What a fantastic novella! I'll admit, I didn't even realize it was a series. I can't wait to see more of these two feral, revenge-driven women in the sequel. A truly amazing expression of female rage, trans mentality and struggles, and fresh new sci-fi settings and worlds.

3.5 stars
I’ll be honest- my first impression with this book was that it was going to be a struggle. I don’t like second person tense stories (you). But as the story unfolded, I became more and more invested! The narration was wonderful- just the right amount of monotone for the no longer human main character/consciousness. Truly a unique story. I’m looking forward to the conclusion!

This book was weird and I really liked it. It's very short, but I think the author did a great job of packing a lot into every single word.

I'm not going to say much about it, as it is short and I don't want to spoil anything, but it is a sapphic story that involves one MC's conscience being trapped in a mask. There is also a lot of feminine rage. Like, A LOT. And I'm totally here for it.

i have been really into sci-fi books and this was wonderful. queer women getting revenge, feminine rage, and an adventure in space. what more could you ask for?
the narrator did an amazing job at bringing the story to life. sometimes i have a hard time visualizing details while reading but i was able to picture this story like a movie playing in my head.

The author came from video games, and this admittedly does feel a bit like a video game pitch that didn't get picked up by studios. However, the worldbuilding around masks and interplanetary travel, choosing to go with second person POV for the mask's persona talking to our main character, and a genuinely joyful revenge story drew me in hard. I ended up finishing this in the space of a few hours of a road trip, and listened to the audiobook relatively concurrently (A++ narrator). It looks like there's at least one more book in this world, and I'm in for it.

(Advance Listening Copy courtesy of NetGalley and Macmillan Audio.)

<b>An unrelentingly cool 5⭐</b>

I spent a lot of time contemplating this phenomenal sapphic sci-fi novella — not just after I finished it, but while I was still reading.

In this society, people wear masks with both technological and physical enhancements. They can run your devices, but they also give you specialized abilities. Our MC wears a rabbit mask, which lets her leap and keeps her alert and alive. Not long after we meet her, she encounters the consciousness of a dead woman in a hawk mask — a predator mask. How insanely unique a premise is that?

The story is told in second person, which is also unusual. (Anytime I think of second person, I remember a character in Stephen King’s <i>The Stand</i> calling it pretentious, but that’s absolutely NOT the case here.) Here, the mask itself is recounting the story OF the MC, TO the MC, and it works beautifully.

On the surface, this is an incredible sci-fi novella, but there are much deeper threads woven throughout. In the world of the story, being trans is considered a “red flag” because it signals potential noncompliance with corporate rules. Wylla, our main character, is a woman born into the wrong body and she’s spent her life crafting herself and her external narrative to fit what she feels inside. In a fascinating, ‘like that, but not like that' contrast, the female consciousness living inside the hawk mask is a woman whose life was spent disempowered and now, the ultimate indignity, <i>disembodied</i>.

There’s a deeply trans-experience narrative here — and while I don’t have the language or the lived experience to parse every layer of symbolism, the mystery and depth just out of my reach only made the story richer. I spent even more time thinking about its possible meanings than I did listening to the run of the book.

This story is so unrelentingly cool, and I’m thrilled it’s part of a duology.

<b>🎧 Audio-Specific:</b>
Emily Gibbons Bouchard’s performance is absolutely stunning and enhances the novella in every way. On top of being a brilliant voice actor, she also happens to be trans. I look forward to the day when there’s so much representation in the voice actor community that pairing a trans actress with a trans story is just a passing detail. But until then, I want to celebrate how perfectly her performance fit this story and what an amazing job the production team did!

<b>TL;DR</b>: How many times can I say ‘unrelentingly cool’ in one review? Three? Let's make it four. This is an unrelentingly cool sci-fi novella, with a beautifully emotional twist.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was fantastic. Fast paced without being rushed, I felt a deep connection to both of our leads and was invested in their journey the whole way through.

When this book was pitched "for fans of This Is How You Lose The Timewar" I was skeptical, as that is one of my favorite books of all time, and anytime I have seen books pitched as "for fans of" one of my favorites, I have been disappointed.

That was not at all the case here. It is indeed perfect for fans of Time War, in that it has the same gorgeous narration, intensely emotional heart, and breathtaking sci-fi adventure.

I am looking forward to more works from Seth Haddon in the future.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advance listener copy. I loved this book! The narrator did an amazing job! This book is told in second person point of view which threw me off for the first few pages but after I figured out what was going on I loved it and felt it really added to the story! The adventure and mystery were compelling. This is a novella but the author was able to pack so much into it. This was pretty heavy on social commentary, even though it takes place in the distant future we see that society (especially women and the LGBTQIA+ community) still face the same dangers and prejudices. The relationship between the main characters was unique and compelling. The female rage was great. The only thing I would add is a little more explanation/world building.

