Candy Savant

Candy Savant #1

by A.L. Hawke

In 2234 men are extinct, having been deemed unnecessary. This is the story of Candice Harlow, a brilliant young scientist arranged by Arkite’s supreme ruler, Elise Jackson, to lead the Savant project. A.I. is forbidden to experiment with human genes, so it enlists researchers—Savants. Savants work to create a human being from scratch to serve as a blueprint for immortality. Candice likes her newfound wealth and status, but she’s not sure she likes Elise. Elise is unhinged. She’s manic, has a furious temper, and seems to care more for Candy’s dollface than her scientific aptitude. By day, Candy flies her bike to HQ laboratory. By night, she’s whisked off to fancy restaurants and nightclubs. The project’s genesis is not unlike Frankenstein’s creature. Though not hideous, the creation is shunned by the all-female society. Candy shelters and cares for the creation, but not before she’s unfairly betrayed and accused of the worst possible crime. Candy Savant is book 1 in the Candy Savant series. The two books in the series are complete self-contained novels not ending in cliffhangers. Some spoilers cannot be avoided, but book 1 can be enjoyed without reading book 2, Mother Savant. Content Arkite is a dystopian city featuring a ruler who is not nice. Expect profanity, adult situations, and sexual scenes.

Genres: Science Fiction

312 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2019

About the author

A.L. Hawke is the author of the bestselling Hawthorne University Witch series. The author lives in Southern California torching the midnight candle over lovers against a backdrop of machines, nymphs, magic, spice and mayhem. A.L. Hawke writes fantasy and romance spanning four thousand years, from pre-civilization to contemporary and beyond.

Reviews

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes place in a futuristic society in the year 2234. Candice "Candy" Harlow, a talented, young scientist, is appointed as head of the Savant project by Elise Jackson (otherwise known as "Mother") who is the supreme ruler. The Savant project is very elite and involves research into designing a human being "from scratch" to be used as a blueprint for the ultimate goal of attaining immortality. Men no longer exist in this futuristic society. The only remote indication of a male influence is through their AI/computer known as Rex. Elise selects Candice for this position due to her physical attributes and not her actual qualifications. However, she is surprised when Candice proves to be a gifted scientist who progresses quickly with the project.

Candice is unsure of her feelings for Elise but she can't really refuse her advances as Elise is the head of their society and everyone fears her. Candice enjoys the wealth and prestige that her new position has provided her. She also is very dedicated to her job and spends countless hours working in her lab. Elise runs their society with a iron fist and appears to have little to no loyalty to anyone except for possibly Candice.

The book, Candy Savant, is a sci-fi blending of Frankenstein along with a futuristic tale of an all-female society. Initially, it wasn't quite what I expected but I kept reading. As it progressed, the storyline proved to be unique and creative. There were some things that felt rushed. In addition, I would have liked a little more backstory. Specifically, I wanted to better understand what happened to all of the men. Were they killed? Did they gradually die off? Did they intentionally breed them out? Also, for me, it would have enriched the story if there had been more information about their societal structure and the different classes. It was touched on but not in depth. The end of the book is written in a way that a sequel could easily follow so perhaps some of these questions will be answered in the future. This was definitely a different read for me and I enjoyed it.

I would rate this book at 3 1/2 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a new author to me, and the author has created a glimpse into a possible future, where men are unnecessary. It’s a very well written story that I found intriguing and fascinating and the characters are interesting. I had just watched a movie about a similar plot, not exactly the same but along the same lines and so I found this book exciting to read. I sat and read it in one sitting as I do with most books, and it wasn’t that difficult to do as there isn’t a boring chapter in the book.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Marie Valenzuela · Rating 1 out of 5]

No, I did not finish the book. I barely made it through the first page, let alone the first chapter. The author envisions a future with no men, and places the protagonist under the authority of a sadistic, cocaine-addicted boss who appears to have hired her purely on the basis of race and physical attractiveness. You can fill in the blanks from here.

To add insult to injury, it isn’t even well written.

[Joseph · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly, I haven't decided if I'm going to finish this book. I'm 16% in and it's already filled with such a strained mediocrity when it's not outright offensive in its depiction of women.

It reads like fanfiction derived from bad 70's sci-fi porn, all red leather jumpsuits and scissoring vixens straight out of Heavy Metal.

I think I will, though. If there's a silver lining it's that it's clearly a masterclass in what NOT to do.

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great futuristic story. So authentic, believable and so realistic with such depth it's easy to relate.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Bruce McNair · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 2234, Candice Harlow, aka Candy, is working on a genetic project under the auspices of the supreme leader Elise Jackson who happens to be her lover. Elise is effectively a dictator, lauding it over everyone, and behaving like a bitch to everyone including Candy. Then Elise shoots a group of assistants to another savant who happens to be Elise’s predecessor Connie. The reason being that Connie broke the law by working on chromosome 23, more specifically the Y, or male, chromosome, as men ceased to exist over 100 years previously. This precipitates a series of events that changes Candy’s life forever. But how will it affect the city?

I thought this was an interesting premise that could go many ways. For me, the ending was sad but I felt that the leadership was basically unaffected, which I thought was a shame but not necessarily a missed opportunity. I gave the story 4 stars.

[Sentinelle23 · Rating 5 out of 5]

TOME 1 : CANDY SAVANT

❤️❤️😲Très bonne surprise !

An 2234 :
La chef suprême Elise Jackson observait sa nouvelle proie avec une grande envie, celle de toucher sa peau douce.

La jeune geneticienne Candice Harlow était bien loin d’imaginer l’esprit tordu de sa future patronne...

-----------------------------

Une incroyable dystopie F/F dans laquelle évoluent des femmes dans une société dure et cruelle.

L’histoire est captivante, parfois un peu choquante, les personnages sont arrivistes ou dépravés, le tout sur fond de recherche scientifique.

La fin de ce tome est plutôt inattendue.
J’ai hâte de lire la suite !

Pour les amateurs de dystopies F/F et originales .

[Laureen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I didn't much care for this book. I didn't like the characters all that much, didn't like the story, definitely didn't like the end. It was ok, but I wouldn't read it again and I wouldn't recommend it by any means.

[monica.b.czuba · Rating 3 out of 5]

Candy Savant

Interesting story but it really took !e a while to get into 🤔.The author A.L.Hawke did a reasonable writing this and tried to keep one interested. But for me I'm afraid it really didn't.The concert was som!etching not new.This is why I gave it only 3 stars

[Ysabelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 10%

I wanted to read about the world without men but couldn't. Could not get past the constant sexual objectification and constant harassment that starts basically on page 1. Huge turn-off and it doesn't seem to add anything to the story except titillation.

[Anna]

I bounced hard off the first page