I have to admit getting through Sordid Selection was a slog. I was intrigued by the concept and started it immediately. A book that should have taken me no more than a few days took over a week to get through. I felt that the writing style was incredibly inconsistent - the author was attempting to blend a more historical fiction style of speech and grammar into a more modern setting and the clash was disruptive rather than intriguing. The world building felt a bit thin and somehow overstretched at the same time. For example, we're introduced to the castle of Strath Glen. Each room is given a different name with no real description of its look or feel and then is forever more referred to by these random names, leaving me confused as to the placement of the characters. The author seemed to be trying to sound whimsical in her descriptions but the poor grammar of the first person present perspective mostly felt disjointed instead. The pacing of the book also didn't work for me. It felt very much as if the author had a list of plot points to hit, placed them in set spots, and then just filled everything in between with fluff. I think our main love interest, the Viscount Wolfe, is meant to be brooding and mysterious yet we are given several hints of his love for our main character - despite having no interactions with her other than mentions of his height and silence. It was a really cool premise and it's a shame to see it executed so poorly. The end of the book had a very large cliffhanger that unfortunately didn't even feel like an end - just a hook for the next book in the series.

YA fantasy This first novel promised a thrilling adventure in a breakaway kingdom set in an alternate future USA. The mystery was there but the excitement was not.

The story started out well but quickly spiralled downward. The world building was the biggest let down for me. So many gaps and gaffes. They moved a Barvarian Alp!? How? Why? They have massive tech but where is it all? AIs and brain chips are all good cyberpunk details but there should be some impact of them affecting in the main character.

I didn’t connect with Alex. I was expecting an intrepid sleuth or a lost teenager. I would have identified with either but she had so little character and emotion that I couldn’t love or hate her. There were lots of interesting characters and good descriptors but whenever the story got going the inconsistencies in world building threw me off.

Thanks, NetGalley for a free copy of this book for an unbiased review. Sorry, the only thing I can recommend is a good rewrite.

Can I just say… that CLIFFHANGER?!

I am not one that has dabbled in Sci Fi very much and especially not YA Sci Fi, this was my first. Let me just put it out there, this book gave me all the feels! I would love book 2 now, please and thanks!

If you enjoy Sci Fi, I think you would like this. If you are intimidated by Sci Fi, give this one a go because I do feel like it is digestible and easy to maneuver through. The concepts covered in this book feel relevant to today and I think that’s why it’s so easy to follow. The world building is good, the characters are interesting, and the plot is mysterious.

We have a society Airo-Aurora, built on AI and advanced technology. Not only that, but it seems like it’s one of few in comparison to the other bordering countries. There is a belief here that technology knows best so human intervention and decision making is null. In this society, your future essentially is decided by the Mainframe, an AI based computer. Alex our FMC has been dedicating her life to being assigned her dream job and mate, like many others by enforcing her wants so this Mainframe knows. How does this Mainframe know you ask? Chips… embedded inside their heads that collects this data. So, when Alex goes for her Selection, the coming-of-age event in their society, and nothing goes to plan, Alex finds herself in a troubling situation in an environment she never wanted to be. Until one day, a mystery is presented to Alex, and she can’t help but take the bait. Will the mystery help or hinder Alex in her new life? That’s the big question. As you read this book, you begin to discover what it might mean to be controlled by a computer, but really, who is controlling the computer?

This book really made me think. Could this be our world in the next 50 years. Parts of it were giving off over the top made house vibes, but what made this book so good was the character arc and Alex being so relatable. We see Alex go through things that happen in today’s society every day, but she is so resilient and strong and pushes through. Have choices taken from you, decisions made without your input, not fitting in. The other characters you will meet are also super relatable and honestly some of them you will want to punch. There is tension, emotion, mystery, an overall really good plot, and a CLIFFHANGER (you’ve been warned – but it’s worth it). I am super excited for book 2!

Thank you NetGalley and Wolf Pack Publishing for sending me this ARC to read and review.

This is the first book in the Pretty Little Robots series, and I was really excited to dive into it. The premise held so much promise, but it fell a bit short for me. The worldbuilding felt a tad inconsistent, lacking that true cyberpunk essence I was craving. There were moments when the dialogue left me a bit puzzled. Toward the end, the pacing could have been spruced up a bit. However, I have to admit, the characters were vibrant and the plot had its captivating moments. While it didn't fully satisfy my expectations, I believe fans of dystopian romance might find enjoyment in it.

I don't want to be mean, especially as it's coming from a small press, but oof this book really didn't work for me. I really wanted to like it--the premise is so FUN, and there was a lot of potential in both the plot and relationship--and from about the 25 to 65% mark I really thought it could turn into something enjoyable. Unfortunately, the back half of the book floundered, especially structurally. Things didn't develop that needed to, there was no actual *climax*, and I felt as if the book just stopped, rather than actually ending. Neither the external plot nor romantic arc had any meaningful resolution, and I closed the book feeling profoundly unsatisfied.

I'd also like to mention that (other than the ending) the weakest part of the book was, for me, the worldbuilding. It does itself a real disservice by marketing itself as 'cyberpunk', I'd say. Nothing about the world feels cyberpunky at all except for the brain chips; otherwise the world feels a mishmash of regency and modern-times. It actually read much more in line with fantasy than sci-fi most of the time, to me, and even when I was enjoying everything else, I found it hard to stop being thrown off by the inconsistent worldbuilding.

In summary, this was a sadly disappointing execution of a promising premise. I really wanted to like and recommend it, but unfortunately I just can't.

I received an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great book, but weird. It was like Black Mirror meets Bridgerton. I would definitely recommend!

~This book was given by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I LOVED this book! I finished it in one day. This was such a good slow burn romance with sci-fi dystopia. I didn't feel like I got tired of the 'will they/won't they' back and forth. I was mildly worried at first about the characters not being likable but I was wrong. There were a few things that I wish had been explained like the eaten apples left in Alex's room? There was mild foreshadowing and hinting but where did the apples come from?? It took me a couple chapters to realize that Alex being a 'handmaid' meant just a housekeeper and not a Handmaid like the television show. The other thing I had a small issue with was a city being called Myopia, but that's just because I used to work for an eye doctor.

A must read for fans of Allie Condie’s Matched trilogy and Kiera Cass’s Selection series! But seriously? A country named Myopia? It’s almost as poor a choice as a country actually called Dystopia.