anxiousnachos's review
4.5
Content warnings: sexual content including bdsm themes such as knife play, blood and gore, violence, graphic descriptions of injuries, homophobia
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Violence, Injury/injury detail, Sexual content, and Homophobia
ylvalovisa's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Blood, Injury/injury detail, Violence, Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, Medical content, Sexual violence, and Suicide
ril_amber's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
A fine sci-fi piece but I did not care for the character dynamics and generally prefer books without explicit sex scenes.
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, and Injury/injury detail
Minor: Homophobia
mar's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, and Sexual content
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Homophobia and Transphobia
line's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Gore and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content
naja's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Graphic: Body horror, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Torture, and Violence
kukushka's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
caryndi's review
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
While the books starts with the premise that AI can oversee an ideal living situation for humans, it turns out AI are no more at a consensus than a group of humans are, and their arguments have the ability to affect others. As all-powerful and all-seeing in Shenzhen, they can manipulate the lives of the humans who live there to meet their own needs. Orfea, one of the narrators, becomes a pawn in a political struggle that involves Seung Ngo,
Spoiler
the AI who once lived in her brain and took care of herI enjoyed the concept and story, trying to follow along with Orfea's investigation and learning more about her and Krissana, but didn't feel compelled to keep thinking about it once it was over. I would have liked to see more complexity between her and Seung Ngo
Spoiler
(are we to assume she was just lying to Krissana about wanting Orfea dead?If you're reading, be aware there are multiple explicit sex scenes that involve D/s dynamics.
Recommend? Maybe if you're more into AI stories than I am?
Graphic: Blood, Sexual content, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Death, Gore, Murder, Sexual assault, and Medical trauma
Minor: Transphobia and Homophobia
I tagged this as moderate sexual assault because