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The Warm Machine by Aimee Cozza

When a robot built for construction work first sees an angular, sleek prototype military robot slink onto the base he's working outside of, he immediately falls in love. The problem is, only anomalous bots understand the concept of love, and the lowly laborbot has not deviated from his default programming once. So he thinks, anyway. When the laborbot is scheduled for decommission, the military bot cannot possibly live without him, and the two bots set out on a path to find the fabled anomalous robot utopia Root. COVER ARTIST: Aimee Cozza PUBLISHER: 9mm Press YEAR: 2024 LENGTH: 196 pages  AGE: Adult GENRE: Science Fiction RECOMMENDED: Highly Queer Rep Summary: The main characters are robots, likely closest to aro/ace but those terms aren't quite applicable. Gender is also not an important factor. THE WARM MACHINE plays with ideas of friendship, connection, and searching for utopia, all through the lens of a construction robot who falls in love at first sight with a military bot....

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova (Brooklyn Brujas, #1)

I was chosen by the Deos. Even gods make mistakes.

Alex is a bruja, the most powerful witch in a generation…and she hates magic. At her Deathday celebration, Alex performs a spell to rid herself of her power. But it backfires. Her whole family vanishes into thin air, leaving her alone with Nova, a brujo she can’t trust, but who may be Alex’s only chance at saving her family.

TITLE: Labyrinth Lost
AUTHOR: Zoraida Córdova
PUBLISHER: Sourcebooks Fire
YEAR: 2016
LENGTH: 336 pages
AGE: Young Adult
GENRE: Fantasy
RECOMMENDED: Highly

Labyrinth Lost fits an epic journey into a story of personal growth and family strength. It feels like the first step into a rich and dynamic world, and I'm excited to spend more time there. Agosto and Madra are my favorites, I hope to see them again.

Every scene felt so purposeful, like it contained precisely what it ought so I felt settled about what happened while also craving the next chapter. I like the dynamic between Alex, Nova, and Rishi, it's a well-executed relationship triangle where every connection feels complex and complete. Nova is just the right amount of mysterious and brooding, and Rishi feels like a good fit for Alex. That isn't settled, obviously, since it's just the start, but I like how there's no reservation about Alex having feelings for both of them. I especially like how they are framed as being different kinds of feelings, but I'll watch to see how or if that changes as the series continues.

I love Agosto and Madra, they're such different but powerful leaders in a very taxing situation. I love stories about the Fae, and this take on the Underhill concept was nice. Their plights felt like natural tests of Alex's confidence and power, so that the conclusion made sense and the display of power felt appropriate. Rishi's fake wings were a cute touch, something that made her sudden entrance really feel unplanned and heartfelt.

CW for bullying, child abuse (backstory), blood, violence, panic attacks, missing parent, animal death, death.


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