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The Daisy Chain Chronicles #1
Echo of the Larkspur
The sole survivor of a massacre, Dr. Ciro Kwakkenbos, has spent the last six years in intensive therapy. He’s finally capable of working with Artificial Intelligence again—and comes to the Ceres colony determined to prevent robots from committing any future atrocities.
When he arrives, Ciro realizes the robot in charge of the colony’s security, S.A.G.E. (Sentient Automated Geo-sentinel Engineer), is dangerously close to complete sentience. S.A.G.E. is more interested in observing the colonists’ everyday lives (and matching them with appropriate musical soundtracks) than following its intended programming. Robots aren’t supposed to be charming, kind, or compassionate, either.
But as Ciro investigates, he discovers S.A.G.E. has learned how to lie and—possibly—harm and kill humans. Worse, S.A.G.E.’s memories have been hacked, deleting a deadly secret.
Despite the danger S.A.G.E. poses, Ciro can’t deny the feelings growing between them. Now Ciro must unravel the truth behind the missing memories—before S.A.G.E. and the colony are doomed.
When he arrives, Ciro realizes the robot in charge of the colony’s security, S.A.G.E. (Sentient Automated Geo-sentinel Engineer), is dangerously close to complete sentience. S.A.G.E. is more interested in observing the colonists’ everyday lives (and matching them with appropriate musical soundtracks) than following its intended programming. Robots aren’t supposed to be charming, kind, or compassionate, either.
But as Ciro investigates, he discovers S.A.G.E. has learned how to lie and—possibly—harm and kill humans. Worse, S.A.G.E.’s memories have been hacked, deleting a deadly secret.
Despite the danger S.A.G.E. poses, Ciro can’t deny the feelings growing between them. Now Ciro must unravel the truth behind the missing memories—before S.A.G.E. and the colony are doomed.
295 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 23, 2025
8 people are currently reading
133 people want to read
About the author
A.A. Freeman
4 books22 followersA.A. Freeman is an author, crafter, and all-around geek that lives in the foothills of North Carolina and spends her days writing fantasy and science fiction with a hint of romance. When not writing she knits, cross stitches, plays video games and works on perfecting her dried rose petal shortbread cookie recipe. She's probably not a robot. Beep boop.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
June 28, 2025
I tried keeping all the snippets of information in my mind as I thought of them reading - I should've made a list but uh. Lists and I don't mesh well in that regard. So bear with me as I try to collect all the breadcrumbs from underneath the coffee table that is my brain.
I started reading this not expecting much; which has started to be a common occurrence in my reading journey as I realise that, in fact, most books won't be for me. They may be Experiences despite that fact, but I won't stumble upon new favourites every day (and in a way, if I did, they wouldn't really be favourites in the same way, now, would they).
I was, thus, very pleasantly surprised! The first one or two chapters were a bit tricky to get through, but like any first chapters tend to be; a reader isn't hooked enough yet to put their life in the author's hands, and is, much like a parent dropping their kid at daycare, a bit reticent to surrender their suspension of disbelief.
But from then on I found myself having so much fun! The dialogues have humor to them, the personnalities are clear-cut and feel quite authentic. It's quite hard to have as many secondary characters without them feeling too paper-cutout, and I thought this book did a good job with that. I didn't feel bored at the other characters' antics, on the contrary. This really did feel like a cohesive community.
I really enjoyed Ciro's anxiety; now I don't have PTSD, but I am a fellow anxiety-haver and having a main character that is Scared and has understandable, human reactions like that was really nice. It makes him feel real, and it managed to not delve into annoying territory, like it sometimes can when not handled right.
We also had a cute instance of misgendering, which is...an odd way for me to start this sentence. In general, I'm really not a fan of a certain kind of explicit queerness in books; as in, I quite dislike a character suddenly breaking the fourth wall to stare into the metaphorical camera and going "I am [x identity]. I identify as [this]. These are my pronouns. Bla bla bla". I like it more organic, more woven in; I don't really need the character to confirm or deny, and definitely not in such clinical, sanitised terms...humans are messy and weird, and I think more queer representation would do well to remember that, especially if aimed at actual queer people and not well-meaning allies or people learning about the community. Now, back to the cute misgendering (yeah sorry im going with it now); Ciro misgenders a character within the book, and is immediately corrected and that's that. And it's so organic? Somehow didn't feel forced at all? Which is a feat, because not only do I think it's quite complicated originally, I'm also personnally quite picky about it. It was a nice surprise.
Also Sage is really funny.
Up to the fifty percent mark, I was seriously considering giving this a four - I was finding the same sort of out-of-pocket (for me) enjoyment as I'd experienced reading "A Marvellous Light". I was thinking about my review, drafting the paragraph I'd say "people who like Becky Chambers would probably really like this! in fact, i like it almost more!" (I still stand with that, actually I think of few of my issues with the second part of this book echoe my issues with the second part of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet).
But it started unraveling a bit - not enough to negate the enjoyment I'd had of the first part, nor be entirely unenjoyable, just little things here and there.
First of all; I'm aromantic, so romances are a tricky subject for me/I have certain sensibilities that won't affect other readers. Specifically, I tend to get disinterested whenever a pairing gets together, because then most of the tension is gone, and only the romance proper's left to sustain me, which it usually fails to, as I don't metabolize it very well. So the way Sage and Ciro's relationship unfolded didn't entirely satisfy me (I don't much fault the author for that, though, it's an issue I face within my own writing - basically I don't really know what the solution is, really).
Doing my aro due diligence here and also mentionning this quote; "Ciro honestly wasn't sure when they toed the line from just friends to something more." That phrasing, although used liberally everyday, is quite demonstrative of the rampant amatonormativity in our society, so although I don't fault the author entirely (not a lot of people think about it) I do wish it would've been said in another way (and that people would think about it more, really). Why are lovers a step up from friendship? Why are relationships hierarchised so?
Ok aro parenthesis closed.
There were a few typos, but nothing too drastic and nothing that took away enjoyment of the story, so I'll leave it at that.
I'm not a huge fan of certain characters calling their lover "daffodil", "honeybee" and "buttercup", in-text it felt a bit stilted to me, a bit unnatural - it's quite hard making nicknames sound natural, I find.
I do wish we could've done something more worldbuilding-wise? I feel like it was all pretty standard, I wish we could've gone a bit weirder with it. Genders were essentially the same, there were guns with bullets, I don't know, I would imagine a solar-system society might've gone a bit weirder with some concepts. I don't think this will bother anyone to be fair, I'm just a weird worldbuilding enjoyer. You can make anything real! Why keep the same concepts we have in current era when logically the future would have evolved in varying directions.
I did quite like that the Martians were seen as...well, I'm not too well-versed on American clichés but it did feel somewhat Texan to me. That was funny. I do love a good assumption-based worldbuilding angle.
I was also a bit put off by how un-robot-like the robots ended up being in the end...it might be intentionnal, for...spoiler reasons, but I would've liked them to be more robot-like. In the end they felt like regular humans, which again, might be the point, but I felt like we were missing out on fun angles, existential qualms, etc. Sci-fi in my opinion is meant to question the human condition (kind of everything is...) and I would've liked some more of that, personally.
Leaving you with a fun little quote, though;
"It even had those weird missing patches that all leather goods seemed to carry. Skin, he thought, it would be patches of skin, wouldn't it?
I started reading this not expecting much; which has started to be a common occurrence in my reading journey as I realise that, in fact, most books won't be for me. They may be Experiences despite that fact, but I won't stumble upon new favourites every day (and in a way, if I did, they wouldn't really be favourites in the same way, now, would they).
I was, thus, very pleasantly surprised! The first one or two chapters were a bit tricky to get through, but like any first chapters tend to be; a reader isn't hooked enough yet to put their life in the author's hands, and is, much like a parent dropping their kid at daycare, a bit reticent to surrender their suspension of disbelief.
But from then on I found myself having so much fun! The dialogues have humor to them, the personnalities are clear-cut and feel quite authentic. It's quite hard to have as many secondary characters without them feeling too paper-cutout, and I thought this book did a good job with that. I didn't feel bored at the other characters' antics, on the contrary. This really did feel like a cohesive community.
I really enjoyed Ciro's anxiety; now I don't have PTSD, but I am a fellow anxiety-haver and having a main character that is Scared and has understandable, human reactions like that was really nice. It makes him feel real, and it managed to not delve into annoying territory, like it sometimes can when not handled right.
