DNF at 20%.

I am not really sure what I was expecting with this book, but this was definitely not it. Based off of the blurb, I was expecting something akin to The Stepford Wives, so I was really taken aback by just how sexually explicit and graphic this book was. Yeah, this book just didn't work for me.

What Does It Means to be Human?


Sylv.ie is a beautiful robot designed to fulfill every desire of the man who owns her. She’s a beautiful sex toy, but as she lives in the attic and watches the family she begins to have feelings. She confides her feelings to her diary as she watches her husband with his family. She wants to experience more of life.

The husband visits her six days a week and his real wife is becoming annoyed. Sylv.ie confides her feelings to her diary, but as tension escalates she’s afraid she’ll be sent back to the factory for reprogramming. Now she has to worry about the diary and whether the thoughts she confesses are allowed.

This is an interesting dystopian thriller. Sylv.ie is a sympathetic character that raises questions about what it means to be human. I thought the question of whether AI can allow for the development of feelings such as love, desire and empathy was interesting. It is particularly interesting to see Sylv.ie wrestle with the idea of love since she is completely owned by the husband.

If you enjoy science fiction, this is a fascinating premise. It’s also interesting on the psychological level of what women are and what they can/ should become.

I received this book from Dutton for this review.

I have read quite a few books with this general idea: near future, slightly dystopian, female sex robots evolve into something more. It’s obviously a really interesting concept to me, so I was pumped to start The Hierarchies. I finished it in a day. The story flows quite well and the writing is fantastic. I loved Sylv.ie’s character arc and her growth as a person. The borderline dystopian sex robot stuff was infuriating at times and through provoking always. Hands down this was my favorite book I’ve read with this concept. I’m very excited to read more by this author.

This was ... odd. I’m not sure what to think about this one. The premise is amazing and brings to light the perversions of humans and their need to own other people, literally or figuratively. The prose was robotic, as you would expect from an AI. This is one of those novels that I don’t know if I want to give a 5 star for its genius even though I didn’t actually enjoy reading it that much. I’m going to go with a 3.5 for now, but think on it a bit more.

I’m not going to lie, when I first saw this book I was interested but also skeptical. A book written from the POV of a robot that was built for one purpose – to serve her “Husband” didn’t sound super interesting until I reached the part of the description where she becomes curious and begins to think of the world beyond her assigned role. I’ll say this, it was a very wild ride indeed.

Where to begin with this book. First of all you should be aware as a reader that there are graphic depictions of sex. If that is not your thing, don’t read this book. It’s literally everywhere.

I have to say I was surprised by my changing emotions with this book as I read it. I was gripped at first, plowing through the story but then some scenes completely turned me off and I had to put it down. Maybe it was the content of the scene, maybe it was the style of the story being told through Sylv.ie’s eyes, maybe it’s because I needed a break but I definitely had times where this book wasn’t exactly for me.

I really enjoyed the social commentary of the world in this book. Yes it’s talking about a not-so-distant future but the lessons, as with all dystopian novels, apply to the world we currently live in. In a world where being Born or Created assigns you a class, where the created robots and Dolls are little better than dirt, and the exploitation of all of the Created ones is rampant, there was a lot to take in on the similarities in our own world.

Sylv.ie is a perfect guide through this strange and twisted world as she grows curious about life beyond her Husband, the man who paid for her and who keeps her locked away except for when it pleases him. Her oddly flat tone, even through the sexually explicit and horrifying scenes both helped and hurt me as a reader in this story. I was glad that some of the difficult scenes were presented as odd or out of protocol for Sylv.ie as it helped me get through them but then it also made it harder for me to connect to her.

One thing about this novel that I applaud is the recognition that money equaling power and therefore the ability to do as your please is a horrendous way for the world it exist. We see it every day in our world; rich people (and more specifically rich men) get away with crimes because they can afford a lawyer or the people they harm are too afraid to go after them given their power. This book definitely hits a lot of feminist points as well as social justice in general and I applaud Anderson for tackling these subjects in such a unique way in her debut novel.

The Hierarchies is set for release on August 25th, 2020. If you’re looking for an interesting take on dystopian novels, filled with unique insights on the world we currently live in, I’d recommend The Hierarchies to you, as long as you can stomach some intense moments while reading. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Thank you to Dutton, NetGalley and Ros Anderson for the ARC of this book!

