The Infinity Particle by Wendy Xu tells the tale of a young girl named Clementine, aka Clem, as she makes her way from Earth to Mars to work under the great Dr. Lin - an Artificial Intelligence pioneer. Clem has been following Lin's work since she lived on Earth and is thrilled to finally get the chance to meet her, but her interest soon veers once she meets Lin's personal AI, Kye.

It's not abnormal for folks in Mars to have AIs. In fact, everyone seems to have one, including Clem. However, it is odd for someone to have a humanoid AI. But as Clem begins to learn more about both Dr. Lin and Kye, she'll soon learn that not everything is what it appears to be.

The Infinity Particle is a stunning book. Not only is the artwork beautiful, but the story itself is also rather captivating. I've always been interested in the concept of what makes us human. (I wrote an entire book series based on Programs and humanity.) So, I was immediately hooked once I began reading The Infinity Particle. But what kept me reading through to the end was the way Xu handled both Clem's story and Kye's. This isn't merely a story about Kye and his humanity. It's far more complex than that. There are so many layers. So many twists. It's a thrilling ride with a heck of a conclusion.

With that said, The Infinity Particle won't necessarily be for everyone. Those that take issue with Marvel's Scarlet Witch and Vision entering into a relationship will more than likely not enjoy the romantic aspect of The Infinity Particle. Which is entirely understandable, of course. But readers that are able to look beyond that will find a story that has no issue asking its readers just what it is that makes us human.

Didn't grab me. Could easily take or leave the characters and premise. The soft coloring felt faded and made it easy to slide over th4e images. Felt like I'd seen much of this before.

This book is so cute! I loved the art style and how the story progressed. I loved Mooncakes and this one topped that one! I can’t wait to add it to my collection.

I absolutely adored this sweet little story. It tackles some difficult topics beautifully. Kye and Clem’s relationship felt a little rushed, but maybe I just wanted to see even more of them together. I wish the backstories of everyone had been slightly fleshed out as well.

Overall, I highly recommend this and will define purchasing a physical copy upon release.

This is a very sweet story that inspires questions about consciousness, love, and humanity. Clem, SEMA, and Kye are wonderful, fleshed-out characters depicted by Xu with such love. It did feel a little short and predictable -- I wish there was a little more depth to the story or some subplots to add more intrigue.

Clementine Chang has landed her dream job on Mars with Dr. Marcella Lin, working on Artificial Intelligence. On her first day of work, she meets Dr. Lin’s AI assistant, Kye, who is modeled after humans. Clem is used to robots, but she can tell that there’s something different about Kye. Something that seems more human than most robots.

As Kye and Clem start to collaborate on a project, it’s clear that there is chemistry there. However, Dr. Lim isn’t happy about Kye’s new desire for independence and tries to interfere. But Kye also causes Clem to question everything she knows about AI. If Kye has emotions, where does that draw the line between AI and humans? And doesn’t that mean that Kye should be able to make his own choices?

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for an advanced copy of The Infinity Particle by Wendy Xu to review! Wendy Xu is a favorite graphic novel creator of mine, and I couldn’t wait to read this one. So happy that it lived up to all my expectations.

It feels like, in the last couple of years, there has been an insurgence in fiction that focuses on AI and robots and how they relate to humanity. Not to say that hasn’t existed before, but I’ve just noticed so much more of it recently. It’s such an interesting subject to explore, especially as we think about emotions and characterization and humanity in general.

The art in this book is breathtaking, as is to be expected from Wendy Xu. There are just some really gorgeous panels and pages, with such an interesting color palette. I loved the way Xu used the format and the colors to portray emotions, and to portray the changes that were happening in Kye throughout the book. It just worked so well.

The characters were also well-developed and rounded out, even some of the side characters. Personally, I think this could be a series, because I would totally keep reading about Kye and Clementine. They could even go on adventures in space! I would totally be down with reading that.

All in all, I absolutely loved this graphic novel, and I can’t wait for more people to read it come August.

84%

A very cute romance set on future Mars - with AI that have the potential to develop consciousness. It was a bit cryptic at times, but I actually didn't mind because it made it feel more human; usually as a reader I like being on the outside looking in, knowing things the characters don't, but in this case I enjoyed the random moments of humanness presented by both humans and AI.

I loved SENA and the library that utilized owls picking information leaves off of a tree.

This was such a good graphic novel! It's one of the best ones I've read this year. I was instantly engaged and sucked into the story and remained that way the entire time. The AI creatures were super cute and the question of what makes someone human / conscious was fascinating. I really loved how Clem treated the AI creatures equally and was respectful and polite to them, and how Kye loved plants and was slowly breaking away from the mold he was created in.

The illustrations were cute and fun. I like the monochromatic line drawings. The characters' faces were very expressive and they all had so much personality. The "I am a GRAD STUDENT!" kid was really funny and added so much humor to the story when he popped in.

*Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Childrens' Books, and Quill Tree Books for providing an early copy for review.

Lovely, strange, and charming. I love the imagined world and the technology, though I'd like more of the romance/backstories.

What a beautiful graphic novel! The story is so touching and the art is mesmerizing.

I think the ideas they explored in this story of AI consciousness and autonomy and the ethics of creating conscious beings is not only intriguing, but important for us to explore as a society. Particularly, as a society that is developing technology headed in that direction. I think this graphic novel can serve as a great conversation starter for conversations of that nature.

In addition to being a touching and thought provoking story, the art is visually engaging and comforting. I especially loved the visuals used to show the inner workings of Kye’s programming/hardware.