Huge shoutout to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ARC of this audiobook. Volatile Memory was a weird, brainy, sapphic novel that fit into every one of my niche book interests. We’ve got trans representation, human consciousness living inside a mask, epic space battles, revenge plots- everything you could really want from a book. The perspective might throw you if you’re not used to dual first person POVs that are speaking to each other. But for me? I loved it. It gave me a similar rush as Gideon the Ninth with all the fun wacky robot nonsense of The Murderbot Diaries.

The best word I can use to describe this book is…intimate.

A scavenger finds a valuable mask on a dead woman in a future where trans people are treated exactly as they are today. The mask can set her free if she sells it, but she discovers that it has the sentience of the dead woman who used to wear it. Two different people learning to love a body that wasn’t always home, and now they share it. It’s a beautiful and deeply intimate tale with a romantic asexual love story and an evil corporation in a future that looks a lot like today, but in space.

I am SO IN TO IT.

Volatile Memory follows Wylla, on the hung for a big payday with a ship that’s falling apart. She follows a tip about a piece of tech worth a lot, but she discovers a dead body and a mask that seems to retain the dead woman’s memories and even her identity. That’s not supposed to happen. Together, they set out to find answers and build a deep relationship along the way.

I loved the themes of identity. The main character is trans and the woman is only consciousness, no body. Both are fascinatingly weaved into the story, which has mystery, twists and turns, and some queer romance for good measure. The narrator did a great job, and I thoroughly enjoyed.

4.25

I’ve been a fan of Seth Haddon’s self published fantasy romances so when I found out that he was getting traditionally published with their queer sci-fi novella, I knew I had to read it, especially after it was comped to This is How You Lose the Time War.

Despite being a novella, Haddon is able to pack so much story into these pages. I love the use of second person here. I think this book is smart and has a lot to say about identity and memory and personhood. I especially think that this story and its themes hit hard in today’s society where we’re faced with rampant transphobia and capitalist greed and conversation conversations about the ethics and morality of artificial intelligence.

I also thought the audio narration was very well done, and I look forward to seeing where the finale of this duology picks up.

Volatile Memory is clearly a different kind of story from the jump. Anytime a story starts with a strictly second person narrative style I'm always immediately on edge waiting to find out who the person is behind the voice. The opening scene our unlucky scavenger, living off the scraps of tech abandoned on the edge of company territory, comes across a lead that no scavenger could ever pass up. A piece of unique, read valuable, tech left on a dead planet and broadcasting a ping to anyone who would listen. Wylla new that ever scavenger with a scanner would be after this find, but what she did not expect was what else would be waiting for her at the end of her chase.

The world of Volatile Memory is a really interesting cross between Space Opera and Cyberpunk. I am a big fan of the helmet tech as a ubiquitous piece of necessary tech. An interesting parallel to the issue of phones and the advent of more wearable tech.

This is a really great story that I highly recommend to fans of sci-fi. I can't wait for more.

This book includes:
- Trans rep
- cyberpunk futurism
- dystopia
- aliens and space exploration

This book is so fascinating. I went into "Volatile Memory" expecting an immersion into a complex space drama with a bit of philosophical horror/intrigue/excitement and I was not disappointed. This book wrestles with the question "what makes us human?" Is our humanity stored in our bones? In our flesh? In our minds or our feelings? At what point does a human become less human, or even More human? Can humanity be created on destroyed? These question are explored in the context of artificial intelligence and trans-identity.

As someone who is studying machine learning for her masters degree and a deeply philosophical person (and staunch trans right ally), these questions interest me and I love seeing the topic explored in such a vibrant story. It reminded me very much of "Children of Fallen Gods" and the character Reshaye, specifically a benevolent version of Reshaye' relationships with Tissanah and Max. This book is emotionally complicated. It's fascinating. It's new and different. I highly recommend this read for someone who is looking for something a bit more philosophically challenging and I will definately be buying this book for some of my close friends and family.

Maturity Level: 15+

For fans of:
- 2001: A Space Odyssey
- Children of Fallen Gods
- Mission Impossible Dead Reckoning part 1
- Partition: Critical Era
- Severance

I received this audibook as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Seth Haddon, and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review this book. This review has been posted to GoodReads check out my profile https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/62314863 and it will be posted to my bookstagram account https://www.instagram.com/tinynightingales/ and booktok https://www.tiktok.com/@tinynightingales?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

Actual Rating 3.5

This work was told using a second person POV, and it was used in a creative way that I ended up loving. I also loved the inclusion of gender identity and the discussions of this, as well as the parallels that were used. This aspect was actually meaningful and well done, rather than feeling like it was ticking an inclusive box. I also loved the bits of worldbuilding that were included, though I did want more from that aspect – this is a short read, though, which may be why there wasn’t much incorporated.

