A review by mweis
And What Can We Offer You Tonight by Premee Mohamed
fast-paced
3.5
*I received an audio review copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
I’ve been wanting to read this novella since it was nominated (and won) best novella in the 2022 Nebula and World Fantasy Awards, so I couldn’t request this audio review copy faster when I saw it available on NetGalley. Unfortunately, I think audio was not the way to go for me with this story. I liked the narrator, Elana Dunkelman; however, I think the writing itself was best suited to be read physically.
This novella is incredibly short (under 80 pages) and it packs a punch. It follows a courtesan named Jewel after her friend is murdered by a client and somehow comes back to life. It’s a great exploration of exploitation and the failures of capitalism in a bleak dystopian future. The writing was lush and atmospheric but something about the reading experience just didn’t stick with me as much as I wanted it to. I will definitely be rereading this with my eyes at some point, and I will continue to check out work by Premee Mohamed.
I’ve been wanting to read this novella since it was nominated (and won) best novella in the 2022 Nebula and World Fantasy Awards, so I couldn’t request this audio review copy faster when I saw it available on NetGalley. Unfortunately, I think audio was not the way to go for me with this story. I liked the narrator, Elana Dunkelman; however, I think the writing itself was best suited to be read physically.
This novella is incredibly short (under 80 pages) and it packs a punch. It follows a courtesan named Jewel after her friend is murdered by a client and somehow comes back to life. It’s a great exploration of exploitation and the failures of capitalism in a bleak dystopian future. The writing was lush and atmospheric but something about the reading experience just didn’t stick with me as much as I wanted it to. I will definitely be rereading this with my eyes at some point, and I will continue to check out work by Premee Mohamed.