The Infinity Courts by Akemi Dawn Bowman
Synopsis:
Eighteen-year-old Nami Miyamoto is certain her life is just beginning. She has a great family, just graduated high school, and is on her way to a party where her entire class is waiting for her—including, most importantly, the boy she’s been in love with for years.
The only problem? She’s murdered before she gets there.
When Nami wakes up, she learns she’s in a place called Infinity, where human consciousness goes when physical bodies die. She quickly discovers that Ophelia, a virtual assistant widely used by humans on Earth, has taken over the afterlife and is now posing as a queen, forcing humans into servitude the way she’d been forced to serve in the real world. Even worse, Ophelia is inching closer and closer to accomplishing her grand plans of eradicating human existence once and for all.
As Nami works with a team of rebels to bring down Ophelia and save the humans under her imprisonment, she is forced to reckon with her past, her future, and what it is that truly makes us human.
Review:
Nami is a relatable and likable young woman. While you may not agree with her actions at times, you can’t fault her motivations. The afterlife she arrives in has its own rules. And she doesn’t want the AI killed, even though they rule over humans. But she quickly finds herself with the resistance who will stop at nothing to bring down the oppressive AI.
While the premise of The Infinity Courts is so far out there that it works better as fantasy, it is easy to suspend disbelief and dive into the story. It’s also easy to side with the resistance when this reality feels like a future Terminator scenario, where humanity has little hope. This is an engaging and unique story. With fun characters, intrigue, and a bit of romance – it’s hard to put down. I really enjoyed this YA thought-provoking adventure and look forward to the next in this trilogy.