Swoon Thursday (#108): Etherworld by Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam

Swoon Thursday is a hot meme hosted by the fabulous ladies at YA Bound!

- From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering

- Try to make the swoon excerpt 140 characters (or less), if you are going to tweet about it. Use the hashtag #YABOUND when tweeting

This week, my swoon is Etherworld by Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam!

I stand on my tiptoe, and soon we're kissing, our lips moving in perfect unison. I drag my fingers lightly up and down his back and shoulders as the tip of his tongue touches mine. He cradles my face in one hand while the other grabs my waist, pulling me toward him so that every part of us is together. His mouth moves away from my lips and trails down my neck toward my collarbone. I arch my back, take the bottom of his T-shirt, and begin to pull it up.

- ARC, page 256

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Elusion review | Etherworld review


Check out my first Science in Fiction post, featuring Etherworld!

Review: Etherworld by Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam

Etherworld by Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam

Book Two of the Elusion series

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Publication Date: March 31, 2015
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

In this sequel to Elusion, three teens fight a virtual reality program that threatens to destroy their minds. Dangerous secrets and lies add up to a thrilling futuristic fantasy with an Inception-inspired twist.

Elusion was hailed as an exciting leap in technology—until users began to disappear amid rumors of addiction. Regan’s search for the truth led her and her new love interest, Josh, to Etherworld. Etherworld is a dimension hidden deep beyond Elusion's firewall, where players can hide, and ultimately fight back. Regan's father and others are here working to destroy Etherworld, but the longer they stay the less likely they'll be able to return to the real world alive.

Escape means attacking Elusion from within the program. It's dangerous and it’s a puzzle. And even if they manage it, how will they be able to stop Orexis from distributing Elusion to the masses when the people who run it are corrupt?

What I Liked:

I really enjoyed this book! This duology was pretty amazing, if I may say so myself. I'm a huge fan of science fiction, high stakes, simple romance - and gorgeous book covers! So you could say that I personally hit the jackpot with this series. Also, I've met Cheryl Klam in September 2014 (she gave me a gorgeous signed ARC of this book!), and she's amazing! I have no doubt that Claudia is just as wonderful and kind. Anyway. On to the review!

Etherworld picks up where Elusion left off. Regan, Josh, Regan's father, and a group of teenagers are stuck in Etherworld, a type of safe place within Elusion in which users (of the Elusion app) can hide. Regan's father is currently in Etherworld and leads Regan and Josh there. With the group of teenagers (including Josh's sister Nora), Regan, Josh, and Regan's father try to take down Etherworld - and Elusion. 

But Etherworld is not so easy to destroy, and neither is Elusion. Regan is pulled from Etherworld when Patrick drags her out and wakes her up. Thinking she has nanopsychosis, he takes her to the hospital against her will. Regan will stop at nothing to get her father, Josh, and other users out of Etherworld, and destroy Elusion for good. But there are greater factors, more powerful players at work. Lives are at stakes in a virtual world that has its claws deeply entrenched in a futuristic society.

What a fascinating concept, virtual reality. Be sure to check out my "Science in Fiction" post for Etherworld - I discussed the pros and cons of virtual reality. In Elusion/Etherworld, the virtual world of Elusion is a tempting and scary one. It is paradise, because you can go to this magical wonderful place and seem and feel so happy. But people get addicted to the world, and there are serious health effects to using the app for a long time. The app wasn't meant to be used all the time, often, for long periods of time. 

Just like in Elusion, Etherworld moved rapidly. The beginning is a bit slow, but probably to me, because I didn't remember some specific things that happened in Elusion, so I had to drag through the beginning of this book, and things started returning. The authors did a great job of recapping events briefly and sporadically, so that feeble brains (such as my own) don't get confused. I appreciated that!

I really liked the characters in this book/series. Regan is a likable heroine, and it's easy to root for her. She's stuck in some difficult situations in this book, and I wanted to shake her for not trying harder to get out of the hospital (I mean, she definitely worked hard to get out, but from the start, not really). She's so loyal to her friends and family, and this is both a good thing and sometimes, a bad thing. She trusted Patrick with the information she found in Etherworld, and he turned around and took her to the hospital. So, loyal and trusting is a good and bad thing.

Josh is sweet and protective as always. Regan's father is overworked and stress as usual, but it scares Regan. When Regan comes back to the real world, she also starts looking for her father's body. Someone (Patrick's mother) is keeping her father alive, and trapped in Elusion (Etherworld, really). 

I always felt bad for Patrick, and I disliked him a bit in the first half of this book, but by the end of this book, I liked him. He's a product of loyalty and trust towards his family (like Regan), but unfortunately for him, his family was on the wrong side of things. Patrick grows significantly in this book, and makes his own decisions and stands for them. 

