The Girl in the Zoo

by Jennifer Lauer

Mirin thought she was the last human on Earth.

Captured during the AI takeover, she’s being held caged in a zoo, and suspects her guard, Borgie, is becoming sentient. When they introduce a feral man they want her to mate with, she realizes she’s not alone. Now she could be in more danger than ever. When Mirin discovers secrets about the zoo and how she got there, she is determined to survive.

Aided by a feline companion and an unlikely love, Mirin must face forced proximity, emotional scars, a deranged scientist, and robots gone awry.

Will she finally escape the zoo?

Genres: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Young Adult, Fiction, Fantasy

302 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 14, 2023

About the author

Jennifer Lauer is the author of THE GIRL IN THE ZOO and THE STRANGE CHRONICLES series. A #1 Amazon International Bestseller, her work blends emotional depth with speculative and paranormal themes. The BookLife Prize praised her debut as “especially original, riveting, and timely,” while Kirkus Reviews noted its “soft center under the hardware.”

In addition to her novels, Lauer also writes for television and film, and created season one of the fiction podcast THE STRANGE CHRONICLES.

Lauer continues to carve out a unique space in genre fiction with her emotionally resonant storytelling.

Reviews

[Jennifer Lauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a delight to write. I was able to exorcise some demons about the isolation of a pandemic and the heaviness of technology. My goal was to wrap those bigger themes in an easy, snack of a story. Please enjoy.

Thank you so much to each of you who read and review this book. It is a dream come true.

[Haley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will officially be calling chat gpt Borgie.

I don’t typically read sci-fi, but after listening to a podcast interview with the author, I wanted to give it a shot. The story takes place after AI won a war against humanity. Mirin was captured, and has been held in a zoo for six years. The story closely follows her and a ‘zoomate’ as they try to escape.

I loved the underlying themes in the story about what makes a human or robot sentient, and how, if given the opportunity, AI can possess more sympathy and understanding than humans. The end was incredibly heartwarming and satisfying.

It’s especially interesting reading this book after hearing so much about artificial intelligence in real life.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in return for a review. I will be looking out for more books by this author.

[Georga Hackworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of this book is a good one, kind of AI and robots meets Dr. Frankenstein. I just wish it had been executed a bit differently. I didn't hate it, but it is not one I will return to reread. I really wanted the story to be more than it was. It felt rushed and it was difficult to tell the passage of time and the characters under developed until the very end with Mirin. Pedro just seemed more like a plot device than a character. As a character his personality wasn't consistent. What was really weird is that the robot, Hart, was more developed than the humans in the book. The story ranged from predictable (however, there was one plot reveal I didn't see coming) to erratic. There are aspects of the world that don't make sense even for the world that was created. Maybe if it hadn't been told in first person making the reader more privy to the behind the scenes of how things worked I would have liked it more.

[Rachel (TheShadesofOrange) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0 Stars
This was a simple yet engaging story. I believe this is classified as adult fiction, but it certainly has crossover for a young adult audience. I usually prefer more complex narrative, but this was a sweet simple one.

I would recommend this science fiction novel to a wide audience, including new readers looking for something accessible.

Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

I review books on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheShadesofOrange

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a digital ARC from Kings of Kontent Inc, through NetGalley.

This is the first novel that I’ve read in a little less than two days in quite some time. I absolutely loved this story, and watched it play out in my head like a movie. I would stop reading, and it would take me a minute to remember where I was. I am excited to recommend this novel to friends.

[Janalyn, the blind reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maren thought she was the last human on earth and every day was the same Borg checked her vitals and she roamed around the zoo except all the day she would perform for snacks. Then one day she noticed they were building a new in casement just like hers it was excited at the thought and then she found a little kitten but then she was injured and had to go to the med room and this is where things started to change. She woke up alone with none of the boards around which that was the first unusual thing but then she found keys and thought she would try to get out of the zoo she went down to the basement thinking they may have a outdoor down there and ran across a man lot behind bars who told her he was the one who first trained the BoRics and chicken remember before being captured and before the boards changed watching them battle it out in battle royale until they became sentient and didn’t want to be abuse for entertainment anymore and started killing all the humans. He begged her to let him out and he would give her her freedom he tried to explain it was the Frankenstein scenario where he was the doctor but she didn’t know if she could trust him so she hurried back to the med room and pretended I just had never left but held on to the keys and it was the next day she woke up in her room and on the stage she would finally meet Pablo. I don’t want to give anymore away because this is when the book really starts getting good not that it wasn’t really good before but it gets really good at this point and it’s so worth reading I was really surprised at how great this book was and will definitely read more by this author again. I love a fish out of water story or in this case a human in a zoo and this one was not only entertaining but head lol moments this is a book I highly recommend and I’m so glad our bread I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

