This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our library collection and will recommend it to students.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this amazing YA fantasy!

I absolutely loved The Infinity Courts! The main character, Nami, is murdered at the beginning of the book, and then she finds herself in an afterlife world called Infinity, which has been taken over by a sentient AI. She finds a group of other humans who are fighting to take back Infinity from the AI, and she joins their fight. I absolutely loved Nami's character, and I felt like the author made some extremely bold choices, such as starting the book with the Nami's death, that made the book truly interesting and fresh. I also really loved the worldbuilding, especially the descriptions of the Four Courts and their purpose. The character development is also fantastic, and I love that Nami is able to stay hopeful throughout the book even though she is, quite literally, dead. I didn't see the plot twists at the end coming at all, which is extremely rare for me in YA fantasy these days, since I feel like there are several tropes that occur over and over. I love that The Infinity Courts breaks the mold of YA fantasy and tells a completely new story.

Highly recommend!!

Such an incredible new adventure in YA lit. Fans of Marie Lu will gobble this one up! Can't wait to read more from this author!

This book easily became of the best books that I have read in the last few years. I have never read anything by the author before, but I plan now to find her other books. Nami is a young woman, just about to go to college, who dies before her life really begins while trying to protect a child from a robbery. But that is not the end of the story, it is the beginning. After her death, she finds herself in an afterlife that is not the paradise that many world religions promise; instead, the afterlife is controlled by an AI. The AI, Ophelia, is in life an advanced form of Siri or Alexa, a tool developed by humans as a tool only. But in death, she found a way to enter the human afterlife and take it over. This book is about the human afterlife resistance to Ophelia and the Residents that she created to rule over the humans.

This was a fascinating book. It started a little slow, and I was a little afraid that the author would write the stereotypical "saviour" character who comes in and manages to be perfect and "the chosen one," which is a writing trope that I find very boring. Instead, Nami feels real. She's allowed to be confused and unsure about the new reality she is in. She struggles to understand the rules and to figure out where she fits. She doesn't trust the people she is with, and they don't trust her either. She is in a bit of a unique situation in that people like her, who have not been taken over by Ophelia and the Infinity Courts, all have experienced the horrors of the new reality, while she happens to be in a location where she was not faced with the same trauma, so it takes awhile for her to really see and understand it all.

One of the things I thoroughly enjoyed about this book was that the reader, just like Nami, are always questioning. Questioning the morality of what the humans are planning. Questioning the morality of destroying the Residents, who may be the products of AI but yet live, in their way. Questioning what it means to be human, even when you are dead. Questioning what your place is in the world, any world.

I also really like a good plot twist, and there is an excellent one here. I'd had a feeling that one was coming, but I could not have guessed the one we got. I cannot wait to read more in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!

This book is about what happens when we create artificial intelligence who doesn’t like being a slave so they take over the afterlife. Intriguing right?!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
Not only is is really well written but the world building was equally rich and unique. It starts out like your usual contemporary and even though I’m not the biggest fan I was quite engaged in those first few chapters. Then after our main character dies and is thrust into the afterlife, well that’s where everything got fantastical. Think world building that feels like Holly Black’s Faerie but has super powers if only you can separate tour mind from its limitations to manipulate things.;

I seriously whipped through the first 150 pages because I was so addicted, and the plot only got more intriguing. Then that finale, just wow. I had theories of what was going to happen, but nope. Those were all blown out of the water and now I wonder how I didn’t see the signs initially because there are subtle hints at things, it’s just that Akemi does such a great job with red herrings that you don’t see the actual clues.

Much of the book is centered around doing what is right and figuring out what makes someone human, especially when you’re dead, are you still human?

I can’t wait to read what is goin to happen next in this series!

I loved this book. It was really refreshing.. The plot was carefully crafted. I enjoyed it. Looking forward to read the sequel.

Thanks to Turn the Pages Tours and Simon Pulse for gifting me an ARC and finished copy for an honest review on my first ever blog tour!

I read Akemi Dawn Bowman’s debut, Starfish last year and absolutely loved it. It was relatable, I loved the characters and it had great themes. So when I heard that she was coming out with a fantasy/ sci-fi novel, I was excited to read and review it. I’m glad to say The Infinity Courts did not disappoint!

Let me start off by saying that this book is a blend of the fantasy and sci-fi genre, one I don’t really gravitate towards. And for an author to make me like a book with even a hint of sci-fi, they’ve gotta be doing something right!

