[4.5 stars] I love an author who has such a distinct point of view and voice that you could quickly identify their writing from just a few sentences. I enjoyed Huang's debut Natural Beauty, and was eagerly awaiting the release of Immaculate Conception. After devouring this in 24 hours, I can confirm that I think it is even better than her debut.

The book could not be more timely as it confronts the threat of generative artificial intelligence to the livelihood of artists. We follow Enka and Mathilde, two burgeoning talents in art school with a bright future ahead of them. When their college announces the public release of a generative AI tool that creates art instantaneously, the entire art world is thrust into chaos. Artists enter ugly legal battles over copyright to their own ideas, the public becomes accustomed to instant gratification, and artists are forced to find ways to adapt. Artists are only deemed worthy of attention if they're willing to show the most raw and vulnerable aspects of their existence that AI cannot possibly capture. It leads to discourse around commodifying pain, the right to privacy, and the true meaning of art in late-stage capitalism.

Ling Ling Huang approaches this in a way I wouldn't expect most authors to. Everything in the novel is set from the perspective of Enka, whereas I think the easier choice would have been to frame things from Mathilde's point of view. For the reader, it tests our bounds of empathy and patience, but adds a layer of nuance and themes that otherwise would go unexplored. It would be a stretch to even call Enka morally grey, but her character arc explores important themes that Mathilde alone could not.

My only minor critique of the novel is the world-building. The integration of technology and division of classes is interesting, but seldom explored beyond the introduction. As a reader, I'm greedy - give me all the context and backstory behind a dystopian world!

Immaculate Conception is like the twisted, dark love child between Suture and Sirens & Muses that I'll be thinking about for weeks to come. If you're interested in literary science fiction (Goodreads classifies this as horror, which I don't think is quite accurate), it's a very timely read. Thank you to the publisher for the e-ARC, and for solidifying Ling Ling Huang as one of my all-time favourite authors.

This had so many intriguing emotional dilemmas and such interesting sci-fi concepts, I know I will keep thinking about this one till long after.
I’ve never seen such a heavy focus of science intermingled with art, and the moral ramifications of doing so. This book raises a lot of questions (though it doesn’t quite focus in and “resolve” one). I think this had 5 or so big topics that could have been the “main plot” - just sticking to the SCAFFOLD project for instance - but instead it introduces class buffers, AI artwork, copyright infringement, clones, memory tampering, corporations owning art, the death of the internet, and on and on.
The pacing feels a bit off with back and forth timelines then time jumps, but ultimately our anchor is the relationship of Enka & Mathilde. Their complicated friendship/rivals is really where this book excels and I think a lot of the world could have been cut to build on them and the trauma vs art themes.
Probably a 3 but close enough to be rounded up to a 4.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for the chance to read this ARC!

I didn’t love this one, but I didn’t hate it. The name originally captured my attention. I honestly wasn’t a fan of the writing but overall it was an okay read .

<i>First, a thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.</i>

This book was A LOT, but in a good way. If you are looking for entertainment, I would say this isn't really it - this book is pretty heavy, and deals with a lot of questions on personhood, on the <i>soul</i>, and are you entirely your thoughts, or does part of your soul live in your body, in your muscle memory, as well?

In that way, this book reminded me of [book:And Again|25110965], which also deals (in one part) of your person existing in your body as well as your mind.

This book took it much further, however, and was really more of a artistic statement itself (which is fitting, given the subject matter and how we learn about the characters).

The other thing that really got me about this book is the idea that you can mean the world to someone else, they can hold you in such high esteem, you can be one of the most pivotal people in their life - and you could never know how much you mean to them. Someone YOU even hold in high esteem - you can mean as much, or even more, to them. I think sometimes we forget not only are we affected by the world and people around us - but we affect and impact them, too.

Immaculate Conception is a book I have been wanting to get my hands on since finishing Natural Beauty. Ling Ling Huang is quickly becoming a new voice in speculative horror and I cannot wait to see how her career progresses. In this new work, she tackles AI's effects on art, envy between female professionals in a highly competitive industry, and how far someone is willing to go to get what they want. Set in a seemingly near future, the world of Immaculate Conception is simultaneously foreign with its use of technology and familiar with themes of insecurity and jealousy that we have all felt at some point in our lives. The book has genuine jaw dropping moments of psychological horror and equally devastating sections of sadness. Additionally, many explorations of ethical dilemmas in some of the art pieces and technologies used in the book which may become real ideas to debate sooner than we think. The end was like a gut punch. Immaculate Conception is haunting and I will be thinking of it for a long time.

