First off, the concept this book is built on is super fascinating, and wholly unique from things I've read before. It's set in this world's version of the afterlife, Infinity, and follows Nami after her untimely death as a teenager. However, this world has been taken over by AI, namely one that everyone has been using in the real world to do their bidding for the past few years (think Siri and Alexa). Including AI opened a whole new can of worms regarding humanity, morality, and who deserves the chance to be alive and be free.

The setting of the story is built on a mix of fantasy and sci-fi, and overall feels like a dystopian novel with touches of magic and more focus on the humanity of things vs. the science. There are loads of tech that both sides of the conflict are using, but the addition of sci-fi makes the world feel less concrete and clear-cut, as any lines that science draws, magic can overcome. It leads to a world with rules that both sides are constantly trying to overcome, either through experimentation or sheer force of will. It was a perfect setting for the discussions Bowman then introduced into the story through plot and characters.

What was strongest for me in this book was Nami, and the way her thoughts seemed to break through the binary of good and evil that humans and AI, or residents, seemed to paint around themselves to keep themselves from thinking too much about the pain they were inflicting on others. The other side was evil, and therefore any pain they felt was unimportant. Nami tried and hoped to change that, and it was a running theme throughout the book. She had discussions about change with both sides, about accepting and giving the other side a chance to show their 'humanity.'

I also loved how AI as a whole was handled in this story. From the beginning, Nami is a character that thinks of Ophelia/AI as something more than just a tool to be used, unlike most of those around her. It makes her stand out when she reaches Infinity, and the questions she poses regarding the humanity and worth of those who aren't truly human, and how everyone deserves a chance to choose and be free led to interesting conversations between Nami and other characters.

Most of my reading this book was spent thinking about these things and wondering where the book would eventually take it. Would Nami be forced into the binary anyway due to the rigidity of the opinion of those around her? Would she be able to make the divide between the residents and the humans smaller? But then, in the last few chapters, almost all thoughts of this were pushed away to due to the pure shock that came with the plot twist. I think I'm still reeling from it! I was so focused on everything else to even see any of the signs!

Overall, I'm really excited for the sequel and to see where this series goes!