Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

Annie Bot by Sierra Greer

19 reviews

jp_riemersma's review

adventurous challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Rape, Toxic relationship, War, Slavery, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

hotwaterbottle's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Uncomfortable but clear-eyed look at power, ownership, and sex, through the eyes of a newly self-aware sex bot. Interrogates what it means to want to own someone just as much as what it means to be owned.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Slavery, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Fatphobia and Racism

Minor: Transphobia

Plenty of awful things told from the perspective of someone who doesn't understand how awful they are

redur's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Sexism, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Trafficking, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Slavery

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Sexual assault and Body shaming

akswhy's review

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A thoroughly thought-provoking book about autonomy, domestic partner abuse, consent, growth, and feminism. It was not a fun book to read, but I’m glad I did. The one thing that bothers me is that a rape scene is never called rape, even later, as the characters unpack the events.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Slavery

Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

ashyq's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Fatphobia, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Body shaming, and Domestic abuse

Moderate: Torture, Slavery, and Gaslighting

Minor: Death and Cancer

annamorgan27's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Physical abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Sexual assault

evelikesbooks's review against another edition

challenging dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual violence, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Slavery, and Torture

amina_writes_books's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I wish the author had studied up on AI and how the field of general intelligence is progressing to better inform her on slight behaviors that make little Sense. Feminist cues way too on the nose. Some other philosophical and societal commentary that was also too obviously made. Some really interesting insights nonetheless.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Dysphoria, Fatphobia, Sexual violence, Classism, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Slavery, Emotional abuse, and Eating disorder

booksillremember's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

If you think this book is about some dystopian future, read it again. You could replace Annie with a human woman and it would still be a 100% realistic depiction. This novel is a hard-hitting commentary on domestic slavery, the patriarchy, personhood, and relationship abuse.

Doug is portrayed as an average guy, even a good guy by his own and society's standards. He prides himself on not even hitting Annie, which serves to show the multitude of other forms of abuse he inflicts on her constantly. He is such a "good guy", that him learning some basic human decency can be seen as immense character growth, the bare minimum feels like going above and beyond if the bar is set that low.

He is a man-child, unable to regulate his own emotions or pursue a relationship with a person who has equal rights. Annie is programmed to enable him and his stunted emotional growth. It really shows how the patriarchy harms everyone, although of course not in equal measures.

I don't know if I loved the ending, but it is realistic that he has to set her free. I wish there had been more android-to-android interactions and community, but I get that it was hard because she was the most advanced at the time. I just wish Cody had been a woman, it feels icky that she has to depend on yet another man.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Sexism, Misogyny, Slavery, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Fatphobia

Minor: Cancer

gabs_parr's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Annie is an autodidactic robot who was created to be the perfect girlfriend for Doug, her human owner. She’s always learning and getting smarter and more “human”. Doug initially loves that she’s not perfect and wants her to be like a real woman and to challenge him, but the smarter she gets, the more complicated their relationship grows. 

It’s kind of like Stepford Wives in the sense of perfect robot wives, but with more emphasis on power dynamics/control, autonomy, intimacy and what we actually want from relationships, romantic and platonic. This book is less a critique on the patriarchy, which was pretty much the main theme of SW, and instead it dives more into observations of what it means to be human and live the human experience. 

I’ve only just finished and I already know that I’m going to be thinking about this book for months to come. The relationships were just so dynamic and complex. Every character was various shades of morally gray depending on the scene we were in. No one was ever purely “good” or “evil”. There is no true good or bad guy. There are just complex emotions and relationships and deep rooted questions about autonomy, love, sex, and power. 

Annie’s inner relationship with herself is just as compelling as her relationship with Doug and both relationships will keep you guessing as to what her next move will be. I know I will certainly be thinking about her final choices for months to come (and Doug’s too, they both grew enormously and changed into almost unrecognizable characters by the end of this book). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Infidelity

Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Misogyny

Minor: Sexual content, Vomit, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, and Death of parent