I really like Polly Crosby's novels, in particular her latest works. She writes about what she knows best: Cystic Fibrosis and manages to create a different narrative each time. "The Vulpine" is a dystopian take where the population are split into the Perfect and the Imperfect. The Imperfect go to the hospital or even worse, the Vulpine take them. Ticks all the boxes of a dystopian novel: a great horror, people living on the margins of society and a glimmer of hope in the future.

Wow! This is the first time I have read a Polly Crosby book, and I am absolutely in love with the worldbuilding, the writing style, the emotions. Everything was on point. It was a fast-paced, gripping book that has me on the edge of my seat.

This book follows Ora who lives in a dystopian society that values perfection. Ora is far from perfect, but she never regarded herself as imperfect until the medication her parents were secretly slipping her to hide her condition ran out. Because in a perfect society, medication is not really necessary. I loved this idea of perfection and how far people go to attain it. And to hide it. Because at the heart of this perfect society is a hospital for the imperfect that has very sinister vibes.

The heart of this book is about survival despite the odds. It’s about learning to find out where you fit into the world and seeing yourself differently. When Ora learns she’s imperfect (it’s not mentioned by name, but she has cystic fibrosis) she also learns that her lungs are stronger than normal because they have been working harder, and that gives her the ability to climb a shoot and infiltrate a government building. There are people who are blind who have no trouble getting around in the dark, where those who rely on their sight struggle. There are people with limb differences who can suddenly run and jump faster and higher than people with full limbs because of prosthetics. I loved that their differences were celebrated. And I especially loved the slow-burn, friends-to-lovers romance.

If you love dystopian books that hold a mirror to society, you will love this book. If you want beautifully eerie sentences and chilling worldbuilding, definitely pick up this book. You won’t be disappointed.