We also had a cute instance of misgendering, which is...an odd way for me to start this sentence. In general, I'm really not a fan of a certain kind of explicit queerness in books; as in, I quite dislike a character suddenly breaking the fourth wall to stare into the metaphorical camera and going "I am [x identity]. I identify as [this]. These are my pronouns. Bla bla bla". I like it more organic, more woven in; I don't really need the character to confirm or deny, and definitely not in such clinical, sanitised terms...humans are messy and weird, and I think more queer representation would do well to remember that, especially if aimed at actual queer people and not well-meaning allies or people learning about the community. Now, back to the cute misgendering (yeah sorry im going with it now); Ciro misgenders a character within the book, and is immediately corrected and that's that. And it's so organic? Somehow didn't feel forced at all? Which is a feat, because not only do I think it's quite complicated originally, I'm also personnally quite picky about it. It was a nice surprise.
Also Sage is really funny.
Up to the fifty percent mark, I was seriously considering giving this a four - I was finding the same sort of out-of-pocket (for me) enjoyment as I'd experienced reading "A Marvellous Light". I was thinking about my review, drafting the paragraph I'd say "people who like Becky Chambers would probably really like this! in fact, i like it almost more!" (I still stand with that, actually I think of few of my issues with the second part of this book echoe my issues with the second part of The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet).
But it started unraveling a bit - not enough to negate the enjoyment I'd had of the first part, nor be entirely unenjoyable, just little things here and there.
First of all; I'm aromantic, so romances are a tricky subject for me/I have certain sensibilities that won't affect other readers. Specifically, I tend to get disinterested whenever a pairing gets together, because then most of the tension is gone, and only the romance proper's left to sustain me, which it usually fails to, as I don't metabolize it very well. So the way Sage and Ciro's relationship unfolded didn't entirely satisfy me (I don't much fault the author for that, though, it's an issue I face within my own writing - basically I don't really know what the solution is, really).
Doing my aro due diligence here and also mentionning this quote; "Ciro honestly wasn't sure when they toed the line from just friends to something more." That phrasing, although used liberally everyday, is quite demonstrative of the rampant amatonormativity in our society, so although I don't fault the author entirely (not a lot of people think about it) I do wish it would've been said in another way (and that people would think about it more, really). Why are lovers a step up from friendship? Why are relationships hierarchised so?
Ok aro parenthesis closed.
There were a few typos, but nothing too drastic and nothing that took away enjoyment of the story, so I'll leave it at that.
I'm not a huge fan of certain characters calling their lover "daffodil", "honeybee" and "buttercup", in-text it felt a bit stilted to me, a bit unnatural - it's quite hard making nicknames sound natural, I find.
I do wish we could've done something more worldbuilding-wise? I feel like it was all pretty standard, I wish we could've gone a bit weirder with it. Genders were essentially the same, there were guns with bullets, I don't know, I would imagine a solar-system society might've gone a bit weirder with some concepts. I don't think this will bother anyone to be fair, I'm just a weird worldbuilding enjoyer. You can make anything real! Why keep the same concepts we have in current era when logically the future would have evolved in varying directions.
I did quite like that the Martians were seen as...well, I'm not too well-versed on American clichés but it did feel somewhat Texan to me. That was funny. I do love a good assumption-based worldbuilding angle.
I was also a bit put off by how un-robot-like the robots ended up being in the end...it might be intentionnal, for...spoiler reasons, but I would've liked them to be more robot-like. In the end they felt like regular humans, which again, might be the point, but I felt like we were missing out on fun angles, existential qualms, etc. Sci-fi in my opinion is meant to question the human condition (kind of everything is...) and I would've liked some more of that, personally.
Leaving you with a fun little quote, though;
"It even had those weird missing patches that all leather goods seemed to carry. Skin, he thought, it would be patches of skin, wouldn't it?
August 20, 2025
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I thought the world building was well done, though there are a few logical loopholes that usually accompany sci-fi world building. I felt the writing was smooth and the banter was rarely annoying and sometimes funny. I felt the cast of characters was interesting and diverse enough to not get too confused by who is who. But I thought the way the other characters dealt with the main characters PTSD made me hate them all and struggle to get into the romance. And I thought the moral of the story that it seems the author intended sort of didn't work in the end, similar to how Zootopia was a bad allegory for racial equality because it's actually legit for the bunny to fear the wolf. Fearing over-powered sentient robots in control of everyone's life support systems is legit, unlike fearing trans people because they exist.
July 6, 2025
This is a... A love story, yes. But of so much more than just a soul. Or, rather, of a soul, but not always some else's. Sometimes, as Ciro learns, we have to learn to love our own flaws and our own selves too.
Not before we learn to love someone else, no, that's not how this works, but alongside that process. Ciro is an AI scientist with the trauma and the scars to prove that some AIs are not to be trusted.
Sage is an AI that Ciro should not trust by far. But the entire colony trusts Sage and Ciro thinks they have all made a serious mistake in doing so.
Except.
Except that this isn't a puppy sort of love. Ciro doesn't overlook Sage's flaws and, actually, doesn't dismiss any of the things that had bothered him before. Instead, they work through it. And they fall in love.
I love this book, by the way, if you couldn't tell. It's beautifully written and it's very matter of fact.
Tiny, tiny spoiler, I suppose. The physical aspect of their relationship is very nicely navigated. I adore it.
Not before we learn to love someone else, no, that's not how this works, but alongside that process. Ciro is an AI scientist with the trauma and the scars to prove that some AIs are not to be trusted.
Sage is an AI that Ciro should not trust by far. But the entire colony trusts Sage and Ciro thinks they have all made a serious mistake in doing so.
Except.
Except that this isn't a puppy sort of love. Ciro doesn't overlook Sage's flaws and, actually, doesn't dismiss any of the things that had bothered him before. Instead, they work through it. And they fall in love.
I love this book, by the way, if you couldn't tell. It's beautifully written and it's very matter of fact.
Tiny, tiny spoiler, I suppose. The physical aspect of their relationship is very nicely navigated. I adore it.
August 26, 2025
I am sleep deprived - after staying up to finish reading it because I was so invested - so this is really long and rambly have fun lol. This is also written on my phone without spell check. I've kept this as spoiler-free as I can.
A.A. Freeman's Echo of the Larkspur is an aquired taste, and I could see where people might not find this kind of story appealing.
That being said, I am certainly not one of those people. From the very first chapter I was charmed by the characters and bewitched by the setting. Its clear that the author deeply cares about the story and every single one of its characters with each of its supporting cast lovingly crafted and written with enough consistency it had me wondering if they were real people. The cast is also highly diverse, with practically every minority group possible represented, and yet somehow (subjective opinion) it didn't feel even the slightest bit forced, and the adaptations for physical and non-physical disabilities felt fitting to the sci-fi dystopia setting. Not a single member of the cast felt underutilised, with even the mostly inconsequential characters getting their chance to shine and flesh out the world and make it feel more lived in. Even killer robots that only appear in flashbacks (not a spoiler imo its in the blurb and the literal opening of the book) seem well characterised.
While it is a largely character driven story, it also contains a good few mystery elements, which I am not using hyperbole when I say are absolute masterpieces. The set ups and payoffs should be displayed in a museum of narrative writing. The best mystery stories give you enough of the pieces to make you feel clever when you've predicted a twist or a reveal, but still manage to impress you with the way they come together. Freeman does this excellently, in my opinion. Her use of narrative misdirection is extremely clever, and there were twists that had me covering my mouth in shock, and moments that can't even be described as twists when, with hindsight, they just feel so inevitable.
Though it does focus largely on the mystery and sci-fi elements of the narrative, it is, at its core, a romance. Robot/human romances are certainly not a new concept in science fiction, in fact, the novel could be described as extremely tropey, yet - in my opinion - Freeman takes these tropes and freshens them up again, doing something new with beautiful (if - on very rare occasion - a little maudlin) prose and dialogue to make it so you don't even realise that you've fallen for the age old romance tropes excellent hook, gorgeous line and brilliant sinker. The main relationship is compelling and entertaining, with a wonderfully satifying conclusion that excellently concludes both character's arcs with a nice little bow.
However that says little about the star couple themselves. Ciro's character arc centres on his PTSD and social anxiety, with both topics being tackled both tactfully and realistically, and I don't know what else i can say without spoiling everything, other than Ciro is a man with a PTSD-induced phobia of robots who stubbornly insists on continuing his career as a computer scientist specialising in robots because he believes that he can exposure-therapy himself into not being traumatised anymore, all on his own. I love him and his fluffy, fluffy hair.
And Sage. I always have a soft spot for weirdo eccentric robots and the lovely Sage is no different. From his introduction to the very end i was enamoured by that sassy, wise-cracking android. He is an easy character to get attached to, and Freeman utilises him to excellently explore the narrative's themes of loss and acceptance of change. There is even less I can say without reciting the plot of the book, so read it to save me the trouble.
I'm making myself put down negatives to be fair and balanced. Uhhh...
