The Passage [thoughts]

The Passage by Justin Cronin
Goodreads
Release Date: June 8th 2010
Publisher: Ballantine Book
Series: The Passage #1

Goodreads description: An epic and gripping tale of catastrophe and survival, The Passage is the story of Amy—abandoned by her mother at the age of six, pursued and then imprisoned by the shadowy figures behind a government experiment of apocalyptic proportions. But Special Agent Brad Wolgast, the lawman sent to track her down, is disarmed by the curiously quiet girl and risks everything to save her. As the experiment goes nightmarishly wrong, Wolgast secures her escape—but he can’t stop society’s collapse. And as Amy walks alone, across miles and decades, into a future dark with violence and despair, she is filled with the mysterious and terrifying knowledge that only she has the power to save the ruined world.

Why I read this: I chose The Passage at complete random. I had been reading a lot of YA and I was just in a place where I needed something different. I’ve heard random good things about The Passage in the past and knew it was popular, saw it on Overdrive and took the plunge. It is a long book and a challenging journey, but one I’m glad I took. And shoutout again to Andi from Estella’s Revenge for encouraging me on the journey!

The Passage is sort of about vampires. It revolves around vampires and an apocalyptic end to society. But it’s about a lot more than that, too.  It’s about humanity, love, loyalty, loss, survival, etc etc. It’s a human story, at heart. I don’t think people that are off vampires or usually against them would have many issues with this book, because the vampire aspect is handled a bit differently. They aren’t your typical vampires and it’s very psychological and mental, it makes you think. The way the book is written put me in the mind of World War Z and the first Dark Tower book, The Gunslinger, and made me want to jump into the rest of the series (at the time of writing this, I still haven’t. Oops. Soon though. Soon.)

How I feel about it:

I have all the feelings for The Passage. I don’t even know how to convey them, so this might get a little bit messy. There was so much setup to this world that I was a little bit frustrated by all the details and all the things going on. And some of it felt fragmented to me, but now that I’ve read the whole thing, it makes more sense why certain aspects needed to be that way. I loved the feel of the story from the beginning, but my love of the atmosphere and feel grew as the story progressed. The book begins in modern times and goes through the vampire event, then you read about the time after, where there are survivors and vampires. You don’t get all the details, of why or how, but I suspect more will come in the second book.

This book made me surprisingly emotional and I cried several times for different reasons. Loss, separation, happiness. I was surprised by how much I grew to love the characters and how important they became to me. I was attached. I loved reading about how the problem got started and how humans reacted, but the after and survival aspects were so compelling. It’s interesting reading/watching different types of after-disaster scenarios and seeing how people think the world might react. It looks at human nature and the will to survive. It shows that even in the worst of situations, humans still want to live and love and make things better.

I feel like I could read The Passage again at some point, and it would be really enjoyable on the second/more read. It seems like a book that might be even better when you know what’s going on and can just watch it unfold, knowing which details are important. It’s not one I’m aching to buy, but I hope to pick it up at some point. I want to read The Twelve, I had downloaded it on Overdrive and read a few chapters but I think I might wait a while longer, but I definitely want to see more of these characters and learn more about the world. I recommend it to anyone who likes eerie/gritty, end of society/survival stories with realistic relationships and human experiences but some unrealistic and sort of weird stuff going on too, ha =) 

 

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell [art of wussing and thoughts]

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

goodreads | amazon | book depository

author: website | twitter

Goodreads description: In 2019, humanity finally finds proof of extraterrestrial life when a listening post in Puerto Rico picks up exquisite singing from a planet which will come to be known as Rakhat. While United Nations diplomats endlessly debate a possible first contact mission, the Society of Jesus quietly organizes an eight-person scientific expedition of its own. What the Jesuits find is a world so beyond comprehension that it will lead them to question the meaning of being “human.” Words like “provocative” and “compelling” will come to mind as you read this shocking novel about first contact with a race that creates music akin to both poetry and prayer

Why I picked this book up: Andi from Estella’s Revenge loved it. Her review and video about the book are much better than anything I’ll say here, so you should check them out. I picked it up in October I think, and finished it right around New Years.

