Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang
Immaculate Conception
by Ling Ling Huang
Science Fiction | Literary | Horror
304 Pages
Released May 2025
Rating: ★★★ 3/4
Goodreads
Content Warnings
I’d seen this book here and there and finally felt compelled to pick it up. To be honest, I went into it thinking it was more of a mystery novel and was pleasantly surprised to find it was more sinister than I thought!
This book follows Enka, a “fringe kid” (i.e. lower class) after she is admitted to a prestigious art school. While there, she is enthralled by the enigmatic Mathilde, another artist attending the same school. Mathilde seems to have an unrivaled natural artistic talent and Enka soon befriends her out of jealousy and curiosity. As their friendship deepens, so does Enka’s jealousy —especially as she witnesses Mathilde’s rapid rise to fame in the art world. Years later, Enka is afforded the opportunity to to experience the world as Mathilde does via a breakthrough technology. But with jealousy still simmering below the surface of their friendship, being linked comes at a price.
This is one of those books that sticks with you long after you finish reading. It’s definitely more character focused than plot-driven and the second part of the synopsis really doesn’t come into play until the tail-end of the book (it’s not a spoiler, however, as the original plot summary also mentions it). All that to say, I found it to be a slow-burn (not romance) type book.
This book largely focuses on the relationship between Enka and Mathilde, two artists attending the same prestigious school. Enka is plagued with self-doubt and struggles to define herself as an artist, often trying to hide her social status from her peers. By contrast, Mathilde seems to be a natural-born artist, brimming with ideas and often touted as “genius” by her teachers and classmates. Her tragic backstory also makes her all the more enigmatic and because of this, a sort of one-way rivalry begins to form between the two women.
This book explores so many complex topics including the dark and sinister side of jealousy in female friendships and what it means to be an artist. Enka was a compelling and unlikable main character and I mean that in a wonderful way. It reminded me of a darker version of R.F. Kuang’s Yellowface which I similarly enjoyed.
I’d say the only complaint I had was that the plot felt like it stalled at times, making the book feel longer than it actually was. But I really enjoyed Huang’s writing style and found this only to be a minor problem.
Overall, if you enjoy complex character relationships revolving around female friendships and jealousy, I definitely recommend picking this one up. It was a great read.