Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang is a speculative novel built around a bold, fascinating premise—one that blends futuristic science with questions about autonomy, motherhood, and creation.

While I loved the concept and found the science and philosophical underpinnings genuinely thought-provoking, the execution left me wanting more. The characters felt flat, the relationships underdeveloped, and the emotional stakes never quite landed. There were moments of intrigue, but overall, it felt one-note.

I was so grateful to receive an eARC of Immaculate Conception from NetGalley and Dutton because I loved Ling Ling Huang's previous novel "Natural Beauty." I found the concept of "Immaculate Conception" to be really intriguing exploring AI, dystopian near future, and female friendship. This follows Enka and her best friend Mathilde who meet in art school. The story is told from Enka's point of view and how much she equally loves Mathilde and is jealous of her talents. We explore trauma and response and what happens if something can be implanted into a brain to have others take some of your trauma away? I enjoyed the writing in this book and really found it interesting to see Enka's point of view, but would have really loved to get Mathilde's as well. I don't agree that this is "horror" at all, and I would say, yes it's a bit dystopian, but it also felt a bit 'vanilla' and thought it could go even further into the dystopian or horror category. I would recommend this if you enjoyed Huang's other books and want an easily digestible dystopian novel.

This was such a timely read!

I enjoyed the different themes throughout and emphasis on mental health and motherhood. These are such important topics to consider and explore more in literature, that feel so realistic, even in a dystopian setting.

I found myself reading more and being surprised by some of the characters overtime. This was good!

📚 Arc Review 📚

Massive thanks to @duttonbooks @violingsquared and @netgalley for the e-ARC.

Immaculate Conception
By Ling Ling Huang @violingsquared
Publisher- @duttonbooks
Pub Date - 5/13/25

Ask yourself this….. If you could erase all the past trauma from your life, with no memory of it ever again, would you? Forever gone.

I can’t even fathom the perfect review for this, because what this is … is above and beyond my intelligence. I was in awe of Huang’s work. The writing is eloquent. Exceptional. Mesmerizing.

This is a story about friendships, love, the world of art and the jealousy that divides them. I would classify this as several genres, speculative fiction, mystery, literary and contemporary fiction. It’s broad. It expanded way beyond my mind’s comprehension. The reveals left me speechless. 🤯

I cannot elaborate further beyond what I have mentioned. You will have to discover it for yourself. It’s beautiful and heartbreaking. Shocking and tragic.

Immaculate Conception is a character driven slow burn that I absolutely loved. I purchased my own copy from @aardvarkbookclub . Isn’t she stunning? Be on the lookout for my wonderful friends @gymgirlreads and @lchangthewriter for their upcoming reviews for this. We had so much to talk about!

5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was VERY good.

A dark literary/science fiction novel where two girls, both talented artists, build a codependent friendship over the course of their lives, one always more envious of the other, and eventually they get a surgery where their consciousness is connected and the whole thing is WILD.

The writing in this was fantastic, the sci-fi elements were woven in in a way that was easy to grasp if you aren’t a big sci-fi reader like me. You’re constantly questioning the ethics behind everything, there’s some good AI conversation that could be had from this. Definitely a great potential book club pick.

Highly recommend picking this up!

Thank you @netgalley and @duttonbooks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

The book overall had an interesting plot but was poorly executed. The concept weakened under pressure and felt unsupported in the world building. The pace as at times slow and then sped up drastically as we neared the end to a point where I stopped caring about the stakes. The characters were generic and forgettable. The book felt very amateurish and forced.

I throughly enjoyed this! I haven’t read Natural Beauty yet, but I had heard great things about it and really wanted to read something by this author. I was very excited to get the opportunity to read this and it did not disappoint.

This book tackled so many themes without it seeming overwhelming. Huang explores the chasms created between those with opportunities made available to them and those without. This book explores loss and grief, jealousy and envy, love and codependency, friendship and abuse. There’s commentary on the art world and on ethics and boundaries within science.

This is written in first person in the POV of Enka. This was an interesting choice by the author, but it worked. Enka is a morally ambiguous character who struggles with her immense desire to make something of herself in the art scene, her “friendship” with Mathilde, and her increasing feelings of envy and jealousy. For most of the story she is very unlikable, but by putting the story in her perspective it does create some empathy for her. It was also easy to see throughout the story how all of her actions, even those that outwardly seemed selfless, stemmed from deep selfishness and her need to be desired and respected artistically.

I really appreciated Huang’s ability to write a story that trusts the reader enough to not have to explain every little thing along the way. Sometimes things were revealed more as the story went on, sometimes it was left slightly ambiguous.

I’m not exactly sure how this book was classified. There are definitely some horrific things that happen but this is not a horror story. There is some science fiction, but I don’t think this is a science fiction story either. Maybe more of a speculative fiction. Regardless of how it’s categorized I think it was an excellent book. Definitely check trigger warnings as there are some tough things that are dealt with throughout the story.