Why I wussed: Since the book is separated into different times, you know the outcome of the mission pretty early in the book. Part of the story is getting to know the characters and before the mission, parts are during the mission, and parts are after the return. You find out who survives and who doesn’t early on. (This is a trend with my wussing! With The Book Thief, I knew what would happen to Rudy. I can’t know what will happen or I will pause out!) There was also a very specific part of the story that dealing with hands that had a large part in my pausing.

Why I was determined to finish: I was curious, the writing was lovely and I was attached to all of the characters. I thought about it so much during my time away from it.

Was the wussing justified: Not completely. Everything happens and is what it is, but the book didn’t dwell on certain occasions like I expected it to. What I was really worried about didn’t have as huge of an impact as I expected. I wish I had just read it all the way through and not lost any momentum!

Book thoughts: This book is so lovely and heartbreaking in a “will make you think and think again” way. The characters feel real. The group that goes on the mission are so lovely and have to do something incredibly challenging. The new planet is strange with strange beings and customs. Christian explorers that set out to see more of God’s creation and to learn about them and share knowledge with them. They struggle with so many different things with the inhabitants, and things do not always meet their expectations. Not every member of the team was a believer, there were atheists and agnostics. Every believer on the team had their struggles with faith, including and maybe especially Emilio the Jesuit linguist and center of the story. His faith is challenged exponentially when he is exquisitely happy.

So much of this book made me wonder and examine myself. It’s heartbreaking but so lovely. I think this is definitely a book I want to reread at some point. I’m curious about the sequel Children of God and might check it out at some point.

Again, you should check out what Andi has to say about this book!

Have you read The Sparrow? Does it sound like something you might enjoy?

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill [thoughts]

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon
Release Date: September 3rd 2013
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Series: Al Our Yesterdays #1

Goodreads description: What would you change?

Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain.

Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present—imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside.

Marina has loved her best friend, James, since they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America’s most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James’s life crumbles, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it… at least, not as the girl she once was. Em and Marina are in a race against time that only one of them can win. All Our Yesterdays is a wrenching, brilliantly plotted story of fierce love, unthinkable sacrifice, and the infinite implications of our every choice.

I saw All Our Yesterdays getting a bit of buzz from bloggers, and I like time travel anything. For some reason, even with interest and positive reviews, I wasn’t really super excited about it. However, I was pleasantly surprised!

Em is the main character and she’s in a bad future where time travel is possible. Other versions of herself and a friend named Finn have gone back in time to try to correct/stop something big, but it never works out. She has managed to leave herself clues on what to try next. Along with Finn, she goes back in time to see if one thing she doesn’t want to do will save the future. I really enjoyed how the book was set up with alternating POVs from the same person in different times.

Sometimes I get weird about small details, but I felt like this story kept focus on what happened during the time travel and the story rather than time travel itself. There was some science and paradox talk, but I felt like it worked. There was nothing huge that bugged me, and I didn’t feel like it was too complicated. The situation of trying to change the world before it goes wrong and trying to decide what changes to make and if you can hurt someone you love  if you knew it would make the better place and prevent awful things from happening. It was thought provoking and very interesting.

I liked all of the characters, I was even intrigued by the “bad guy.” Em was determined and I enjoyed her so much. She went through some tough things, but she grew and I liked how the book handled her transition and how she dealt with her feelings for the past and her past self.  I also enjoyed Finn and would have liked even more of him! I think I would have liked a little more of their memories and time together, too. The romance was not the book’s focus, and I liked that, but I was curious about that some parts that were left out and would have liked to get to know them better. While I enjoyed them all, I didn’t really fall in love with any of them.

All Our Yesterdays hooked me early on, and I read most of it in one sitting. It was engrossing, and I kept thinking about it all day after I finished. I wanted more! This is a book I can see myself enjoying again. I would also love to read more of Cristin Terrill’s work and even though I have no idea what the rest of the series will involve, I’m excited about it! I recommend All Our Yesterdays, but especially if you like time travel.

Cristin Terrill‘s website and twitter!

Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund [thoughts]

Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund
Goodreads | Book Depository | Amazon
Release Date: October 15th 2013
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Series: For Darkness Shows the Stars #2, companion novel that can stand alone

Goodreads description: Centuries after wars nearly destroyed civilization, the two islands of New Pacifica stand alone, a terraformed paradise where even the Reduction—the devastating brain disorder that sparked the wars—is a distant memory. Yet on the isle of Galatea, an uprising against the ruling aristocrats has turned deadly. The revolutionaries’ weapon is a drug that damages their enemies’ brains, and the only hope is rescue by a mysterious spy known as the Wild Poppy.

On the neighboring island of Albion, no one suspects that the Wild Poppy is actually famously frivolous aristocrat Persis Blake. The teenager uses her shallow, socialite trappings to hide her true purpose: her gossipy flutternotes are encrypted plans, her pampered sea mink is genetically engineered for spying, and her well-publicized new romance with handsome Galatean medic Justen Helo… is her most dangerous mission ever.

Though Persis is falling for Justen, she can’t risk showing him her true self, especially once she learns he’s hiding far more than simply his disenchantment with his country’s revolution and his undeniable attraction to the silly socialite he’s pretending to love. His darkest secret could plunge both islands into a new dark age, and Persis realizes that when it comes to Justen Helo, she’s not only risking her heart, she’s risking the world she’s sworn to protect.

In this thrilling adventure inspired by The Scarlet Pimpernel, Diana Peterfreund creates an exquisitely rendered world where nothing is as it seems and two teens with very different pasts fight for a future only they dare to imagine.

Across a Star-Swept Sea was on my fall TBR (and yes I’m still working on that!) because I liked For Darkness Shows the Stars. I actually have a post drafted for FDStS but my thoughts were messy and it never really evolved into a publishable review. Hopefully this one will be better!

This book is set in the same post-apocalyptic world as For Darkness Shows the Stars, where there have been wars that reset the population. Genetically modified foods (and I think other genetic modifications) altered human development and caused the Reduced, people who are mentally handicapped. People that abstained from the modifications and are unaffected are generally in power.

In Across a Star-Swept Sea, I will completely admit some of the politics kind of confused me. But, the story is based on the Scarlet Pimpernel, so think French Revolution-ish. Persis Blake is a wealthy friend of the Princess of a Albion, and the island of Galatea is in a state of revolution where the oppressed cured Reduced are now lashing out at anyone that had power, or anyone related to anyone that had power, in vicious ways. Persis Blake interferes with this as Wild Poppy. Justen is a medic from Galatea and doesn’t agree with what is happening, even though he’s grown up on the side that is currently in power. He goes to Albion for help/asylum and meets Persis, who purposely appears to be vapid and flaky. They pretend to be in a relationship. There are a whole lot of aspects to this story that are just really difficult for me to summarize quickly.

I liked Persis! She was smart and self-sacrificing. She worked hard to make a difference and help others. She wasn’t perfect, which made her interesting and realistic. She was also snarky and witty. Justen was interesting, but I don’t feel like I got to know him very well as a character. He was nice and wanted to help people, too. I liked their romance and wanted things to work out, but I didn’t feel extremely invested. I think it just needed more of them spending actual time together for me to feel like it was OMG amazing. I did think they were cute, but I needed more depth.

“Love was magma, shooting from the Earth. It had the potential to form pillars of rock that would last for a thousand years or plumes of ash that choked the sky.”

I already mentioned that there was a bit of confusion. I think that maybe some of the terms used might have been slightly confusing. I think the history of the islands and political groups needed more details, or at least details put together differently. But mainly it seemed to boil down to people not in power wanting power, people in power abusing power, and some people trying to fix things.

There was also a lot of medical stuff and genetic stuff going on that was both interesting and sometimes confusing. There’s a cure for the Reduced but the cure sometimes leads to another sickness. The people of Albion have palm ports, which are kind of like smart phones but are a part of the body, and they have to eat certain things to have energy to use them. They also have genetically engineered animals! Creepy but also cool.

There were also some interesting gender issues going on. I think the society and world operates on a patriarchal system, but a lot of people don’t agree with it. Some people seem to just accept it and others kind of go around it. It wasn’t just that that was the issue though, but the characters discussed the issue. I loved the discussion of it, and that the characters were realizing so many problems in their world and that was one of them.

