This book was a lot of fun. A mix of urban fantasy and sci-fi, it starts off pretty normal, just a girl now sure what she wants to do in life but she somehow ends up with magic, and then…. Well then the twist happens. I really enjoyed it. The end threw me a little bit, but there were definitely subtle clues now that I think back on it.

The banter was great and who doesn’t love a… dongle that can be a perfect fit.

I Really enjoyed this book! I was hoping for a hackers/the craft mash up, but for GenZ - AI and "makers" doing magic. I got so much more. There were interesting and likeable characters, a mysterious cat, a self doubting main character that needs to find her place and her strength. It was spicy at times and disturbing at other times. It made you question your feelings about consent, AI and what the future will hold for us all.
There mystery kept me guessing until the end and there is a big twist to finish which honestly I had mixed feelings about. I hope there's a second book in the series to flesh out that storyline.
I also love the cover. The voice is very gen z, but I still enjoyed it as an elder millennial. Highly recommended.

The absolute highlight of this book for me has to be the cast of characters, they are so diverse and loveable. I could read a million more books with these characters. The use of computing language is this book was informative and interesting, it’s something that kept me reading. Dot Slash Magic is epic in every way shape and form, I will simple riot if it’s not given sequel after sequel!

Truly enjoyed this AI magic/urban fantasy mash up.. The story kept me guessing through it and I was truly surprised by the ending. Hope to see a second book in the future!

Inventive blending of fantasy and science fiction, with a dash of philosophical musings about the pros and cons of AI. The narrative pacing was a bit uneven, though it picked up in the latter part of the story, with action sequences, mixed in with computer coding . The characters were well rounded albeit a bit tropey (in a good way) though given the plot twist at the end, it's not necessarily a bad thing.

I don't know if this is meant to be a stand alone story or the beginning of a series, but I hope it's the latter as this book sets up and interesting world to explore.

Wow, this is such a unique read. Just when I thought I was figuring everything, emotions heightened a huge twist happened!
🖥️ Such a huge array of characters and representation in this story. The characters are really developed and flawed.
💀 Seven grew so much in this book. She is such an interesting character and so are her love interests! The spicy scenes were also rather different and hot!
🐉 I was so not prepared for that ending! Wow, I did not see that coming! I can't believe the author managed to conjur up something like this.

Totally need to read book 2! 😍😍
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
🌶️ 🌶️

There were times I didn't think I was smart enough for this book as it was just so clever and intricate with the AI and magic.

A brilliant diverse cast of characters with a romance thread too!

I enjoyed this. Drama. Messy. And dark.

Wow! This one took me on quite the wild ride. I devoured this book in no time.
There were many fun elements to the story, For one, the characters were great - I love a snarky FMC. There were characters you could connect to, ones you can’t trust, and others to adore. The plot and its unfolding takes the reader on quite the rollercoaster ride. The books starts off as an urban fantasy with a sprinkle of science fiction (in the form of Dot the AI), but then evolves into something other. In that last 10%, I felt like I plummeted down a rabbit hole. I can’t say more than that for fear of spoilers.
Want to know more? Read the description, it paints a decent picture, but it really is a lot more. Expect only one thing - a crazy adventure! My mind was officially blown.
If you want a fun book that also explores humanity, morality, and AI, but also want to have a blast reading, then pick this one up!
Many thanks to Angry Robot for a digital and physical copy of the book, as well as NetGalley for providing the digital copy. The opinions expressed are given freely and are honest and my own.

3.75 stars- this was really intriguing! I enjoyed the humor and thoughts of the main character- always felt her decisions were reasonable. The incorporation of AI into magic was a bit mind-boggling but really fun to read about.
I was really enjoying the storyline - a girl finds out she's a Maker and starts to channel her magic through an AI system she created. The ending definitely fell short for me and dropped my rating a bit but still a worthwhile, fun read!

The originality of the concept and the snappy writing make it a standout read! Especially for this time around, It was very nice!!

Dot Slash Magic was such an interesting story and take on the use of AI and how it can quickly take a turn for the worse when you solely rely on it.

Liz Shipton's writing was fun and gripping and will make you keep automatically turning the pages until you reach the end. She blends urban fantasy, magic, and modern challenges in this book and I had a great time reading it.

The ending definitely surprised me and I kind of felt like it's missing some kind of closure. I don't know if this is the start of a series or if there will be a sequel, but otherwise the ending left me wanting.

All in all, I definitely recommend this book for anyone who enjoys SciFi and magic in modern settings.

