Cool concept, mixed execution

Dot Slash Magic caught my attention with its unique premise—blending coding with spellcasting is such a fun and modern idea! Liz Shipton clearly has a creative vision, and I appreciated how fresh and different this book felt from the usual urban fantasy fare.

Pros:
• The tech-magic hybrid concept is original and intriguing, especially for readers who love both fantasy and digital culture.
• The protagonist has a relatable voice, and the internal monologue often added some much-needed humor and heart.
• Some scenes were genuinely clever and offered a nice twist on classic magical tropes.

Cons:
• The worldbuilding felt a little underexplored. I wanted more grounding in how the magic system worked and how it fit into the broader world.
• The pacing was uneven—some parts dragged while others rushed through important plot points or emotional beats.
• Character development was a bit thin, especially for the supporting cast, making it harder to feel invested in the stakes.

Overall, this book has some great ideas and moments of brilliance, but it didn’t fully land for me. That said, I’d still be curious to see where Shipton takes the concept next—it definitely has series potential with some refinement.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC.

This book was not for me. I had high hopes because it had a cat on the front and the concept sounded fun, but it just didn't work for me. 

I was intrigued by the concept of the magic system, but I didn't actually like the way it worked. 

I didn't like the characters and so many scenes felt like the author was just preaching at me about various things. 

I'm sure there'll be people who'll like this, but the whole vibe of this book just really didn't work for me.

I'm kind of torn, because I really liked this book, and really did not.
This is a modern tale of magic x technology, friendship, finding yourself, rediscovery. There were some areas where I kept wondering "what happened to xyz" and never found out. Like the MC was complaining of her Mom bugging her about coming for Thanksgiving, the next part is December. These folks are all in college, but nobody goes regularly. Other parts were extremely long-winded - the battle towards the end, ugh, I ended up skimming through much of it.
I enjoyed most of this story, until the last part. It felt like too many tropes. I went into this thinking "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" meets "Harry Potter" but it kind of ended up "Cloud Cuckoo Land"?! I like all of those! But wrapped into one 400 page version, I'm not too sure.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

.dot/slash(magic) by Liz Shipton - UF late-bildungsroman, very moderately spicy, with queer & trans secondary characters. Magic computer programming: but what if AI training? Fun, well written, would definitely read a sequel if I saw it. Out August 19th. #eARC #NetGalley