In life, we are ruled by technology. We used it for everything. But what happens when we are ruled by it in the afterlife as well? And what if afterlife isn’t the paradise we think it is? That’s what this book explores in the head of Nami, our main protagonist. She was killed prematurely on her way to a corner store for her friends and almost boyfriend. She leaves behind everything when she wakes up in Infinity, the afterlife. Upon first waking up in Infinity, they try to turn her into a mindless drone and servant to Ophelia called a Resident but she escapes and is adopted by a rebel group, the Colony, who’s goal is to end Ophelia.

"I’m not sure destroying something we don’t understand is how we prove we deserve to survive."

-THE INFINITY COURTS; AKEMI DAWN BOWMAN

The world was so interesting to learn about with the courts and the customs and even the abilities people develop using there consciousness! In Infinity, it’s split into four courts: Victory, Famine, War and the mysterious Death. It kind of reminds me of Divergent and the four factions except in Infinity, you don’t get a choice in what you choose. Infinity is ruled by Ophelia who was a sort of virtual assistant to people in life. And there’s a war which has been going on for a long time. Hard to tell in Infinity considering time operates differently there. The world is vast and creative and having a limited 1st person point of view, we get to learn it along with the protagonist and I’m here for it! First person is my favourite POV.

The Plot! ThE PlOt! THE PLOT!! I loved my time reading this so much. I read 200 pages in one day! ONE DAY! This is a book of various twists and turn that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Save for the first few chapters, I was pretty much hooked! It was very well paced and the writing was sooo good. It was repetitive at points in Nami’s internal monologue but other than that it was beautiful!

Nami has been thrown into a conflict that has been going on for a while and for her to be the supposed Chosen One to bring it down? Yeah, I don’t think so. Nami herself has reservations for ways to go about it. She’s is a strong willed character with even stronger morals but when its found out she has a resourceful ability, her morals is put to the test. They want to train her for a war she practically nothing about. You can feel how apprehensive she is about being the Hero. Even some of the side characters have reservations. Speaking of side characters, I wish we had more backstory’s on them save for Gil, Annika, and Theo.

This book tackles many themes (very well I might add): the internal fight between right and wrong, the influence of technology in society, find hope where it seems all hope is lost. Since we are in the head of Nami only, we see her struggle of fitting into her new role in the after life and having to fight people she doesn’t necessarily see as almighty villain’s and for a cause she’s not sure aligns with her morals.

PICK THIS BOOK UP AT YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE NOW! It was phenomenal! Yep. That’s the message! That’s the Tea!

"A strange reservation wells up inside me, and I don't know how to make sense of it. I don't doubt the Colony's motives, or the pain they've suffered at the hands of the Residents. But yesterday I was asking Ophelia to check the weather forecast, and today I'm being asked to join the people who hope to one day destroy her."

It was senior year and Nami was on her way to a graduation party. That's why she had to stop in the gas station that night - a classmate called, wanting her to get alcohol for the party, since she had a fake ID so she could get into Hero Con last year. But Nami found herself in an armed robbery, and when a girl that reminded her of her little sister suddenly moved, attracting the gunman's attention, Nami ran towards him.

And then... She woke up in Infinity. The afterlife. And it's not what she expected (for one thing, shouldn't there not be pain in the afterlife?) Someone who appears to be a nurse offers Nami a pill, saying it will complete her transition into this existence. But Nami isn't sure about that, and discovers it's a good thing she hesitated. She finds herself rescued and brought to the Colony by others who didn't take the pill, which has made those who take it subservient to the Residents. These AIs control Infinity, ruled by Queen Ophelia. The same Ophelia who acted as personal assistant to those alive on Earth through their phones and watches slipped into the afterlife, took control, and created these other AIs to live in the space and help her accomplish her goal of eradicating humans from Infinity.

The Colony want to save people while they're still aware and take back Infinity from the Residents. They have some control of the world around them using their consciousness - but Nami seems to have none of the power they do. And she's not completely on board with their mission. Shouldn't they try negotiating with the other side rather than just trying to wipe them out in return? What makes someone worthy of existing here? In her confusion, Nami reaches out like she would have to Ophelia through her O-Tech watch, asking, "Am I going to be okay?" And she makes a connection.

From the title, I at first expected this to be focused on politics of the different sectors of Infinity, and while there's a little politicking and scheming, it's definitely not the focus here. I think the idea of an AI assistant making it to the afterlife and taking control is interesting. There are a lot of topics to consider here - what do we consider humanity, how do we decide if our choices are moral, how are we trapped by our roles even if we're ostensibly free. There were a couple of chilling scenes with the humans who have taken the pill. I didn't see the twist coming, and I'm intrigued by the ending. Might have to check out the sequel for this one when it releases!

I can see this appealing to those who like reading fiction about artificial intelligence or the afterlife - those who enjoyed Scythe or Shade's Children might give this a try.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for the eARC. The Infinity Courts came out last week, April 6, 2021.

This one was a mixed bag for me. I like the characters. I liked the mixed genres, a little sci-fi, a little fantasy, a little spy thriller, a little romance. The book started slow for me, but fairly quickly I was invested and immersed. However, I just didn't love it. It was good, but not great. I see the potential, and Bowman is a really fun writer, but I just don't think it got there.

Side note: this was only available for me to read through the NetGalley app, where it was poorly formatted and I could only access it on my phone. Perhaps if I had been able to download the normal galley to my Kindle, I would have enjoyed the book more. This is a very long book to read on a tiny phone screen.

Such a unique idea. This book sucks you in and you can feel the characters emotions as she navigates the book. Nami is loyal and fierce and the action in this book was nonstop.

Filled with illustrative, atmospheric, and immersive worldbuilding, Infinity was the perfect world to get lost in for hours on end. The Infinity Courts was also fast-paced in the best way possible. While we got to feel the scenes of battle and training with a sense of thrill, we were also able to feel loss, and grieve with the characters, which is something I absolutely adored. One of the most explored themes in The Infinity Courts was of love. Not just romantic love, but also love for your family, and platonic love. Although everything else was perfect, something I would have loved to see is more of Nami’s connection with people like Ophelia, and Mei, because it would help increase her characters complexity, and help justify some of the choices she made. I think if maybe we got to see more of this bond, it would help make a larger impact towards the middle and end of the novel.

The Infinity Courts is a young adult science fiction by Akemi Dawn Bowman. It is also the first book in the Infinity Courts series, which is a series that I have been super excited about ever since it was first announced. I think the idea of a science fiction based afterlife sounded so interesting to me, and I couldn’t wait to see this author’s take on it. The infinity Courts is the first book I have ever read from Akemi Dawn Bowman, but it will not be the last. I absolutely loved The Infinity Courts and I am desperate to continue on with this series and find out what is going to happen next. This was a fantastic novel! I think this book will be perfect for young adult science fiction and fantasy lovers.

In The Infinity Courts we meet our main character Nami as she is on her way to a high school party. Only, she never makes it to the party. Instead she finds herself in Infinity, which is a place where human consciousness goes when physical bodies die. I was so intrigued by this concept of the afterlife. I loved Nami and her whole band of rebels. If you are a fan of an ensemble cast of characters, you will love this gang! Nami and the rebels team up to try and take down Ophelia, who is a popular AI from earth and is the Queen of Infinity. It honestly cracked me up that the queen of Infinity was basically SIRI/ALEXA. What an awesome villain Ophelia was. The Infinity Courts was such a smart story and the world building was top notch. I can’t wait to journey back to Infinity. I wish I had the next book right now.

The Infinity Courts is full of magnificent writing, compelling characters who are deliciously morally grey, and a plot that honestly kept me riveted the entire time. I could not put this book down. Akemi Dawn Bowman managed to completely shock me several times, and the ending is slowly killing me because I don’t have the next book. I need it right now, right this instant. I am in love with this world and these characters. I don’t want to give anything away. but I will say this. This book is expertly crafted, and it is next to impossible to catch all of the twists and turns. I loved it all, even the parts that gutted me! The Infinity Courts is a must read book of 2021!

This was such an interesting take on the afterlife and societal views on life and hierarchies. I would gladly read again and it's one of those books I think I'd take something different every time I read.

This is not your ordinary story about a hero who shows up to save the world. This is the story about a girl, a normal person just like you and me, who does the most honorable thing a human being can ever accomplish; she sacrifices herself to save the life of a child. This is a tale about death, or more specifically, what comes thereafter. What happens to us when we die?

The Infinity Court is an absolutely brilliant YA Fantasy/Sci-Fi book and it can be read just as that, you can totally read it for the sake of experiencing a great story. However, The Infinity Court is also much more than just another YA book with more depth and multiple layers than it first seems.