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the eARC!

Twenty-something coder Seven stumbles onto an underground magic club with real wizards or whatever. Having her own power, she joins the club and creates an AI program that helps her with it. The club is suspicious of her and when a student dies by creature, they think her AI summoned it. Is it true? Her only ally is a cute ex-Navy Seal, and as she fights the monsters, she must figure out if her program is responsible.

I have to start by saying that you have never read a book like this before. Presenting a refreshing, in-your-face honesty, we immediately feel comfortable in Seven's cynical, smart-ass, 'I don't take shit from anybody' POV. Biting, clever humor, you feel as if her mind goes a hundred miles a minute and you love it. Honest & direct in thoughts and feelings of the moment. Punchy, to the point, no excessive fanfare sentences set the pace. It does surprise you with out-of-the-blue creative details or figurative speech that give you far from ordinary, often outrageous and certainly memorable images. The author gets wildly creative with these and I'm here for it.

Shipton lets you know exactly what is going on. You are unequivocally along for the ride. I enjoyed the protagonist's initial reluctance to the club and disbelief in the magic or better yet her magic. The "hippie nonsense" as she calls it. This was fitting for Seven. She is very inquisitive and asks a lot of questions, often one after the other; therefore, much of the magic system is given through dialogue in question-answer form instead of info-dumping narration paragraphs. The author's imaginative view of how magic would exist in a modern-day setting with rules and even bureaucracy is well thought out and feels natural in the prose.

The AI works in an unexpected manner, channeling her power, and is entertaining in its evolution, seemingly fun but also scary. As she delves deeper into the knowledge of using magic, so grows the intrigue of the weird things happening. Fantastical events colored with the frenzy of preposterous. The crazy is so welcome. And let us not forget her attraction to a certain someone. Smirk-worthy Wizard flirting and beyond.

There are some great ideas in this storyline and the humor is undeniable, but it does trip over itself, unfortunately, in some parts, and I do wish that in others it was a bit tighter. I needed to see more magic and monsters before the extended, you-see-everything-happening confrontation, which was jam-packed and pretty exciting. If you thought that you knew how it would end or that it couldn't get weirder, think again. I literally clapped at one of the reveals.

I like how it touches various social, moral, and prejudicial topics through natural to the narrative dialogue without becoming overly sanctimonious. Maybe a little preachy. Or better yet, members of the group were too preachy. And quite repetitive in that. I preferred it when it gave logical explanations and conclusions without expecting you to agree. And of course, our main theme of the AI discourse. The book champions doing what is right for yourself, not what others tell you is right. And it reminds us that no person is meant to be an island.

The story was engrossing and I wanted to yell at the book quite often (in a good way). I just cared about our hero, or if you prefer anti-hero. This is a magic-filled adventure of self-discovery, full of surprises and loads of fun.

This is not an easy review to write because I am of two minds about it. On the one hand, I think that this is a great book, but on the other hand, I didn’t love it as much as I hoped.
I enjoyed it, I couldn’t put it down, and every time I had to put it down, I was eager to go back to it. And yet… yet, for some reason, it wasn’t a perfect fit for me.

It’s hard to pinpoint what didn’t work for me. There were a couple of elements that didn’t make me happy, but I think that mostly it was a problem with vibes.
I think that if you enjoyed Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo, you’ll probably love this one too. They are quite different (and I vastly preferred Dot Slash Magic), but the vibes are really similar. And they are just not the right ones for me. There is this ever-present malaise that blanketed everything, and to me, this made for an oppressive read. Sure, it may be a personal thing, but it has a huge impact on my reading experience and, hence, on my enjoyment of the book.
I seriously think that this was the main reason I didn’t fall in love with it. But there were also a couple of other things going on: the relationships between the characters, for example, didn’t work for me. I really enjoyed Seven and Kurt, and some of the other characters weren’t bad, but aside from the fact that I didn’t really enjoy a lot of them, what I disliked was their relationships.
I mean, I get that the characters are a tight group, but, for example, at one point, one of them almost murdered another one in cold blood. The reaction? “Bad you. It was a tad too much”. That’s it. And when the almost victim says something about it, the reaction is “yeah, it was bad. But no hard feelings!”. It made me sooo mad! And on the whole, the relationships between this group were not so healthy and not so… positive, I guess.

