Sentient Bonds

The Ian Series #1

by Alex Timothy

Ash Bell has a secret—
A deadly eight foot robot lives in his basement.

Designed by Ash’s father, a genius scientist working for defense contractor North American Automation, the AI was created to become the ultimate war machine.
That is until it begins asking questions and demonstrating behaviors beyond Dr. Bell’s programming—changes that only Ash sees.
At school, Ash’s life is imploding; he’s been suspended and outed as gay. An ex wants to pull Ash with him into a downward spiral.
Now, his father’s military robot might be the only one who can save him.
And Ash might be the only one to help the AI become more than just a weapon.

Genres: Science Fiction, LGBT

384 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 10, 2024

About the author

Alex Timothy writes science fiction and urban fantasy stories, YA and angst.

Come find me on Instagram!
@authoralextimothy

Reviews

[Boyslove]

Damnnn this was good. Not a typical read for me, but man was it worth it. This isn’t your run of the mill robot/ai + boy futuristic love story, there’s way more realism and depth to this story.

I think it’s been years since I’ve added a book to my “amazing-writing” tag.. but this author really did something amazing with this book, the writing was just fantastic.

The depth of each character, the distinct, complex emotional depth was just great. I felt like these characters were real, I believed each one. I feel like the author was able to capture human complexity and create lovable characters, characters that you hated for certain reasons but felt compassion for other reasons.. the emotions were displayed so well, so realistically I thought.

And then there’s the AI.. I gobbled up all of Ash’s interactions with the AI, watching it learn.. ugh, so good.

My only complaint is that I wanted some more romance, and that the ending wasn’t quite what I expected, although it just means there’s another book coming which I really want to get my hands on.

[Xia]

Long-winded

The first like.. 60% of the book was really long-winded with little developmental gains. Dk why this is a series. It should have been one book 🙄.

[Ashe Hale]

Wow it feels like I finished this in a blink, I'm devastated that it ends on a cliffhanger but will be waiting (impatiently) for the next book
Not at all what I expected, a delightful surprise
But fuck Brian and Fucking Caz!!

[Aguita de coco lee]

Mmmm... I think I'm melting! ❤️🫠

I don't know what to tell you guys. This is beautiful, well-written, and so interesting. I usually never read YA or "pure" stories ;), but I was totally captivated... so much so that I grabbed the second book immediately!

I’m writing this review knowing everything that happens next, and yet I’m still sighing over Ian. He has all those traits that make you fall for a character: he’s protective, gentle, kind, active, empathetic... and to top it off, he’s an A.I.iiiiiiiii! 🤖💥 I’m dying here, haha. I 100% get Ash’s feelings.

Let’s be serious for a second and stop sighing... ahem.

What will you find in this book?

- A YA read with mature dialogue, complex experiences, and plenty of realism and emotion. ❤️‍🩹
- No, guys, it’s not spicy, but it doesn't even need to be! (Though, seeing how the second book ended, I hope we get a little heat soon, please! 🌶️).
- Complex characters.
- A full supporting cast—the story wouldn't be the same without them.
- War, love and heartbreak, friendship, and... LIFE!

What else do you want? That’s it. This one is going straight to my favorites ⭐ and I hope our author, Alex, doesn't rest on his laurels and brings us the third installment soon.

Thanks for making me smile and enjoy this so much!!

[Destynee]

I have so many thoughts about this book and I'm not sure I have the words to describe them all. Like, I did NOT see that ending coming. Truthfully, I didn't see ANYTHING coming in this book and felt like I was getting whiplash in the best way possible???

Typically, I have a hard time relating to teenage characters, but I felt so hard for Ash and all the family stuff he dealt with. I genuinely like Ash as the main character, even if maybe he needs to be a bit less forgiving 😅

And Ian! Ooof, I did not care for Ian in the beginning, but watching his interaction with Ash and how their relationship slowly progressed was so rewarding. Do I now ship a human and a robot? Yes, apparently that's the kind of person I am now.

As for Caz... Well. His character is like watching a car crash, you want to look away but you can't out of some sick sense of curiosity. I despise him as a person, and yet, I NEED to consume approximately 10 more books about him.

The ending has me a TEENY bit worried for Ash with how everything was resolved (or rather NOT resolved), but as long as I get more Ash/Ian/Caz interactions in the next book, I'll eat it up like I'm a starving man. Solid 5 stars for me!

