Hear, hear, I say!! Such a nostalgic ride through San Diego, I freaking loved it. It's my hometown, so maybe a bit biased, but it was all on point. I had no idea San Diego and coding could be so magical and exciting. This is Hogwarts meets the Matrix, and I am here for it. The ending, as I said, was completely not what I was expecting, and that made it even more exciting for Shipton’s next move. Loved how original this was. (9/10)

Strengths: The plot is surprisingly original and gripping from start to finish. Written with a conversational tone and visually engaging storytelling, featuring a witty and humorous protagonist alongside relatable characters and strong moral undertones. It masterfully balances humor and drama, culminating in an unexpected twist at the end that I did not for a million dollars see coming.

Weaknesses: I am not satisfied, I need more! Need to know what happens next! Let’s go! :)

Where do I even start.. this book ticked so many boxes for me.. I enjoyed how the fmc was cynical to the very end and how her interpersonal relationships grew and changed even when her attitude really didn't.. I was so immersed inwhat was happening I didn't see the ending coming not even one aha! Moment.. the way the magic works and the lore was incredibly well thought out and retrospectively the breadcrumbs were definitely there. I love being able to feel the emotional impact of books and this had so much impact.. I hope there is more and I 100% enjoyed thank you for allowing me to be an arc for you and hope this book has as much success as I believe it deserves.

I've never read a book where AI and magic were both included in the storyline/world. It was a humorous silly good time and quick read for me.

Well, this was definitely a different read. Not quite what I expected but honestly, it was exactly what I needed.

This book can be so cringe and silly at times but the actual story is written so well. It was an easy read, nothing too intense happens.

Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robot for granting me access to this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I almost DNF’d this at the content warning as I found it preachy and “looking for an argument” - it really got my back up - a content warning is not for “wokeism” “fast and loose tech stuff” and “90’s music”. I fact writing this has annoyed me again. It’s literally looking for a fight - “this book is only for woke people and if you’re not then I don’t want you to read it”

I did read it, I enjoyed it….a lot….until we got to the end, the big ending, the conclusion! Absolutely not what I was expecting, and I hated it to be honest. I feel really let down by it.

Anyway, skip the “content warning”, read the book. Someone else may like the ending but it wasn’t for me.

My thanks to Netgalley and Angry Robot for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I recently ran across Liz Shipton on IG and found her to be hilarious, so I was so excited to snag an ARC of her book. Dot Slash Magic really displays the author’s humor and personality, and is a fun read.

I thought the world was very unique in how it combines magic with technology. I know there are plenty of AI-related sci-fi books, but this is the first book I personally have read where AI is a major influence on the story AND magic is involved. Don’t worry if you’re not familiar with AI as Shipton does a good job of explaining the problems the AI creates in this world.

I did feel that some of the dialogue and characters could be a a bit cringy and stereotypical, but that is somewhat explained by the end.

Hopefully Shipton doesn’t make us wait too long for the second book, because I really need to know if the pizza tattooed man has a HEA!

I went into this expecting a silly, goofy good time and it definitely delivered. I loved the humor. The writing was fun and the plot was fast paced. The end seems open-ended, as if the author is intending a sequel, that I'll definitely pick up.

This was such an interesting concept that was well written with compelling characters. I really enjoyed the academia vibes and the found family was one of my favourite parts.

I also enjoyed how AI played a huge part in our main characters, Seven’s, magic and overall development journey. The idea of using AI to learn and use magic was really cool. I also enjoyed how both sides of the AI argument was played out within this book. How it can be great but also terrible at the same time. Queue the ‘how many R’s in Strawberry reference’.

The pacing was well done throughout the book and I loved how the tension kept building throughout.

Seven, our FMC, was snarky, quick witted and everything I wanted in a main character. I enjoyed watching her find her feet in the new world she stumbled into.

I had such a good time with this book and would recommend to anyone that enjoys a strongly character driven urban fantasy storyline.

Thanks to Angry Robots for the early copy.

Thank you to NetGalley, Angry Robot, and the author for this eArc.

I follow Liz Shipton online and have read some of her prior books. If you like 90s grunge and The Matrix, this book is for you. I don't know that I'd call it a romance (I think there are maybe two scenes with not a ton of detail) but the plot was very unique.

The FMC harnesses AI to wield magic. Then weird things start happening. Is it because someone is out to get her or is her magic "bad"? Sprinkle in some social commentary about the dangers of AI and you've got yourself a whopper of a book.

Overall, I enjoyed the premise and found the discussion about AI's challenges both timely and terrifying. I do not recommend this book to folks looking for fluff; there's a lot more depth to this one than your typical "romance."

Thanks to NetGalley, I had the opportunity to get my hands on an ARC for this book.

My expectations for this one were truthfully quite high, because I follow the author on socials and think Liz is hilarious.

