Seven Jones, perpetual dropout, freelance web developer and hiding in a Colombian dive bar while she tries to sort out her life, returns to her home town and signs up for community college in exchange for taking over her family's boat. But in between the stats and machine learning courses she signed up for, Seven discovers ~magic~. And when she somehow manages to develop an AI who can do magic, things spiral WAY out of control.

Up front - this book did have a bit of a slow start, and the last couple of chapters were a wild ride, but aside from that, this book *works*. Seven starts off as a bit of a "tool cool for school" type with a chip on her shoulder and judging the heck out of everyone, but she does find her humanity when she needs it most.

We have a found family, we have monsters, we have magic, we have diversity and representation, we have sentient AI, we have DRAGONS, we have a couple of on-page sex secnes, and all up we have a really cool story. Pop culture references galore. A deep dive into AI and some of the ethics around it, and what is clearly a dig at the billionaire-fuelled dystopian modern times.

It's not what I was expecting from the cat on the cover (the cat is just a bit-part), but it's a fun read. Matrix meets magic.

Fave characters - Angel, Kurt and Sol. Hands down, they're awesome. Seven grew on me, and I am furious about Logan. I really hope there is a book 2 about this because closure needs to be had there. In fact this was so open ended there needs to be a book 2 for closure on a few fronts.

I was fortunate to have a copy of the audiobook as well as the ebook, and the narration by Mary Pochatko was excellent. I particularly liked the way she voiced Dot.

All up, a fun read.

~I recieved a copy of both the ebook (ARC) and audiobook (ALC) from Angry Robot publishing and Tantor Media. All opinions are my own~

absolutely loved this book! It’s a spicy urban fantasy set in an academia setting, and it delivered on so many levels. The found family dynamic was one of my favorite elements, it was heartfelt, messy, and so well done. The magic system was incredibly unique, especially the way Seven integrates it with AI technology. It added such a fresh and fascinating layer to the world.

It starts off a little slow as it leans into the character development, but stick with it, the payoff is so worth it. The tension just keeps building until it explodes into a wild, high-stakes ending with a final twist that completely blew my mind.

And the spice? Let’s just say… there are some very memorable moments. If you know, you know.

I had such a great time reading this and highly recommend it to anyone who loves a character-driven urban fantasy with strong worldbuilding, slow burn tension, and some seriously bold spice.

Huge thanks to Angry Robot for the gifted ARC!
I have the ALC too and the audio was superb I loved the narrator!! Very well done. Thanks to Tantor media for the gifted audiobook.

This review is for the audio version of the book, narrated by Mary Pochatko. It was a clean and crisp narration, and each character's voice was distinct and conveyed their personalities well.

This was a fun, binge-able book. The plot was equally silly and exciting. The characters were (mostly) fun and interesting.

It was cleverly written, and I liked the layers of world-building as each was revealed.

The last 3-ish chapters threw me for a loop. After the big action scene, when that character came around and things started being explained my response was "c'mon, really?". I can't say I was a huge fan of that twist.

Overall I had a good time with this book (the graphic sex aside), and it was interesting enough to keep me listening and wanting to know how the story will continue.

🎧ALC REVIEW🎧

Coming August 19th

“Harry Potter never had to deal with this shit, he just hung around a castle eating chocolate frogs like a little bitch.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Ok this was really cool and unique. I had no clue what to expect since the synopsis is kind of all over the place. It’s Matrix X Harry Potter while also tackling the highly controversial topic of AI. Our FMC has a foul mouth and we love her for it. For MMC’s we have a Kurt Cobain lookalike and a broody Magic Mike. And cannot forget about Neo the black cat! The narrator did a great job with the multiple characters. HIGHLY recommend for my spicy urban fantasy babes!

Thank you @netgalley @tantoraudio @angryrobotbooks

#gifted #netgalley #dotslashmagic #urbanfantasy #urbanfantasybooks #spicyfantasybooks ##spicyfantasy

This turned out to be a pretty solid read. The exploration of the topic of AI was the most compelling part for me. I also really enjoyed Seven's journey and character development.
The ending twist was very interesting and I think necessary, but I can see how it could bother someone. I have some mixed feelings about it.
As for the negatives, there's way too many Harry Potter references. Even one reference would be way too many.
The romance didn't quite work for me. It was not developed enough to elicit the necessary emotional response. I think, it is a case of trying to do too much. The author nicely subverted expectations with regards to one love interest, or possibly even both of them. We however spent way more time with one of them, which created a satisfying arc, though I wonder if necessary one for the plot. There was an instantaneous connection with the true love interest, which is pretty essential to the plot, but wasn't given enough space for me to buy into.
The ending was intriguing enough for me to continue if there is a sequel. At the same time, it also makes for an interesting open ending leaving us to ponder. I would be satisfied if this was a standalone, but it might not work for others.
The audiobook was well produced and I enjoyed the narrator.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis -

Dot Slash Magic is an urban fantasy (with spice) that combines magic and technology, all while providing clear commentary around the unpredictable nature of AI.

