2.75 stars
**Many thanks to Courtney P. Hunter, and NetGalley for this free copy in exchange for an honest review.**

We follow a group of individuals thrust into a place called Eden, where they will stay for 2 weeks to undergo a science experiment called a Turing Test. The original Turing Test was performed as a correspondence between computers and people; and people and people. At the end, participants had to determine which "people" they were talking to were real, and which were machines. Similarly, out of the 24 group of people thrust into Eden, 4 are AIs. Originally, an AI is said to have passed the test if the human can't determine between the AI and real person a substantial amount of times... but company AlgorithmOS is looking for a 100% pass rate.

I am so disappointed. You know when a book is going so well, and then the last 20 pages throw everything out the window? This is it. I loved the first 3/4ths of this, but almost all that is undermined. Based on the ending I would have given this a 1 star, but the first parts really do shine and bring it up quite a bit.

Although the writing isn't stellar (this is, then again, a debut), the set-up, intrigue, and plot is really good... up until the ending. I loved how there is almost a thriller-esque vibe that you get because of the mystery of who is an AI, but even more-so how evil and immoral humans can be. As it could have been predicted groups will form and I thought that it was really interesting in how the different ideologies of the groups manifested themselves in the pages. The constant clash between them made the book that much more fast-paced and interesting to read on.

Another aspect that I really liked were the flashes to what is going on at the company. Rarely does it happen in books of this type, that we get to see what is going on behind the scenes. Around halfway through the book, we do, and I think it was a good narrative choice as it allowed King to set her work apart and keep manifesting themes in different areas of the setting.

Unfortunately, the ending is a travesty. I apologize for speaking vaguely, but alas, I must keep this spoiler-free: recently I watched an interview with Brandon Sanderson where he talked a bit about subverting expectations and how to make a satisfying ending/sequence. I believe he does both of those things expertly in his book. He gave an analogy of buying a kid a present. You can promise him a car and get him a car, make that satisfying. You can also tell him you'll get a toy car , but be hinting at an RC car that is just that bit better. Or you can even, be showing a toy plane behind the car and in the end, make the kid realise he wanted the plane all along. What King did here was show me a beautiful RC car, but gave me a rotten wooden wheel from a toy plane. There are certain things that start happening in the ending which could have been setting something up. Then, we get two random encounters out of nowhere, and are supposed to believe that this is what we wanted all along when it is something so out of the blue and honestly cheap, that it minimizes the effects of the other wonderful aspects of the book.

Here are my final thoughts: pick this up if you want a good book that you won't be able to stop reading... just also be prepared to be sorely disappointed by the ending.

this had a great scifi novel, I really enjoyed that they took the typical elements of a scifi plot and created something different.

This is the Artificial Intelligence version of the hunger games. It’s great. A group of people are employed for a week to participate in a series of challenges to reach a certain location. Four of the group are Artificial Intelligence robots and the groups task is to find out which of them are A.I. which is remarkably difficult when the A.I. themselves believe they are human (with pre- programmed histories, emotions and ability to feel pain). This is based on The Turing Test theory - they need to work out who is A.I. before the end of the week to be successful.

It really made me question the ethics of AI and the idea that they could one day become sentient and have emotions, feelings and autonomy. If this A.I. business was real I would be very worried for the future survival of humans! They are so much more intelligent than we are - with the ability to just keep absorbing information and learning.

Overall I really enjoyed this book - it would make an interesting TV series but the book itself seems a little bit too ‘long’. The pace at some parts is quite slow. It definitely picks up pace in the last few chapters and I think it might have been a good idea to have kept these for a separate (second) book as they ended on a slight cliffhanger and made the book feel unfinished.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Man, did I enjoy this book, it hooked me right from the beginning! This story is essentially the Turing Test. A bunch of scientists have created AI that they want to determine if they can pass as human. By putting 24 people (including the 4 AI) into a type of survival situation together to see if any of the humans can actually identify who the actual humans are vs. the AI.

We get a few POVs throughout the story which makes you, as the reader, constantly question who the AI might be. I did call one of them pretty early on but it didn’t detract from the story at all for me; figuring out who one of the AI were so early in the story.

I would really love a sequel to this story. Not a drawn-out trilogy or anything, but maybe a duology where we can see what happens to everyone after the finale of events of this book. Both the scientists and the participants of the experiment. This book also really makes you question what truly makes us human? Is it consciousness? Self-awareness? This was done really well.

I would definitely recommend this to sci-fi fans. I wouldn’t say this is hard sci-fi but anyone who enjoys discussing the world of AI, and what it could mean for all of us in the future, would find something to enjoy in this story.

ARC received via Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Courtney Hunter is a talented attractive dancer from the Philly area who just published her first novel, Sentience. It follows a group of 24 subjects in a research study regarding a Turing Test. Four of the subjects are really artificial beings and the subjects are tasked with figuring out who is who.

The book starts out with numerous inconsistencies and logical errors and that really bothered me. However Hunter wasn't making any mistakes--as you read along there's revelations and shake-ups that explain everything. It's quite impressive for a new author. I heartily endorse the book though I question setting the book just 4 years in the future.

This book is begging to be made into a movie or Netflix series. I wouldn't be surprised if it's been optioned by now. It's a book that will translate well onto the screen. Tense drama with frequent emotional and often violent outbursts between the study subjects. As the people bond and confide in one another the book really starts to hum. This book will stick with you!

This BOOK! I can not ring its praises any louder! I loved it. I’m not typically a fan of Sci-Fi books but it seemed like an interesting story and I was intrigued. I’m so glad I read it. It’s what movies are made from (they better make one of it) and I couldn’t get enough of it. If you’re reluctant to read a book with a Sci-Fi story line then put that aside and just read it. It’s truly brilliant. Give it a chance! You’ll thank me later.



Synopsis:

Running from a violent past, Leo Knox desperately decides to participate in a scientific experiment conducted by the infamous and greedy tech-giant, AlgorithmOS. Soon, Leo learns that she has agreed to take part in a Turing Test, a test that measures the ability of artificial intelligence to blend in among humanity, but what she doesn’t know is that the test set to take place is unlike any other of its kind.

Leo enters Eden, the contained preserve where the test will occur, with twenty-three others. While everyone appears to be human, four of the individuals are an indistinguishably advanced form of humanoid AI. The task is simple: identify the AI while trying to survive. The twist? The four AI are completely unaware of their nature, causing every participant to question what they know as reality.

The group embarks on a journey within the preserve, rigged with obstacles devised by the controllers of the experiment to elicit human response and emotion. Quickly, madness ensues and divides form, partnering Leo up with Avery Ford, a Marine who wears his demons on his sleeve. Romance falls together for the two as the world around them falls apart, revealing the lengths people will go to protect those they love, to achieve monetary gain, or simply to survive.