3.5 stars

This was definitely ... interesting. I don't read many books featuring anthropomorphic animals, let alone books where their physiological and evolutionary differences are so thoughtfully examined and incorporated into the story. While animal-society-as-allegory certainly isn't a unique premise, Popovich has constructed a fascinating narrative.

My rating boils down to the fact that this is stronger as social commentary than entertainment; this is totally fine if it's what you're looking for, but I have trouble buying into a novel when I can't get a good sense of the characters, let alone empathize with them. A lot of the dialogue is cheesy, and in parts (especially in the latter half) the plot felt like a side story or afterthought — a vehicle for philosophical or moral proclamations, or for inter-character drama.

This has a solid foundation; I just personally don't love how the (metaphorical) house ended up looking. But that doesn't make it a bad work of architecture, and I think plenty of people will enjoy this book more than I did.

This was a wild (life) ride! Ha!. I'm not usually a fan of making comparisons in book reviews but this book reads like a crossover episode of Bojack Horseman meets Daria.

I'll admit I found the beginning a bit daunting due to trying to remember what animal each character was, but the author does a great job at reiterating this throughout the novel in case you forget each species. It's not really a big deal except when some of the smaller plot points reference species specific capabilities or hindrances.

The plot was fresh, the characters were fun, the overall reading experience was great. What more could you want? I really enjoyed reading this and I look forward to reading more from this author. Maybe more set in this same universe? (Please?)

The ant craving descriptions made my skin crawl, yikes.

Just like our world, things are always corrupt.

An underground jazz band leads an anarchy movement to overtake a lying food corporation and the mob all lead by a magpie.

The animal kingdom is trying for harmony and to become civilised like walking on two legs and not eating each other. Of course some are going to slip up every once in awhile and grab some ants or get a hold of some black market meat.....

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC