Review – Catfishing on CatNet (CatNet, Book 1) by Naomi Kritzer (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Science Fiction/Thriller
Length: 299 pages
Publisher:‎ Tor Teen
Release Date: November 19, 2019
ASIN: B07GVCGGR2
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the CatNet series
Source: Borrowed ebook from Kindle Unlimited
Rating: 4/5 stars

“Because her mom is always on the move, Steph hasn’t lived anyplace longer than six months. Her only constant is an online community called CatNet—a social media site where users upload cat pictures—a place she knows she is welcome. What Steph doesn’t know is that the admin of the site, CheshireCat, is a sentient A.I.

When a threat from Steph’s past catches up to her and ChesireCat’s existence is discovered by outsiders, it’s up to Steph and her friends, both online and IRL, to save her.”

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the CatNet series. I borrowed this on ebook from Kindle Unlimited

Thoughts: I ended up really enjoying this book. It is a fast-paced and intriguing YA thriller/mystery with some sci-fi components. It was entertaining and easy to read, and I enjoyed the characters and the ideas in here.

Steph and her mom have been on the run from Steph’s violent father for Steph’s whole life. Steph’s only constant companionship is an online community called CatNet. However, at the new town her mom and her move to, things are different. There are people here she actually enjoys hanging out with and she also finds out the admin of CatNet is a sentient AI called CheshireCat. When Steph’s mom gets sick, Steph is forced to confront her past and, with the help of CheshireCat, she might even survive it.

The book alternates POV between Steph and CheshireCat. This was a very well done thriller/mystery. Initially, the story is really driven by the fact that Steph and her mom are trying to escape this evil person. You don’t know much about him or what is really going on. Steph starts to unravel the mystery of her father, and it’s very engaging and intriguing. I loved the twists and turns the plot took and really enjoyed Steph as a character and was rooting for her right away.

I also really enjoyed the online community that Steph is part of; it had such a cozy and supportive feel to it. I loved watching Steph develop some in person relationships as well and loved how she worked to pull everyone together into a safe space. A lot of this book is about supporting your friends and helping each other feel happy and safe, and I loved that.

Of course a big of element of this book is the sentient AI, CheshireCat. This brings up some good food for thought around sentient AIs. None of this was super groundbreaking, but it interesting to get a look into the AI’s thought processes especially around questions of morality. CheshireCat wants to help their friends from CatNet but they also have to be careful in the way they justify possibly hurting others in the process of doing that.

The writing was really well done; it flowed well, was engaging, and easy to read. I enjoyed where this book ended and am excited to read this second, and final, book in the series.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I really enjoyed this book. The characters are well done, and I love the way they support each other. The plot keeps you guessing and is fast-paced. I loved the intriguing sci-fi elements woven and how they were realted to the sentient AI. This was an engaging, easy read that made me think some. I am really looking forward to reading the sequel “Chaos on CatNet”.