Now to sit in the corner and pout until the next book is released 😭

[Katy]

Wow. Honestly I could not put this down, it was so captivating. The characters were rich and distinct, and the depiction of how different types of relationships are built and grown and dissolved was absolutely beautiful. So well done, the story and world-building were so naturally introduced, and I enjoyed the experience start to finish. I don't usually read books this quickly, but I finished the whole novel in less than a day. This was wonderful and I cannot wait to see what the author has in store for the next installment in the series. Bravo.

[Sally]

I found two printing errors, but aside from that, Sentient Bonds was an entertaining and thought provoking read. What caught my attention was the idea of AI becoming sentient, actually becoming aware. That concept really resonated with me, especially in light of the recent warnings from tech giants about the possibilities and risks of AI.
An interesting and, at times, disturbing book. I found myself wanting to know more about the author and wondering why this book is self published rather than being picked up by one of the major publishing houses. I could easily see this as a movie.

[Joe Rox]

great story

I very much enjoyed the way the author explored IAN’s emerging sentience and took us along for the ride. I enjoyed the characters and their depth. I always hate starting a series and then having to wait for the next book, but I was just so intrigued by the story, I read it very fast. And now I find myself impatiently waiting for the next book in the series. This will definitely be a book I read again and again.

[Alex Wren]

I wanted a good romance with sentient machine and Sentient Bonds delivered exactly that. Ash is easy to root for and Ian... you don't even notice when he sneaks up on you and make you fall in love with him.
There's basically no spice in this book and usually it's a con for me but this time I didn't mind it at all, the interactions between characters more than made up for it.

[Ross]

Not my normal read but very interesting

A science fiction story with a gay teenage MC befriending in all aspects a robot, while they both learn what messy aspect being human really is.

[Jen]

fantastic YA sci fi

I grew out of my YA phase a decade ago, but here I am fully invested in a story about a couple of teenage boys. Even if you think YA isn’t your thing, this one is if you like robot/cyborg/android/etc stories.

[Megan Morris]

This book really held my attention. I read it in one day without really putting it down. It had unique characters with strong personalities. I liked the plot and premise because they are more original and it was good to read something that I couldn't predict from page one.

[Silkeeeeeereads]

Excellent

What a well- written Sci-Fi. I was either enthralled or having to stop myself from reading quickly to see what would happen next. I just wish there hadn’t been a cliffhanger.

[Alisha]

I love this book. And I can’t wait for the second in the series. Wtf Caz?!?

[Lyzaki]

Loved it, can't wait for the next one.

[Andrew Hobbs- Nicholas Scott]

amazing

This book was wonderful. Everything about it just captivated me to the point that I read it from “cover to cover” in a day. I can’t wait to start book 2

[Elizabeth]

amazing

I loved it and couldn’t put it down. Read the who,e thing in one session. Took me all day but so worth it!

[BMO]

The only reason this wasn’t a 5 star read was because Ash often frustrated the fuck around me. However…the characters definitely drove the plot

[Tully Vincent]

3.5 stars. Interesting plot. Slow for me in parts, then sped up near the end, then a cliffhanger end… invested enough that I got to read on.

[travis]

Really really enjoyed this. Of course, it helps that I always have a soft spot for robots who are made for combat and killing but don’t want to do that, but Ian is so endearing in addition to that. I found his relationship with Ash interesting and compelling even though I’m still unsure of the direction it’ll head in. I also liked Ash as well, and found him to be a good protagonist. Honestly all the characters are pretty good, even the ones that aren’t likable are still compelling and you can see why they act the way they do. The ending was definitely a surprise though, and I can’t wait to see what comes next

[Haley]

10/10. 11/10. 12/10. I think in order to get the full scope of the story this book needs to exist in its trilogy and not as a standalone… but oh, I’m so addicted to Ian’s growth. It’s not smut. At this point in the series it’s arguably not even romance (unrequited, maybe?). But still. I got tingles upon tingles regardless. I am addicted!!! I’ve not found another android/AI/robot romance that holds my attention like this one. So excited for book three!

[Becky A]

"Sentient Bonds" received FOUR stars.

So good! Couldn’t put it down.

The novel gained *stars* for these items:

* gained for: "The book caught my interest in the first five pages."

* gained for: "I thought about the book when I was forced to set it down and re-enter society."

* gained for: "There were no info dumps, poor writing, or copy edit mistakes that jerked me out of the story."

* gained for: "I was sad when the book ended. I wanted more!"

The novel failed to gain stars for this item:

NO STAR gained for: "That's it. I'm hooked on this author. I will automatically try anything she/he/they writes."