The Infinity Particle is a beautiful and enjoyable read!

I loved the chemistry between Clem and Kyle and the way both of the dealing wit abuse from their mothers led to them falling in love with each other. It was a quick and enjoyable read. I’ll definitely be looking at more books by this author.

I sadly dnfed this. I guess it just wasn't for me. I really tried. But the graphics were good! I think this would be good someone else though!

This story was so cute and heartfelt that I highly recommend anyone to read this. Clementine was such a great main character that once I found out her backstory and how she got to Mars, I felt for her and wanted nothing but happiness. Kye, I knew I would like this character a lot, and in the end, I'm glad that he got the happy ending he deserved. The friendship between Clementine and SENA is so cute, and I'm glad they have each other. Without giving any spoilers, this story is worth the read and I will be re-reading this again

What a great graphic novel about finding independence--and safety-- after abuse from the cocreator of Mooncakes. A girl with a gift for AI leaves Earth to work with her favorite scientist on Mars. But the Dr isn't who she expected her to be, and her robot assistant is in desperate need of a friend. As Clem and Kye grow closer, they navigate their growing feelings for each other and the trauma of being raised by an abusive parent. Great story, stunning artwork.

This book takes on AI, which is something that is a very hot topic currently. The book is set on Mars, though our main character is originally from Earth. The way AI manifests in this book is in a very helpful, friendly possibility.

This is sooo cute and I want a little robot friend!! Also the AI ethics stuff is interesting or whateverrr but also: cute lil robot friends!!

In a Nutshell: An interesting graphic novel about the relationship between an inventor and a lifelike humanoid. Covers interesting themes. Needed more explanation for some plot points. But a good read nonetheless.

Story Synopsis:
Aspiring scientist Clementine Chang has newly moved to Mars for a fresh start, and is keen to begin her new job working with her idol Dr. Marcella Lin, an AI pioneer. Lin’s humanoid AI assistant named Kye is proof of how skilled she is. Clem herself has a little AI companion named SENA, who is somewhat moth-shaped.
Clem and Kye hit it off with a great friendship, which creates trouble with Lin. The trouble are further worsened after Kye starts suffering glitches after his interactions with Clem.
What is behind Kye’s glitches? Will Clem be able to continue with her dream job after risking so much for Kye?


Bookish Yays:
✔ A compelling plot that is quite intricate for a YA graphic novel.
✔ Women characters working in STEM! In a non-superhero graphic novel! High time!
✔ The various AI robots, who range from cute to hunk. SENA and Kye are both wonderful characters, and through them, the plot raises many interesting questions about the rights of AI humanoids. The ethical dilemmas are highlighted well.
✔ Though mainly focussed on AI, the technological aspects of the plot don’t overwhelm.
✔ The use of Mars as a setting. The story could have made better use of this, but even as is, it was fun to see how humans have colonised Mars in this alternate reality.
✔ A comprehensive library, with library owls! If there’s one thing from the story I wish came true in real life, it would be the library owls.
✔ The illustrations. For some reason, the sketches use mostly the blue and white colour palette, with a few exceptions in skin tone for some panels. The lack of garish colours serves to highlight certain important sequences in the plot.
✔ First time that I have seen a hijabi character getting a place of prominence in a graphic novel plot without any reference to her race or religion. That’s how inclusivity is best portrayed – by making it seem routine.


Bookish Nays:
⚠ The writing jumps over a lot of important events, especially in the backstories. This makes the current dilemma of all the three main characters seem vague and hurried, and also leads to an equally hasty resolution. This was a major problem.
⚠ Clem and Kye develop a healthy, organic relationship based on understanding than on insta attraction, which would have been really weird in this case. But they reach the “I love you” stage too soon. More confusingly, there are no questions or insecurities about the future of such a relationship. It seems to proceed and to be accepted too smoothly.

All in all, this was an entertaining graphic novel with lots of light moments as well as food for thought. If there had been a better explanation of the backstories of the three main characters, the book would have worked even better for me. Still, a good one for graphic novel enthusiasts. The writing is aimed at the older-YA and NA age group.

4 stars.

My thanks to HarperCollins Children's Books and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Infinity Particle”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

This book is BEAUTIFUL! I’ve loved Wendy Xu’s work before but woW wOw WOW! Incredibly lovely storytelling. The world-building is well balanced - not overwhelming but detailed enough to get a sense of how robotics/AI fit into the culture - and most of it is done through the artwork which is great. Wendy also got some good jabs at modern capitalism in there.

The characters are fascinating - Clem and Kye are easy to adore. They have unique histories that help them understand each other deeply. They’re both gentle souls trying to navigate a world that they love despite not always having been good to them. They have quiet but emotional scenes together that make their connection really heart-warming.

“You and I are the same, Kye. I’m just made of more organic matter.”

It’s difficult to put into words how lovely this book is so maybe I’ll come back to this review after a reread. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy to read! Im so excited to get the physical book!

I enjoyed this graphic novel. I didn't think at first it would pull me in, but I definitely got pulled in and completed it in one sitting. I do feel like it was wrapped up quickly, but maybe that's just because I was pulled into the characters and wanted more, lol!

This. Was. So. Good. I got this because I liked Wendy Xu’s previous graphic novel… and I will definitely be reading everything she creates from now on. The art is gorgeous and the story is so sweet. I definitely will be adding this to my personal library.

Thank you NetGalley, Wendy Xu, and the publisher for an eARC of book! All opinions are my own.