Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this sci-fi eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

This novella answers the question about what would happen if a wormhole opened up in Ikea, I mean, LitenVärld (copyright issues!).  In this short but fun #ownvoices story, a grandmother wanders through the portal to another universe and gets lost.  Two employees have been tasked to find her . . . only they just broke up a week ago and are barely speaking.

The premise is awesome but I wasn't sure at first if I was going like this one.  The humor style took some getting used to and had quite a few pop culture references at the start.  Some of it entertained me like how each LitenVärld furniture room set-up had a nickname like "Nihilist Bachelor Room."  Other parts could be sarcastic but kinda felt painful and mean-spirited.  It was an odd juxtaposition but I got the hang of it.  Having worked in retail (ugh!) I could relate to commentary of working for a soulless corporation with arbitrary rules and conformity issues.

The heart of the story lies with the two main characters, Ava and Jules, and how they are coping with the end of their romantic relationship.  It really does capture the feel of knowing that a partnership has to end but still struggling with conflicting emotions about the transition.  It doesn't help when ye be working at a job ye hate and seemingly have nowhere to go.  It was interesting to read about a very unhealthy relationship between two otherwise nice people.

The major complaint I have about this one is that it was actually too short.  The relationship between Jules and Ava was excellent and obviously the main point of the story but I would have liked more world building.  I loved why the wormholes appeared and how the corporation dealt with them.  The commentary about diversity and relationships was excellent but I couldn't help but want more details about the strange lands.  The handful of other worlds felt lightly sketched in.

No regrets here at all though.  I will certainly be looking for Cirpri's next work.

So lastly . . .

Thank ye Tor.com!

Merged review:

Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this sci-fi eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

This novella answers the question about what would happen if a wormhole opened up in Ikea, I mean, LitenVärld (copyright issues!).  In this short but fun #ownvoices story, a grandmother wanders through the portal to another universe and gets lost.  Two employees have been tasked to find her . . . only they just broke up a week ago and are barely speaking.

The premise is awesome but I wasn't sure at first if I was going like this one.  The humor style took some getting used to and had quite a few pop culture references at the start.  Some of it entertained me like how each LitenVärld furniture room set-up had a nickname like "Nihilist Bachelor Room."  Other parts could be sarcastic but kinda felt painful and mean-spirited.  It was an odd juxtaposition but I got the hang of it.  Having worked in retail (ugh!) I could relate to commentary of working for a soulless corporation with arbitrary rules and conformity issues.

The heart of the story lies with the two main characters, Ava and Jules, and how they are coping with the end of their romantic relationship.  It really does capture the feel of knowing that a partnership has to end but still struggling with conflicting emotions about the transition.  It doesn't help when ye be working at a job ye hate and seemingly have nowhere to go.  It was interesting to read about a very unhealthy relationship between two otherwise nice people.

The major complaint I have about this one is that it was actually too short.  The relationship between Jules and Ava was excellent and obviously the main point of the story but I would have liked more world building.  I loved why the wormholes appeared and how the corporation dealt with them.  The commentary about diversity and relationships was excellent but I couldn't help but want more details about the strange lands.  The handful of other worlds felt lightly sketched in.

No regrets here at all though.  I will certainly be looking for Cirpri's next work.

So lastly . . .

Thank ye Tor.com!