Reviews with content warning for Torture - Annie Bot

I had heard good things about this book from some friends who have similar tastes in books, so I went in with high expectations. Somehow, this still far exceeded said expectations.

Annie Bot is a brilliant novel that follows an AI who is auto-didactic and programmed to be a personal companion. As she experiences more and more, her consciousness begins to grow and shift to the point that people no longer can tell that she’s not human. What follows is a musing on sentience and bodily autonomy.

Ugh. Some of these scenes in this book were hard to read. Some heartbreaking things happen to Annie and the author does not shy away from depicting them. As a woman reading this, there were certain aspects that made me cringe and have to take pauses while reading.

Midway through the book the tone of things start to change and I had an “oh shit. This author is going to ruin this book with some cliche ending” I’m glad I stayed with it though because the twist at the very end was a gut-punch. It was such a fresh and satisfying ending for a book that really digs into some uncomfortable places.

Consider me a new fan of Sierra Greer’s writing. This absolutely won’t be the last of her books that I pick up. And if you are interested in themes of power dynamics, sexism, bodily autonomy, sentience, and artificial intelligence, this is a must read.

Content Warnings

emilyb_chicago's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful tense slow-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? It's complicated

5.0

What a compelling and propulsive book with so many layers to talk and think about. The obvious outer layer that our naive main character Annie responds to and the layer that we, more experienced readers, deduce from the situations. As the best AI/Robot books make you do, since reading this book I can't stop thinking about the line between humanity and something humanity has built.

Note: the chapter division in the audio is different than the chapter divisions in the physical book. The audio is excellently done and a great option.

Content Warnings

sheesus's review

Go to review page

adventurous challenging reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.25

Content Warnings

ashyq's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

Content Warnings

evelikesbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

Content Warnings

pimoon's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

I devoured this book. The content is so interesting, I'd describe it as Klara and the sun intercepted with the film, Her. Annie's cognition and development are fascinating and I could not put this book down. Highly recommend.

Content Warnings

katerinatroyanovich's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I am speechless after finishing Annie Bot. This is my first 5 star read of the year and WOW I know I made the right choice waiting to give out this rating because this blew the other books I’ve read out of the park. At first this is West World meets Barbie but it goes so much deeper. It ends as a beautiful but devastatingly honest portrait of womanhood and the shackles of the patriarchy. Be sure to check trigger warnings but otherwise this is a must read.

Content Warnings

More...