Scan barcode
A review by magicalghoul
Love Code by Ann Aguirre
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This one fell victim to my reading slump, although by not fault of its own.
AI-turned-organic x Alien species is a though premise to sell, and just as hard to pull off so I mostly picked this up to see how it managed: My main concerns once I learned the setup were with the themes of consent, gender and how the leads would navigate the power dynamics of their relationship and I'll say, I really really liked what it did.
Aguirre just went in Earnestly, and what we see in Love Code is the belief that regardless of the mismatched origins of the leads, what matters in their relationship is their deep respect for each other.
As it developed it covered all the bases I was concerned about— There's deep and lengthy talks about consent, about giving options in partners, and respecting boundaries. Another pleasant development was Tiralan culture and how their relationships were polyamorous, plus the inclusion of non-binary characters (even one of the leads themself!). I don't know, it's always fun to see sci-fi that's not held back by heteropatriarcal views and actually takes worldbuilding out for a spin.
The dialogue and descriptions felt a little stiff and matter of fact at times, same with the dialogue. I haven't read any of Aguirre's other titles so I can't say for sure if this was a conscious choice, but the style certainly fits the leads at least even if it wasn't to my liking.
The steamy scenes were interesting with how Tiralan biology worked, the xeno-lover in me appreciated them and the added setup of Helix learning to parse sensations through his organic body was really really good.
I wasn't too interested in the conflict and wasn't really that content with how it was resolved, but if the main goal was to introduce us to the main lead of the next book and interest us in the final entry of the trilogy then it worked on me. I'll be picking it up in the future for sure!
AI-turned-organic x Alien species is a though premise to sell, and just as hard to pull off so I mostly picked this up to see how it managed: My main concerns once I learned the setup were with the themes of consent, gender and how the leads would navigate the power dynamics of their relationship and I'll say, I really really liked what it did.
Aguirre just went in Earnestly, and what we see in Love Code is the belief that regardless of the mismatched origins of the leads, what matters in their relationship is their deep respect for each other.
As it developed it covered all the bases I was concerned about— There's deep and lengthy talks about consent, about giving options in partners, and respecting boundaries. Another pleasant development was Tiralan culture and how their relationships were polyamorous, plus the inclusion of non-binary characters (even one of the leads themself!). I don't know, it's always fun to see sci-fi that's not held back by heteropatriarcal views and actually takes worldbuilding out for a spin.
The dialogue and descriptions felt a little stiff and matter of fact at times, same with the dialogue. I haven't read any of Aguirre's other titles so I can't say for sure if this was a conscious choice, but the style certainly fits the leads at least even if it wasn't to my liking.
The steamy scenes were interesting with how Tiralan biology worked, the xeno-lover in me appreciated them and the added setup of Helix learning to parse sensations through his organic body was really really good.
I wasn't too interested in the conflict and wasn't really that content with how it was resolved, but if the main goal was to introduce us to the main lead of the next book and interest us in the final entry of the trilogy then it worked on me. I'll be picking it up in the future for sure!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Kidnapping
Moderate: Child abuse and Panic attacks/disorders