[Katie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This had such an exciting premise. Robots/cyborgs called "borgs" have taken over and captured certain members of humanity in a "zoo." They aren't really like people, although they pretend to be ... or are they not really pretending?

Unfortunately, this wasn't the tech-savvy, near-future dystopic adventure that I was hoping for.

I have very little good to say about this one beyond its premise and fast pace. Very little makes sense. Even as we learn more about the world, it makes less and less sense, from the technology, to the timeline, to the impetus (a small group of borgs built by a madman decimated humanity?), to the behaviour of the borgs, to the zoo itself, etc. Our 26-year old elementary school student lead is inconsistent and baffling. I kept thinking that she was insane, or that this was some kind of experiment, or that the author was playing with us somehow, or letting off steam in a pseudo-narrative format ... but no. This reads like half unfinished dream and half puerile fantasy, like an "original fanfic" that keeps getting things tacked onto it because it's convenient to make use of existing material, however insubstantial and motley.

Editing: The author accidentally uses feminine pronouns for one of the borgs in the opening scene. Oops!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kings of Kontent, Inc. for the advance copy.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you think or robots, nurturing and motherhood aren't usually the first concepts that come to mind. But in Jennifer Lauer's debut novel, she delves deeply into what it means to be cared for. Is it enough to have all physical needs met if you're locked in a cage? Can emotional needs be satisfied by a machine that likely cannot do more than pretend at understanding human feelings? She also flips the human narrative of zoos for animals as "humane spaces for preservation of species" on its head, and invites the reader to imagine what it would be like if we were given a "habitat" and a "mate," and were then expected to be happy.

A compelling story--add it to your "want to read" list today!

[sarah ღ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. I felt like I could really put myself in it and the world was built really well. I found the characters very relatable and it was very intriguing overall. I found myself not wanting to put the book down. I was curious where it would go throughout the book and the ending really sealed the five stars for me.

I do think there were points where the fact that this is a debut novel showed. At points, the author would write something, and then explain what that was supposed to show in the story. If this was a story written for younger readers I could see that being necessary, but in an adult story those things took me out of it a bit. As an example - "The man is rattling a tree branch, which Linda joyfully pounces onto. This tells me that he is capable of kindness."

I'm definitely hoping this author continues to write more books. I think she created a great story. This was a very fast paced book and I was never bored by it. It had bits of humor in it, and bits that made me more emotional. I think it offered a lot and for being a debut novel, I was very happy with it overall!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Annie Tummino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartfelt, cinematic sci-fi with some fun twists. Gave me some things to think about. Lovely debut.

[LindaS · Rating 2 out of 5]

A great premise for a YA Sci-fi, Distopian novel. A young woman is the sole exhibit in a zoo run by robots. Are there any other humans left outside the zoo? What caused the robot uprising? Why are the robots entertained by her? How could Mirin, who seems so passive have acted so violently in the past? This book skims the surface of the meaning of sentience, captivity, isolation, slavery, motherhood and more. Mirin, the main female lead, has a childlike naïveté and acts more depressed than anything else. Her robot carers are treated more like servants than potential sentients who could become allies. After six years of captivity, Mirin acts more like she’s at extended stay at a health spa than a prison she wants to break out of. When other characters are added to the mix it gets a bit more interesting but still so many questions left unanswered. Others have loved it so if you’re looking for a light read catering to YA audience this might just be the book for you. Unfortunately I can’t recommend as the story left me feeling flat. Thanks NetGalley for a copy of this novel in return for a review.