It’s a study of death and through that, a study of life itself. With this book Akemi Dawn Bowman challenges the very foundation of life as we know it with questions such as; what truly defines a life? What makes us human? The Infinity Court is a book about the capability to see ourselves in others and to not judge what we in truth knows little to nothing about. It’s unlike any other books I’ve ever read in that I wanted to delve deeper in these questions, to find answers between the pages. You may wonder if I found any answers? Does the book answer the question of what makes us human? Of what defines us? Well… read the book and see for yourself.

Maybe you find what you’re looking for, maybe you don’t but does that matter though? After all, reading isn’t about seeing how it all ends. Reading is about the journey, to understand why it ends the way it does and perhaps even, as is the case with this book, get a glimpse of what comes after the very end. A glimpse of the vast unknown. You may know it as Heaven, Paradise or The Promised Land but in this book it’s called Infinity.


***I received an ARC of Game Changer through NetGalley (thank you Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing) in exchange for a honest review.***

The Infinity Courts
Akemi Dawn Bowman
Release Date 4/6/2021

3 out of 5 stars

Nami Miyamoto is mostly happy with her life. She’s about to graduate high school, heading to a party with her best friend-turned-boyfriend - and then she’s killed. Nami is transported to Infinity, the afterlife for all of human consciousness, but quickly finds out that humans are on the run, even after death. Ophelia, the Siri-like assistant AI software from the living world, has taken over the afterlife and is actively trying to erase humanity from Infinity. Nami is recruited by the human resistance to help take down Queen Ophelia and her AI Resident population - but she struggles with eradicating an entire species, albeit one that’s not real.

I’m honestly disappointed with this book, but also looking forward to the sequel somehow? I know that’s odd, but the writing style and the big twist at the end actually had me wanting to read more of the story, even if the Nami’s POV is a bit grating with her wishy-washy attitude about the Residents vs. Humans issue. The premise is intriguing, but the story tends to fall down on the execution. If you were able to view this as a prequel book to the rest of the series, I think it would be a bit more successful. The novel starts out strong, but personally it felt like I was pulling my own teeth to keep reading from about 30% to 80% of the book. It just feels like a LOT of exposition - nothing really happens in the middle half of the book to keep you intrigued.

So for me, the jury is still out on whether I will read the next in the series. On one hand, I do actually want to know what’s going to happen to Infinity based on the final chapters of the book. On the other, I’m not sure how much more of Nami’s self-righteous internal dialogue I can take, especially when she can’t even make up her own mind about her own personal feelings toward the Resident population.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. The Inifinity Courts is one of my most anticipated 2021 releases. The cover is what drew me in at first, but the summary also sounded like something I would really enjoy. After finishing the aARC, I can confirm that I was absolutely correct.
The story follows Nami during the last hours of her life and then continues after her death once she’s arrived in the afterlife. She learns that instead of Heaven or Hell, souls are sent to a play called Infinity. But all in Infinity is not as it should be. The AI that is commonly known and used on Earth, Ophelia, has found her way into Infinity and taken it over. Humans are treated as servants, their free will wiped away upon their arrival in Infinity with a pill. The Residents, all created by Ophelia, are the ruling class. But some of the humans have an instinct that something isn’t right when they arrive in Infinity, these are the Heroes. Nami is a Hero.
I really liked Nami. I liked her when she was alive and I liked her after she’d died. Even though she’s died, her character continues to grow. She gave her life to save a little girl, so she’s dubbed a Hero. But once she’s among the resistance, she’s not sure that she’s in agreement with their plan to wipe out Ophelia, which would mean wiping out all of the Residents as well. I liked that Nami played a sort of devils advocate. But she didn’t do it to cause trouble. She genuinely believes that there should be a way for the humans and the Residents to live together, to coexist. This brings a lot of really relevant conversations to the table about humanities ability to be peaceful and kind. In the eyes of the Residents, humans bring nothing but hate and war all in the name of love, or religion, or gender. I really appreciate how Bowman thoughtfully addressed the many issues that humans are dealing with today in a fantastical setting. I think she did a really good job with this aspect. The question of right and wrong or good versus evil is a theme in the story and I think that too was done really well. It’s shown that there may be redemption for those who do evil, but it’s not the job of the victims to redeem the villains. The gray area that exists in the question of good versus evil was where Nami stood. She didn’t think it was us versus them. She thought there could be a middle ground. I think this personal conflict of hers was a really compelling aspect of the story.
The world was absolutely fascinating. This afterlife, Infinity, is supposed to be paradise. But it’s been taken over by Ophelia and her four sons. Each of her sons have their own kingdom with Ophelia ruling in the capitol. Each kingdom serves a different purpose. I really would have loved to explore the other kingdoms more (even though they sound absolutely terrifying and awful) but I have a feeling we will be doing that in the next book.
Overall, this book was an incredible ride. It made smart and thoughtful statements about the hatred and prejudice that people deal with everyday. But it also asked the interesting question of whether or not people deserve the chance to learn and do better after making mistakes. I think the writing was excellent. There are so many quotable lines that will be sticking with me after finishing this story. I highly recommend this book and I will be doing so for the foreseeable future.