I don't tend to enjoy when a random little guy is inserted into a story for the sake of being a random little guy, so at times i found Huggabot a little tiresome; however i did find him absolutely hilarious at other times, and when he was used for furthering the plot, he was used wonderfully.
It was a little cheesy at times, but honestly I didn't mind all too much. The hard-hitting emotional moments balance it out well for me.
Ciro mispronounces Sage's name for like half the book but I can't figure out how hes saying it and I don't know if thats a problem with me or the writing. Is it an American thing that I'm too English to understand?
As you can see I am scraping the bottom of the barrel for criticisms. I can't really think of any that aren't just being nitpicky (like the 2 typos that I can't be bothered to find again. One of them is a misspelling of 'Ashton' as 'Aston'. For some reason I remembered that and not anything that could be a genuine criticism).
TLDR: Good book. Characters are well written, plot is entertaining and engaging, romance is fun, and I struggle to think of negatives without coming off as a suck-up prick.
It may not be the best book ever written, but I can confidently say that it is one of my favourites, I have recommended it to my partner, and I will be paying close attention for the further installments in the Daisy Chain Chronicles. A.A. Freeman, I will be stalking ur Tumblr for updates.
:)
A.A. Freeman's Echo of the Larkspur is an aquired taste, and I could see where people might not find this kind of story appealing.
That being said, I am certainly not one of those people. From the very first chapter I was charmed by the characters and bewitched by the setting. Its clear that the author deeply cares about the story and every single one of its characters with each of its supporting cast lovingly crafted and written with enough consistency it had me wondering if they were real people. The cast is also highly diverse, with practically every minority group possible represented, and yet somehow (subjective opinion) it didn't feel even the slightest bit forced, and the adaptations for physical and non-physical disabilities felt fitting to the sci-fi dystopia setting. Not a single member of the cast felt underutilised, with even the mostly inconsequential characters getting their chance to shine and flesh out the world and make it feel more lived in. Even killer robots that only appear in flashbacks (not a spoiler imo its in the blurb and the literal opening of the book) seem well characterised.
While it is a largely character driven story, it also contains a good few mystery elements, which I am not using hyperbole when I say are absolute masterpieces. The set ups and payoffs should be displayed in a museum of narrative writing. The best mystery stories give you enough of the pieces to make you feel clever when you've predicted a twist or a reveal, but still manage to impress you with the way they come together. Freeman does this excellently, in my opinion. Her use of narrative misdirection is extremely clever, and there were twists that had me covering my mouth in shock, and moments that can't even be described as twists when, with hindsight, they just feel so inevitable.
Though it does focus largely on the mystery and sci-fi elements of the narrative, it is, at its core, a romance. Robot/human romances are certainly not a new concept in science fiction, in fact, the novel could be described as extremely tropey, yet - in my opinion - Freeman takes these tropes and freshens them up again, doing something new with beautiful (if - on very rare occasion - a little maudlin) prose and dialogue to make it so you don't even realise that you've fallen for the age old romance tropes excellent hook, gorgeous line and brilliant sinker. The main relationship is compelling and entertaining, with a wonderfully satifying conclusion that excellently concludes both character's arcs with a nice little bow.
However that says little about the star couple themselves. Ciro's character arc centres on his PTSD and social anxiety, with both topics being tackled both tactfully and realistically, and I don't know what else i can say without spoiling everything, other than Ciro is a man with a PTSD-induced phobia of robots who stubbornly insists on continuing his career as a computer scientist specialising in robots because he believes that he can exposure-therapy himself into not being traumatised anymore, all on his own. I love him and his fluffy, fluffy hair.
And Sage. I always have a soft spot for weirdo eccentric robots and the lovely Sage is no different. From his introduction to the very end i was enamoured by that sassy, wise-cracking android. He is an easy character to get attached to, and Freeman utilises him to excellently explore the narrative's themes of loss and acceptance of change. There is even less I can say without reciting the plot of the book, so read it to save me the trouble.
I'm making myself put down negatives to be fair and balanced. Uhhh...
I don't tend to enjoy when a random little guy is inserted into a story for the sake of being a random little guy, so at times i found Huggabot a little tiresome; however i did find him absolutely hilarious at other times, and when he was used for furthering the plot, he was used wonderfully.
It was a little cheesy at times, but honestly I didn't mind all too much. The hard-hitting emotional moments balance it out well for me.
Ciro mispronounces Sage's name for like half the book but I can't figure out how hes saying it and I don't know if thats a problem with me or the writing. Is it an American thing that I'm too English to understand?
As you can see I am scraping the bottom of the barrel for criticisms. I can't really think of any that aren't just being nitpicky (like the 2 typos that I can't be bothered to find again. One of them is a misspelling of 'Ashton' as 'Aston'. For some reason I remembered that and not anything that could be a genuine criticism).
TLDR: Good book. Characters are well written, plot is entertaining and engaging, romance is fun, and I struggle to think of negatives without coming off as a suck-up prick.
It may not be the best book ever written, but I can confidently say that it is one of my favourites, I have recommended it to my partner, and I will be paying close attention for the further installments in the Daisy Chain Chronicles. A.A. Freeman, I will be stalking ur Tumblr for updates.
:)
July 20, 2025
I came into this book with high expectations. On paper it was right up my street; gay romance, the interactions between humans and robots, sci-fi, and more. I ended up not liking it as much as I thought I would, but in the interest of not writing it off from the get-go, I tried to read on in the hopes that I would find something positive to say in what would otherwise feel like a very lacklustre review.
Not too long into the book I came to the realisation that this was written in a style that I personally do not prefer, but I know that many other people do enjoy. It feels reminiscent of media that was popular on Tumblr about a decade ago, which I know still has its adherents. I can see this being enjoyed by people who feel the pull of nostalgia for those days and the fandom culture that flourished then.
The cast is very large, though I found that I struggled to remember much about them due to the almost conveyor-belt nature of their introduction. I get the sense that the author wished to express how chaotic and diverse the colony’s inhabitants are; this concept came across just fine, but at the cost of leaving me, the reader, feeling overwhelmed. Later on however, you do thankfully get to spend more time with them. (Thaddeus is my favourite.)
I would have really liked to slow down some more at the beginning, to have some genuine moments of sincerity to make me feel something for the characters and grow attached – as it is, I found them feeling more like collections of traits and tropes rather than sincere human beings (or, I suppose, AIs).
The protagonist is (or should have been) perhaps the most relatable character, having come to this strange and chaotic place that subverts conventional expectations. I had hoped his perspective as someone who is equally as taken aback and overwhelmed as I was, would help me ease into the world. Unfortunately, like the romance (which I will elaborate on later), I feel that his adjustment comes far too easily for me to feel much payoff.
Moments that I did find to be incredibly earnest explorations of the characters' emotions do exist, though I found myself disappointed when they quickly veered back into irony. This ends up being my greatest issue with the book. And when we do, at last, get a rare moment of sincerity without it being punctuated by a joke, it feels inauthentic; at odds with the tone of the book up to this point.
Ultimately, I was turned off by what felt like a constant stream of zingers and one-liners in quick succession. Conversations rarely felt natural, and I quickly grew weary of the quirky cast exchanging ‘gotchas’ and snarky asides at each other. I was hungry for a moment of respite from the comedy — a sense of humour that unfortunately isn’t my cup of tea.
On a more positive note; while I do feel like the romance would have benefitted from a slower burn and more build-up, it is very cute when it works.
Another thing I love, while not IN the novel, is the amount of supplementary material available on the author’s blog. I actually find that my enjoyment of a thing vastly increases when there is a plethora of ‘bonus content’, like character profiles, art, author’s notes, behind-the-scenes, etc. If that’s something you like too, this book has that all waiting for you! Which is sincerely very exciting for me — I hope for you too.
I would like to say that, while not for me, I encourage anyone to give it a try and see if they like it. There were a few moments that made me smile at the page, and for those moments I do not regret having given this book a chance. I do hope it does well and finds its audience.
If you like large quirky casts, a Moffat/Marvel-esque style of witty, quip-a-minute comedy, Tumblr nostalgia, and not having to wait around for the romance to start, I recommend giving this a try!
Not too long into the book I came to the realisation that this was written in a style that I personally do not prefer, but I know that many other people do enjoy. It feels reminiscent of media that was popular on Tumblr about a decade ago, which I know still has its adherents. I can see this being enjoyed by people who feel the pull of nostalgia for those days and the fandom culture that flourished then.
The cast is very large, though I found that I struggled to remember much about them due to the almost conveyor-belt nature of their introduction. I get the sense that the author wished to express how chaotic and diverse the colony’s inhabitants are; this concept came across just fine, but at the cost of leaving me, the reader, feeling overwhelmed. Later on however, you do thankfully get to spend more time with them. (Thaddeus is my favourite.)
