My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance copy of this book of science fiction that take place sometime in the future, where Korea is united, robots are in demand, parents and siblings can drive one crazy, and love can take many forms, but will still break one's heart, either real or processed by logic chips.

I grew up reading science fiction, but fell away as I found that science fiction wasn't really growing up. For a while science fiction was like a parody of that old United States Army slogan: Join the army, travel to new countries, meet new people and kill them. There were still some authors I followed, but a lot of it did nothing to catch my mind, even though I could see numerous titles daily working in bookstores. Within the last few years science fiction has grown up with bigger ideas and better stories, and grown out including more people into the genre and letting them tell stories that are different. And different in American publishing is anything outside our shores. Many of the books that have made me think the most the last couple of months have come from Asia, especially Korea. Luminous by first time novelist Silvia Park is one of those books that I will be thinking about for quite a long time. This is a story about a possible future, where Korea is united, robots are as accepted as pets, families still have issues love is still confusing, and people can still be toxic.

A young girl escapes summer school, climbing into a vast dumping ground of broken robots, her legs encased in braces to keep her moving. Ruijie is eleven, her life has changed as her body starts to break down, and she seeks solace in understanding robotic parts, for that might be her future. Ruijie finds a robot with a broken foot, but one that seems different from anything she has come across. Yoyo is his name, and soon they are having adventures, making new friends, and finding trouble. Jun has never been comfortable with their body, and after being blown up in the war unifying the nation, is uncomfortable in the new one the army presented them with. Jun works a police officer, working crimes against robots, and their latest case, a missing robot, brings Jun back into contact with their sister, Morgan. The two have been estranged for years, problems starting with the disappearance of their older brother, a robot named Yoyo. Morgan is a developer for a company making new robotic companions, boy robots that look very much like Yoyo.

There is so much going on in this book that any seasoned author could easily go off the rails, into the sea and down into the bedrock. For a first time novelist, Silvia Park does everything right, crafting a story that is interesting, fresh, compelling, and thought provoking. There really is a lot of ideas, ideas that would make some authors create whole series, but Park is full of them. The book starts strong and doesn't let up, the story told through a few characters eyes, that never misses, never slows, and constantly unfolds. Little bits add to big bits. There are discussions about the fallibility of memory, and how a wrong rememberance can change one's life. I really can't stop thinking about this world, how everything is crafted, and even though it is the future, the ugly thinking of the past still shadows many achievements and ideas.

I can't praise this book enough. The characters are well-developed and interesting, the story, like life goes to strange places, and yet as a reader I felt a strong mix of emotions at the end. Mostly that I wanted to know more about this future. A book for people who love what science fiction for what it can do, make us want to see the future. And know more.

This was a very interesting book taking a deep look into human robot relationships. The plot(s) were woven nicely together by Park to give the reader a wide lens into what this future could hold where AI and robot technology meet.

The family at the center of this story is made of a human mother, father (ex-human trailblazing robot scientist turned animal robotics scholar) and three offspring - 2 human and one AI/Android robot. The robot is referred to as a sibling. One of the siblings is also at one point in a romantic relationship with another robot which she created in the likeness of a celebrity she admired. Other characters include curious kids, grimey salvage yard workers and a myriad of humanoid robots.

Part missing robot mystery, part story about family struggles and part story about how humanity is using robotic humanoid tech in everyday life, this story was a fun look at what a slice of Earth could become and definitely made this reader think about the pros and cons of it all. Personally I saw more drawbacks in this future. Park drew up something that felt rather sterile, yet very grungy.

I felt the book was drawn out in some areas. The prose was nice and the atmosphere Park created added a lot to the experience of this read.

Thank you to Netgalley, Silvia Park and Simon & Schuster for the early e-copy of this book and the opportunity to provide honest feedback.

Luminous is a solid robots-in-the-future sci-fi read. It deals with the usual moral/practical questions around this kind of technological advancement, but only seems to scratch at the implications. It’s like a meandering river with not many depths or rapids. Usually I enjoy such slower reads but it somehow didn’t fit the theme of the novel. I wish the author would have gotten more into the philosophical/moral parts of the robot thematic. How it is now it’s more of a family story despite the members of it interacting way too little with each other and a general reflection on how to cope with loss (even here the idea of using robots to cope with it is only dealt with very briefly). In the end I had the feeling the book should have started around 3/4 in and should have evolved from there way over its end. I also wished Yoyo would have been explored as a character more. We see his actions but rarely get to know anything about his motivations or opinions.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the earc!

gorgeous prose and fantastic story on this one, would definitely recommend and am hoping does very well. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

The future, robots, and family. This book somehow makes it all work together. An impressive debut.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the DRC.

This novel combines three of my favorite things: stories from Asian authors, science fiction, and robots. In the end, the story did not disappoint. The author gave an ultimately engrossing story about the relationships between humans and robots. The world building of a future where Korea is now unified and robots live amongst humans and humans also have robotic parts if needed was well done. I will say the beginning of the novel was slow and a bit of a slog but once you meet everyone and the story starts to take shape, it becomes a much more rewarding read.

A trio of unusual siblings are trying to navigate their separate lives which are surprisingly similar and start to overlap. This is a sci-fi mystery, set in the future, which revolves around AI and robots. I know this is a popular trend lately, but this one is definitely worth reading. Each of the siblings brings something different to the story and I appreciate the fact that I was interested in all 3 of the storylines (or the individual narrators where there is overlap). I don't want to get into the details too much because there are characteristics about the siblings that you're meant to discover as the story unfolds.