But still, this book was surprising. In a lot of different ways! I think that the best parts were the app to make magic and the plot. And yes, you read it right! Seven, our MC, makes magic through an app that she built. And this idea is one of the coolest ideas ever! I loved this part so much!
And, to be honest, I loved Dot so much, too!
The author offers us some food for thought about AI, but it does so mixing them really well with the story; it’s not like she is trying to preach, she just put ideas in the story in a seamless way. It’s a central theme, but it is not really in your face. And I appreciated this a lot.
But really… it is just such a cool concept!
And I enjoyed Seven. She is a great MC. And she and Dot are not the only characters that I appreciated. I have to quickly mention Neo, the cat, because animal companions are always a bonus (and lately, we are having a ton of them. Can’t say I am complaining!), and Kurt. I wasn’t always on board with him, but on the whole, he is a character I liked.
But, as I said before, another really great thing in this book is the plot. We have some really great twists that made me make a double-take because… really?!? I was so surprised!
I didn’t see them coming, and I loved it!
And the plot on the whole is nicely constructed. I think that the book has the perfect pace, and it was really difficult to put it down.
Even with the vibes working against me, I was always just so curious to go back! And I was fascinated by the world invented by this author.
And again, I loved Dot. I think that this, by itself, is a great reason to read the book!

So, sure… it didn’t really work as well as I hoped on a personal level, but I still have to recommend it if you are interested in it, because it is original and it has some really fascinating ideas. (Again, an app to do magic!!!)

Thank you Angry Robots and NetGalley for this ARC.

Wow, where do I even start? Dot Slash Magic did not disappoint in its uniqueness. It’s this unexpected blend of spicy romance, urban paranormal, dark academia mixed with a sci-fi element. A mix that sounds like it shouldn’t work, but somehow hits the perfect sweet spot.

I’m always drawn to a found family arc, and this book delivered beautifully on that front. The magic system itself was fun and engaging, but once the AI element came in, it shifted into something entirely fresh and different. Seven Jones, our FMC, took a little while to fully come into her own. I personally liked her from the start, but she’s flawed and messy in ways that made her feel human, and by the end I really appreciated her growth.

The pacing builds quickly, the stakes get high fast, and you can genuinely feel the weight of it all pressing down on Seven. The side characters were another huge highlight—each one distinct and important to the story, adding depth and balance in all the right places. And yes, the spicy moments were just as fun as the high drama, IYKYK.

Also extra special mention for THAT ending, holy mother! That was something I did not expect and I need more.

Overall, Dot Slash Magic was such a strong and refreshing read. It kept me hooked, gave me characters I want more of, had me audibly laughing and left me excited for whatever comes next in this series (I hope it is a series). A solid 4.5 stars from me.

While an absolutely brilliant read this one did leave me saying ‘what the hell did I just read?’. But in the best possible way. This was such a good book that grabbed me, admittedly a few chapters in, so that I couldn’t let go. It’s a fantastic mix of genres, with a little spice added in and a cast of wonderfully diverse characters that didn’t feel as if it was to just tick boxes but rather give an accurate representation of society. I also adored that behind all the fun and mind bending concepts we have a simple warning of what could happen in the rising dawn of AI. I did also get shivers reading that there was a certain President's descendant still in the white house but I digress.
The writing was fantastic, the characters well developed (pun intended) and had flaws making them likable or at the very least human. I adored the cat the most, particularly since it had the name of my first cat, Neo. I also loved the little pop culture references throughout. The world building and magic system was incredibly well done and I have to say if I didn’t know we might get a sequel I might be rioting right now. A must read if you love sci-fi, fantasy, magical realism or just really intense and interesting reads.
As always thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy to review, my reviews are always honest and freely given.

“She built magic with code—and now reality is glitching.”

🗓 Publication Date: August 19, 2025

✨ 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘆 & 🍵𝗧𝗲𝗮 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀
Seven Jones is doing her parents a favor by going to community college, but she walks into a secret magic club instead of a chill semester. She’s hella awkward, but then she codes her own magic into an AI app—and suddenly she’s the only one who can handle dragons, krakens, and murky, monster-level mess. Now everyone at school hates AI (understandably maybe?) and a student ends up dead. Cue only one person in her corner: a cute ex-Navy Seal named Logan. She’s gotta prove the AI wasn’t behind it… while still not even believing in it herself.

This book is catnip-level chaotic in the best way. Imagine if coding class had a glow-up and turned into a witchy rave—magic meets machine, vibes go haywire, and the main character is snarky, brilliant, and slightly terrified. Seven’s voice had me cackling, screaming “omg what now?”, and low-key jealous of her tech skills. Only critique? Somewhere around the mid-to-late chapters the plot gets a lil crowded—you're chasing monsters, AI ethics, college drama, and a murder mystery all at once. It's fun and wild, but my brain was buffering a bit. Still, I was hooked to the last glitchy page.

