Hummingbird Salamander

Intense? Weird? Uncomfortable?

I received an e-arc copy of Hummingbird Salamander from Netgalley.

I am not sure how to describe this book – intense? weird? uncomfortable? This was like a more confusing, modern Monkey Wrench Gang (a compliment, FYI).

This is my first Jeff VanderMeer book and I was warned that his writing style is "confusing," and I can indeed confirm that. I was and still am very confused by this book, however, the writing never felt overwhelming. The story revolves around taxidermy, eco-terrorism, and endangered species and manages to make what most people might consider a boring subject into a thrilling rollercoaster.

There are many characters in this book who I do not really understand, including the main character Jane, but it is because some information is purposely not revealed to create more mystery, not because the characters are underdeveloped or badly written. There are some answers towards the end, but you are still left with questions. Personally, I love an ambiguous ending, so I enjoyed that aspect. The last paragraph of the book is also deeply haunting and definitely something I will be thinking about for weeks after finishing.