I would have really liked to slow down some more at the beginning, to have some genuine moments of sincerity to make me feel something for the characters and grow attached – as it is, I found them feeling more like collections of traits and tropes rather than sincere human beings (or, I suppose, AIs).
The protagonist is (or should have been) perhaps the most relatable character, having come to this strange and chaotic place that subverts conventional expectations. I had hoped his perspective as someone who is equally as taken aback and overwhelmed as I was, would help me ease into the world. Unfortunately, like the romance (which I will elaborate on later), I feel that his adjustment comes far too easily for me to feel much payoff.
Moments that I did find to be incredibly earnest explorations of the characters' emotions do exist, though I found myself disappointed when they quickly veered back into irony. This ends up being my greatest issue with the book. And when we do, at last, get a rare moment of sincerity without it being punctuated by a joke, it feels inauthentic; at odds with the tone of the book up to this point.
Ultimately, I was turned off by what felt like a constant stream of zingers and one-liners in quick succession. Conversations rarely felt natural, and I quickly grew weary of the quirky cast exchanging ‘gotchas’ and snarky asides at each other. I was hungry for a moment of respite from the comedy — a sense of humour that unfortunately isn’t my cup of tea.
On a more positive note; while I do feel like the romance would have benefitted from a slower burn and more build-up, it is very cute when it works.
Another thing I love, while not IN the novel, is the amount of supplementary material available on the author’s blog. I actually find that my enjoyment of a thing vastly increases when there is a plethora of ‘bonus content’, like character profiles, art, author’s notes, behind-the-scenes, etc. If that’s something you like too, this book has that all waiting for you! Which is sincerely very exciting for me — I hope for you too.
I would like to say that, while not for me, I encourage anyone to give it a try and see if they like it. There were a few moments that made me smile at the page, and for those moments I do not regret having given this book a chance. I do hope it does well and finds its audience.
If you like large quirky casts, a Moffat/Marvel-esque style of witty, quip-a-minute comedy, Tumblr nostalgia, and not having to wait around for the romance to start, I recommend giving this a try!
June 13, 2025
Overall I really liked this story. The characters were interesting and personally found the concept of AI and romance really unique and fun to read about.
My biggest complaint is that the story doesn’t feel fleshed out enough with background details and some of the interactions and especially the ending and the romance felt rushed. No offense to the author but I can tell this was originally a fan-fiction (which I also love to read) because there’s a lot of buy-in details in the beginning which you would normally just accept when reading fanfics because you already understand the world within which the story takes place. Humans have colonized space which is amazing and I feel like there’s so much history not mentioned about how that came to be. I’m pretty sure the main character doesn’t ever set foot on the surface of the planet which is really a positive comment because the different settings though mostly contained inside the plant felt like a vast world with different meaningful areas/scenes.
Also I don’t know that I ever figured out what the Larkspur was even up to in the first place (so echo is appropriate lol) and I think the story could have taken more time to go into details with the flash backs and the union war. Who won the union war? What was the social, economic and political ramifications of the union war?Where does this corporation’s money come from (donors but for why? Tax breaks?) and are they really so benevolent to supply 2 miracle life-supporting machines for free? How good is business at a water plant? Workers get paid in credits, what do they need to buy? Personal clothes? Contraband? Is food comped since they live in the plant 24/7? How does vacation time work? Do they get medical insurance or is this also comped? What does Ciro even need money for? How does space travel work? If Sage was originally brought to the facility, how did he end up wired to it? If the wifi goes down now that he’s mobile, doesn’t he lose connection? Is he the wifi connection (there’s no modem??)? What life support does he support? Internal Medical? All of Ceres? The machine used by Abuela? Ciro and Sage have crazy lust and interesting banter but how does their individual losses impact their relationship? Especially now that Sage has his memories back. Even if Sage knows about Larkspur, he doesn’t know the details? Personally wish we got to see that convo between them. Why do we know Sage/Ilex is just the goodest best guy who would never harm a human of their own free will? Love can make you do crazy irrational things without ever physically harming someone, couldn’t loving a human cause errors in this logic especially with no formal moral ethics code? Also only one janitor a shift?? How many employees are there? Is Hawthorn the only mental facility or just the closest? I have so many questions and I need more details!!
I liked the twist a lot, it was very satisfying to see the main character’s original hang ups mirrored in the villain. I will be very interested in the next book in the series and I hope it goes into further detail of how this system works and background of side characters (though of course I would be happy to read more about Ciro and Sage, and maaaayybe Ox). Also hope maybe Ilex will regain his memories and face them head on even though they are, I’m sure, highly upsetting. It felt like such a shock after fighting so hard for Sage to regain his own memories just for his brother to lose some of his most important ones (not good but important). The characters definitely made an impression and I am really glad I read this story.
My biggest complaint is that the story doesn’t feel fleshed out enough with background details and some of the interactions and especially the ending and the romance felt rushed. No offense to the author but I can tell this was originally a fan-fiction (which I also love to read) because there’s a lot of buy-in details in the beginning which you would normally just accept when reading fanfics because you already understand the world within which the story takes place. Humans have colonized space which is amazing and I feel like there’s so much history not mentioned about how that came to be. I’m pretty sure the main character doesn’t ever set foot on the surface of the planet which is really a positive comment because the different settings though mostly contained inside the plant felt like a vast world with different meaningful areas/scenes.
Also I don’t know that I ever figured out what the Larkspur was even up to in the first place (so echo is appropriate lol) and I think the story could have taken more time to go into details with the flash backs and the union war. Who won the union war? What was the social, economic and political ramifications of the union war?Where does this corporation’s money come from (donors but for why? Tax breaks?) and are they really so benevolent to supply 2 miracle life-supporting machines for free? How good is business at a water plant? Workers get paid in credits, what do they need to buy? Personal clothes? Contraband? Is food comped since they live in the plant 24/7? How does vacation time work? Do they get medical insurance or is this also comped? What does Ciro even need money for? How does space travel work? If Sage was originally brought to the facility, how did he end up wired to it? If the wifi goes down now that he’s mobile, doesn’t he lose connection? Is he the wifi connection (there’s no modem??)? What life support does he support? Internal Medical? All of Ceres? The machine used by Abuela? Ciro and Sage have crazy lust and interesting banter but how does their individual losses impact their relationship? Especially now that Sage has his memories back. Even if Sage knows about Larkspur, he doesn’t know the details? Personally wish we got to see that convo between them. Why do we know Sage/Ilex is just the goodest best guy who would never harm a human of their own free will? Love can make you do crazy irrational things without ever physically harming someone, couldn’t loving a human cause errors in this logic especially with no formal moral ethics code? Also only one janitor a shift?? How many employees are there? Is Hawthorn the only mental facility or just the closest? I have so many questions and I need more details!!
I liked the twist a lot, it was very satisfying to see the main character’s original hang ups mirrored in the villain. I will be very interested in the next book in the series and I hope it goes into further detail of how this system works and background of side characters (though of course I would be happy to read more about Ciro and Sage, and maaaayybe Ox). Also hope maybe Ilex will regain his memories and face them head on even though they are, I’m sure, highly upsetting. It felt like such a shock after fighting so hard for Sage to regain his own memories just for his brother to lose some of his most important ones (not good but important). The characters definitely made an impression and I am really glad I read this story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 16, 2025
You know a book is good when I come crawling back to Goodreads to talk about it.
Hey you. Yeah you? Do you like Murderbot? Becky Chambers? Deep Space Nine? Well then do I have the book for you!
If you’ve heard of this book before, it’s probably because the author went a bit vial on Twitter a few years back for being told that her book was too niche for anyone to like it. Well. Apparently this is my niche because I freaking loved it.
The story follows Ciro, an expert on computing and AI, who is tasked with researching the super-intelligent AI in charge of the Iris Colony on the dwarf planet Ceres. His main job? Making sure that SAGE isn’t in danger of becoming sentient and killing everyone.
While everything at the colony seems to be running fine, there is one big problem:
SAGE is already sentient.
—
That makes it seem like this book is some kind of thriller. In reality, while it does have an underlying mystery, the story is more about the relationships between Ciro, SAGE, and the other members of the colony. Which is exactly my kind of thing.
Freeman’s real talent is in writing compelling characters and it’s on full display here. The cast is massive, with each of the characters having their own shit going on outside of the main plot, which makes the colony feel like alive. A lot of the characters have preexisting relationships and bounce off each other in a very fun way, with their own cliques and in jokes.
It all goes a long way to making the colony feel like a place where people, you know, live rather than a place where the plot takes place.
Ciro, SAGE, Abuela, Ox, and Keiy were particular standouts to me.
Also: the mystery underpinning the whole story is very very compelling. While the person behind it all is a little obvious, certain twists completely blindsided me. There was one reveal in particular that made me gasp out loud.
