Allison’s original review on Goodreads is here. This is a copy of that post.

I love cozy mystery and sci-fi, so this genre-blend is right up my alley. I appreciated Charlotte as a protagonist—her curiosity, backstory, and drive to discover the truth was relatable—and her relationship with Ben (the AI) was endearing. I liked how absurd the mystery they were investigating seemed at first and the questions brought up about this supposedly utopian society.

The worldbuilding was great. We have a society after a flood, and Charlotte is living on a human-made island governed by a corporation and run by an AI. She has drunk the Kool-Aid about the corporation being totally benevolent and having its citizens’ best interests at heart, and it was cathartic (and sad) to watch that belief start to crumble. I thought I was going to be bored by her backstory, but it mostly kept my attention, and I liked the “villain” duo, Straight and Narrow.

I found the pacing too slow at points, but there were many interesting conversations, characters, and ideas here. It was low stakes, fun, and enjoyable.

I read this as a judge for the Self-Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC5). This review is my personal opinion and doesn’t reflect the novel’s place in the contest. Thank you to the author for the e-copy!

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