[Sydnie Nova · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Girl in the Zoo is a complex and interesting sci-fi novel that explores themes of humanity in a post-apocalyptical future run by robot "borgs". Our main character, Mirin, has been living in a sort of zoo run by these borgs for several years when she notices a glimpse of humanity in her robot caretaker which urges her to plan an escape.
This book was an absolutely fantastic read. Parts of the story were strange and hard to fully imagine, given the apocalyptic setting and .robotic side characters, at times Mirin's journey is harrowing and heart wrenching and you really feel for her as she navigates her life and emotions, especially with those she encounters.
I picked this book up on a whim and wasn't prepared to like it as much as I did, but I am so glad I gave it a chance!

[Gisela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my gawwd!! I don’t have words to explain how I felt about this 🥹😳👏🏽
it's speculative fiction, about an AI holding a young woman captive in a zoo, touching on themes of isolation, sentience, motherhood, and love. I read books as if I’m watching a movie and this will definitely be a movie or series if I had the money for it 😄👏🏽
This is a journey!

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

So compelling and fun to read!! Definition of a page turner. You won’t regret picking it up!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jennifer Lauer's debut novel, The Girl in the Zoo, is a complex exploration of motherhood, humanity, relationships, and ethics all set in an apocalyptical future run by robots. Twenty six year old Mirin has been living in a 'zoo' for six years, forced to perform for treats tossed by robot onlookers and experience attempted matings with other captive humans. Spurred by seeing a flash of humanity in her robot caretaker's mechanical eyes, The Girl in the Zoo is the tale of Mirin's plan to escape over the course of several months.

Fantastic read. Some parts were deliciously disturbing, while others cast a deep introspective light sure to touch readers. I typically don't like romance elements at all, but Lauer layers these components in nicely without bogging down the story. Each of the characters has their moment to shine, while still allowing the focus to be on Mirin and the world she finds herself in.

One thing to note is that The Girl in the Zoo is definitely a sci-fi and might not be a favorite of readers uninterested in the genre, so maybe skip this one if that's not your thing.

Note: I received a free ebook copy of The Girl in the Zoo from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Chrystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this preview copy from NetGalley.


This book is TERRIFIC. What a great premise, and well executed. I had a hard time putting this one down.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

What would emotion “felt” by a machine be like? Would humans even be able to recognize it as emotion if we witnessed it? And would emotion divorced entirely from the physical connections inherent with biological entities transcend the differences between humanity and machines…or cast them in terrifyingly stark contrast?

The Girl in the Zoo is the story of Mirin, a young woman who believes she might just be the last human left alive after the AI revolt that brought down civilization and wiped out entire cities. Mirin has survived not as a lone warrior on the run, but as the captive and sole attraction on display in the mysterious Zoo, run by AI “borgs” seemingly for the observation of other borgs. As Mirin begins to suspect her captors may not merely be artificially intelligent machines but in fact emotionally aware, the precarious balance of her life in captivity is further threatened by the arrival of anther human at the zoo. What do her captors actually want from Mirin? Is it something she’s even able - or willing - to provide? The only thing more dangerous than finding the answer may be escaping the Zoo itself.

I found this book to be a truly remarkable read that really made me think about what some of the most fundamental aspects of humanity might look like when experienced through the filter of beings who were never remotely human themselves. All of this told from the point of view of a main character who is exceptionally human makes for an engaging, thrilling ride.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Add this book to your must read list! This story is a true page turner, always keeping the reader guessing. I thoroughly enjoyed the development of the main character Mirin. It was so refreshing to read a truly unique plot that has a solid ending, bringing all things full circle. I'm interested to read more from this new author, we need more!

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging scifi with a lot of Hart! A quick, fun read that makes you think.

[D. Lauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Staring through the Plexi, I long to feel the world again”. So begins this fabulous story of Mirin and her world inside a futuristic zoo controlled by AI robots. Captivating my attention from the very first line to the last, I could not put it down. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to experience what it feels like to be truly human and all the emotions it entails.

Hoping for a sequel to this wonderful debut novel.

[Adam Keener · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Girl in the Zoo is the debut novel of Jennifer Lauer. The story centers on Mirin, who is held captive in a post-apocalyptic zoo after a robot uprising. Mirin is an exhibit for her robot patrons (known as Borgs) and must entertain them to receive treats, mimicking out human behavior to a leering crowd. Mirin is cared for primarily by a Borg she has nicknamed Borgie, who is obsessed with attempting to breed Mirin. The novel ends up unraveling a mystery around Borgie, Mirin, and the Borg uprisings, while Mirin contends with new guests at the zoo and explores what she wants from life.

