Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

The sequel to Meru, about humans being limited in their activities due to their destructive past by their genetically engineered offshoots (the Alloys), follows Akshaya - the human-Alloy hybrid daughter of the characters from the first book. 

Akshaya was always destined to live on Meru, her parent's dream for a human colony free from Alloy interference and an atmosphere perfectly suited for people like her - with sickle-cell. But as Akshaya comes of age, she resents the imposed destiny of living on a lifeless world and embarks on the Anthro Challenge - a circumnavigation of Earth only reliant on old human technology - to prove she's strong enough to stay on Earth. 

This book covers areas I wish we saw more of in the first book; how the tamed humans live in the approved, safe areas of Earth and those exile areas at latitudes that are yet to recover from the catastrophe that human ambition wrought. Yet I did feel that their trip across continents and oceans progressed with such speed it missed any opportunities to really learn how these different human communities (those living under Alloy guidance, and those lost in the wilds) really lived; especially culturally.

Instead, it very much focuses on the journey, the various perils they face along the way, and the doubts they have about the challenge as the losses mount. In the background, those following their trek mount movements both in their favour and against both human ambitions like the challenge.

It chimes with the original in being a very human and hopepunk-focused vibe. The beauty and dangers of humans as individuals and a collective. It's a fundamentally optimistic story with some great reflection. 

I've been eagerly awaiting the newest Cheyenne Blue book and dove right in once I got my hands on the ARC.

You can read the blurb to find out all the details so I'm going to jump right into what I loved and a little of what didn't quite work for me.

I think the biggest thing I loved was the country. The clear love letter Cheyenne Blue writes to the outback. She made me want to pack up and move. In another life, I could have been Jenna and been completely happy. I'm from the American mid-west and absolutely live for my time in the forests and near lakes and rivers and streams. But I also lived in Arizona and loved the desert. The outdoors is where I want to spend my time - even though I now spend way too much time indoors...

Jenna and her love of the land was my number one favorite part of the book. I did connect with Hayley, too. Ms. Blue did a great job of capturing her awkwardness and insecurity and desire to work hard. The way she related to the others at the station felt genuine and I enjoyed being a fly on the wall (along with loads of other flies, apparently.)

There were a couple of things that kept Switcheroo from being a 5-star book for me. One is small but it kept pulling me out of the story. Hayley's NY slang... Word, wack, and hip are slang we used in the 90s and are among those my 19 year-old son teases me for saying. Maybe they've made a resurgence in NY though. The use of "yeah, nah" and "nah, yeah" didn't feel right in more serious conversations. And I have no idea what "dead ass" means. I couldn't figure it out from context. I totally get using slang to help cement her character as a NYC woman but in some of the scenes, it held me back from connecting and staying in the story.

The other thing that I had trouble with was feeling the chemistry between Jenna and Hayley. I loved them both and I wanted them together but I just never felt that sexual connection between them.

I still definitely recommend Switcheroo. It reminded me a lot of Susan X. Meagher's [b:Almost Heaven|15850730|Almost Heaven|Susan X. Meagher|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347984810l/15850730.SY75.jpg|21597469]. Meagher made me fall in love with the land and people of West Virginia just as much as Blue made me fall in love with Queensland outback and Ghost Gum Station. The fish-out-of-water trope was well done in both books, too, come to think of it...

Switcheroo is another win for Cheyenne Blue in my book. A big thanks to her, Ylva, and NetGalley for the ARC. I appreciate it!

DNFing this one.

I'm so disappointed with this book. The first thing that struck me is how incredibly unbelievable the evil men are. Over the top. And the whole Southern culture thing seems like it belongs in the 1950s. I'm not from the south so I can only assume but it was cringe worthy.

The biggest issue is the use of wrong words and made up words. Regress is not the same as repress. There are loads of examples but that's the last one I read before tossing my phone and giving up.

I usually check the 1-star reviews to see if the issues have to do with use of the English language and editing but I didn't this time and it cost me time and money. I picked up The Senator's Wife on sale on Audible and am stuck with it now. And then to find out that this was clearly a long book that's been split in two makes me even madder because while I might be able to struggle through one, I don't think I can do two.

So if editing matters to you, keep browsing.