The Infinity Courts by Akemi Dawn Bowman | Blog Tour Review
My all-time favorite contemporary books are written by Akemi Dawn Bowman. I could read Starfish and Summer Bird Blue over and over and over again. Can you imagine my excitement when her SFF book The Infinity Courts was announced! Oh my god, I pretty much died! I don’t usually do reviews on blog tours because I’m afraid I’ll have to let the tour hosts and author down with a negative review, but I was so, so sure I’d love this one that I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Here’s my 5-star review!
I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.
“Peace doesn’t mean all the bad disappears. It just means finding a way to live with it. Peace is keeping the darkness at bay long enough to get through the day.”
My Review
Even though The Infinity Courts is a whole different genre from previous books by Akemi Dawn Bowman I read, this book felt like coming home. Akemi’s writing style is so lovely and wonderful. There were a lot of contemporary. elements and references to other fandoms that simply made my heart happy. Another thing I really love is how the title makes so sense so perfectly! I hadn’t realized this as I was reading the book, but now I’m thinking about it and I’m like… Aha! It’s really clever.
World-Builing
Since the title of the book ‘The Infinity Courts‘ is 100% based on its world, let’s start there. The entire story is set in Infinity – pretty much the afterlife. Throughout the entire book, we get to know this kind-of-heaven hell..? with its different courts, mysterious locations, and beautiful backdrops. The world-building literally doesn’t end. Literally. I kid you not. As I’m a sucker for incredibly well-built worlds, this was obviously a treat!
Characters
The Infinity Courts follows 18-year-old Nami, who’s murdered on her way to a party and ends up in Infinity. I found her a bit of a questionable character. I loved her and all she stood for, but at the same time I felt like she just went a bit too far sometimes. It got her in trouble so many times! The reason I find this “questionable” because I feel like would she be any other YA character, I think it’d annoy the hell out of me! As for the other characters in this book; Oh my, I adore them! Besides Theo and Gill, we didn’t get a lot of backstory on them, which I think is fine. The book is about Nami, after all!
Plot
I hereby crown Akemi Dawn Bowman Queen of the Plot Twist. Because holy plot twist, Batman! I’m still in UTTER. SHOCK. Like, The Infinity Courts is this incredible story. It’s perfectly well-paced, captivating, mysterious and so, so fun to read. It has twists and turns, surprises, and then *boom* MASSIVE PLOT TWIST. I can’t say more without spoiling it though… And I don’t want to, ha! Read it for yourself! I love the beginning of the book is essential to the rest of the story. I feel weird for mentioning it; isn’t that usually the case? Let me put it this way: we dive straight into the main plot, starting on page one. You don’t realize it at the time, but then when you do… Oh man, you’ll LOVE this book.
My Rating
Overall, The Infinity Courts is an absolutely incredible book. It’s probably one of my 2021 favorites so far! If you loved Akemi Dawn Bowman’s previous books, you’ll love this one for sure!
About The Infinity Courts
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.
From award-winning author Akemi Dawn Bowman comes an incisive, action-packed tale that explores big questions about technology, grief, love, and humanity.
Release Date: April 6th, 2021
Genre: YOUNG ADULT FICTION–Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Simon Pulse | Goodreads | Bookshop.org
About Akemi Dawn Bowman
Akemi Dawn Bowman is a critically-acclaimed author who writes across genres. Her novels have received multiple accolades and award nominations, and her debut novel, STARFISH, was a William C. Morris Award Finalist. She has a BA in social sciences from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and currently lives in Scotland with her husband and two children. She overthinks everything, including this bio. You can find Akemi on Instagram @AkemiDawnBowman.
GIVEAWAY (US Only)
As part of the blog tour, we’re giving away a finished copy of The Infinity Courts! Enter the Rafflecopter below to enter. Open to US residents only – Sorry, International bookworms! Good luck!
a Rafflecopter giveawayWill you be reading The Infinity Courts?
