Wow, what a great debut novel and a great start to a sci-fi series. Confidently written, it hits all the beats of a hero origin story, yet felt so fresh in its details.

Bubblegum is set in a cyberpunk-ish dystopia. Access is to everything is determined by your hardcoded social level. Law enforcement is paid through insurance coverage. It's recognizable as an American city, yet there's a monarchy. Familiar problems abound too: children trapped in a cycle of poverty, racism, transphobia.

The story centres on the unlikely partnership of Julia and Tiana as the latter starts a business as a killer for hire. Julia is the moral centre but Tiana is the star. She follows a warped moral code, seemingly motivated just by thrills. If that were it, Tiana wouldn't me that interesting to me. But there are strong indications of deeper motivation hidden in her past. When she goes out to kill, she does it perhaps to imitate a vigilante hero from her childhood. I was excite read the sections narrated by her, which have a hard-boiled pulp feel to them. I loved following her adventures. She makes mistakes, she's not super-skilled, but she makes up for that with a nasty edge and being clever on her feet. I liked her moral ambiguity, but at the same time, I'm glad she wasn't over the top unpleasant like so many grimdark protagonists.

The world of Bubblegum was tantalizing, but I felt frustated at times that it wasn't explicitly fleshed out. I wanted to piece together how this recognizably American society became this way. I wanted to get a better understanding of what society considered right and wrong. I think the story could have done with a bit more background and detail in its worldbuilding.

Ultimately, I could forget those concerns, because the pace of the novel is cracking, with some unexpected twists and obstacles through things for fun loops. And there's always room for the world to be fleshed out more in the promised sequel. I'm looking forward to it! ( )