Review: I Heart Robot by Suzanne van Rooyen

Sixteen-year-old Tyri wants to be a musician and wants to be with someone who won’t belittle her

musical aspirations.

Q-I-99 aka ‘Quinn’ lives in a scrap metal sanctuary with other rogue droids. While some use violence to make their voices heard, demanding equal rights for AI enhanced robots, Quinn just wants a moment on stage with his violin to show the humans that androids like him have more to offer than their processing power.

Tyri and Quinn’s worlds collide when they’re accepted by the Baldur Junior Philharmonic Orchestra. As the rift between robots and humans deepens, Tyri and Quinn’s love of music brings them closer together, making Tyri question where her loyalties lie and Quinn question his place in the world. With the city on the brink of civil war, Tyri and Quinn make a shocking discovery that turns their world inside out. Will their passion for music be enough to hold them together while everything else crumbles down around them, or will the truth of who they are tear them apart?

          

               

Review

I'm not going to lie. What drew me to this book was the seriously cool cover. I mean look at it. It just begs to be read! But then I read the cover synopsis and I was sold. I had to read this book.

I Heart Robot follows two talented violinists, sixteen-year-old Tyri and android Quinn, as they try to find something they feel is missing within themselves. Instead they find each other. But the city is on the brink of a war between humans (who want their mindless cheap labor back) and AI (who demand equal treatment), and Quinn hasn't exactly been on the up-and-up with Tyri about his synthetic skin, blood, and bone.

THEMES: The romance between Tyri and Quinn was fun and exciting, but don't let it fool you. This book gets pretty heavy at times. Ms. van Rooyen tackles prejudice, genocide, abuse, prostitution, science vs. nature, the meaning of love and hate, and what it means to be human. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

WORLD BUILDING: The world building in the book is top notch. I wanted to crawl through the pages and see this world. It was so well developed and interesting. I wanted to know more. I wanted to see more. Not to mention, it was particularly fun to visit a future version of Scandinavia. I haven't even visited the current version.

CHARACTERS: Tyri was a little fickle sometimes, but I understood her. She was fighting several battles within herself, and sometimes one side won, and sometimes the other side did. I've been there, girl. It sucks. But Quinn... *sigh* Loved him! I loved his passion and his loyalty. I loved his metaphorical heart.

PACING/PLOT: The pacing was a bit slow at times, but when it took off, it really took off. I burned through the second half of the book in only a few hours. There was a twist that I saw coming almost from the beginning of the book, but it didn't take away from the story. I Heart Robot was an enjoyable, thought provoking page-turner, and I enjoyed it immensely.

***DISCLAIMER: I received this book in exchange for an honest review, which I have given. I have not been compensated in any other way.***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Suzanne is a tattooed storyteller from South Africa. She currently lives in Sweden and is busy making friends with the ghosts of her Viking ancestors. Although she has a Master’s degree in music, Suzanne prefers conjuring strange worlds and creating quirky characters. When she grows up, she wants to be an elf – until then, she spends her time (when not writing) wall climbing, buying far too many books, and entertaining her shiba inu, Lego.

                 

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