That saying, there are two things that stopped the book from being perfect for me.
The first is that SAGE and Ciro’s romance felt a little quick. Ciro especially moved from being terrified of SAGE to being in love with him quite fast. However, this might just be a me thing as I am a self-admitted slowburn fiend who prefers my fictional romances with a minimum of 3 books worth of yearning.
The other is that the comedic and serious elements of the book can clash from time to time. This book is very funny and Freeman also has a talent for writing horror and tension. However, there are moments during the climax of the book where the tension ended up being undercut by more jokey moments. Very funny and endearing moments, but still, it felt a little weird to me.
However, as I said, this book is really really good. At the end of the day, it’s a character-driven story about finding community and love in an unexpected place. Hence my comparison to Deep Space Nine at the start of this review. If that’s the kind of thing you’re looking for: look no further.
Also: if you’re a fan of the podcast Welcome to Night Vale I DOUBLY recommend it. This book started life as a fanfiction for that show, and while it had very little to do with it now there are occasional small references that brought a massive smile to my face.
4.75/5
November 18, 2025
Echo of the Larkspur is an interesting and enjoyable read! I had such a great time reading it that I re-read it just to really take in the details and catch any that I missed.
The relationship between Ciro and Sage is cute! I liked how gradually as the book went on, Ciro would refer to Sage as S.A.G.E., then to SAGE, then finally to Sage; showing Ciro's growth as he comes to understand that Sage isn't some rogue A.I. needing to be fixed and that Sage genuinely and deeply cares about his family and community. I liked that they weren't immediately a perfect couple once they officially got together; they both had their issues which caused friction in their relationship (Sage constantly wanting to watch Ciro, Ciro treating Sage like an experiment rather than a person) but were patient enough with each other to work through it. I felt that Ciro's anxiety and PTSD were portrayed tastefully; I like that they weren't magically cured throughout the story and that they're an aspect of his life that he'll have to live with and manage.
I liked how tight the Night Crew was and how they always had each others backs. Their introductions were kinda chaotic and overwhelming but I felt it tied into the story well since it matched with Ciro being a newbie at the Ceres colony. I felt they were quite harsh towards Ciro but I know it was because they cared about Sage and also didn't know about Ciro's PTSD with robots. All in all, I thought they were interesting characters and I liked how they had their little stories going on alongside the main story.
The mystery of why Sage was beeping was pretty cool!
I think my only gripe is that I didn't get to learn a lot about the Union Riots or the Larkspur incident; however since majority of the cast weren't present when the Union Riots happened and the Larkspur got covered up to hell and back, it makes sense that we the readers don't get a lot of information about these tragedies. Plus it means there's a possibility they could be covered in future books!
In conclusion, if you like scifi, mystery, and romance with a lot of banter and sass, give Echo of the Larkspur a read! Definitely looking forward to the other books in this series.
The relationship between Ciro and Sage is cute! I liked how gradually as the book went on, Ciro would refer to Sage as S.A.G.E., then to SAGE, then finally to Sage; showing Ciro's growth as he comes to understand that Sage isn't some rogue A.I. needing to be fixed and that Sage genuinely and deeply cares about his family and community. I liked that they weren't immediately a perfect couple once they officially got together; they both had their issues which caused friction in their relationship (Sage constantly wanting to watch Ciro, Ciro treating Sage like an experiment rather than a person) but were patient enough with each other to work through it. I felt that Ciro's anxiety and PTSD were portrayed tastefully; I like that they weren't magically cured throughout the story and that they're an aspect of his life that he'll have to live with and manage.
I liked how tight the Night Crew was and how they always had each others backs. Their introductions were kinda chaotic and overwhelming but I felt it tied into the story well since it matched with Ciro being a newbie at the Ceres colony. I felt they were quite harsh towards Ciro but I know it was because they cared about Sage and also didn't know about Ciro's PTSD with robots. All in all, I thought they were interesting characters and I liked how they had their little stories going on alongside the main story.
The mystery of why Sage was beeping was pretty cool!
I think my only gripe is that I didn't get to learn a lot about the Union Riots or the Larkspur incident; however since majority of the cast weren't present when the Union Riots happened and the Larkspur got covered up to hell and back, it makes sense that we the readers don't get a lot of information about these tragedies. Plus it means there's a possibility they could be covered in future books!
In conclusion, if you like scifi, mystery, and romance with a lot of banter and sass, give Echo of the Larkspur a read! Definitely looking forward to the other books in this series.
July 11, 2025
Echo of the Larkspur is sappy, fluffy, and very queer. This book takes place in the not-too-distant future, on Ceres, where the main character Ciro has been hired to manage the artificial intelligence, S.A.G.E., which is in charge of security and life support for the colony. While the book (and the Goodreads overview) portrays itself as a sci-fi story about robot AIs gaining sentience and potentially becoming a danger to humans the reality is very different. In my opinion this book does not feel very sci-fi and honestly reads more as an office romance. There's nothing wrong with that and it is certainly a good romance, but don't come into this book expecting high stakes plot or any profound opinions about the nature of artificial intelligence.
The good:
- The overall writing style of this book is very good. The first half of the book in particular flew by and was super enjoyable to read.
- This book has a lot of queer and disabled representation. Beyond same-sex relationships, there are also examples of asexuality, polyamory, and a range of gender non-conforming characters. The main character also has PTSD and severe anxiety that plays a large role in the book. While I am just one person, with a very limited perspective, I felt that each of these identities was handled respectfully.
- S.A.G.E has a pretty fun personality and superficially reminded me of GLADOS in a good way (more so early in the book than later)
The not so good:
- There are a lot of side characters and I had a very hard time keeping tracking of them. I personally felt like too many people were introduced at the same time (like basically all of them in a 5 page span). Additionally, the side characters didn't feel very distinct to me and they all generally had the same voice.
- Ciro has some really juicy/interesting phobias and triggers and I was looking forward to the angst that would come from that. It felt like his problems magically disappeared, which kind of reduces the weight of his fears and reservations. Idk I wanted him to work for it a bit more.
- The plot is very low stakes. This is totally fine but I felt misled by the book description and was expecting a much higher stakes plot
-
- A lot of therapist speak. Which is my way of saying that everyone seems to have taken a course on conflict resolution and deescalating situations. There was none of the messy complicated way that real humans behave when things get complicated, so most of the plot points felt too easy. I get that sometimes you really just want to talk things out and make everything all better, and if that's your fantasy, have at it. I personally found it a bit anti-climatic
- Literally everyone is in a relationship with their coworkers
- Such high school vibes. Everyone is so concerned about everyone else's relationships and whether things are 'official'
- Very strange opinions about throwing out medical research because the person who did it was an unethical asshole.
Overall, a good book but probably not for me.
The good:
- The overall writing style of this book is very good. The first half of the book in particular flew by and was super enjoyable to read.
- This book has a lot of queer and disabled representation. Beyond same-sex relationships, there are also examples of asexuality, polyamory, and a range of gender non-conforming characters. The main character also has PTSD and severe anxiety that plays a large role in the book. While I am just one person, with a very limited perspective, I felt that each of these identities was handled respectfully.
- S.A.G.E has a pretty fun personality and superficially reminded me of GLADOS in a good way (more so early in the book than later)
The not so good:
- There are a lot of side characters and I had a very hard time keeping tracking of them. I personally felt like too many people were introduced at the same time (like basically all of them in a 5 page span). Additionally, the side characters didn't feel very distinct to me and they all generally had the same voice.
- Ciro has some really juicy/interesting phobias and triggers and I was looking forward to the angst that would come from that. It felt like his problems magically disappeared, which kind of reduces the weight of his fears and reservations. Idk I wanted him to work for it a bit more.
- The plot is very low stakes. This is totally fine but I felt misled by the book description and was expecting a much higher stakes plot
-
- A lot of therapist speak. Which is my way of saying that everyone seems to have taken a course on conflict resolution and deescalating situations. There was none of the messy complicated way that real humans behave when things get complicated, so most of the plot points felt too easy. I get that sometimes you really just want to talk things out and make everything all better, and if that's your fantasy, have at it. I personally found it a bit anti-climatic
- Literally everyone is in a relationship with their coworkers
- Such high school vibes. Everyone is so concerned about everyone else's relationships and whether things are 'official'
- Very strange opinions about throwing out medical research because the person who did it was an unethical asshole.
Overall, a good book but probably not for me.
June 4, 2025
I'm going to do my best to avoid spoilers.
Dr. Ciro Kwakkenbos is our traumatized protagonist that takes a job that involves working alongside a security AI on a Ceres space colony. S.A.G.E., the AI in question, is suspiciously human-like to levels that are disturbing to Ciro. Between those uncomfortable displays of actual intelligence and creativity from S.A.G.E. and forging a compassionate bond despite himself, what will Ciro do about the situation he's found himself in?
