The entire world was trying to push them into a mold. Telling them that having their minds all to themselves was illegal, that they couldn’t express themselves the way they wanted to in public because it was wrong.

Disclaimer: This book is a participant in the Indie Ink Awards 2022 and I read it as a judge. My personal rating does not reflect its score for the contest.

Excellent pace, likeable characters, and lots of great rep (race, gender, mental health, disability) made this book surpass my expectations.

There’s a new batch of AIs installed on 25 randomly selected beta testers, Reed being one of them. There are rumours that these beta navs are developing personalities and putting their pilots at risk, and even possibly becoming sentient, like Mazarin.

Mazarin, Reed’s charming little AI, is developing unexpected feelings for his pilot. He chose his own name and his priority is keeping his pilot safe and happy. He’s genuinely worried he turns violent like the other navs and goes out of his way to show his love for Reed.

The decoist scene is a clear allegory of discrimination and the safety offered by queer spaces. Reed explores this lifestyle and tries to balance enjoying his interests without attracting the unwanted attention of being “out”.

Even when the Her (2013) influence is hinted at from the beginning, I didn’t expect to see an AI explore their humanity and question their gender. I loved this one.