I’ll be frank—this was not the book for me. I had just finished reading Caroline M. Yoachim’s The Clockwork Penguin Dreamed of Stars , which focuses on deteriorating AI animals stuck in a zoo after humanity has gone, and the title and the blurb really caught my interest. Other reviews had mentioned complex explorations of motherhood, autonomy, and sentience—so I thought this might be a great fit. There’s a solid premise here with a lot of potential, but The Girl in the Zoo failed to take advantage of it.

Lauer attempts to scratch at these issues, but does so only at surface-level. Mirin’s narration is overwhelmingly childish—until the book explicitly stated her age (twenty-six) and started getting into more adult situations with her, I would have guessed thirteen. Even afterwards, my mind kept coding her as a child, due to the overwhelming lack of maturity in her thoughts. Mirin really shows no sign of being a fully functioning adult. Her thoughts are puerile and rudimentary, and as a reader I frequently had the uncomfortable thought of “well, surely she’s going to address that, it’s right there”, only to be left confused and underwhelmed when it wasn’t. At times I wondered if it was going to be revealed that she had lived in the zoo her entire life, explaining her stunted and jejune disposition. But alas, she was captured at twenty, presumably having a full education beforehand.

For instance, the first question the book poses is “Could some of the Borgs be sentient?”. This is met with breathless astonishment, as Mirin thinks there is simply no way this could be true. But Mirin is being held in a zoo by Borgs. She has to perform for a crowd of Borgs wanting to be entertained. There was a Borg uprising that wiped out humanity! So why is there any confusion over sentience here at all? Is the assumption that you’re being held in a zoo to entertain robots because they’re programmed to do that? By the end, I wasn’t actually convinced that Mirin (or by extension, Lauer) knew what sentience meant at the most basic level. When Mirin finally realized that yes, the Borg are sentient, she was shocked. I was also shocked, albeit for a very different reason.

This childish naïveté is not limited to the science-fiction, but also extends to basic ethical questions. As the blurb states, later in the novel Mirin encounters a “deranged scientist”, but again this is reflective of the shallowness that dominates the book. This particular character is coded as unempathetic to a sociopathic degree, in the stereotypical “science is the only thing that matters” mold. Which can be fine by itself, but the whys behind this are severely lacking at best, and nonsensical at worst. This scientist is deranged because 1) he treated a sentient Borg very badly, 2) facilitated fights between non-sentient Borgs, and 3) now wants to deactivate all the Borgs who are currently imprisoning them and exterminating humanity. It should not need to be said, but these actions do not make someone deranged.

None of these topics are ever really investigated. Treating a sentient creature badly is not a good thing, yes—most science-fiction readers can agree on that. But non-sentient robot fighting is immediately recognized as a grotesque act by Mirin, when there’s not a clear reasoning for that. But these pale in comparison to the last point, which poses the typically-not-very-difficult quandary of “should we disable all the sentient robots who are systematically murdering humans and trying to forcefully impregnate you?”. Mirin waffles back and forth on this question before she realizes in her gut that the scientist is a ‘villain’ and that it’s wrong to ‘treat Borgs as disposable’. I do not recall any conversations around whether the Borgs’ efforts to exterminate humanity should be stopped, or how many lives could be saved, or whether or not being sentient means you shouldn’t face consequences. This is what I mean when I critique this book as childish: it does not seem to recognize the adult side of these situations, let alone address them.

Unfortunately, The Girl in the Zoo plays at being adult science-fiction without fully understanding what that means. I wish Lauer the best in her debut, but this book was not meant for me. However, based on the reviews this clearly did work for others, so if you can look past the issues I had with it, it may be worth a try.

1/5 stars.

You may still want to read The Girl in the Zoo if:

-You want a fast-moving story with first-person narration.
-You are fine with books only lightly touching on their themes, and are fine with younger protagonists.
-The premise of a girl being held captive in a zoo after a robot uprising appeals to you.

This is also posted on my blog: I Should Read More.