That's technically for you guys to find out, but I will say that what I found was a charming story about self-determination, along with confronting pain from the past. While I had some concerns on how certain details in the plot would pan out, there's not too much outright stupidity from anyone (potentially barring Ciro's stubborn disrespect towards S.A.G.E.'s personal identity for a while, though he does have hangups towards AI that help inform his clinging to company policy and the other characters do readily give him some shit for said disrespect).
The world-building leans more soft sci-fi, but gives the reader enough to work with, and the turns of both Ciro's and S.A.G.E.'s respective pasts were pretty interesting. In all honesty, I may not have even minded if the book had been longer to flesh out the character relationships even more, but it tells what it needs to and is a pretty breezy read. The spice level is fairly low, for people wondering about that before going in; while there is a little fooling around, it is robot stuff. Overall, I found the story to be interesting and the characters amusing. I don't think every single reveal within the plot will be a shocker, but they don't need to be. I'd readily recommend this to anyone with a cursory interest.
Dr. Ciro Kwakkenbos is our traumatized protagonist that takes a job that involves working alongside a security AI on a Ceres space colony. S.A.G.E., the AI in question, is suspiciously human-like to levels that are disturbing to Ciro. Between those uncomfortable displays of actual intelligence and creativity from S.A.G.E. and forging a compassionate bond despite himself, what will Ciro do about the situation he's found himself in?
That's technically for you guys to find out, but I will say that what I found was a charming story about self-determination, along with confronting pain from the past. While I had some concerns on how certain details in the plot would pan out, there's not too much outright stupidity from anyone (potentially barring Ciro's stubborn disrespect towards S.A.G.E.'s personal identity for a while, though he does have hangups towards AI that help inform his clinging to company policy and the other characters do readily give him some shit for said disrespect).
The world-building leans more soft sci-fi, but gives the reader enough to work with, and the turns of both Ciro's and S.A.G.E.'s respective pasts were pretty interesting. In all honesty, I may not have even minded if the book had been longer to flesh out the character relationships even more, but it tells what it needs to and is a pretty breezy read. The spice level is fairly low, for people wondering about that before going in; while there is a little fooling around, it is robot stuff. Overall, I found the story to be interesting and the characters amusing. I don't think every single reveal within the plot will be a shocker, but they don't need to be. I'd readily recommend this to anyone with a cursory interest.
July 5, 2025
* Sci-fi, romance, mystery
* 4/5 stars
* Quite liked it, would recommend
* NB: contains depictions of PTSD and past trauma, brief moments of intimate partner violence, and mentions of suicidality
Dr. Ciro Kwakkenbos is the solar system’s leading expert on deviant and dangerous Artificial Intelligence - which is why he has been in intensive therapy for the past sic years instead of working with them. But after all of the other scientists who have been assigned to work on the Ceres colony’s security AI have run away screaming in less than a week, he is asked to help upgrade S.A.G.E. (Sentient Automated Geo-sentiel Engineer). Once on Ceres, Ciro quickly learns that something fishy is going on, and despite Dr. Castillo and her Night Shift trying to help him (and convince him to stay), the only way he can get to the bottom of how S.A.G.E. came to be so frighteningly human, is by asking the AI itself (or as Sage would insist, himself).
"Echos of Larkspur" is a sci-fi near future romance that is full of twists and mystery. It is reads in parts like modernized version of “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” with a queer and racially diverse cast to match. The themes of free will, nurture vs nature and what artificial intelligence actually entails are particularly revenant for the present moment. My sole pet peeve is that I wish there had been a character list included, as keeping track of the relationships between the large ensemble cast was challenging at points for me. Otherwise, it was a fun and engaging read, with both enough lightness to carry the romance, and enough surprises to be genuinely mysterious.
Overall, I quite liked it, would recommend to any queer sci-fi fan or fans of more modern successors to Philip K. Dick, and I would rate it 4/5.
* 4/5 stars
* Quite liked it, would recommend
* NB: contains depictions of PTSD and past trauma, brief moments of intimate partner violence, and mentions of suicidality
Dr. Ciro Kwakkenbos is the solar system’s leading expert on deviant and dangerous Artificial Intelligence - which is why he has been in intensive therapy for the past sic years instead of working with them. But after all of the other scientists who have been assigned to work on the Ceres colony’s security AI have run away screaming in less than a week, he is asked to help upgrade S.A.G.E. (Sentient Automated Geo-sentiel Engineer). Once on Ceres, Ciro quickly learns that something fishy is going on, and despite Dr. Castillo and her Night Shift trying to help him (and convince him to stay), the only way he can get to the bottom of how S.A.G.E. came to be so frighteningly human, is by asking the AI itself (or as Sage would insist, himself).
"Echos of Larkspur" is a sci-fi near future romance that is full of twists and mystery. It is reads in parts like modernized version of “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” with a queer and racially diverse cast to match. The themes of free will, nurture vs nature and what artificial intelligence actually entails are particularly revenant for the present moment. My sole pet peeve is that I wish there had been a character list included, as keeping track of the relationships between the large ensemble cast was challenging at points for me. Otherwise, it was a fun and engaging read, with both enough lightness to carry the romance, and enough surprises to be genuinely mysterious.
Overall, I quite liked it, would recommend to any queer sci-fi fan or fans of more modern successors to Philip K. Dick, and I would rate it 4/5.
July 17, 2025
I really enjoyed this book! There was a great cast of characters that all had something fun and zany going on without distracting from or taking away from the main players; it would be easy to imagine a spin-off for any of them. They really felt like complete people who happened to exist in the same time and place as the narrators, with their own stories and histories.
The multiple perspectives were handled very well. They hit a good balance of sharing information that helped me navigate the story while not revealing everything and still leaving enough tension. I also really enjoyed how Sage's non-human sensory abilities were handled--I got a clear sense of his many different cameras, but also of his body being a major site of input.
Separately, the two different major plots (the romance and the mystery of the beeping) could have at times been a little weak, but they both covered for each other when one needed the support, and they paired well together.
Queerness is handled pretty gracefully and lovingly. There are some cool homages to queer media like Welcome to Night Vale, and there is explicit representation without feeling forced.
At times, however, the narration and dialogue did feel a little clunky, and the romance was a little cheesy. Additionally, the relationship between the two main characters does start with with one character being dismissive and purposefully ignoring the other's personhood and identity. It is explicitly called out, but does take up a not insignificant portion of the story.
Overall, it's a really fun, lighthearted romp of a book that is perfect for reading during your lunch break or on a day off from work! I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The multiple perspectives were handled very well. They hit a good balance of sharing information that helped me navigate the story while not revealing everything and still leaving enough tension. I also really enjoyed how Sage's non-human sensory abilities were handled--I got a clear sense of his many different cameras, but also of his body being a major site of input.
Separately, the two different major plots (the romance and the mystery of the beeping) could have at times been a little weak, but they both covered for each other when one needed the support, and they paired well together.
Queerness is handled pretty gracefully and lovingly. There are some cool homages to queer media like Welcome to Night Vale, and there is explicit representation without feeling forced.
At times, however, the narration and dialogue did feel a little clunky, and the romance was a little cheesy. Additionally, the relationship between the two main characters does start with with one character being dismissive and purposefully ignoring the other's personhood and identity. It is explicitly called out, but does take up a not insignificant portion of the story.
Overall, it's a really fun, lighthearted romp of a book that is perfect for reading during your lunch break or on a day off from work! I thoroughly enjoyed it.
August 1, 2025
I was only about 20 pages into this book when I realised I had read this before, in the form of a 'Welcome to Night Vale' fanfiction some years ago. At first, I found it a little jarring and difficult to see the characters as their own selves rather than the characters on which they are based, but as the plot developed beyond the original fanfiction and into itself, so too did the characters. By the midway point, I was thoroughly immersed in the story for its own sake and loving it.
The mysteries surrounding the characters and their backstories were compelling, and the obvious care the characters all have towards each other was charming. I did think that the romance side was mentioned a little too soon (one character said 'he is clearly crushing on you' wayyy too soon in my opinion, at a point where there had not been any clues or signs of a crush, in fact he was only just getting comfortable being around Sage at that point and clearly not thinking romantically). I think think is left over from the fact this originated as a fanfiction, where characters and relationships don't necessarily have to be as 'fleshed out' because the characters are already formed in the fandom. Beyond that one premature line, however, I think the main relationship/romance was well-written and advanced naturally. They were careful of each others' triggers and traumas, and were not magically cured of their anxieties and traumas by the power of now being in love, which I greatly appreciated. The author did a great job of showing the anxieties and struggles of the characters in an empathetic way, without them becoming overwhelming or breaking the flow or tension of the plot.