I recommend this and I look forward to reading her first novel.

***Thank you NetGalley, Ling Ling Huang, and Penguin Group Dutton for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.***

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Enka and Mathilde are best friends and artists. However, because of AI, Enka’s art is rendered obsolete and redundant whereas Mathilde’s art is original and masterfully executed.

The novel is basically “Single White Female” but with more technology involved. I’m not a fan of the obsessive, brutal, and competitive friendship’s between women as I see it as a trope and untrue due to the patriarchy. There’s no real message here except to love yourself and your own talent I suppose. The jealousy and envy that Enka has for Mathilde’s talent is so overdone that I’m tired of reading about women being pit against each other. And for what? So that one can kick the ladder out from under them once they reach the top of a patriarchal society? Which one character most definitely does this very thing. This book isn’t feminist.

Maybe I missed something, but I was not a fan. Some random pacing and storylines were thrown in for whatever reason and that was confusing as well.

Ling Ling Huang's writing in Immaculate Conception is nothing short of stunning. Every sentence feels intentional and poetic, creating a rhythm that pulled me in from the very beginning. The language is lush without ever being overly ornate, beautiful in a way that lingers long after you’ve finished a chapter.

What truly captivated me, though, was the depth with which the novel explores human relationships. It doesn’t shy away from the messiness of love, longing, and envy, and the way those feelings can shift and warp over time. The emotional intensity between the characters felt raw and real, and I found myself constantly reflecting on the choices they made and why.

This book made me feel, think, and want to immediately seek out more from this incredibly talented author. I can’t wait to see what Ling Ling Huang writes next.

Thank you Netgalley and The publisher for the Advanced Reader's Copy of Immaculate Conception.

I had to DNF. I am not the right audience for this novel as I find a lot of commentary on art very pretentious. And while this novel does argue that it's the whole point, that art is subjective, it also just not my jam. It felt like it would have been a great novel for someone else, just not me.

One of those hard to pick the top genre for. Sci-fi horror litfic combo that just worked so well. A little slow burn of the horror aspect but wow.

Enka is a fine arts major that doesn’t come from an art background so is very jealous and intrigued by Mathilde who is top of the class/ museums already want her work. They become sort of enmeshed until their relationship kinda of leaves them with push and pull trying to be separate artists. But Enka starts working for a tech company that could solve all of their problems.

I enjoyed the writing of this, the pretentious characters and the way the plot moved.
Highly recommend

Thanks to netgalley and penguin group for an eARC

A very exciting sophomore novel. I love a novel that considers the potential role/effects of technology and AI in the art space almost as much as I love reading about a messy, toxic friendship.

Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang really got under my skin in the best way. The writing was sharp, intense, and so full of meaning. I loved how it explored AI, especially how it’s reshaping art and making us question what it even means to be original anymore. It really made me think about how AI is stealing the appreciation for original, hard-earned work, and how we’ve become so used to instant results that we barely stop to think about what we’re losing.

Enka is a tough character for a lot of people to sit with, and I get why. I found myself relating to her in ways that were a little too close for comfort. Sometimes we need characters like her, the ones who make us feel seen even when it’s uncomfortable.

This book was a lot. It was emotional, heavy, and left me questioning so many things. I felt for Mathilde and the trauma she went through, but I also felt for Enka and her struggle with envy. It was messy, it was human, and it made me think about how we are all shaped by the systems we live in.

The conversation around bodily autonomy also hit hard. It really made me sit with the idea that autonomy is not something that should be granted or taken away based on whether a person is seen as productive or useful in society. That is such a dangerous way of thinking, and this book doesn’t shy away from showing the harm it can cause.

Everything in this book worked for me. The way it brought together technology, wealth, art, success, and the messy realities of being human was so well done. I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Soft DNF at 45%.

The prose was very interesting to me, but it was a slower burn than I expected and is not the right book for me at the moment. I hope to come back to it at a later time.

This book had me at the first chapter!! The writing is engaging and beautiful, the suspense and ominousness were written in every word!