Just not my kind of thing. I thought maybe I'd expand my horizons, nearly died, and playing catch up amounted to a lot of stress for nothing.

Thank you to Ling Ling Huang, Penguin Group, and NetGalley for this eARC!

This book had a really interesting premise. It felt very in the vein of Severance and Black Mirror—excited to read the author's other work.

I really enjoyed the first 60% and the last 40%… but they felt like different books. Really interesting premise.

Enka, an outsider artist with a chip on her shoulder, becomes intensely obsessed with Mathilde, a rising star in the contemporary art scene, while they’re both in art school. What starts as admiration and inspiration quickly spirals into jealousy, competition, fixation, friendship, and something even more tangled and dark.

What blew me away about Immaculate Conception is how Ling Ling Huang juggles so many heavy themes without ever slipping into preachiness. At the center of the story is this twisted, impossible to define relationship between Enka and Mathilde. Around that axis, the book explores the darker side of friendship, artistic ambition, and the murky line between talent and desperation.

The setting adds yet another layer. The story is grounded in a future that feels almost disturbingly near, where technology has become not just embedded in our lives, but fused with our bodies, our memories, even our creativity. Tech that allows you to link minds, replicate emotions, slow aging, preserve consciousness. None of it exists yet, but Huang makes it feel like we’re maybe six months away from all of it. That speculative element made the book even more unsettling in the best way. It constantly asked: just because we can, should we?

But Immaculate Conception isn’t just a philosophical think piece. It’s a visceral, emotionally taut novel that also delves into trauma, bodily autonomy, loss, and the fracturing concept of originality, particularly timely in the age of AI. What even counts as original thought anymore? What happens when your mind, your grief, and your art are no longer private?

The writing was incredible. Atmospheric without being indulgent, sharp without being sterile. Huang’s prose is both precise and immersive. The pacing is tight, I was fully engaged the entire way through. No saggy middle, no unnecessary tangents. Every chapter built on the last in a way that had me holding my breath a little.

And perhaps the smartest narrative decision: we see everything through Enka’s perspective. Not the victim. Not the moral center. But the outsider, the antagonist, the one making increasingly terrible choices. Yet? You get her. You feel for her. You understand her longing to be seen, acknowledged, chosen. That messy, complicated empathy the reader has for someone who's objectively in the wrong, it's such a brilliant tension to sit with.

Overall, I adored this book. It’s weird and dark and boundary pushing in exactly the ways I crave. If you're into stories that blend psychological tension with speculative tech, and you love a morally gray woman spiraling toward ruin in the name of art and recognition, this one’s for you.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I really liked 'Natural Beauty,' so I probably had unfairly high expectations for this follow-up. It didn't really work for me, but this kind of Black Mirror-esque satirization of technological progress rarely works for me. I also don't love art school stories, so...my lower rating for this is completely a me issue, rather than anything reflective about the book. I know tons will love it, and I'm so glad for them.

Ling Ling Huang is able to create stories that have these fascinating speculative elements that work to provide commentary about modern society. Enka is such a complicated main character, I loved watching her move throughout the story even though most of the time I didn’t love her choices. The codependent bond she has with Mathilde went in very interesting directions.

The book touches on so many different topics like art, AI, trauma, exploitation, envy, agency, and societal divides. It took me a little while to fully get into the story, the beginning felt pretty slow. But once more of the sci-fi elements from the synopsis are brought in I started flying through the book.

Definitely check this out if you enjoy books about messy friendships and the lengths people will go to for art, fame, and connection.

The true killer of creativity is comparison, and Enka takes it way, way too far.

Immaculate Conception revolves around Enka and Mathilde's increasingly bizarre lives. They meet in art college, Mathilde an already sought after artist and Enka barely scraping by with a scholarship, coming from a more or less forced lower class situation. AI threatens to destroy the concept of being an artist all together, and Enka finds herself struggling with inspiration and insecurity. Despite this, the girls become inseparable, and as Mathilde grows her art career to a global degree, Enka ends up pursuing a life with a prestigious family in hopes of furthering her own career.

After an especially traumatic event, their lives become intertwined in a scientific yet horrifying way, leading Enka's insecurities to take a dark turn and risk Mathilde's wellbeing.