I will definitely be picking up future books in this series when they are published!
The mysteries surrounding the characters and their backstories were compelling, and the obvious care the characters all have towards each other was charming. I did think that the romance side was mentioned a little too soon (one character said 'he is clearly crushing on you' wayyy too soon in my opinion, at a point where there had not been any clues or signs of a crush, in fact he was only just getting comfortable being around Sage at that point and clearly not thinking romantically). I think think is left over from the fact this originated as a fanfiction, where characters and relationships don't necessarily have to be as 'fleshed out' because the characters are already formed in the fandom. Beyond that one premature line, however, I think the main relationship/romance was well-written and advanced naturally. They were careful of each others' triggers and traumas, and were not magically cured of their anxieties and traumas by the power of now being in love, which I greatly appreciated. The author did a great job of showing the anxieties and struggles of the characters in an empathetic way, without them becoming overwhelming or breaking the flow or tension of the plot.
I will definitely be picking up future books in this series when they are published!
June 19, 2025
I loved this book! The world feels so rich and real and inviting. I fell in love with the characters almost immediately, especially Sage, who is so funny and charming that you can't help but love him as a character. In many ways he feels like the most human character, which is ironic all things considered. I don't usually go for scifi/mystery books but this one had me hooked. I would 100000% recommend just for the characters alone, and how real and wonderful the world feels. The writing is lovely as well.
I can't quite give it five stars, though. That's not at all to say that it isn't worth reading, because it absolutely is. It's just that there were so many points throughout the book where something would happen and I would be left feeling like I wasn't quite sure why it was happening. A lot of points where the relationship is pushed forward feel a little unsubstatiated, like oh they're feeling this now or doing this now, but why? It almost feels like there's a chapter missing in the beginning that builds their relationship, because it sort of jumps from A to B too quickly and I felt like I was missing something. The ending felt similar - a lot of twists and turns, which were amazing and super engaging, but didn't always feel fleshed out enough.
Regardless, this was an amazing read and I would highly, highly recommend. The romance is lovely, but it's the characters that take center stage here, and I would recommend reading it just to meet Sage and to learn about this wonderful world and all the highly entertaining side character shenanigans.
I can't quite give it five stars, though. That's not at all to say that it isn't worth reading, because it absolutely is. It's just that there were so many points throughout the book where something would happen and I would be left feeling like I wasn't quite sure why it was happening. A lot of points where the relationship is pushed forward feel a little unsubstatiated, like oh they're feeling this now or doing this now, but why? It almost feels like there's a chapter missing in the beginning that builds their relationship, because it sort of jumps from A to B too quickly and I felt like I was missing something. The ending felt similar - a lot of twists and turns, which were amazing and super engaging, but didn't always feel fleshed out enough.
Regardless, this was an amazing read and I would highly, highly recommend. The romance is lovely, but it's the characters that take center stage here, and I would recommend reading it just to meet Sage and to learn about this wonderful world and all the highly entertaining side character shenanigans.
June 30, 2025
This book was a delight and I enjoyed reading it - I highly recommend it if you like queer romance and sci-fi (a bit heavier on the romance side than the sci-fi). The story is interesting and unpredictable and I liked the twist.
Unfortunately, for me, this book fell flat in some ways too. (slight spoilers ahead!) Mainly the backstory regarding the Larkspur - it felt like it should have been more woven into the story and more fleshed out, and I was unsatisfied with the brief explanation given by Ciro - at times it felt like details were given to explain away other things that were happening, rather than shared organically through the story. There were other elements of the story that weren’t explained well either (and will hopefully be explained in future books!), like the Union Riots and the backstory of the main enigma in the story (SPOILER: Chickadee). The villain reveal came out of nowhere and seemed contrary to some prior details shared in the story, and there was next to no build up to that reveal OR resolution after that reveal. The big villain reveal seemed almost like an afterthought in the story, which was disappointing. Also - only a slight complaint here, but it still bothered me - the foreshadowing of “eject a cable before unplugging it” was not strong enough for the final cable being pulled scene to have a dramatic effect. Mentioning it twice and then having it end up as a major plot point was not enough.
Overall a solid 3 stars; I am looking forward to continuing the series and hopefully seeing growth in the author’s writing!
Unfortunately, for me, this book fell flat in some ways too. (slight spoilers ahead!) Mainly the backstory regarding the Larkspur - it felt like it should have been more woven into the story and more fleshed out, and I was unsatisfied with the brief explanation given by Ciro - at times it felt like details were given to explain away other things that were happening, rather than shared organically through the story. There were other elements of the story that weren’t explained well either (and will hopefully be explained in future books!), like the Union Riots and the backstory of the main enigma in the story (SPOILER: Chickadee). The villain reveal came out of nowhere and seemed contrary to some prior details shared in the story, and there was next to no build up to that reveal OR resolution after that reveal. The big villain reveal seemed almost like an afterthought in the story, which was disappointing. Also - only a slight complaint here, but it still bothered me - the foreshadowing of “eject a cable before unplugging it” was not strong enough for the final cable being pulled scene to have a dramatic effect. Mentioning it twice and then having it end up as a major plot point was not enough.
Overall a solid 3 stars; I am looking forward to continuing the series and hopefully seeing growth in the author’s writing!
August 28, 2025
Alright, so I finally finished it! It is an odd story, equally a romantic comedy, a sci fi adventure with robots, and a mystery! The writing is full of Freeman's signature humour, interspersed with truly beautiful descriptions and reflections on love, hurt, and the overall experience of being/not being human. I will say though, sometimes the humour seemed a bit out of place in the scene, and at times the tone can go in a very silly direction, which clashes with the more mature subjects. While the book doesn't constantly flow right for me, it was still really enjoyable, and the way we are given parts of this world's history felt very organic and captivated me. While the amount of characters introduced also felt just momentarily overwhelming, they were all incorporated well into the story, except for the final confrontation (though the characters that were involved Fit perfectly in that scene, it was kinda jarring not to see anybody else join in, without a clear enough explanation given).
I found the love story between dr. Ciro Kwakkenbos and Sage sweet! It's not everyday you see such a concept, and while at times it got a bit sappy, it fit really well with the stories of both these characters, with Ciro's journey of processing his traumatic past, and Sage's difficulty understanding human concepts such as privacy, but also in dealing with very human emotions while very much not being one.
All in all a beautiful mess, and I am interested in what other stories from this world will come
I found the love story between dr. Ciro Kwakkenbos and Sage sweet! It's not everyday you see such a concept, and while at times it got a bit sappy, it fit really well with the stories of both these characters, with Ciro's journey of processing his traumatic past, and Sage's difficulty understanding human concepts such as privacy, but also in dealing with very human emotions while very much not being one.
All in all a beautiful mess, and I am interested in what other stories from this world will come
August 1, 2025
If you, too, are always on the lookout for good queer human/robot fiction, this book is for you!
The setting is at once highly limited and lushly imagined, showing how Sage is embedded in it emotionally as well as electronically. This, along with Sage's POV sections, does a fantastic job of portraying a non-human character with a rich interior life and deeply felt emotions. It's rare to find a cross-genre book that puts the reader in the perspective of a machine intelligence so well.
Ciro is refreshingly different in personality, background, and physicality. His struggles are relatable enough to keep you rooting for him through mistakes and triumphs.
I really enjoyed the slices of worldbuilding included in the story's scope and am excited to learn more about this universe in further installments.
One of my only complaints is that there were many side characters whose personalities and roles I kept getting confused based on the sheer number of them. The other is that I wanted more details of the Larkspur incident and how Ciro got through it.
Overall, the story was whimsical, offbeat, and ultimately comforting. That's the best thing about this book: it creates a world for the readers here who are forced to the edges of this one.
The setting is at once highly limited and lushly imagined, showing how Sage is embedded in it emotionally as well as electronically. This, along with Sage's POV sections, does a fantastic job of portraying a non-human character with a rich interior life and deeply felt emotions. It's rare to find a cross-genre book that puts the reader in the perspective of a machine intelligence so well.
Ciro is refreshingly different in personality, background, and physicality. His struggles are relatable enough to keep you rooting for him through mistakes and triumphs.
I really enjoyed the slices of worldbuilding included in the story's scope and am excited to learn more about this universe in further installments.
One of my only complaints is that there were many side characters whose personalities and roles I kept getting confused based on the sheer number of them. The other is that I wanted more details of the Larkspur incident and how Ciro got through it.
Overall, the story was whimsical, offbeat, and ultimately comforting. That's the best thing about this book: it creates a world for the readers here who are forced to the edges of this one.
August 5, 2025
okay, but not great.
