Himagus

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Himagus

Thank you to Kerat Kaur Jhaj for providing me with a copy for an honest review!

Kylie wakes up to find her family brutally murdered, their bodies strewn across the house. And the world outside her house is just as gruesome. Two himagusians, William and David, have infiltrated the planet and ended humankind. But there is a chance to rewrite time and bring back the life that was stolen. William and David have fallen for Kylie, fascinated by her, and she must try to win back humanity by winning their hearts.

I was enticed by this end of the world story. Finding yourself as the last living human after an alien race has invaded and slaughtered every last human. The setup was well done. Kylie enters a shocking state and denial after realizing what has happened. Her sarcastic lines and inner monologue made her a fun character to follow.

But when William and David entered the scene, the romance angle seemed abrupt. I thought Kylie's thoughts of manipulating the boys into liking her was a good plot point. But the instant love wasn't believable due to the atrocities the boys committed. Even with the lingering plot point of being able to go back in time somehow to fix everything, the romance needed more time to form. Kylie went through an extremely traumatic experience. If the intent was to portray Stockholm syndrome, the execution didn't quite make it.

The novella is heavily based on dialogue and at times can be immature. Some of the jokes shared between the boys and Kylie were not what I would expect out of dark fantasy. But given that Himagus is a novella, Kerat Kaur Jha did a good job laying down the intentions of the himagusians. She brought to life violent people set on dominating lesser races. And she tackled some harsher subjects in an innovative way.