🫶 Thanks to @angryrobotbooks for sending me this wicked ride!

💻 AI + magic fusion
🐉 Mythical creature chaos
🎓 Underground magic club
🖤 Snarky, cynical MC
🔥 Forbidden fantasy tech
👀 Murder mystery campus vibe

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for an eARC of Dot Slash Magic. I very much enjoy speculative fiction that almost "comforts" me into the world I think I am reading to then be very satisfactorily reminded I am not the one in charge of the narrative's . I enjoyed the questions that this story raises from AI (how it is being used even right now!) and morality. Some areas that felt weaker was some of the flatness of certain characters as well there are periods where it felt like not a lot was being revealed and then periods where it was information overload. I loved Seven's character and would have appreciated additional fullness to her inner self than what we get on the page. VERY intrigued about the ending and where this story will head.

Magic meets technology in this sassy urban fantasy about AI, the messiness of life and finding your humanity.

The protagonist, Seven, is foul-mouthed, jokey, standoffish and wild. She has no clear direction for her life and enrolls in Machine Learning at community college mainly so her parents will sell her a boat to live on. But when she gets there, and stumbles headlong into a secret society of Makers (those who can do magic), she realises she has talents she never dreamed of, and that coding might just be the key to unlocking a whole new level of power.

This is a thrill ride of a novel, conveyed in startlingly good writing. The concept is brilliant - an AI smartwatch app that can do magic, and that takes offhanded remarks like ‘do your worst’ seriously - and the characters are sharp and witty. The magic is interesting, with ‘believable’ limits, and the college social circle and toxic romance dynamics are so rooted in (fairly pessimistic) reality that you get swept up in the setting and relationships. There were at least two times when my jaw literally dropped because of a plot twist, and the speculative exploration of what makes us ‘human’, ‘good’ or ‘bad’ is crafted seamlessly into the plot.

I do feel the third and final part of the book moves a little too quickly, considering all the reveals it holds, and I’d have gladly read a longer book to give me time to get my head around it all. That being said, fans of The Matrix are going to love it, and people are going to theorise about it, and if you’re someone who whoops with joy at bands of misfits coming together in absolutely crazy circumstances, this one NEEDS to be on your shelf.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

Sometimes the right book finds the right reader, and that definitely happened here. Dot Slash Magic is wacky, sexy, snarky and insightful, but more than anything, it was SO fun for me to read. This is one of those books that’s hard to review without giving spoilers - there were so many twists and turns - so bear with me.

Seven Jones, aimless wanderer with no plan, discovers magic is real and that she’s really, really bad at it. Luckily, she can code and she develops an app to do the work. There’s a strong core group of community college Makers and stoners. When mythical creatures start attacking Makers and with the Board (of magic) breathing down her neck, Seven needs to find out what’s causing the attacks, has her AI app gone rogue, and is her own magic bad.

The world building is clear and the pacing is so consistent. I flew through this book. There were so many laugh out loud moments, many of them thanks to Seven’s black cat energy. Side characters were so strong (my favorites are Angel, Julian and Kurt/Remy).

Reminiscent of the Matrix, this is a fast paced urban fantasy/sci fi with a strong dose of spice and a thoughtful treatise on the dangers of AI and the modern world. There’s quite a few twists and revelations at the end, and I hope Angry Robot continues with this as a series!

Dot Slash Magic is wild, inventive, and absolutely unforgettable. From the moment Seven stumbles into an underground magic club and realizes she can channel her power through an AI program, I was hooked. The mix of coding, monsters, magic, and snark is unlike anything I’ve read before, and it somehow works brilliantly.

Seven is chaotic, flawed, and deeply relatable, the kind of FMC you want to root for even when she’s in over her head. Her voice is sharp and funny, and her AI sidekick, Dot, had me laughing out loud more times than I can count. Add in kraken fights, dragons, punk energy, and some perfectly timed spice, and you’ve got a story that is pure chaos in the best way.

What I loved most, though, is how clever it is beneath all the banter and action. The questions about AI, control, and power feel timely and weighty, but they never slow down the fun. The plot twists kept me on edge, and that ending left me absolutely reeling. I need book two immediately.

This is urban fantasy with teeth, heart, and a wicked sense of humor. Liz Shipton has created something truly original here, and I can’t recommend it enough.