka and Mathilde, two artists navigating a relationship filled with admiration, jealousy, and obsession, set against the backdrop of a world where trauma and emotions can be transferred via cutting-edge science.

The writing is lush and cerebral, full of provocative ideas about empathy, art, and control. While some moments are thrilling and deeply affecting, others felt weighed down by over-explained concepts or a narrative that tried to juggle too many themes at once. I’d personally rate it 3/5, as I admired the ambition but found the characters less emotionally resonant than I hoped. It’s a book that will appeal to fans of speculative fiction who enjoy exploring the darker sides of human connection.

What a complete delight this book was! A complete postmodern narrative and a wonderful exploration of the art world and trauma. Its a bot slow going but really immersive. An excellent, compelling read.

"Immaculate Conception" by Ling Ling Huang is a provocative exploration of identity, faith, and personal transformation. The novel follows the complex journey of its protagonist, delving into themes of spirituality, societal expectations, and self-acceptance with lyrical prose. Huang’s compelling storytelling creates an immersive experience that challenges readers to reflect on the interplay between cultural norms and the pursuit of personal truth. I will definitely be reading more from Ling Ling Huang. This was a page-turner.