This was more like 3.5 stars? This is Spielberg’s “A.I.” meets “The Stepford Wives.” It combines the age-old fascination with artificial intelligence as embodied in physical form and our response to it, with how society treats women and the stereotypes of what makes up a woman (and what makes her ideal). There are Sylv.ie’s observations that hints ate the bigger picture of the world around her (in her Husband’s home, then beyond). Slowly those observations pieced together reveal the sad and brutal reality of how her existence is really viewed. Robots have created all sorts of emotions in humans—fascination, resentment, even love. Witness the world right now—can we not already program each other, create sets of behaviors? And if we don’t follow certain people’s expectations—don’t provide the desired responses to their manipulations—are we treated no differently than machinery, sometimes with great cruelty? A quick but bittersweet and thought-provoking read.

Imagine having a human-like droid made just for you. The droid looks exactly like a human being, acts and speaks like a human, and is there for one specific thing – to serve you! That is the world in which this novel takes place. The purpose of the droid is to serve you, and since it is a form of artificial intelligence the droids aren’t made to think independently for themselves. However, the droid in this novel begins to find herself having her own thoughts and feelings, and she isn’t sure why this is happening to her… she has been programmed to act and speak and do certain things, not have a mind of her own.

I found the storyline of this book to be quite interesting and I enjoyed reading along and reading about the droid Sylv.ie and her daily life, thoughts, etc. I liked the fact that she kept a journal to record her thoughts and feelings so that she could do back to them and reflect on what she had written, and to also keep a record of what was happening in case she needed proof in the future.

Overall a good read that I enjoyed and I would recommend.

Our guide throughout The Hierarchies, set in the seemingly semi-neat future where robots have become a part of everyday life, is Sylv.ie. Sylv.ie is a sentitent sex robot who works her way through ‘life’ and dealing with the robot/human divide. In a heartwarmingly human way, she soon develops deep curiosity about the small world that surrounds her. Her ‘Husband’, the man who bought her, keeps her in an isolated room in the attic (bringing to mind the Mad Woman in the Attic trope) while his wife and child have free reign of the home. However, her curiosity soon becomes dangerous and Sylv.ie is forced to make some hard decisions that further explode the reader’s understanding of the world in which the book is set.

You would think that reading a bildungsroman about a root would be difficult to connect to. However, the way she learn about the world and marvels about humans' strange proclivities, especially those of men, brings to mind my college years. Although she acknowledges no childhood and that everything she has learned has, largely, been imported/absorbed, she still continues to learn through experience...just like any other young adult woman.

The book is riddled with warnings and worries about humanity as the age of robots rises (in the book, this is usually structured as a born vs. created), however the characters we meet - the men, the other dolls, and the humans that deal with dolls on a daily basis - still remain center stage. While the world building seems a little bare, the way Sylv.ie makes her way through it is what the story hinges on.

If you’re looking for a strange coming-into-oneself story that features ideas about our techo-future, sex, and what it means to ‘be’, you should check out The Hierarchies!

4 STARS

Sylv.ie is a synthetic woman. A fully sentient robot, designed to cater to her Husband's every whim. She lives alone on the top floor of his luxurious home, her existence barely tolerated by his human wife and concealed from their child. Between her Husband's visits, deeply curious about the world beyond her room, Sylv.ie watches the family in the garden—hears them laugh, cry, and argue. Longing to experience more of life, she confides her hopes and fears only to her diary. But are such thoughts allowed? And if not, what might the punishment be?

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Wow, THE HIERARCHIES was nothing like I expected (in a good way!) It gave me massive "Westworld" vibes and, much like that show, explores the darker side of humanity and our drive to create smarter, more realistic technology. But what happens when that technology gets good enough to pass for "real"? And what consequences will humanity face when programming "malfunctions" and creates a fully sentient being?

This book is pretty graphic (sexually and otherwise) and the fact that it was narrated in Sylv.ie's flat, detached voice made it even more so. Honestly the only reason this wasn't a full 5 stars for me was that the middle of the book dragged a bit for me. I was hoping for a bit more heart pounding action during several scenes but I understand that wouldn't fit in with Sylv.ie's characterization (and she is the one telling her story.)

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed THE HIERARCHIES. The story went in a direction that was completely unexpected and I loved seeing Sylv.ie change from a being (basically) a glorified sex doll into an empathetic, loving and tragic - dare I say - human being.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for my review copy! THE HIERARCHIES is out on August 25th.

Monotonous. Themes of power, control and subservience are dealt with in superior way in novels such as Handmaids Tale and The Power. Sorry, but there have been too many inferior novels dealing with these issues in the past two years and giving it a ‘Sci Fic’ twist just didn’t cut it.

