Setting this one aside for now.

Tonally I don't think this is quite for me. I love the concept and the merging of technology with fantasy. The idea of AI monsters is so much fun and brings with it a lot of opportunities for some deeper thoughts on the dangers of AI. Seven is a cool character, I liked what I saw of her. But... something just isn't clicking for me. A lot of the cast feel decorative, the setting doesn't have that enclosed campus with secrets vibe that appeals to lovers of magical school settings. The descriptions all feel very disillusioned and cynical in a way that kills some of the magic for me. The main characters are adult but their campus experience feels teen-coded, which is fine but not really what I thought I was getting. Something is lacking to really invest me in this story and i'm not sure if it is character depth or just... whimsy.

This is purely personal but im also not really a fan of how heavily drugs and pop-culture references are tied specifically to sex appeal and flirting. Nothing against either but i don't find being heavily engrossed in pop-culture particularly romantic or the scent of drugs on peoples clothing to be a turn on so it was hard for me to connect with this. It felt like a throwback to being an age where anything adult was 'cool' but... these ARE adults and there's nothing cool about smelling bad.

WOO this was an insane ride and I am HERE FOR IT. I went in kind of blind just because I love Liz Shipton’s videos and wanted to try one of her books only to discover this is not my normal genre and still, I was completely sucked in.

This combined so many different genres so smoothly- fantasy, mystery, suspense, thriller, romance and… technology?

Liz’s sense of humor shines in this book and while the world is crumbling in it, I’m still laughing out loud.

The representation is amazing in this book. I also love the journey Seven is on. She’s not your usual run of the mill heroine. Her character is having a full character arc journey and I can’t wait to see where the next book goes.

I think one of the things that made Liz’s writing so addicting was the way she writes so REAL. Lots of curse words. The way the characters speak and interact is real and believable. None of the clichés, unless she’s using it ironically or as a joke.

At no point was I able to accurately guess what the heck was going on, which made this even more fun. Not only do I love when a story is able to surprise me, but it also showcases just how insanely creative Liz is that I’ve never read anything like this before.

Overall, I could not be more excited for book 2, and now I need to go read more Liz Shipton books!

What a ridiculously cool premise this book has. What happens when AI meets magic? I was really intrigued and impressed by this.

This felt like such a unique premise and I enjoyed seeing how the author structured this blend of technology and fantasy. The main character is a bit of a bulldozer and creates chaos in the existing magical systems but introducing an advanced technology that the practitioners don’t know what to do with. There’s a real sense of disruption as they try to cling to what they know, aiming to force her to do things their way and dismissing this very new and powerful tool.

There’s an exploration of autonomy here which was quite harrowing at times. This leans into a conversation the book positions around abuse of power. Both magical, and technological and the advantages people can have over each other.

The main character is quite prickly, which is relevant to the story, but occasionally makes her unlikeable or frustrating in her conduct towards others. She’s often very deliberately isolated and conceals information or pushes people away.

I did pre-order a copy of this for a family member after reading it so it is one I would recommend for the fascinating premise, compelling story and sense of something new and exciting.

I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

Jeez this book was good, what a rollercoaster that totally messed with my mind. The main character is flawed and real, sometimes we aren’t good people and sometimes we aren’t the chosen one and that’s okay. Some dark themes of AI and emotional manipulation that had me questioning things as I was reading. Really loved the world building and the ending was crazy. The author has a writing style that I find very easy to read and I couldn’t put the book down. I’m looking forward to reading more about this world!

Thank you to Liz Shipton and the publishers for the opportunity to read this contemporary urban fantasy Dot Slash Magic. This book follows Seven Jones through her re entry into a local community college and the discovery of her magic. Those who have magic are called "Makers" although Seven loves to sarcastically refer to them as "Wizards" This book takes the world of magic and combines it with present day tech and integrates it with an AI interface. We are taken through the events of Seven accidentally creating an AI interface to help her wield her magic and the transpiring results of that decision. I have no knowlege of coding and the programming that was being used in this story but it was not necessary (although it probably would be pretty cool if you did) and the writer did it in a way that was palatable to those of us not a part of that world. The cast of characters is incredible and Seven gave an extremely accurate portrayal of what a slightly cynical and jaded person who sees the world though a logical fact based lense would actually react to all of a sudden finding out she has magic. The pacing of this book was great and the ending has you rethinking everything you read as well as the current state of technology in our real world. This was a fresh book that honestly makes you think about some hard hitting present day problems in the end.

This was so unexpected, and I really enjoyed the whole experience.
Our FMC is starting to doubt her life choices, so she decides (with the help of some parental bribery) to return home and go back to college to study machine learning. She meets some other students, develops a bit of a crush and accidentally discovers that magic is real. Whilst writing some code that involves a data scraping model, she accidentally teaches her nascent AI all about magic. As you would expect, chaos ensues and it’s highly entertaining. There’s some spice, there’s some red flags and there’s some really fascinating character interactions.
I had a really fun time with this, and am really hoping for a sequel. Some nicely original ideas that were well written and had some flair.
Also I loved the cat!!

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!