The story progression is a little too meandering and the dialogue has some of that quippy/upbeat/quirky quality which for me comes with a distinct nails on chalkboard flavor. Tastes may differ on that. Generally the tone leans rather friendly and lacks more cynical characters and gravitas in serious moments. That makes this feel more on the edge of a YA read than a adult novel.
The mc got over his hangups fairly quickly and could've used a more defined character arc, and the worldbuilding is a bit shoddy in places (it mentions interplanetary shipping of food and fertilizer, which is nonsensical; robot bodies have cooling fluid which would imply they also should have fans and radiators, which they don't seem to; also what is recycled oil supposed to be? synthetic fuel? we can make that already, anywhere, no reason to ship that either). The plot raises some interesting questions which i would've hoped would be dealt with more closely. The overall story is quite good. .
The story progression is a little too meandering and the dialogue has some of that quippy/upbeat/quirky quality which for me comes with a distinct nails on chalkboard flavor. Tastes may differ on that. Generally the tone leans rather friendly and lacks more cynical characters and gravitas in serious moments. That makes this feel more on the edge of a YA read than a adult novel.
The mc got over his hangups fairly quickly and could've used a more defined character arc, and the worldbuilding is a bit shoddy in places (it mentions interplanetary shipping of food and fertilizer, which is nonsensical; robot bodies have cooling fluid which would imply they also should have fans and radiators, which they don't seem to; also what is recycled oil supposed to be? synthetic fuel? we can make that already, anywhere, no reason to ship that either). The plot raises some interesting questions which i would've hoped would be dealt with more closely. The overall story is quite good. .
June 26, 2025
This book was sensational. I don't normally read science fiction, but I stumbled across this and the blurb was interesting enough for me to give it a shot. I'm so glad I did. I admit, the pacing was a little slow to start, and I did almost put it down, but that's more of a personal preference.
Ciro and Sage's relationship had such an interesting start, and it was such a delight to watch Ciro learn where he fit with the rest of the Night Crew. Sage's POV was so funny to me, and all his little asides and seemingly nonsensical rambles had my sides hurting. I'm normally able to predict plot twists pretty easily, but every single big moment took me by complete surprise. Even the characters I wasn't supposed to love, I at least understood, and in my mind that's good storytelling.
If you want a witty, funny, sweet, and at times sarcastic tale about a man who isn't entirely sure of his place in the world and an AI who just wants to be allowed to be himself, this is the story for you.
Ciro and Sage's relationship had such an interesting start, and it was such a delight to watch Ciro learn where he fit with the rest of the Night Crew. Sage's POV was so funny to me, and all his little asides and seemingly nonsensical rambles had my sides hurting. I'm normally able to predict plot twists pretty easily, but every single big moment took me by complete surprise. Even the characters I wasn't supposed to love, I at least understood, and in my mind that's good storytelling.
If you want a witty, funny, sweet, and at times sarcastic tale about a man who isn't entirely sure of his place in the world and an AI who just wants to be allowed to be himself, this is the story for you.
June 18, 2025
This book was truly excellent and I had a hard time putting it down. I was pulled into the world right away and wanted to know more. The author's voice is strong and the novel itself is sweet, funny, emotional, and satisfying.
As someone who cares deeply about characters over all else in a book, this novel was a slam dunk. I was instantly attached to and interested in even the background characters because all of them felt real and properly fleshed out.
If I had to have a complaint it's that the formatting made the first few pages a bit difficult to follow, but don't let that turn you away. Things quickly begin to flow more smoothly and you get used to the formatting choices.
Again, I really enjoyed this novel and highly recommend it, especially to anyone looking to fall in love with quirky characters or needing a healthy dose of queer robot romance.
As someone who cares deeply about characters over all else in a book, this novel was a slam dunk. I was instantly attached to and interested in even the background characters because all of them felt real and properly fleshed out.
If I had to have a complaint it's that the formatting made the first few pages a bit difficult to follow, but don't let that turn you away. Things quickly begin to flow more smoothly and you get used to the formatting choices.
Again, I really enjoyed this novel and highly recommend it, especially to anyone looking to fall in love with quirky characters or needing a healthy dose of queer robot romance.
July 1, 2025
If you come across it definitely worth a try. If you’re not a fan of sci fi or romance I‘d probably bump it down to a three though. It reminds me of Firefly as more of an office drama instead of being on a ship. At times felt like I was missing inside jokes with how the characters interact with each other. They have the whole close knit thing going on that I felt more dumped into (which did make identifying with Ciro (one of the main characters) a lot easier with him being the newcomer. Plenty of material in universe to work with for the rest of the Daisy Chain Chronicles which I‘m excited to see. As a reader with some books I bog down at certain scenes or moments but Echo of the Larkspur was great about rolling right along. I didn’t find myself getting stuck at all. Overall enjoyable read.
July 1, 2025
Absolutely loved it! The characters were lovable and the dialogue was fantastic. The sense of humor was perfect for me and despite my mixed reactions to various "designed to be cute" creatures in media, Huggabot won me over almost immediately. The only issue I had with the book was the pacing feeling somewhat off, but it was still a really fun journey. I think the characters and setting will really stick in my mind for a long time, and I can't wait for more people to read it so we can talk about it!!
PS. If you enjoyed Night Vale, the easter eggs are plentiful and fun ;)
PS. If you enjoyed Night Vale, the easter eggs are plentiful and fun ;)
August 2, 2025
I devoured this book! I wasn’t expecting it at first but the worldbuilding hooked me in and refused to let go. I really loved the cast, and a lot of these disaster nerds kept surprising me.
I would love to read more of their stories, especially for the things introduced in the ending.
I preordered this book after seeing a tumblr post about how it almost got reworked.
I’m glad this book could come out the way it was intended. I wish the best to the author for this book series and their writing career, I’ll be waiting with bated breath to hear more from Ciro & friends
I would love to read more of their stories, especially for the things introduced in the ending.
I preordered this book after seeing a tumblr post about how it almost got reworked.
I’m glad this book could come out the way it was intended. I wish the best to the author for this book series and their writing career, I’ll be waiting with bated breath to hear more from Ciro & friends
June 23, 2025
I love this book. It hits chords of my own existence and experience I rarely feel all in one work. It made me laugh out loud several times, and by the fourth chapter, I was rooting for Sage. The author deftly handles questions of humanity, relationships, trauma, and hope in ways I deeply appreciate and would love to see more of in media. A. A. Freeman is an artist, and I look forward to reading more of her work!
June 23, 2025
I sat down to read Echo of the Larkspur a few days ago, thinking I'd read a a few pages every night before bed. Well folks, I ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting. The story was engaging, the characters were lovely, and I was genuinely intrigued by the world that Freeman conjures. My only hope is that there's more installments, so readers get an opportunity to learn more about [BEEP] and [REDACTED}.
July 5, 2025
There won't be much plot discussion because of spoiler-related reasons.
This was a great, moving book about a mad scientist Ciro and a sentient AI robot Sage on a colony in the solar system. Sage was funny, and had a nicely distinct tone. The found family aspects were also nice. The timing of the book is good, as this book would be a nice beach read for people who like romance with a science-fiction flavor to it.
I'd be interested to read more in this universe.
This was a great, moving book about a mad scientist Ciro and a sentient AI robot Sage on a colony in the solar system. Sage was funny, and had a nicely distinct tone. The found family aspects were also nice. The timing of the book is good, as this book would be a nice beach read for people who like romance with a science-fiction flavor to it.
I'd be interested to read more in this universe.
July 13, 2025
This is a genuinely very good book. I really liked the main characters, and I was surprised to find just how engaged I became with the mystery of the novel. I think that the ensemble cast is all very memorable, and I really enjoyed the setting. Sci-fi industrial is always a great setting, and the descriptions of the facility really brought it to life. I would definitely read more if there were further installments of this.
June 10, 2025
This exceptional book masterfully blends humorous and intensely moving moments, offering a fabulous portrayal of anxiety and panic attacks, along with other noteworthy representations. I highly recommend this well-written and captivating book; its story immediately draws the reader in, making it impossible to put down.
December 8, 2025
A darling story full of fascinating queer characters and intriguing twists. I really liked all the banter between Ciro and Sage and I loved seeing their relationship evolve over the highs and lows. The central mystery of Sage's memories is also very interesting and engaging, with some heartbreaking twists and a hopeful conclusion.
July 27, 2025
I really enjoyed this.
Ciro and Sage develop a wonderful relationship.
The mental health representation was wonderfully done.
The side characters were also very prominent.
There's great emotional connections between them as well as humor.
There's plenty of twists and turns as well.
Ciro and Sage develop a wonderful relationship.
The mental health representation was wonderfully done.
The side characters were also very prominent.
There's great emotional connections between them as well as humor.
There's plenty of twists and turns as well.
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