The Hierarchies is unlike any other book I have ever read before. Sylv.ie, a humanoid doll designed to serve her "husband", is the narrator of this story. As she is a newer doll model, she is more than just a sexual object (which the more basic models of dolls are primarily used for). She is able to play chess, converse with her "husband" about current events, and many other things. However, throughout the story, Sylv.ie starts to become sentient. She finds herself starting to adopt human-like traits such as empathy and love. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this story. Anderson, the author, does a fantastic job crafting this dystopian novel with social commentary about the role of women in society. I can definitely see this book being compared to The Handmaid's Tale and being popular with readers once it is published.
(PUB DATE: 8/25/2020)
(I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)

In the near future, a robot considers the meaning of her life. Slyv.ie is a robot designed solely for men's pleasure, specifically the man she knows as Husband. Her Husband keeps her locked away in the attic while she watches him live his life with his wife, and eventually his child. Slyv.ie wants to see the baby and see the outdoors and this leads to showdown with the Husband's wife and her eventual escape. Slyv.ie eventually becomes the property of The Madame, who runs a specialized bar that provides gentlemen with the company of a robot for a short while, and she eventually makes friends with Cook.ie, another pleasure robot. But not everything is what it seems with her new friend and Slyv.ie begins to question freedom for all of them. A searing look at women's roles, how men view them and what it means to be human, this is a book that will resonate with many.

*Thank you to net galley for providing me with an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

I DNFed at 50% of the way through. The one and only true redeeming quality about this book is that it has a lot of social commentary on human nature. It especially speaks to the bad side of human nature and how ugly humanity can really be morally speaking. It also raises a very philosophical question, what does it truly mean to be human. And do you have to be made of flesh and bones to possess the qualities that are needed to be considered human. This book was very interesting and entertaining but it just ended up falling short for me. I really enjoyed Sylvie's robot narrator voice in the beginning and seeing it progress and sound more and more human throughout the books events. What fell short for me was that I never really connected to Sylvie as much as I would have liked to. Her being a robot made for a very detached sounding MC that was hard to relate to. The villians in the story are supposed to be the husband and the "First Lady" but I understood why the First Lady was mean to Sylvie and they weren't as "bad" as they could have been and if they were it would have made me root for Sylvie even harder. The plot was very slow going and I ultimately did not like where the story was going and was bored with it but I understood what the author was trying to convey. That there is no place for 'Dolls' in this dystopian world than to be someone else's property. I felt like this whole main idea was bashed over my head a million times and I felt like saying "okay i get it!". This book reminded me of the graphic novel Alex + Ada it was pretty similar when it came to the whole artificial intelligence wife concept. I really would have liked if there was a more heart pounding display of the dynamics between Sylvie and First Lady that would have made for a great thriller! I just didn't appreciate where the plot was going it was wasted potential and too preoccupied with making a big commentary of humanity that it already has successfully made but it could have been made more subtly which would have in my opinion been more tasteful.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐬 by Ros Anderson. Thank you to netgalley and Dutton for the e-ARC ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⁣
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Slyv.ie is a humanoid please doll. Her entire purpose is to obey and serve her owner (“husband”). As a newer, most advanced model, she begins to understand the world around her and her place in it. ⁣
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This was such an interesting story. You do not have to be a sci-fi fan to enjoy this. Sometimes sci-fi gets a bit too deep and technical for me to enjoy it, this was not the case here. The author’s choice to narrate from the robot’s perspective was a wise choice. It was a unique viewpoint, where we were able to view the artificial intelligence pick up human qualities over time: empathy, love, desire. This was also a scary look into the lines drawn in technological advancement, and the questions that arise when those lines are passed. ⁣
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“𝘐𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳𝘴? 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘶𝘳 “𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦” 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴. 𝘐𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨.... 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘺, 𝘪𝘧 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘰𝘶𝘴, 𝘥𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘺𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴?”⁣
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The Hierarchies is out 8/25. ⁣

This was not at all what I expected, but I absolutely enjoyed it! Original, disturbing, dark, and fast paced! Does have quite a bit of explicit sexual scenes, which are quite graphic, so if this does not appeal to you, I would likely not read it, I thought it was well written, intriguing, and original in so many ways! I loved the authors writing style, character development, and the way my attention was completely stolen while reading this book! I highly, highly recommend if you like your books to have futuristic themes, but still a much needed fast paced story that holds your attention!

Will make sure to buzz around platforms, as well as use my Amazon low reviewer Number one release date!

This was not quite what I expected... The blurb didn't lead me to expect the rather explicit sexual language/descriptions - even if relayed in Sylv.ie's unique flat and casual yet not-quite-distant voice, I found it jarring and dissonant with much of the rest of the book. I did not take this to be largely about sex-bots, or sexual gratification but it turned out that "meet your Husband's needs" largely takes on a sexual form. Perhaps I was silly not to guess that, but I didn't see it coming and the frankness caught me off guard. I felt like it was thrown in for shock value (or spurring that jarring feeling I mentioned) rather than because it was necessary to advance the story, and to me those were the least interesting parts of the book.

