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theheelerbooklife's reviews
1771 reviews
Annie Bot by Sierra Greer
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Annie Bot is a unique book, one of the most surprising reads of 2024 so far. Although I was initially unsure if it would be my cup of tea, its originality blew me away.
In Annie Bot, we follow our FMC, Annie, who happens to be an AI bot that looks like you and me.
Doug purchased Annie to replace his ex-wife. Annie's job is to please Doug and meet his emotional and physical needs in any way possible. She is learning and has only perfected pleasuring Doug, but she displeases him by not keeping the apartment spotless. She really and truly is trying to understand and wants to make him happy. One night, a friend of Doug's stops by and influences her into defying Doug and keeping a secret to feel more human. The secret starts Annie's journey of developing and evolving to become more human. She starts to learn new emotions and begins to think for herself. But will she be able to be human or be a robot?
As I said, Annie Bot is unique because we see more AI integrated into our daily lives. Plus, this book feels pretty close to our future. We see Annie go from a little kid state to an adult mental state, and this book explores what makes us human and if a robot or AI can have feelings. Plus, that scratches the surface of the story. Deep-diving into this book, we explore Annie's experience of an abusive relationship, and as a reader, I empathize and root for Annie. When reading this book, I sometimes utterly forget that Annie was not human because she felt alive and had a unique and powerful voice.
If any of you are looking for a thought-provoking, feminist, futuristic, impactful novel, then look no further than Annie Bot. It will shock you and grip you from the first page.
A Feather So Black by Lyra Selene
adventurous
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I listened to A Feather So Black on Audio and enjoyed the narrator.
A Feather So Black weaves a compelling tale with a strong emphasis on world-building and fantasy elements. The romance added a nice touch to the story and had many tropes handed well.
I found A Feather So Black to be unique. It delves into the journey of our protagonist, Fia, a rare changeling abandoned by the wicked Fair Folk. Despite the disdain many hold for her fae blood, Fia finds solace when the queen takes her in and raises her as her own. The queen, recognizing Fia's unique abilities, even trains her to be a spy. When a hidden gate to the realm appears, the queen tasks Fia with a mission that could change everything, retrieve it, and break the princess's curse. As she takes on this quest, she has an unexpected companion. This companion is her childhood friend and the princess's betrothed, Prince Rogan. But then, Fia finds herself attracted to the princess's capture, Irian.
There is a love triangle woven into this story. As someone who grew up with young adult fantasy in the mid-2000s and 2010s, I experienced many love triangles in fantasy. I am not fond of the trope when it pops up in books. I am still not fond of it in this book, but the author handled this trope well, so I was not rolling my eyes and not hating the romance.
I found this book enjoyable and unique, with its retelling of Swan Maiden. All the characters were likable and fleshed out well. An issue I did have with A Feather So Black was the pacing. At times, the pacing felt fine, with a great pace, but then there were times it dragged.
If you are a fan of high fantasy, romance, or romantasy, do not hesitate to pick this book up. I will be reading the sequel in the future.
A Feather So Black weaves a compelling tale with a strong emphasis on world-building and fantasy elements. The romance added a nice touch to the story and had many tropes handed well.
I found A Feather So Black to be unique. It delves into the journey of our protagonist, Fia, a rare changeling abandoned by the wicked Fair Folk. Despite the disdain many hold for her fae blood, Fia finds solace when the queen takes her in and raises her as her own. The queen, recognizing Fia's unique abilities, even trains her to be a spy. When a hidden gate to the realm appears, the queen tasks Fia with a mission that could change everything, retrieve it, and break the princess's curse. As she takes on this quest, she has an unexpected companion. This companion is her childhood friend and the princess's betrothed, Prince Rogan. But then, Fia finds herself attracted to the princess's capture, Irian.
There is a love triangle woven into this story. As someone who grew up with young adult fantasy in the mid-2000s and 2010s, I experienced many love triangles in fantasy. I am not fond of the trope when it pops up in books. I am still not fond of it in this book, but the author handled this trope well, so I was not rolling my eyes and not hating the romance.
I found this book enjoyable and unique, with its retelling of Swan Maiden. All the characters were likable and fleshed out well. An issue I did have with A Feather So Black was the pacing. At times, the pacing felt fine, with a great pace, but then there were times it dragged.
If you are a fan of high fantasy, romance, or romantasy, do not hesitate to pick this book up. I will be reading the sequel in the future.