The romance is so sweet and lovely! No love triangle, as I mentioned in my review of Elusion. Josh and Regan have a tender relationship, but sparks definitely fly in this book. I kind of wanted more from the romance in this book, but at the same time, I liked the simplicity.

The end... the end of another series. I liked the end of this book a lot. It was a little bit cookie-cutter perfect, but I'd rather that than an everyone-dies-and-the-romance-is-ruined type of ending! 

What I Did Not Like:

I mentioned that I wanted more from the romance in this book! Not a huge deal, and definitely not a major dislike or anything, but I thought the story could benefit just a smidgen more from more scenes with just Regan and Josh. I feel like there was more romance in Elusion, which is fine, but I guess since they're officially together at the end of Elusion, there would be more romance in this book. But that's okay.

Would I Recommend It:

I really liked this book - and series! And it's a duology (versus trilogy or something more), so that's pretty nice, in terms of waiting. I love science fiction, and the concept of virtual reality is definitely a hotly debated one. It's nice to see authors bring these controversial scientific topics to Young Adult literature, in my opinion. Anyway. Yes, I would recommend this book. Series.

Rating:

4 stars. A wonderful conclusion to a thrilling and thought-provoking science fiction series! I'm so glad I read this series. And hey, an added benefit is the BEAUTIFUL covers!

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Check out my "Science in Fiction" post for Etherworld - I discussed virtual reality!

Science in Fiction (#1): Etherworld by Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam

Welcome to this month's Science in Fiction feature! Science in Fiction is a meme I created to showcase the wonderful aspects of science in Young Adult fiction novels. For more information and previous feature, check out the "Science in Fiction" tag!

This month, I'm featuring Etherworld by Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam!

Goodreads | Giveaway | Elusion review

This is the sequel to Elusion, and the conclusion to the duology. The Elusion series digs into the concept of virtual reality, and the dangers and consequences related to it. 

So today, I'm going to talk about virtual reality!

Let's define it, shall we?

Merriam-Webster:
an artificial world that consists of images and sounds created by a computer and that is affected by the actions of a person who is experiencing it.

Dictionary.com:
a realistic simulation of an environment, including three-dimensional graphics, by a computer system using interactive software and hardware.

NASA:
to have the effect of concrete existence without actually having concrete existence.


Virtual reality is a difficult concept to define. In Elusion, we're dealing with an app that was created for people to relax and be on a virtual vacation. The app Elusion is highly addictive, and people start to take drugs to allow their brains to keep them in Elusion for longer periods of time, which is extremely dangerous. It's like being stuck in your own video game - except it was a paradise, so no one really wanted to leave.

The concept of virtual reality isn't entirely new in Young Adult literature. One of my favorite series, the Under the Never Sky trilogy by Veronica Rossi, includes technology that isn't quite like Elusion, but deals with a virtual world. 

Virtual reality is rapidly developing. Oculus and Google have products that are basically virtual reality apps. So, virtual reality is becoming "a thing", right? Surely it can't (and won't) be that bad? Except that, like we can see in the Elusion series, it's possible to become addicted to virtual reality. It can become confusing to tell what is real and what is not. 

Here are dangers related to virtual reality:

- Time: syncing up time in real and virtual worlds isn't all that easy. In Elusion/Etherworld, Regan often marvels at how she is in Elusion for quite some time, but returns to the real world and an hour or less has passed. I imagine this would be highly confusing.

- A world built on algorithms: think about your computer - doesn't it malfunction sometimes? You can't connect to the Internet? The computer is loading slowly? The screen glitches? The sound isn't working, randomly? All these little errors are really inconsequential (unless there is a bigger problem at hand), and go away pretty quickly. But imagine placing yourself into a WORLD, built on technology and algorithms. The tiniest glitch in the system could mean anything. It could mean nothing. Or it could mean the system collapsing while you're in it. I'm not an expert on virtual reality, so I wouldn't know what happens after that...

- You're physically connecting your body and brain to something: virtual reality is all about using your senses to take you somewhere else, somewhere in your mind. It sounds great, but bottom line, you're letting something invade your mind. Willingly, but nonetheless. Perhaps the marketed goal of virtual reality is to provide an escape for people. But administrators of the program have access to your privacy, no? Personally, I imagine it's like the government spying on your phone conversations. Except it doesn't have to be the government. On that vein...

- Anyone can hack a program/app: has your Twitter been hacked? Your Facebook? You know of anyone who has had either of those hacked? I think Taylor Swift was a recent victim of hacking. I wouldn't want someone to hack into a program that syncs with my mind. My memories. My thoughts. This is pure extrapolation on my part, but with the way technology is going, it's not far from possible.

