I received an advance copy through NetGalley.

I'll be honest: I like it when my sci-fi has some horror elements, and when it's focused on technology, I love it when it's so unsettlingly plausible and familiar that it is almost a distraction.

That being said... This book was INCREDIBLE.

The first chapters set a familiar near-future tone that's hard not to recognize... but once you settle in with the pattern of flashback chapters and present tense survival horror, the game truly begins. In a dizzying kaleidoscope of teeth-grittingly nerve wracking scenes between the startup squad who've survived a plane crash on a remote island after a huge success for the company, your journey as a reader becomes increasingly less safe, less obvious, less comfortable. But you won't be able to stop reading. You have suspicions, yes, but no proof. And what's this thing that keeps getting danced around? One reveal happens, and you're stunned. You keep going to the next reveal; a shock to your senses.

You're in it now. And you'll absolutely NEVER guess the truth. At least, not the whole truth.

My god this was disturbing. I absolutely loved it.

I’m not sure if it was the style of writing (so many similes and metaphors to describe everything), or the impractical nature of the plot and character actions choices, but this one missed the mark for me. I had a hard time understanding what was happening in the beginning, which set me off on the wrong foot. Also they got over being in a plane crash and losing coworkers REALLY fast and abruptly.

Love the cover though!

I so hate giving poor reviews on netgalley, but I have to here. I'm so lost by the other reviews. I found this book so boring, the time jumps added absolutely nothing to the story, and the climax was.. not? Not surprising at all and just meh. Written well enough that somehow it kept my d attention to keep reading, but wish I had DNFed.

This phenomenol novel is crreepy, grippy, thrilling and all too scary. I almost can't believe what I read!

I picked it up because of the summary - A group of employees and their CEO, celebrating the sale of their remarkable emotion-mapping-AI-algorithm, crash onto a not-quite-deserted tropical island.

I thought it might be fun, a little thrilling but it was absolutely and incredibly mind-blowingly scary. Kristen is our heroine and her backstory is incredibly interesting and unique. It may be why. Sumter, a very Elon-Musky, billionaire baffoonish man has hired her as his right -hand-woman. They work well together and her skill set allows her to continue to lead the team after a devastating plane crash and massive loss of life.

When they find a hotel, a mansion, or a palace filled with all of the food they need, Kristen knows there has to be more to the story. While she flashes back to her history, and her very limited life outside of the company we begin to get a better picture of who Kristen really is and what she might be able to do in this scenario

If you like Hitchcock, Highsmith, Vacations-gone-wrong or speculative fiction then this is a MAJOR GEM for you. I might just read it again now, but with the light left on.
#tor #madelineashby #glasshouse

"Glass Houses" by Madeline Ashby is a dark thriller set in the near future, teeming with advanced technology, both real and imagined. As a fan of such books, I was eager to delve into its pages.

The story follows a group of start-up team members led by their eccentric billionaire boss, CEO Sumter. They embark on a trip to celebrate the sale of their emotion-mapping AI algorithm but find themselves stranded on a deserted tropical island after their autonomous airplane crashes. Among the ten survivors are Sumter and his right-hand assistant, Kristen, who holds the position of 'chief emotional officer. On the island, they stumble upon an AI-driven mansion filled with secrets and advanced technology. While grappling with their situation and attempting to enter the house, Kristen does her best to keep tensions low and people safe.

I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery, reminiscent of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None," the "Big Brother" vibes, and the array of fascinating technology depicted in the story. Understanding the tech isn't necessary to enjoy the book; being a sci-fi enthusiast, I had no issue with it. The title aptly captures the essence of the book and "Glass House Effect," and the cleverly imagined dark plot keeps you on the edge of your seat as tension mounts.

The narrative unfolds through dual timelines, before and after the crash, narrated in the third person from Kristen's perspective. We come to know Kristen and several other characters intimately, although the more I learned about her, the less I found her likable. Indeed, most characters are rather unlikable, yet this didn't hinder my enjoyment of the tale or my curiosity about their survival chances.

The book delves into the depths of the human psyche, exploring themes such as PTSD, obsession, gender dynamics in male-dominated industries, the erosion of privacy in the age of social media, and the ramifications of broadcasting one's life to the world. I don't have a smart home system in my home, and after reading this book I won't get one...

My only grievances with the book were the occasional unrealistic behaviors of the survivors, the petty quarrels, and a few awkward descriptions and imagery (such as those concerning bandages) that neither made sense nor added to the story; The book is better off without them. Nevertheless, I found the book enjoyable and rate it 4 out of 5 stars. I recommend it to fans of the genre seeking an original albeit dark read.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc. All opinions are my own.

I read science fiction very rarely, but this one was calling my name.

Starting off with a bang… uh.. plane crash, we meet a group of people who’ve created an AI startup as they find themselves stranded on an island. Luckily they find a state of the art house, fully stocked and fully abandoned…

This was smart people doing really, ridiculous, stupid stuff. We have one person trying to keep the peace, but at what cost?!? This was fast paced and incredibly entertaining.

A plane crash on a deserted island. A strange glass house. Survivors are disappearing. This is the set up for this fast paced near future thriller.
An entertaining page turner. 4 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.


I

It's the near future, and a plane full of tech start-up employees has crashed on an abandoned island. Well, abandoned except for the huge tech-mansion whose door only opens when a man touches it.

Wait, back up. It's the nearer future, and Kristen works for a Canadian tech start-up which is trying to sell some impossible to make design that involves monetizing human emotion. Her boss is in love with her, her coworkers are suspicious of her, and she's hooking up with a spy who she occasionally meets in other countries. The planet is dying, and so are plenty of other people.

Wait, back up again. It's a very near future, and Kristen has survived the house fire that killed her parents. It was started when her father's bitcoin business hit big, overloading his basement set-up. Even in the hospital, Kristen is hounded by her family's fans and foes. Lots of people are influencers in this future, and Kristen has been one against her will all of her life. She has PTSD around surveillance and entrapment.

Pretty great concept for a thriller, which is absolutely what this is no matter what marketing you've seen. I only gave it four stars because I'm tired of people getting away with things that nobody should get away with. Then again, even though Kristen is not a great person and neither is anybody else in this book, I was rooting for her to win.

Glass Houses, set in the near future, had all the makings of a great mystery. It started with the crash of an autonomous airplane onto a deserted island and the survivors finding their way into a large glass mansion. There are two timelines, one during the time on the island and one for the time before the flight. However, there was a lot of technology in this book. Most of this tech made little to no sense to me and I have no idea if it is even real. Not understanding any of the tech and the amount of it was a major drawback, but if you can skip over those parts it was an interesting story.

My copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to the the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review it.

Wuv (maybe the worst name ever), an AI algorithm for emotions has been sold for big bucks and the team, including billionaire CEO Sumter, is on a trip to celebrate. Unfortunately there is a plane crash into an island. The good news is this island has a fully stocked, deserted mansion, filled with tech updates. The house also has some secrets.

Kristen, the “chief emotional officer” (previously known as HR, and really Sumter’s right hand) is trying to keep everyone going, and that includes keeping everyone alive. And that’s going to take everything she’s got.

Well, first you have to get over the ridiculous premise, and then supposedly smart people keep doing stupid things. But it wasn’t a terrible book and I kept turning the pages.

The error suspense in this book is what I loved the most about it. It was a slow burn but still very much a page turner. I really liked the characters arcs too