If you're into sci-fi or you have an interest in AI or robots, I definitely recommend this.

I enjoyed this book more than I though that I would. The characters were pretty authentic, even the AI ones. It was a strange experience to read about humans that had robotic parts and robotic characters that seemed as authentic as the humans. In some cases, I liked the AI characters more than the humans - I practically cried for Eli. I am not sure what the final message of the book was to be, but I felt that it was about the bonds within a family, the dysfunction of ... well, everyone. It touched on the savage nature of people as well as the side that ties us to others for our own personal reasons. Yoyo's remembrance of the past while moving forward with his current life was a message of fortitude. A glimpse into the possible future of technology and how it can change our world and us for better and worse.

this book has everything: speculative aspects, childhood trauma, murder, estrangement, forbidden romance, a robot sibling. North versus South, male versus female, robots versus human– all of these prior divisions collapse into a commingled mess. THE PROSE OMG sooo good!

the premise of this book was very interesting and at times had to stop to think about our values and what makes us human. At times it felt too slow and disjointed so it was as enjoyable a reading experience as I wanted but it had a lot of other redeeming qualities so would recommend to others.

This was really interesting and I liked how the topic was covered. Quite emotional in places and read very well.

I loved the premise of this book but had a very hard time getting into it. I wasn't able to connect with the characters and the pacing made it too easy to step away and I ended up skimming quite a bit. Sorry!

A future where robots live side by side with humans? Yes, please! I loved the concept and desperately wanted to love this book but I struggled with comprehension in the early chapters. Slowly the story came into focus for me and there was a significant shift in the second half of the book. By 70% I knew I was going to love it. At 95% I was obsessed and vowed to read it for a second time. If you struggle in the beginning don’t give up. This read is worth it!

I really wanted to like this book, but reading it felt too much like work. I stepped away from the book several times and struggled to return to it. But the premise of having robots as family seemed so promising. I think I just never connected with any of the characters and the plot moved too slowly for me. This is a fine book for someone, but just not me.

Wow!! This book was fantastic. In this novel, we see a future society where there are humans, robots, and humans with robotic features. We meet different human people who have faced specific traumas and rely on their robots, and then we see the challenges the humans and robots face about emotions, feelings, etc.

If you’re a fan of Kazuo Ishiguro, specifically Never Let Me Go or Klara and the Sun, I think you’ll love this.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I normally finish a book in 1-3 days, so the fact that this took me an entire month to read is kind of wild to me—especially considering it was one of the best books I’ve read so far this year. I even preordered the hardcover. I’ve been recommending it to anyone who will listen, showing off the cover to coworkers in an attempt to entice them into preordering alongside me, trying to coax others into signing up for Netgalley so that we can talk about the book…Hell, I even got my therapist to preorder it.

There’s something about Luminous that is utter crack for trans men. Every trans guy I’ve explained the premise to (including myself) has been instantly rabid for the plot. There are multiple protagonists in Luminous, one of which being a queer trans man named Jun. Jun? He’s great. I loved him. You’ll love him too, especially if you’re transmasc.

The writing in this book is gorgeous. The pacing is tight, the characters are multifaceted and have very distinct voices, and the critique on capitalism and consumerism? Stunning. Perfection. I could go on and on about the author’s exploration into consumerism, but I’ll save that for my best friend once they finish the book.

I cried multiple times throughout reading, and I’m not ashamed to say it. I’m tearing up right now just thinking about it. I’ve read almost a hundred books this year, but Luminous may in fact be my favorite of them all.

Perfectly average book that could have gone up a notch with some careful editing. Still, pretty excellent for a debut novel from a short fiction author.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. This was a solid speculative fiction. I liked the way that technology was portrayed, and the dynamic of the siblings was interesting. I liked reading it, and I found that it was a really solid sci-fi. I can't wait to hopefully read more of Ms. Park's works! A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads for release.

Luminous by Silvia Park is a beautiful work of speculative fiction. The book is set in a reunified Korea that has many aspects of the present but also a large robot population as well as human characters with robotic modifications. A blended family of siblings is at the center of the story. Two of them human: Jun who works with the national police force in the robot crimes division and Morgan who works for a famous robot design company, Imagine Friends. The third sibling of the group is Yoyo who was created by Jun and Morgan's father. He was the eldest when he was introduced to the family but has never aged, though his wisdom has increased immensely in his years on the planet. Interestingly, Yoyo's chapters of the book are told from the perspective of those around him, most often centering on the character Ruijjie who has medical issues and thus robotic components to help her survive. Yoyo is estranged from the rest of the group though the memories and bonds remain strong for all siblings.

As a reader these three characters bring us into Park's futuristic Korea in a very complete way and it is a fascinating place to be. Through Jun's investigations,"frustrations were painted all over her body, and she made a troubled face when Jun asked to see her arm where a client had used his switchblade to carve his initials into her wrist." Through Morgan's corporate life, "Christina was like an eco-flush toilet, well-intentioned and ineffective." And Yoyo, who remains a bit of an enigma throughout the whole book, a child, an angel, a trickster broken in many ways but enduring.

Luminous is part mystery, part morality tale with gorgeous writing and imagery. Anyone who enjoys Science Fiction is going to appreciate this clever and moving novel.

I'm not sure how I feel about this story but it definitely was interesting! There were moments where I was really engaged and loved where the story was going, and there were moments that it fell flat for me. The main thing that pulled me out of the story was the choppiness of the writing and story. However, the overall story is beautiful in the way that it weaves together family, grief, and humanity.