I really enjoyed the character development as much as I enjoyed the setting! I love the science fiction aspect of this story and the look at art in its various forms!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Ling Ling Huang, and Penguin Group Dutton for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Immaculate Conception is a read that had me shocked, intrigued, confused, and engrossed on nearly every page! Yes, the book is about what the description states, but it also is so much more than that because fair warning, the “mind sharing” procedure/storyline doesn’t happen until around 70% through. At its core, this is a story about technology, art, jealousy, and how far we are willing to go to risk it all. Following Enka and her relationship to/with Mathilde is a winding road that is a slow burn, and although the book is not long, it truly feels like we as a reader journey far with these characters. Huang’s writing is fantastic, and I was always on the edge of my seat to see their relationship evolve into the parasitic nature it becomes. However, I do have to bump this read down to 3 stars from my true 3.5 rating because I had some big issues with the world-building/setting. The setting is very clearly a near future, dystopian world that is technology reliant; the issue is how this technology is explained, or rather, lack of being explained. The book immediately introduces some technology aspects that are really important to the story, such as the buffers, without fully explaining what they are for a long time. This made it really confusing to read for a majority of the book because I didn’t understand what exactly these things were in the context of the story. Basically, I knew that they affected Enka, but I didn’t fully understand the society she was living in until about halfway through the book. I would have liked a little more exposition/explanation to better set up where the story was going instead of finally getting what things did or meant more than halfway through. I haven’t read Huang’s previous book, Natural Beauty, yet, so I’m not sure if this is her style of writing or if it’s unique to this book. I also had a bit of an issue with the pacing and how some things were barely mentioned/explained that were pretty important to the story. I would have liked to see it be a bit longer to give some more time to linger in the secondary aspects of the story. Overall, though, this was a very intriguing and unique read that made me think and had me engrossed with only some pacing and explanation issues, so I look forward to reading more of Huang’s work!

3.5 rounded up—there was a lot going on in this and not all of it made sense to me, but the premise was so interesting and the execution took it to another level. I loved the exploration of a competitive female friendship and the lengths we might go to both to be the best and to save each other and ourselves. The art world setting was perfect, the dystopian future was haunting, and the writing style even put me on edge in the best way. I loved Ling Ling Huang’s debut novel and loved diving into another one from her. The ending had me staying up late again which never happens anymore, and it was so worth it.

I went into this book expecting something very different from what I got. I think it's been mis-marketed a bit in the synopsis, which gives away plot points which don't even happen until the latter half of the book. I did enjoy the commentary on art, envy, control, and the extractive nature of capitalism. However, the sharp commentary was surrounded by a story that faltered in its pacing and never quite managed to feel real. I think this is a valuable work, but not necessarily one that I enjoyed.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Where to even start with this wonderful book? I’m still mulling over everything in my mind days after finishing the last page, so I’ll do my best to convene my feelings.

I guess I should start by saying that this book is like an onion. It has layers. You definitely have to spend some time peeling back the outer skin to get to the good stuff underneath. Or rather, you must be patient with the slow build up. I personally never mind a book that takes its time setting the scene, but I know in a world where everything is so readily available, people can sometimes get impatient. Take your time with this one; it’s worth the investment.

I will also confess to not knowing a lot about art; I mean, I took the required undergraduate courses on art and culture and enjoy the occasional stroll through an art gallery, but the type of art explored in this book is outside my stratosphere by quite a large margin. I did struggle at times with understanding the scenes in this book that explored this type of art and I won’t deny it. It was, however, a minor issue I had and a personal one at that.

As for the things I loved, I must start with the characters. Female friendships are so rarely featured in media and entertainment; these friendships are complex and beautiful, joyous and heartbreaking, painful and wonderful. Mathilde and Enka’s relationship was all of these. I found myself completely invested in them, nodding and smiling to myself when they were getting along, crying literal tears when the jealousy ate them alive. Ling Ling Huang crafted these characters with such care that I often felt as if I could reach out and take their hand.

I also loved Ling Ling Huang’s insightful look into technology. I often feel we are not stopping to ask ourselves if certain advancements are wise and I felt that sentiment echoed in the pages of this book. Even if we could be so close to another that we are practically the same person, should we? Even if we’re doing things in the name of love, have we stopped to contemplate the real reasons for our choices. I don’t want to go into any more detail here for fear of spoilers, but Ling Ling Huang explores all of this with breathtaking humanity.
In summary, while this had a slow start, the characters and their journeys are real, tangible and heartbreaking. I recommend anything and everything by Ling Ling Huang with my whole chest and thank you to the publisher for giving me a chance to read this masterpiece early.

Thank you Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Chatting with friends, the inevitable “what are you reading” was asked.

My response “Immaculate Conception”.. ohh what’s that about, they asked?

It’s about art and friendship and even jealousy bordering on envy.
Oh and yeah it’s about transplanting bits of your brain to share trauma like PTSD and easing the load, yeah it’s weird but very clever.
And it’s about friendship and jealousy.

This is not my usual genre and at times I was going to ditch this but I’m very glad I didn’t.
Ling Ling Huang is an incredible author and makes me reflect that perhaps the books we want to ditch are the ones we need to read the most. Perhaps these are the books that stretch you, make you uncomfortable, but offer something you hadn’t considered (not that I would consider any of these concepts literally!).

This opened my mind, renewed my long hidden interest in medical/bio ethics and gave me so much to ponder over.
I’m not the person that book would be marketed toward, I don’t appreciate art as much as I could and others do, I don’t like SCI FI, yet perhaps I am the exact person this book was marketed for.

Thank you for opening my mind and creating curiosity for me this week.
4.5 stars.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.