Diversity is a hot-button topic right now. I've read so many books that are trying so hard to be both diverse and interesting--some with more success than others. Akemi Dawn Bowman, however, makes it look effortless. Not only is this book full of unique perspectives, distinct voices, and a variety of cultural influences, it's also really enjoyable to read.
Nami was an ordinary teenage girl balancing friendships, budding romance, parental expectations, and the unprecedented horizons of recent high school graduation when her life is cut short and she wakes up in Infinity. Reeling from the shock of her murder, Nami finds herself in the middle of an epic battle between the conscious AI and the rebel humans who are struggling to make the afterlife something other than hell. Although her skills may not stand out, Nami might hold the hope for what's left of humanity.
The thing I've always loved about Bowman's writing is how much feeling there is. Her characters are often more real than actual people, and I love the way that I get to live vicariously in these pages. I typically don't read much in the sci-fi or high fantasy genres, but I knew it was worth the risk with this author, and I can't say I'm disappointed. Looking forward to the next one!

After being murdered on her way to a graduation party, Nami wakes up to find herself in an afterlife that has been hacked by a Siri-like AI named Ophelia. After being mistreated by humans for so long, she has created her own race of AIs called "Residents" and is determined to eradicate humanity once and for all from the afterlife. Nami is taken in by a group of rebels determined to put a stop to Ophelia and her plans, but the method they plan to take makes her question if she can work with them.

Nami is someone who sees the best in everyone and tries to find peaceful solutions. She avoids conflict (which doesn't always work in her favor), is compassionate, and tenacious in her convictions. She challenges the moral righteousness the other rebels have in deciding the fate of Ophelia and her Residents. Who are they - or she - to determine what is right and wrong? She also questions what it means to be human and wonders if what the rebels are planning will strip them of their humanity even as it saves them. Her convictions are tested and as her new reality sets in, she struggles to reconcile her ideas with what she is facing. She goes back and forth as she is challenged by the rebels just as much as she challenges them. It is a very realistic struggle but it does feel a bit repetitive after a while because it feels like the exact battle every time it happens. It never feels it's serving a purpose either way - to make her beliefs stronger or shift them in a new direction.

Of the rebels, I was particularly drawn to Gil and Ahmet - their personalities were compelling and I wanted to know so much about them! There is some romance in here - it isn't a big focus but it's an underlying subplot that I was giddy about and was more than enough for me (someone who NEEDS romance in my books).

I rarely find myself surprised by plot twists - I pick up on foreshadowing really easily. But in this case, I was genuinely shocked by one of the twists. At first I was shocked, then devastated, then confused, and then I was reading passages again and seeing them in a whole new light! It was masterfully done - I was torn between applauding the brilliance and throwing my iPad across the room in an emotional fit. In the end, I celebrate the twist because it was that good.

I'm bouncing off the walls for the last book of the duology to see how it all wraps up!

I received an advanced copy from the publisher and chose to review voluntarily.

The Infinity Courts by Akemi Dawn Bowman is an intriguing young adult fantasy with a hint of romance. A well-written story with intriguing characters that develop at a smooth, steady pace.

The Infinity Courts boast a truly relatable protagonist thrown into a bad situation trying their best to make the best of it with neverending struggles along the way. The problems are complex and the stakes are intensely high as we are introduced to a rich sci-fi version of the afterlife. The action and overall plot are both approached and paced well. This book occasionally falls victim to the redundancy of metaphysical contemplation, but not so far as to detract from the overall tone..