The most interesting were the brilliant internal monologues Sylv.ie has about what it means to be human, to be an individual, to have freedom/free will... Anderson hit those marks spot-on. The relationships between people and 'bots were as widely varied as the relationships between *real* people, and the reflections on those relationships were very well thought out and well presented.

Still, on the whole I had mixed feelings about this one. The woman-falls-from-grace-but-finds-redemption/solidarity/personal strength plot line felt fairly familiar, even if presented in a new bit of packaging, and it's never been a favorite genre for me, so it's most likely a case of right book, wrong reader. The writing is quite good if, as I said, a bit uneven in its nature. I highlighted a ton of brilliant lines and descriptions though, which is always a solid indicator that I found the writing resonant, even when I struggled with bits of the story. I think Anderson has ambitious intentions here - and mostly nails them. I just wasn't the perfect fit for the story...

The Hierarchies, Ros Anderson. 4.5/5

Your Husband is the reason for your existence, you are here to serve him. You must not harm him. Nor may you harm any human. Sylv.ie is a robot, fully sentient, hidden in the top floor of her husbands house and alone as he tends to his real family. Longing to experience more of life she confides her thoughts to her diary, but are these thoughts even allowed? In a future where women are both born and created the growing friction between the two could devastating consequences.


Thanks to #NetGalley for my ARC copy of this book.

Atwood meets Westworld in this dystopian thriller. A clever, intriguing, well timed novel. Honestly, I love a book that deals with the poor treatment of women and the complete lack of respect and value we give to women in society as a whole because it both enrages me and inspires me to fight back. This book deals with both so well, both the issue of sentient beings AND the women in society being left behind.

Sylv.ie is a stunning narrator, her words are smart, bittersweet, always questioning. The final chapters were a gut punch. Absolutely brilliant!

Sylv.ie is a Doll, a lifelike robot purchased primarily by wealthy men for sex in this dystopian world. She’s programmed to do everything and anything to make her Husband happy. His wife, however, is getting annoyed with the Doll, who is sent away for reprogramming. But something is changing. Sylv.ie starts to get ideas. She does the unthinkable. Can she really love? The reader is left to ponder questions about love, sex, and honesty. Definitely one of the most intriguing books I have read lately. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This is, quite simply, one of the most beautiful books I have ever read.

I am not always a fan of science fiction/artificial intelligence stories, but the premise of this one had me intrigued, and I am so glad I took the plunge. In the future described in this book, female robots (who look and feel like real women, only much more perfect) are created to serve men in every thinkable, and unthinkable, way. The book follows Sylv.ie, a robot who has perhaps begun to think and feel, and her journey in the world that created her. I don’t want to give away anything else except to say it is just an incredible story..

I am not exaggerating by saying this book is a stunning accomplishment, and a timely and heartbreaking metaphor for the way women are treated in real life. This book is so deeply felt and so beautifully written. It is essential reading for any person who cares about how women are treated, whether or not you are a science fiction fan. It is hard to believe I grew so emotionally attached to a robot that I cried several times while reading this, but that’s just how talented this author is at creating characters. I would put this book right up there with the Handmaid’s Tale - and in fact I think I loved it even more.

Books like this make me so grateful to NetGalley! This is not a book I might have ever heard about or noticed, as it’s not in my usual section of the bookstore. But now I will be buying a physical copy and telling everyone I know to read it. As an aside? I cannot believe this is Ros Anderson’s first book. It is so beautifully written and important — she seems to already be a master. I feel certain this book will be talked about and win some awards. It really touched me deeply. I wish I had ten stars to give it.

Huge thanks to NetGalley, Ros Anderson and Penguin / Dutton for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. I hope as many people as possible read this book and love it as much as I did!

Steven Spielberg’s film AI messed me up when I was a kid; since then, any story about robots is guaranteed to make me sad for days. The Hierarchies was no exception- just like the little robot boy who couldn’t replace a living child, the heroine in this story is cast out by her human “husband” when she begins to show a little healthy interest in his human wife and child. Beaten down by repeated “factory resets”, the protagonist manages to figure her way onto the black market, where she is subject to the whims of men who want a woman they can break. Her commitment to her new “found family“ proves more powerful than her programming- but will her drive to please others lead to an unhappy ending? I will recommend this book to fans of Louise O’Neill’s Only Ever Yours and Margaret Atwood’s The Heart Goes Last, as well as anyone who shed tears for Chappie, Wall:E, Atom, and D-O!