The story is a slow burn of mainly Enka's life, and how her insecurity comes between genuine relationships. It touches on AI and art, class differences, healing trauma (in questionable ways), and ties it all up in a neat little bow of horror and unease. A must read for those who enjoyed "Natural Beauty" and anything body horror!

TW: serious traumatic events and adult content

Thank you to Net Galley and PENGUIN GROUP Dutton for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for the ARC!

Ling Ling Huang’s "Immaculate Conception" is a masterful, kaleidoscopic swirl of themes and ideas that circumvents the question of artistic originality to get at something deeper—the importance of origin itself.

I encourage would-be readers to avoid the publisher-shared summary and instead go into the book with only this: "Immaculate Conception" follows the competitive but complementary relationship between Enka—an artist who is technically gifted but lacks vision, and Mathilde—a peer who outshines her in every way. It is not, as the copy makes it sound, “yet another book about AI.”

It’s about the ways identity is commodified.

The author immediately subverts questions surrounding the value of AI-generated “art” by dwelling on something more existential—why does authenticity or authorship matter at all?

Within "Immaculate Conception," Huang seems to insist that art and selfhood are tightly interwoven. At one point, we witness the literal “death of the author” while others co-opt their work. It’s framed as a profane act. Without the context of a life behind it, the resulting “art” is simply a lifeless, violated object.

Huang then builds on this premise by gradually removing different kinds of context from her characters’ lives, asking how much humanity they retain without it. What does it mean to be a self if one’s trauma is removed? How does something that jeopardizes selfhood also solidify it?

That might sound esoteric, but Huang makes it fun. She exercises such care and intentionality at every turn. Her prose is exceptional, full of knotty, richly textured phrases and images. There were points where I found myself reading aloud to feel the words in my mouth. Similarly, it’s clear that Huang put a great deal of research into the art community—a community she’s part of as a musician. There are countless references to performance artists, painters, and composers, and it's a delight to interrupt one's read to look them up and see how they fit into the themes of the story. Impressively, the line between real and imagined projects is often unclear, further emphasizing the question of authorship. If a piece of art exists only as a sentence in this book, is it somehow less real than a comparable piece in a museum?

If there are any critiques to be made about "Immaculate Conception," it’s that the finale isn’t quite able to sustain the frenzied fever pitch to which it escalates. For a book that revels in ambiguity and big questions, it’s a surprisingly limp end, feeling almost like an editorial obligation—"You should spell it all out for readers in case they don't get it." It didn’t diminish how much I loved the book as a whole, but it was a surprising turn.

I’m excited about this book. It’s some of the most fun I’ve had with a novel in quite a while, and it’s a story that takes full advantage of its medium. Ling Ling Huang is such a talented author, and I’m looking forward to seeing how people engage with her work here.

Enka and Mathilde are art school friends with a close bond. When Mathilde starts to become successful, Enka worries about the strength of their relationship. Enka uses her husband’s new technology to connect her with Mathilde through empathy, where she can inhabit Mathilde’s mind and experience her trauma.

Through this process, it becomes hard for Enka and Mathilde to disentangle from each other. Things go off the rails and lines get blurred. There’s obsession, cloning and question of if our memories and experiences are what makes us who we are. This book brings up a lot of interesting questions.

I think this book is a perfect blend of literary fiction and sci-fi/horror. So, if those are your genres, give this book a try. The characters of Enka and Mathilde were interesting to follow and I was also interested in the supporting characters journeys. I found the writing to be engaging and vivid. I was able to visualize the sci-fi elements of the book.
I would definitely recommend.

Even though not everything about this worked for me (I was expecting more about the enclave vs fringe divide, and also more outright horror), I still found it nearly impossible to put down.

Well folks, the time has come to review Immaculate Conception and the good news is… I liked it! I love to see an author grow and I think that is part of what has made me so happy with this book because so many of the problems I had with Natural Beauty (some weak dialogue, rushed ending, feeling incomplete) were not a problem for me here!

This book was so interesting to me thematically, and I feel like it couldn’t be coming out at a better time considering the firestorm that has been the AI conversation, especially in the wake of the Stuidio Ghibli debacle. There really is nothing better than a book that comes at the right time and makes you think critically about the right subjects.

Immaculate Conception explores themes of artistry, ownership, individuality, technology, friendship, ethics, and more. I’m not going to lie and tell you that you will love all of the characters. You won’t. But you will certainly think and form your own opinions about the actions and reactions of each character involved!