It took me a while to kind of get into the story; it felt like a bit of a slow start for me, and I wasn't quite sure where this was going. At around 20%, I was intrigued, though I struggled to connect with the MC, Seven, and the cast in general. This feeling persisted throughout the story. The story, while thought out and well written, didn't capture me the way I was expecting it to.

However, what I did like was the concept of magic and how it works in the world Liz built for us. While it was hard for me to connect to Seven, I can see some people younger than me easily connecting to Seven.

The ending was interesting; there were breadcrumbs left to get to this conclusion, and yet it took me by surprise.

All in all, I did enjoy my read; it definitely had its moments. Though, I would have liked to connect to the cast more (this might be a me thing).

Thank you Angry Robot for providing this book via NetGalley.

This story follows a protagonist Seven who has no real direction in life. This ends when she accidentally stumbles into a meeting and discovers (and rediscovers) that magic is real. She then begins her journey to be a Maker, or magic-user, herself. With a happy accident, she acquires an A.I. program that helps her bypass learning fundamentals and go straight into using advanced spells that others have taken extensive time to master. Her shortcut proves to be her undoing, however, as she fails to properly yield her own magic and need A.I. to be her crutch.

I absolutely love the blend of technology and magic in this book. I think it is a unique and fascinating concept. With that said, I wish there was more of it. As the only techno-magi, Seven is alone, which left the concept under-explored. Are there no other Maker in this world who would at least consider using technology to enhance their magic? Could lesser programming such as macros, object-oriented programming, etc. be used?

The book's pacing and characters were done well. In Act 2, the story picks up naturally and feels immersive enough to lose myself into. Liz Shipton deserves praise for explaining this intricate magic system clearly. At no point did I feel the need to re-read anything because it was confusing. I was looking forward to how it all concludes. Unfortunately I think Act 3 was meant for a different book. The way it all ends left so many questions unresolved. It almost felt like the beginning act of a different story altogether. Perhaps it was the author's way of teasing a sequel. But introducing new story concepts, expositions, and nullifying the events in the final act made it feel forced and jarring.

<SPOILERS>
A question that needed to be addressed is what is A.I. in this world? Should A.I. be treated as a humanoid entity that also requires Conduit and other foundation training to use magic? Is 'knowing' about magic without any training enough? If magic is a spectrum, how magical is A.I.? Are they automatically magical just because it processed certain data?

Or is A.I. just a program that simply casts spells? If Seven's phone/watch is simply a magical artifact (which seems to be implied as such) are there other such artifacts? Are there other artifacts that have their own intelligence in this world?

Like Seven, I would be fascinated as well if I knew A.I. could process and perform magic. I couldn't understand how the governance board would be so nonchalant about this. The implications are massive. What if a Nescient somehow got a hold of Seven's A.I? What if other Makers start creating A.I. as well? What if this was running on a supercomputer, does that mean it has even more processing power to summon greater threats? This should have been huge but the story glossed over it.
<End of SPOILERS>

Overall the book was innovative, intriguing, and immersive. With some refinement, this could be "magical".

A stunning social commentary on the dangers of AI.

Seven has returned to school after time away traveling and in the midst of trying to find her place, discovers that not only is magic a thing, she has it. To make matters worse she and her ragamuffin cat have accidentally created a magic AI that is actively learning and gleaning information.

When all Hell breaks loose Seven not only has to find a way to stop it and survive but to discover if her AI is the cause or not.

This book took a little moment getting started and then shot off like a rocket. It was intense and so incredibly good.

You will question everything and then probably question it again.

If you haven’t read the synopsis, Dot Slash Magic is about a woman who creates an AI in order to harness her innate magical ability. But when monsters start appearing in the real world she has to determine if there are bugs in her system, or if there is something else going on.
Laying my cards on the table, while I did like the main plot and found most of the characters really interesting, there was a structural choice in the narrative that sort of threw me for a loop, and calling Dot Slash Magic a “spicy romance” is just plain false advertising.
Being honest, even if you put aside the fact this story has no HEA—or even an HFN—which most of the romance community consider a staple of the genre, there just isn’t even enough focus on the love story for this to classify as a romance. It is a side plot at most, and while I love a romance with a lot of story, that’s not what this was.
To my second point, I’m going to have to be a bit more abstract to avoid spoilers, but essentially what it boils down to is that Dot Slash Magic has two conclusions. There is a pre-conclusion that deals with the ending to the story you have been reading since the start of the book, and there is a final conclusion. The final conclusion is essentially due to the fact that after the pre-conclusion the narrative takes a wild left turn that I assume will lead into a sequel. For me, everything after the pre-conclusion sort of fell flat. While it was an interesting idea, it just felt far too tacked on and under developed. It also sort of felt like it invalidated a lot of what occurred in the narrative prior.
Overall, I probably wouldn’t recommend this, but I also don’t have an alternative that is close to what this book was trying to go for.