- All of the dangers already associated with video games: lack of physical social life/skills. Physiological addiction to dopamine, a chemical released in your brain that is often released after playing a video game. Loss of interest in real-life activities (as a basic example, think of how much time you spend on your computer or on your phone...)

(There are plenty more dangers/risks/consequences. Really, we could be here for a while. I've barely made a dent in the health effects.)


Why is virtual reality a good thing?

- Education: you could learn a language through virtual reality, I'm sure. People could use virtual reality programs to study new exercise routines. That sort of thing.

- It's fun: a new type of entertainment/recreation! What's not to like!

- You could try things you might not try in real life: if you can't die in a virtual world (I'm skeptical of this statement though), then why not try something you're afraid of? Go bungee jumping? Climb a small mountain! Swim across the English Channel!

- It's probably cheaper to do these things via virtual reality: granted, I'm sure getting the tech will be very expensive. But you could go on vacations to the beach in virtual reality, and not have to pay for airfare and whatnot. I imagine.

- It can be used in the medical field: a medical student could practice removing teeth or something, using virtual reality. No mistakes made to a real person!

- The time difference: in Elusion/Etherworld, you could spend hours in Elusion but minutes in the real world. That's pretty powerful. Waiting in line for a hamburger? Plug in and zone out for a few minutes - a few hours, really. 

(Like with the dangers/risks/consequences, there are plenty more positives/benefits to virtual reality.)


Moral of the story: virtual reality will probably be commercially used pretty soon - people will be getting their hands on "paradise" in the next generation or less, I surmise. Love it, hate it, fear it, can't wait for it, it's coming. There are plenty of dangers and risks associated with it (I haven't even scratched the surface), but there are great positive outcomes too.

Be sure to check out my review of Etherworld tomorrow! This duology is definitely worth reading, if just for the exposure to a fictional perspective on virtual reality.

To my readers: what is your opinion on virtual reality?

Review: Elusion by Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam

HEAD OVER TO THE YA BOOKCASE! They were kind enough to send me an ARC of this book to review on their site.

I also posted this review here because I'm weird about links and reviews in my Review Archive. And putting this review on Edelweiss needs a link from my blog. Anyway, enjoy!

Elusion by Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam

Book One of the Elusion series

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Publication Date: March 18, 2014

Rating: 4 stars

Source: eARC from Edelweiss

Summary (from Goodreads):

Soon, Elusion® will change the world and life as we know it.

A new technology called Elusion is sweeping the country. An app, visor and wristband will virtually transport you to an exotic destination where adventure can be pursued without the complications—or consequences—of real life.

Regan is an Elusion insider. Or at least she used to be. Her father invented the program, and her best friend, Patrick, heir to the tech giant Orexis, is about to release it nationwide. But ever since her father’s unexpected death, Regan can’t bear to Escape, especially since waking up from the dream means crashing back to her grim reality.

Still, when there are rumors of trouble in Elusion—accusations that it’s addictive and dangerous— Regan is determined to defend it. But the critics of Elusion come from surprising sources, including Josh, the handsome skeptic with his own personal stakes. As Regan investigates the claims, she discovers a disturbing web of secrets. She will soon have to choose between love and loyalty…a decision that will affect the lives of millions.

Suspense, thrills, and romance fuel this near-future story about the seductive nature of a perfect virtual world, and how far one girl will go to uncover the truth behind the illusions.

What I Liked:

First, let us all take a really good look at that beautiful cover. Isn't it magnificent?! It has got to be one of my favorite Harper covers yet. Their design team is AMAZING, just saying. I marked this one as must-read when the cover was revealed only because of the cover. Then I read the synopsis, and I knew this book would be a winner for me. Lovely cover? Heavy on the science? Romance? Perfect for me.

The wonderful thing about foresight is that, with books, it rarely lets me down! I really, really enjoyed this book! I mean, I was totally sucked in by the pretty cover, and then the intriguing synopsis, but the actual book itself was great.

This book starts with a prologue that features Regan and her father testing out Elusion for the first time. When the story begins, with chapter one, we learn that Regan's father has been dead for months, and that Regan does not go to Elusion anymore. Regan's father protege (who is also Regan's friend) is now in charge of all things Elusion. This young man - Patrick - is responsible for the amazing escapist world that is Elusion - and the consequences of using Elusion. 

Elusion isn't what it seems. Certain things were set into motion before Regan's father died. Regan doesn't trust Patrick to tell her the trust, because when she asks, she gets nothing from him. All the while, innocent users of the Elusion program are losing brain activity, getting addicted, or even dying. There is something seriously wrong with Elusion, and Regan will be the one to find the truth.

