Amy Bartelloni

Andromeda follows four teens (two girls, two boys) who were "raised" in a government camp that was established following a viral outbreak that turned its victims into crazed zombies. The reader picks up the story at a point where the girls and boys have gotten separated, but they are trying to meet up at another camp in Albany, NY.

This book is definitely geared to the YA audience. I listened to the audiobook (more on that later), and as I went along, I was thinking to myself, "This is OK....I might pick up book 2". It wasn't great but it wasn't terrible. The dialogue between the characters wasn't so great, and the characters themselves weren't really fleshed out. It was difficult to tell which character was speaking most of the time. The story itself was decent, but it started to lose me when the villain proclaimed, "Nothing can stop me now!"

It is the first book in a series, so while the story kinda, sorta wraps up, it most certainly ends in such a way that you know there is more to come.

Now....as for the audiobook narrator. I hate to say it, but she was dreadful...just awful. She was fine in the first chapter. I don't know what happened after that, but she turned into a total robot. Siri has more personality in her voice than this narrator. There was virtually no emotion in her voice. Her emphasis was consistently placed in the wrong portion of each sentence. She pronounced the title of the book an-dro-MEE-da, rather than an-DROM-eda. One of the boys' name was Malachi (mal-UH-kai). She pronounced it mo-LOCK-y. It was absolutely bizarre. Is it possible the author never heard the narration? I wonder if I would've given the book another star had I just READ it.

I may give book 2 a try, but if there's an audiobook, I wont go anywhere near it.… (plus d'informations)

While the idea of robots taking over humans might seem regurgitated, this book takes some interesting and very unique spins.

Delilah and Zane have been best friends for as long as Delilah can remember, and Gen, one of the first AIs, is almost like a sister to her. Together, they search for what they can find in the ruins to sell for things they need. Since the robots took over, life for humans hasn't exactly been easy. On their way to sell that day's goods, the authorities start to hunt them down thanks to a huge secret Zane has been keeping from Delilah. Soon, Delilah finds herself in the most dangerous spot she could be, at the headquarters for the Human Coalition...the rebellion. And it's too late for her not to fight for humanities survival.

The world building in this book draws in right away and holds the entire way through. It's easy to fall into the ruins as the main characters search for valuable objects, and intriguing to dive into the market and the surrounding industrial areas. The descriptions are brief but well done enough to let the smell, feel, and taste of the world come to life. It was simply fun to dive right in.

As to the characters, there is a nice array of personalities. Even the side characters have their own stories, making it easy to cheer for several of them. But, of course, Delilah, holds center stage. She's spunky but not overly so, brave yet not careless and caring. Although she comes across a little naive in the beginning, she grows right along with the circumstances and holds her own while still remaining believable. She's a character to root for on every page.

Many layers of secrets and intrigue hide behind the rule of the robots, and there are some unexpected twists which change the entire view on the book near the end. It's intriguing and opens the question as to when an AI is more than just a machine.

While the plot is engaging, the writing sometimes misses a bit on flow, which could have made it really sit. Certain aspects come a bit suddenly and hiccup, while others are a little repetitive. But it's still an interesting read. Science fiction fans will enjoy diving into this world.… (plus d'informations)