Seven Jones enrolls in community college after taking a several year hiatus from schooling. She quite literally stumbles into a secret magic club and quickly discovers that she has powers of her own. Using her background in coding, Seven builds a computer program to help teach her how to wield her newly found magical powers.

When mythological creatures begin appearing on campus, Seven and other club members must work to figure out the cause and put and end to the monster summoning.

Thoughts –

I was interested in this story because it felt very relevant to our times – I haven’t read a fantasy that heavily incorporates the use of AI in the plot. While the concept was cool, I had some issues with the execution.

While this takes place predominantly on a college campus, it majorly lacked the “dark academia” vibes. This is a community college without resident housing, and our main characters are in their mid to late 20’s, so it didn’t feel believable that they would have so much time to mess around in school-hosted clubs?

In terms of character development, we are introduced to SO many side characters, many who did not really add value, that I could not keep them all straight. The romantic relationships presented lacked depth and felt like an opportunity for spice rather than an essential component to the story.

This had a lot of modern-day slang and pop culture references, which make sense for an urban setting, but sometimes removed me a bit from the story (I think the exclamation, “cock balls”, was used more than once).

If you’re looking for a unique concept that can read as just a silly goofy good time, I’d recommend this book. If you want a developed world, characters, and plot, I’d pass on this one.

This was such very interesting and fun to read. It felt fast paced and packed full with potential. I feel like I’ve been saying this a lot with my recent reads but this one definitely feels like it could (and should!) continue in another book. The story reminds me a little of eMortal but with more techy AI vibes with magic.
This felt very new and appropriate for today’s world mixing coding culture with magical systems and I’m totally here for it. While I wanted just a little more development in certain areas the world and magic building is strong and I’d be excited to see where the author could take it next.

What to type. My cats just got me giggling and I don't want to accidentally spark a magic war.

This one took a little time to get where it was going ... and it's absolutely outrageous. Yes, you have to let your brain glaze over the details, especially tech-savvy readers. Yes, the major reveal (one of several shockers) at the end is a give-or-take. But this is all about the ride and ... ensuring an absolute zany time? Something like that.

This may herald in a new vibe for urban fantasy. Urban sci-fi? Urban ... speculation? As you can see, I'm having trouble describing just exactly what this is all about. Okay. We have Seven, a young person with not much on the horizon but feeling like she needs a life change. Hashing out basic websites isn't cutting it. So she goes back to school ... and enrolls in a machine learning class ... and meets some interesting folks who may or may not be into magic. Many escapades and sexytimes ensue. Oh, and the evil version of Glitch (from ReBoot) turns up for the party.

I think this one got me because of how much it reminded me of ReBoot, that early 90s 3D animated series, which takes place inside a computer ... filled with anthropomorphic computer things. Plunk on an adult rating, add a dash of urban fantasy, and throw in a cyber thriller backdrop, and you have Dot Slash Magic.

The story dragged at points, and I some of it didn't quite come together, like the lead's characterization and motivations and how the whole system really works. This isn't a hard sci-fi, that's for sure. It's AI bizarro land Mystic Quest serenaded by Fabio.

On a more serious note, I appreciated the anti-feminist call-outs so prevalent in urban fantasy, the unflinching appraisal of controlling partners (which could've gone further and might if this becomes a series), and tearing into being a bad friend as the "main character."

The narration by Mary Pochatko was *mwah.*

Dot Slash Magic is a spicy urban fantasy. This book was on my radar and I was so excited to listen to the audiobook. The story is definitely one of the unique ones as it combines magic with coding, making for an interesting read. The author also addresses the morality of AI, which adds depth to the narrative. I really enjoyed the audiobook. The narrator is amazing and truly brought the characters to life. As for the ending, I was completely shocked. I did not see that twist coming at all. For me, the story wrapped up nicely, but I think there may be a sequel on the way. Overall, it was such an interesting story to read and I highly recommend it. Thanks to NetGalley andTantor Media for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.