As a big sci-fi girlie, I was genuinely pumped for this novella because the concept is so promising and the cover design is intriguing. This book had so much potential. I just wish it was executed more properly. This story opens with a girl named Kulu going out to buy plantain for her mother and never returning home. Set in a futuristic Nigeria plagued by mass kidnappings, the government mandated GCSI (tracking chip implants) for all girls under 18, a subtle invasion of privacy that poorer citizens accepted without question while the wealthy resisted. However, Kulu is not the first implanted girl to mysteriously vanish, setting up a super intriguing plot around government lies and systemic control. I think the strength of this short story lies in how the world-building (futuristic setting with drones, etc) was nicely done through seamless descriptions rather than info- dumping.

Despite having incredible potential with its sci-fi setting and dark political themes, the execution unfortunately fell short of my high expectations. The writing style felt somewhat impersonal, making it difficult for me to feel emotionally invested or fully immersed in the narrative.

Rakiya serves as the main character tasked with tracking down the pattern behind all the girls who went "offline" and disappeared. Unfortunately, I couldn't connect with Rakiya on any level because her back story and core motivations were omitted. We never learn why she is so hell-bent on risking her life to uncover the truth, or if she has a personal history with a missing loved one.

Also, the ending left me feeling unsatisfied. First, the narrative never reveals whether Kulu, the trigger and focal point of the story, was ever found alive or dead. Second, the story relies on the idea that leaking evidence to the public automatically solves the crisis, when public exposure alone does not fix systemic corruption or resolve the disappearances. The Offline Girls introduced a brilliant, thought-provoking sci-fi premise. I just wished it ended better.