This was such a fun surprise!

I went in not fully knowing what to expect and ended up totally invested.

The whole concept??? Coding magic into an AI program??? This is so unique and refreshing, and honestly? I loved every minute of it!
I’m a sucker for urban fantasy that plays with modern tech in new ways, and this totally hit the spot.

Seven Jones was exactly my kind of FMC; snarky, introverted, skeptical, and not trying to be anyone’s chosen one. Her dry humour kept me entertained, and I loved watching her slowly find her footing in the strange magical world she accidentally joins. I really related to her resistance to group settings (hello, awkward club meetings), and her bond with the AI she creates felt oddly emotional by the end.

The mystery of the summoned monsters added some great tension, and I appreciated how it kept me guessing.

NOW let’s talk about Logan. The ex-Navy SEAL love interest who somehow makes grumpy supportiveness look very hot? Yes please.

My only small critique is that some of the side characters could've used a bit more depth but honestly, the pacing and originality made up for it. I was turning pages fast, wanting to see where it all went.

A modern, magical ride that’s equal parts nerdy, chaotic, and heartfelt. If you like magic systems that break the mould, found family vibes, and characters who don’t follow the rules (or want to), this one’s for you.

Im invested and ready for this world and story to continue!

Thanks to Angry Robot and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to revisit the Matrix. It's 1999 and I'm (an undisclosed age because I'm not telling anyone how old I am!) again. Joy was had. Until tears... But yeah. Fantastic!

I was already losing my mind over this book and that was before everything went sideways in great ways.

This entire book is a whirlwind of magical AI experimentation, walking red flags (that will convince you they're green), and hippie bullshit. And I loved every second of it.

The plot was madly entertaining and her characters relatable. I was fully with Seven right from the start; she was funny and cynical (I love Liz's FMCs!) and the group she finds herself with are diverse. The story is funny. Like, laughing and snorting out loud funny at times. Chuckling at an inside joke at others.

The way in which the author kept this book tethered to modern day, real world discussions on relevant topics created some weird type of literary TCP handshake. It would be hard to read this and not think of all the developments related to AI we're seeing in the reals. My head was fully engaged when I was reading.

Dot Slash Magic was a must read for me because Liz writes awesome stuff. But I don't think I was expecting the chaotic mix of badass feminism (and the rage that comes with), diverse representation, the medley of magical & mythical creatures, and the angst of kids in their early twenties to be so perfect!

The ending absolutely broke something in me. I have an adverse response to endings like this after *that one TV show that should not be named*. Cheers for the tears Liz. Hope you're happy...

From the very beginning, I was fully invested in Kurt/Sherlock/all the names so no spoilers, and wondered why Seven didn't choose him when there was all that tension. Yes, we get a magic dong, and boy the hype for that was ...I'll admit, I was duped. I was Team Kurt from the moment Seven was mowed down on the pavement. And the slow burn was perfect. (How does an author do slow burn and intsa-lust you ask? Like this. But content warnings should include heartbreak!)

I want more of this story. Please give us more.

This book brings a different perspective of magic. The main character Seven manifests her magic using an AI she created. The others Imanifest through ‘traditional’ forms sports, art, theater etc. Throughout the book there are messages of both AI’s “good” uses but also its flaws and how it can/is being used for ill intent purposes. Which is something that should be taken into account today and as AI progresses.
There is one thing that bothered me in the beginning, Seven had a deal with her parents to go to college and live on the boat if she could help make the dock payments. This is mentioned one time as a cast off comment later in the book which spans the whole semester and is never fully addressed. Her brother also attends the same college and yet they never bump into each other or have a single conversation.
I did enjoy the ‘supernatural’ aspects as they pop up throughout the book. In an attempt to explain the events that occur (don't want to spoil anything), adds a little sparkle.
The ending was not what I expected as it is (currently) a standalone, it leaves it open ended with more questions than closure. I don't feel like that was technically necessary and would have been suited better differently.
Overall lovely book with inclusive characters, romantic storyline, and a splash of real world issues.

This book was nothing like I expected - but it turned out to be wildly entertaining. It has AI-
based magic, a red flag that will absolutely try to convince you he is in fact green, "hippie bullshit" and a plot twist that is absolutely unguessable.

The plot takes a little while to start happening, but that doesn't matter because the build up that happens before that is interesting enuogh on its own. I started caring about Seven four chapters in and never stopped. The book contains a lot of pop culture references and I was worried that I as a European wouldn't understand all of them, but I got most of them and for someone who is mostly oblivious about pop culture, that means these references are very accessible. And if you don't entirely get them, that doesn't mean you won't understand the story.