I enjoyed Across a Star-Swept Sea! It kept me entertained and wanting more. I think it’s one I could probably read again at some point, too! I’m not sure if there are going to be more books set in this world, but I kind of hope so. It’s odd and can be slightly confusing, but I do like it. I do think the characters could use a bit of depth, and I think the romance could use a little bit more. I think you might like Across a Star-Swept Sea if you like dashing lady heroes in disguise and intelligent characters!

Diana Peterfreund‘s website and twitter!

A book I love: The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K Le Guin

The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin, 1971
“George Orr is a man who discovers he has the peculiar ability to dream things into being — for better or for worse. In desperation, he consults a psychotherapist who promises to help him — but who, it soon becomes clear, has his own plans for George and his dreams.

The Lathe of Heaven is a dark vision and a warning — a fable of power uncontrolled and uncontrollable. It is a truly prescient and startling view of humanity, and the consequences of playing God.” from Goodreads

I don’t really want this to be a review. I just want to talk about this book I love. I first read The Lathe of Heaven for a general lit class (that I hated) during my freshman year of college. I don’t actually remember any of the discussion of this book, but I remember falling in love. My copy had been in storage for a few years,and my mom brought it home recently, and I felt the need to revisit it!

So, the Goodreads summary is kind of misleading. I’m going to talk a little about what happens in the book.

George Orr is just an ordinary guy. He works at a simple job. He has no illusions of grandeur. What he does have are dreams. George’s dreams are not usual. George dreams and the world changes. They don’t spur him to action or anything, but his dreams somehow change the makeup of the world itself. They change the physical world. It’s almost like a parallel world or an alternate universe, but instead it’s an altered reality. George doesn’t want to dream and change things. He doesn’t believe anyone should have that ability. He takes a lot of drugs to keep him awake then he changes it up and takes some to knock him out where he doesn’t dream.  Then he takes too many, and he gets sent to therapy.

Dr. Haber seems well-meaning. Once he learns what George can do and experiences it for himself, Haber wants to use this power. He tries to improve the world and his own life. However, George’s mind doesn’t interpret instructions rationally. While trying to make the world perfect, Haber’s use of George’s dreams cause a lot of problems.

George dislikes what his doctor is doing and seeks help from a lawyer named Heather. She doesn’t necessarily believe what George tells her, but she believes the doctor might be doing something wrong. She sets up an observation session and experiences the dream event and Haber’s mistreatment for herself. The world changes around her and she has memories of two different lives. She knows she has to help George find a way out of Haber’s control. She also starts to like George as a person and they make a great connection. They work together to try to find a solution to the Haber problem.

It’s difficult to explain how George’s dreams work in a post, but it’s awesome, in a science fiction-y way, of course. It would be horrible to live with, and it is horrible for George. He’s so stressed out all the time because he has a ridiculous ability that he can’t control. He is guilty of the things his mind does. He has guilt from lives he’s changed that don’t exist anymore. He wants to find a way to stop the madness and drugs are the only way he’s found succesful.

He thinks Haber might be able to help him, but Haber is greedy. I think that Haber believes he wants what is best, but he doesn’t understand the limits and the consequences of what actually happens. He sees that when he makes one positive change several negative changes happen with it, but he keeps trying to make changes one person shouldn’t be allowed to make. He’s trying to be the authority of all existence and it just doesn’t work, even though he has good intentions. He also likes improving his own life in huge, selfish ways.

This book addresses race issues, war, overpopulation, climate issues and more. It was written in 71 and the story takes place around 2000, and a lot of the issues are relevant today and will probably always be relevant. Haber tries to find answers for situations that don’t have easy fixes. The situations take hard work and cooperation, not one man deciding what’s right. George understands that, and he’s never wanted to harness the dreams. He can see the adverse effects of Haber’s will, but it isn’t an easy thing to stop. He isn’t passive though, he definitely tries to find answers and help himself.

It’s not just an issue book though, it’s entertaining. George and Heather are both characters I found myself pulling for and wanting to know better. Heather has walls and walls. She’s the daughter of a white hippie and a “militant Black Power type.” She is angry and strong and this is how she thinks of George when she meets him: “A born victim. Hair like a little girl’s, brown and fine, little blond beard; soft white skin like a fish’s belly; meek, mild, stuttering. Shit! If she stepped on him he wouldn’t even crunch.” I love that, I love how harsh she is. She still believes in her job and wants to help people, but she is formidable. She thinks George is weak (at first), but he isn’t at all. He’s exhausted and has a huge burden. He’s weighed down by so much guilt and stress. I love George a lot, he wants to be happy. He doesn’t want to harm anyone and he wants to just not have to worry anymore.