I’m not going to lie, this would have easily been a 4-star read for me if the author hadn’t thrown in unnecessary romance. It involved kissing an inanimate object that was home to a person’s consciousness, and this just didn’t work for me. Plus, there’s going to be a book two which I do want to read but promises to have much more romance involved since the “relationship” just got started in this book. Why can’t authors realize how strong a sister-like bond can be, or how strong friendships can be, especially if they’re bonded over similar life experiences? Either of these approaches would have been much more compelling.

If you like sci-fi with compelling characters and an interesting story and world, then you’ll probably enjoy this one (especially if you don’t mind forced romance). My thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Volatile Memory by Seth Haddon (book cover is in image) tells of the Willa, who after finding the the Mark Hawk mask falls in love with the AI stored within it, and goes on a quest to determine why the Hawk mask was abandoned. This sapphic novella covers the themes of love, identity and self.

The narration by Emily Gibbons Bouchard was very well done, keeping the listener engaged throughout. I highly recommend this book for those who love Science Fiction Mysteries like Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite. I cannot wait to see what the next installment of this duology brings.

Thank you @macmillanaudio for the opportunity to listen to this ALC. All opinions are my own.

Pub Date: Jul 22 2025
Rating: 4 stars

#MacmillanAudio
#VolatileMemory
#SethHaddon
#EmilyGibbonsBouchard
#ScienceFiction
#Mystery
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#netgalley

This was a really interesting concept for a scifi novel, and I was especially intrigued by the sapphic elements of it. I generally enjoyed the time that I spent reading, although I will say it didn’t particularly make me feel like I needed to read the second book even though this will (apparently) eventually be a duology. Reading this, I know several people who will definitely be into this, but I could just tell it wasn’t 100% for me, and that’s okay! I think the audiobook and narration by Emily Gibbons Bouchard was pretty well done, so it’s worth checking out if the synopsis sounds interesting to you. The overall concept of a mask and a scavenger lowkey falling for each other while figuring out the backstory of the mask and its murder is fascinating, and executed pretty well. This one comes down to personal taste, but I’ll have to be convinced on whether or not I want to read the second book in this series.

Volatile Memory delivers a sapphic, revenge-fueled sci-fi story that’s as sharp as it is immersive. The second-person narration worked brilliantly for this story, pulling you deep into its world.

Despite its novella length, the story feels rich and fully realized, with stellar prose and thought-out worldbuilding, and I was delighted to find out it’s only the first in a duology.

4.5 - WHOA. This was stellar. An expansive sci-fi with cyberpunk and dystopian elements. Told from the perspective of a human named Wylla and an AI mask named HAWK who become intertwined. They share a distinct type of intimacy, operating as dual souls in one body. The mystery of how this can be reveals an action-packed adventure, explorations around identity, feminine rage and a journey towards autonomy. This was a short but super rich story with incredible dialogue and worldbuilding. Luckily, the story is continuing as a duology.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

“You could be as untouchable as a corporation, a Wylla who had always been Wylla; you could escape the heavy burden of your history, extricate some pure kernel of the person you were always meant to be.”

Volatile Memory is the first novella in the Volatile Memory Duology, a gritty cyberpunk adventure set in the far future, where corporations on terraformed planets and isolated space stations control humanity. Told in the second person where you, the reader, are in the pilot’s seat, we’re introduced to Wylla Sotain, a scavenger who travels to Pholan’s World in search of a rogue signal, only to be confronted with a frozen wasteland crawling with criminals after the same reward. There, she encounters HAWK, a mask that may have the consciousness of the dead woman it’s attached to inside it. Drawn together by obsession and rage, Wylla and HAWK seek revenge and fall in love as they try to piece together who shot HAWK and why she’s trapped in a machine.

“A consciousness spinning through metal and circuits, a bodiless mind, spun to life in the HAWK’s temporary storage. I crystallized and realized: I was alive.”

The best word to describe this book is relentless, with familiar themes of rebels, cults, and hackers, reminiscent of Ghost in the Shell by Masamune Shirow. It tackles anonymity in a repressive society where many live behind masks for their survival and horrific themes of body snatching. While some of the dialogue surrounding consent felt forced, given the life-or-death stakes of the plot, the romance and murder-mystery aspect kept me engaged until the last sentence. Emily Gibbons Bouchard’s narration elevated the experience, and was perfectly suited for the audiobook edition. I highly recommend this novella and can’t wait for the sequel!

Recommended for Readers who Love:

— transhumanist sci-fi,
— cyberpunk set in space,
— and, a high-octane sapphic adventure fueled by feminine rage

Thank you, Macmillan Audio, for sending me an audiobook advance reader copy via NetGalley. You can find more of my reviews on social media at @crownebooks or ww.crownebooks.com.