One thing this book does very well is make you doubt, then convince you it's alright, for it to turn out not to be alright at all. That meant I was constantly in doubt about things and didn't trust what characters told me was true. You just want to keep reading to find out what is actually true and what isn't.

This book also manages to deliver some nuanced takes on AI; don't mistake this for a book that's AI-positive, it's a good exploration of what-ifs. The social commentary can be a bit on the nose but I personally didn't much mind.

If a sequel ever comes out (and there absolutely are possibilities), I would pick it up.

Thanks to Angry Robot for the ARC!

$ python ./review


Thanks to Angry Robot and NetGalley for letting me fall headfirst down the rabbit hole and catch a glimpse of The Network. Honestly, I’m not sure if I came out wiser or if I’ve just become aware of the Matrix and I’m about to have my own Neo moment….


Dot Slash Magic was such a chaotic little experiment powered by AI, walking red flags, and straight-up hippie nonsense, and honestly? I loved every second of it.


The plot was wildly entertaining. Like, laughing until it hurts entertaining. Liz’s take on modern-day cognizance is the kind of thing that should be studied in a lab. The whole premise was just one big, beautiful headfuck that kept me on my god damn toes.


This book was so far left of what I’d normally pick up, and yet something about it pulled me in like Icarus flying directly into that flaming ball in the sky. The mix of feminine rage, mythical creatures, and Y2K-level chaos? Chef’s kiss. Deranged in the best way.


The ending absolutely shattered something human in me. Like, cool Liz, thanks for that. From the very beginning, I was fully invested in Kurt/Sherlock/Remy (yes, all of his identities, thank you very much), and the tension between him and Seven? That was the kind of beautiful slow burn chaos that deserved to be nurtured, and watered, talked to softly, unlike Seven’s decrepit succulents (rip)- so it could finally blossom into some full blown FREAKING WIZARD SHIT. But no. We got pain instead. As always. But I’m so excited to see where this story goes next 😭



”It was magic, Seven.”

“What was?”

“Making you laugh was fucking magic.”




Final thoughts:

I asked ChatGPT how many times the letter R appears in the word strawberry. And, shockingly, it said three - which was correct. Sorry Angel, I guess AI isn’t just hype anymore

When I saw the description of this book it sounded right up my street. Programming geek - yes, magic - yes, 90's references - yes, guilty pleasure obsession with Zodiac Academy - yes.

For the most part I enjoyed this book and it was a fun read. The combination of magic and tech was well done and there was some interesting discussion around the use of AI. Seven is sarcastic and a bit snarky and the 90s references deliver several moments of "ooh I know that thing!" that I enjoyed. There is some spice but it is cut with some silliness and humour.

It did grate on me that almost everyone seemed so needlessly angry towards Seven for things that she couldn't be realistically held accountable for. Although, having finished the book and read the ending, that now makes more sense.

First off, huge disclaimer… I’m a Liz Shipton super fan and have read everything she has already self-published. I was desperately hoping to get this ARC, and I’m very curious how the Liz-uninitiated will perceive this traditional publishing debut, because I hear and see Liz on every page of Dot Slash Magic – which makes me happy. This is a 4.5 rounded up to 5 stars.

FMC?
There are a lot of parallels between the FMC (Seven), Bird (from Thalassic), and I suspect Liz herself – quirky, irreverent, messy, funny, all the things that make me want to be their friend – but I think she worked out a lot of her personal stuff in the Thalassic series so Seven could be a more refined, developed personality… Bird hit rock bottom to deal with her demons so that Seven could rise and fight them with a chainsaw arm.

VIBES AND SPICE?
I love all the modern references and language, and of course AI is a majorly hot topic (especially working in corporate America, yay for me) so this was a refreshingly unique concept versus much of the YA/NA (roman)tasy that’s out there. Seven testing what she can/not do with the AI is hilarious and the kraken scene is giving major Sam Raimi/Army of Darkness vibes.

Sure, there’s some spice, but it is really two specific chapters – fantastic chapters, but it doesn’t feel like you want to scream “omg get off of her and get back to the friggin’ plot already.”

ENDING? (NO SPOILERS)
While this is a standalone book, the end does leave it open enough where the story could be picked up at some point. If you need all the answers and complete resolution, this may make you grumpy… but I am soooo glad this isn’t a red alert where I have to wait several years while the author slowly churns out word vomit (*cough cough* Maas and Yarros, yeah I said it). I do think that it could have used another 50-75 pages to tease out a little more detail, especially toward the start of the monsters popping up and then at the last 10% after the twist.

FOR FANS OF?
I’m not sure the marketing of the “for fans of…” is on point. It really doesn’t fit a mold, but I’d say it is a cocktail of The Matrix and, wait for it, TANK GIRL…. Except at a modern-day college setting.

Thank you so so so much to Angry Robot via NetGalley for picking me to receive this ARC in exchange for my honest review.