Sometimes I have issues formatting quotes on WordPress, especially when line breaks and indentions are involved, so sorry if things look weird!

Le Guin’s writing is fantastic. I can’t really find words to write about her writing. It’s engaging and it’s lovely. She writes George’s distress and all of his emotion so well. There’s a scene dealing with Haber’s solution to race issues and it’s so beautiful and painful. I teared up and I wanted to hug George, but then again I wanted to hug him a lot, poor guy.

“Orr was where he had been for months—alone; knowing he was insane and knowing he was not insane, simultaneously and intensely. It was enough to drive him insane.”

This is Heather later in the book, about George again:

“It was more than dignity. Integrity? Wholeness? Like a block of wood not carved.

The infinite possibility, the unlimited and unqualified wholeness of being of the uncommitted, the nonacting, the uncarved: the being who, being nothing but himself, is everything.”

I love this quote so, so much. It was my favorite quote when I read it the first time and I extracted the bolded part and put it on my Facebook and other quote sections.

“In bed, they made love. Love doesn’t just sit there, like a stone, it has to be made, like bread; re-made all the time, made new. When it was made, they lay in each other’s arms, holding love, asleep.”

I should have grabbed more quotes to share how lovely I think the writing is. I don’t have much more to say, but I just love this book. It’s just one of those books that makes me get that good hurt feeling in my chest (I hope other people know that feeling or that will sound stupid).

While it definitely has science fiction aspects, the base of it is something anyone can understand. The dreams, the emotions, the issues and the battle are all things I think anyone would be able to get. I’m sure the book isn’t for everyone and it might be dull to some people. But if it sounds like anything you might like, I really recommend giving it a try! You might just fall in love, like I did.

Ursula K. Le Guin  website

From Goodreads: As of 2013, Ursula K. Le Guin has published twenty-two novels, eleven volumes of short stories, four collections of essays, twelve books for children, six volumes of poetry and four of translation, and has received many awards: Hugo, Nebula, National Book Award, PEN-Malamud, etc.

I’ve only read The Lathe of Heaven and The Telling by Le Guin, but I plan on reading a lot more! I know a lot of people love the Earthsea books and I definitely want to read them.

So, dear reader friends, have you read any of Le Guin’s work? Have you read The Lathe of Heaven? Thoughts? Feelings? Is there a book that gives you good hurt feelings that you want to tell me about? Go for it!

Armchair BEA: Development and Genre Fiction

Thanks to Nina at ninareads.com for the graphic! You can find out more about the awesome online conference Armchair BEA at armchairbea.com!

I always feel late with post that have link-ups because so many people have already done them! I meant to do this earlier, but I was having computer issues.

Development

I’m a new blogger, so I have a lot of development and improvement to work on. I would definitely like to become a part of the community and work with other bloggers. So far I’ve done some memes and commented on other blogs. I would like to have a self-hosted blog at some point. I’m just going to take things as they come and try to be a better blogger!

Genre Fiction

I love genre fiction! I love any book with a good story and characters I can really care about. When I was younger, I really branched out and tried a lot of different genres. As a teenager, I read Robin McKinley, Stephen King, Agatha Christie and Anne McCaffrey. When I got into college, I started trying out more romance. I love Lisa Kleypas and Julia Quinn! Regency Romance books are fun, even when they’re infuriating. I like contemporary romance and paranomal stories, too. I’m not sure I have ever met a genre I didn’t like.

My favorite genre lately is probably fantasy. I really love George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. He’s created a world with so many characters, and all of them are so important. They’re in a fantasy setting, but they deal with realistic problems and you can relate to their feelings. It’s also impressive how many characters I’ve changed my opinions about. There were some characters I absolutely hated in the beginning, and now they’ve become some of my favorite characters. When you start out hating a character but an author shows you what they are like and how they feel and you find yourself loving them, that is just good writing.