The one thing that I wish had been done better is giving context for why/how things are the way that they are. The world these characters exist in is similar to ours, but there are certainly differences. There are aspects of this book that are not fully fleshed out (I’m talking about the buffers, enclave vs fringe) that I think would have added SO much to the discussion had they just been explored a bit more. I am a bit sad it was left as ambiguous as it was with regards to that.

Thank you to NetGalley, Dutton, and Ling Ling Huang for early access to the ARC. I am so excited to see the discourse that will certainly come from this book!

(4.5) ling ling huang has done it again! i'm so glad this is coming out so soon so I recommend this to every artist I know and anyone with a recent severance-shaped hole in their lives. immaculate conception is a book that feels so perfectly timely- from the conversations surrounding AI, bodily autonomy, socioeconomic division, and so much more, every aspect of the near-future art world setting seems eerily non-dystopian, like something only a step or two further than where we are now. I only wish the world-building and explanations of the technology were a little more developed, and that things were explained more than simply told to us, even as someone who is usually not much of a sci-fi fan. on the other hand, I loved the writing about art and female friendship, and the competition and jealousy from enka's perspective felt very real. I saw myself in the worst parts of enka, and i'm sure many readers, especially other female artists, will feel similarly.

I loved natural beauty and this did not disappoint! thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this e-arc

“What an unbelievable scam it is to get everything you’ve been told to want.”

Another book to add to my list of novels in my favourite genre: Women’s Wrongs. I was crawling out of my skin with existential dread and second-hand anxiety, in this story about jealousy, the political & ethical implications of technology, friendship, and the concept of “originality” in art.

I loved this book SO much. Its themes bore frightening resemblances to Severance, Yellowface, Black Mirror, and Ling Ling Huang’s own Natural Beauty.

Immaculate Conception is set in an aesthetic dystopia: a place where the under-privileged are shielded from the things they can't have, and where the privileged are shielded from witnessing the social consequences of their lives. The burden of envy and the burden of guilt, are both inconveniences muted in a separated world.

Enka's life is dedicated to transcending these invisible barriers. Against all odds, she makes it into a prestigious art school in a new world and becomes entangled in a profound co-dependent friendship with the haunted artistic genius Mathlide.

“From the moment we became friends, she and I constructed ourselves in relation to one another…I only know who I am in relation to her.”

Enka’s love for Mathilde is unwavering. Through the black hole of Mathilde’s trauma, Enka breathes in so that Mathilde can breathe out. An unbroken circle of loyalty and care. But there is also a deep and wretched jealousy that gnaws at the edges of Enka’s love for Mathilde..

When technological advances invade the art world, corrupting and co-opting everything Enka has worked so hard to achieve, Mathilde’s subversive and incomparable work remained untouched by anything but her own trauma.

But there is a way to free them both. A cutting-edge technology may be the bridge between Enka and Mathilde that will heal the black hole of trauma, close the gap between Mathilde’s genius and Enka’s ambition, and allow Enka to inhabit the mind of the person she loves & idolizes most.

This unforgettable story asks us what we would do for success, and what cost we would pay to make our dreams come true..

An all-consuming, feverish 5 stars from me.

This was so good. It’s definetly weird and thought provoking. I could not stop reading this. This author easily turned into an auto buy author for me. I can’t wait to see what they write next.

4 stars

In the age of AI, one must wonder what opportunities for originality are left. Ideally, all forms of art afford individuals the space to express themselves and help others form community and deeper understandings of the human condition. At minimum, humans possess some originality based on the nature of our specific experiences and identities, right?

Huang plays with all of this and so much more in this newest effort, which is utterly chiiling, especially for those of us who are immersed in arts and humanities on the daily. Enka and Mathilde are the platform for this exploration, and what happens to them is both futuristic and somehow seems like it could be happening in a bunker at this very moment. Uncovering exactly WHAT these characters are up to at specific moments is a lot of the fun of this novel, so I'm staying intentionally vague, but this is a thought provoking and in many ways disturbing journey that I both feared and loved.

I have no doubt that I'll be thinking about this book for a long time, and I hope that's because the concept continues to fascinate me rather than because it's becoming a daily reality.

I enjoyed this enough to get in a very long Libby line for Huang's first book, and I'll absolutely be back for the next.