The plot moves fairly quickly in this book, once Regan realizes that there is a problem with Elusion. The beginning is a bit slow, but understandably so, because Gabel and Klam seem to want to show readers what this world is like when everyone is using Elusion. This made the beginning drag a little, but I suppose it was necessary, to show readers without telling readers how strange Elusion is, and how wrong it is.

Let me put Elusion into perspective for you. It's a program that you can connect to, and escape the real world. Like, virtual reality, or an alternate experience, or something. People can plug in and visit Elusion at any point, but they have a time limit every time they go to Elusion. So, the first scene of the book describes the way people are - hundreds of people are plugged in to Elusion, and they seem zoned out like zombies.

Gabel and Klam built up the plot (and climax) of the novel gradually, but for the most part, there was never a dull moment. I wouldn't say there were too many twists and turns and unexpected curveballs, but as I was reading, I was dying to see how things would be resolved. Would Regan find out the truth about her father's death? Was Patrick responsible for the addictions? Would Nora be found?

The ending was a little messy, in my opinion, but after reading it twice, it made sense. I can't believe Gabel and Klam would end things the way they did! It's not a cliffhanger, but let's just say I need book two in my hands right about... now. 

Romance, did I mention anything about the romance? If you're like me (a hater of love triangles), put your mind at ease, because there isn't one (that I can see). I thought there would be one, as there is definitely potential for one, but I don't see the romance going in that direction. Regan and the male protagonist are together, and that doesn't seem like it will change. That being said, I like the romance! I like Regan and this male protagonist together. I won't say who it is though, so as not to spoil things.

At first, I wasn't really connecting with Regan, but eventually I started to connect and really like her. Her character is a little flat, in my opinion, but there are times when she has depth to her. I just wish there was more to her that made her more unique.

I mentioned this briefly, but this book is has a heavy science basis - which I loved! This book deals with brain chemistry and neuroscience and addictions... I really enjoyed seeing so much science in the book. There was also a good amount of technology and computer science, which was cool. The math/science nerd in me approves! 

Overall, this is a highly enjoyable debut novel for these two authors (debut for the two paired; I know both authors have books out). It's not action-packed and extremely exciting, but the story is very interesting and the concept is relevant to today's society.

What I Did Not Like:

There was nothing specific that I didn't like - maybe a few pacing issues here and there. Sometimes, the plot dragged, other times, things were happening way too quickly. Like, at the very end, I had a hard time picking out what exactly was going on. I read the ending twice though, so I understood eventually.

In general, I didn't have any problems with this book. I just wouldn't consider it a five-star read from ME, because it doesn't feel like a five-star novel. It's not a new favorite, but I am very happy with this book. I will definitely be reading the sequel!

Would I Recommend It:

Yesyesyes! I'm sure the pretty cover will attract many readers (just stare at it for a few seconds. It's hypnotizing, isn't it?!). BUT, the content is just as amazing as the cover. I'm quite sure that science-y people like me will be all over this one, and even if you're not a science-y person, the concept will intrigue you. And the cover is gorgeous. Did I mention that already?

Rating:

4 stars. I really enjoyed this book! The science really appealed to my nerdy math/science side. Bring on book two!

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Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

Swoon Thursday (#49): Elusion by Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam

Swoon Thursday is a hot meme hosted by the fabulous ladies at YA Bound!

- From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering

- Try to make the swoon excerpt 140 characters (or less), if you are going to tweet about it. Use the hashtag #YABOUND when tweeting

This week, my swoon is from Elusion by Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam!

[Redacted]'s grip on my hips becomes tighter, hungrier, and in seconds almost every part of me is pressed up against him. Our world is beginning to fall away behind the veil of Elusion's white light. The stalagmites, the icicles, the snow, the frozen firewall that we came here to find are fading away, and soon we will too.

"Like this," he says, pressing his lips to mine. I clasp my hands tightly behind his back, unable to breathe, unable to think. It's as though I'm being shaken to my very core. I've never felt like this about anyone before.

But even with my eyes closed, I can tell the brightness is about to swallow us whole and take us back into the real world. 

I pull him tighter, willing the light away. I'm not ready to leave.

He's kissing me harder now, his strong arms wrapped so tightly around my waist he's practically lifting me off the ground.

- ARC, pages 205-206

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Read my review HERE.

Check out my guest post at The YA Bookcase's blog HERE.

Yes, I'm a terrible tease. I took out that boy's name AND I cut this scene short. But you love me. Read this one as soon as you can! You want Elusion - trust me!