I have been a bit hooked on the fantasy genre lately. I’ve also been reading the Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb. I’m on the last book and I’m taking a break because I got a little too invested. I’m also taking a break from The Name of the Wind, which is the first book in The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss. I read Sabriel by Garth Nix and need to finish the rest of the Abhorsen trilogy.

I read genre fiction because I love a variety of worlds and characters. I have never been particular about genres. If a story is engaging and enjoyable, I will read it. I read for enjoyment and an escape, and magic worlds with dragons, a futuristic story in space, and ballgowns and romance are all enjoyable to me.

  I’m not sure why genre fiction books don’t get as much respect. If people can connect to a story, I think that should be enough.

I feel like I probably rambled. Hopefully it makes enough sense! I’m excited to read other posts about development and genre fiction! Maybe I can pick up some recommendations!

Book Review: Insignia by S.J. Kincaid

Insignia by S.J. Kincaid
Goodreads|BookDepository
Release Date: July 10th 2012
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Series: Insignia #1
Rating: 

Goodreads description:More than anything, Tom Raines wants to be important, though his shadowy life is anything but that. For years, Tom’s drifted from casino to casino with his unlucky gambler of a dad, gaming for their survival. Keeping a roof over their heads depends on a careful combination of skill, luck, con artistry, and staying invisible.

Then one day, Tom stops being invisible. Someone’s been watching his virtual-reality prowess, and he’s offered the incredible—a place at the Pentagonal Spire, an elite military academy. There, Tom’s instincts for combat will be put to the test, and if he passes, he’ll become a member of the Intrasolar Forces, helping to lead his country to victory in World War Three. Finally, he’ll be someone important: a superhuman war machine with the tech skills that every virtual-reality warrior dreams of. Life at the Spire holds everything that Tom’s always wanted—friends, the possibility of a girlfriend, and a life where his every action matters—but what will it cost him?

Gripping and provocative, S. J. Kincaid’s futuristic thrill ride of a debut crackles with memorable characters, tremendous wit, and a vision of the future that asks startling, timely questions about the melding of humanity and technology.

So Tom is a bit of a loser. His dad is a paranoid gambler who moves Tom around from casino to casino. Tom hustles money through virtual games. He’s so good at virtual games that he’s recruited to go the elite training academy. He gets to train to be a part of a popular virtual fighting army that he’s always watched on TV and possibly become a hero. Tom lives to be important and with the new school and training comes a validation he’s never experienced. He also makes connections and friendships. This opportunity completely changes his life but there are downsides (dun dun dun).

I liked seeing the kids interact with each other in the school setting and that there were still typical stereotypes in this unique situation of superhuman improvements. There were still popular kids and nerdy outcasts despite how much technology changed them. Tom is believable as a teenage male–he’s arrogant but self-conscious. He has friends, crushes, and enemies. Sometimes I really liked him and thought he was funny: his antics with Vik and their arguing felt real and made me chuckle. But I also got annoyed with him and felt like he needed smacked, which is probably par for the course with a 14-year-old guy. Sadly, while I enjoyed some characters the only one I really connected with was Wyatt, the geeky girl genius. I wanted to know more about her!

The virtual gaming parts of the book were entertaining. I liked reading about them in virtual past and training with simulated historical figures. The technology along with the abuse of it was alarming but thought-provoking. The control and the risk of being controlled were intense. The dystopian aspects of the government, with the corporations and their alliances and food and water control were interesting but something about it felt strange to me.

I didn’t quite get the point of the World War III, which is being fought in space by teenagers in virtual reality. Nobody dies or loses anything but equipment, so it all seems a little pointless to me. Not that I would rather people die, but it felt like the whole thing was a big chess game, which kind of made me wonder why they bothered at all. If it was all equipment handled by teenagers, why not just actually battle through games? They could just play a game to see who would win and then there’d be no loss at all.

I liked this book but towards the end I got impatient and kind of just wanted it to be over. I don’t really have anything negative to say about it but I think it just didn’t clicked for me. I think it was a personal issue and I can see why other readers would enjoy it. At this point, I’m not sure if I’ll read the next book in the series. I am interested to see how the world and characters develop but I think I’ll have to wait and see what the next one is about. I might read it just to see more of Wyatt!

Check out the author’s blog and twitter!