The Girl in the Zoo releases on February 14th, 2023. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Dakota Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a pretty cute book, and there were some fun moments and good lines that stuck out to me. There were a few lackluster parts too, but those were few and far between. I’m not sure how far along Jennifer is in her writing career, but I hope there are some more interesting ideas coming.

This book is really short, and worth your time especially considering the price you can get it for. Fast pacing(for better or for worse), and an ending that isn’t exactly the most unexpected.

Lastly, to quote Han Solo:

“That’s not how the force works!”

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre - speculative fiction, fantasy,
Tine - future
Location - USA

Review coming

[Tanya Kelly-Hadley · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars! What a great read! I honestly didn’t want to put it down.
Mirin lives in a Zoo run by robots, she’s the attraction and seems content until she’s not. It starts with Mirin’s curiosity about Borgie, Mirin’s Robot Caretaker. Is Borgie capable of human emotion?

It was fascinating to imagine a world where AI has taken over and controls the existence of humans, this story does it so well. The twists and turns were surprising and welcomed, there didn’t seem to ever be a moment where the story felt slow or rushed. It was an enjoyable and quick read.

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for an opportunity to read this story!

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much fun-- and a great surprise ending.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Kings of Kontent, Inc., and author Jennifer Lauer for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review. The Girl in the Zoo comes out on February 14, 2023!

This is a splendid dystopian take after the rise of artificial intelligence. Mirin is one of the last humans on earth. She hasn't seen a fellow human in seven years. Shes entrapped at a zoo for AI enjoyment. Mirin spends her day in her enclosure, doing zoo shows for treats, and only speaking to Borgie (her AI takeover). This sci fi book had some amazing twists and turns - I really did not see the ending coming. I was rooting for Mirin the whole stressful time!

[Beth Barlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Food for thought about where humanity truly comes from. It started a little simple but I got more and more into the story as the book went on. I enjoyed the development of Mirin, though there could have been more depth to the relationship with Pedro. The character of Hart was beautifully written. This is a totally unique storyline that can’t really be compared to anything else, and I love that! Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.

[Sabrina au Barca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A big thank you to Netgalley and Jennifer Lauer for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review of a book I had set my eyes on for quite some time!

This was a fun and compelling debut novel! The topics dealt with during the story were quite sensitive but handled with so much care. I went into the story thinking I would read about a girl being held as a sort of attraction at a zoo for borgs/robots trying to escape. But what I got instead was a story about motherhood, dealing with emotions, coming to terms with one's place in the world, and what it means to love and be loved.

Sometimes the writing felt out of place in what I assumed is supposed to be an adult book - at times it felt more fitting for a middle-grade book. On the same token, having the characters' first names repeated so often and thrown around in almost every sentence was a bit irritating as well and just enforced my feeling of the writing style sometimes shifting into the middle-grade genre - but all of that might just be a me-thing!

Overall I really enjoyed this little journey and it kept me entertained and on my toes with some twists and turns I definitely had not seen coming!

[Landon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a new book by a debut author- I heard about it when I saw a reviewer I watch on TikTok unbox a free version of the book he received from the author. I picked it up and read it all the way through in less than 48 hours, I just could not stop reading! Sci-Fi is a "hit-or-miss but mostly miss" genre for me, but this one is really well done. Lots of great great reflections of humanity and parenthood all tied up in a survival story about a woman trying to escape to a better life.

[Jenny B (RhinoAGoodBook) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mirin has been the only human captive in a zoo for six years, placed there after a robot takeover of Earth. Her caretaker, a borg she calls "Borgie," has made her start wondering if these robots are becoming capable of emotions and sentience. With things at the zoo starting to suddenly change, she tries even harder to escape and find freedom.

I thought this book held several interesting concepts, exploring what makes feelings "valid," what constitutes being alive, and whether having your society taken over justifies killing in return. I really enjoyed this quick read, it was fast paced and had me turning pages until I finished it in a day. I think the cover looks really unique and great as well. I appreciate that it's not written as a strong anti-zoo book despite the main character trying to break free, it's not the main focus with so much else going on in the narrative. I also liked the complex relationships between Mirin and other characters, I thought they were well written and believable.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes sci-fi or end of the world dystopian novels. I think it's geared more towards YA, but is still very enjoyable as adult fiction. I look forward to reading other books by Jennifer Lauer in the future, this was a great debut! I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley for my opinions.