Elusion

 

Author: Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam
Goodreads Rating: 3.70
Pages: 400
Format: ARC from NYCC13

 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.

I know that they say you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but that is exactly what I did with this book. I saw it and I wanted it, not only because of the beautiful cover but I really liked the title and the concept of the book. The idea of having mental "escapes" isn't anything new, there have been quite a few YA books that features something like it, although always in different forms which makes reading them more exciting.

I wanted to like this book more than I did. As much as I loved her name, I couldn't connect with Regan, she was a little bit too polar for me to really feel her internal struggle because it didn't feel like there was one. She jumps from fiercely protecting her father's work to pulling a Benedict Arnold and switching sides at the last minute. I felt like she didn't struggle with it enough to warrant her just saying "Okay, this looks a little like proof, I'm on your side."

While the escapes were well built and interesting, I felt that the world that this book wasn't. We're told that the air quality is really bad, and it's hinted at some corporation, but there isn't much more than that. We know this is the future USA, and I know some authors will leave a date off to give the illusion that it is sooner than you thing, but there was nothing explaining how we got to this point and why the names of things were somewhat different, and how we started using tablets, and there was just nothing to support it.

There was naturally a love triangle that reared its ugly head, and I think Instalove was started to make an appearance, but then it backed down. I did appreciate how at one point one rival guy was like "YOU'VE KNOWN HIM FOR FOUR DAYS!" when she was picking a stranger over the guy she claimed was her best friend. The relationships weren't well developed, we saw that Patrick was Regan's best friend, but there wasn't too much of that going on. Then Josh comes out of nowhere and she's got all these fuzzy feelings for him.

This book was clearly left it open for another book, which I wouldn't be surprised if this turned out to be a trilogy. Also the love triangle was never resolved. So there is that, I haven't decided if I'm going to check the second book out since I was less than in love with this one, it's going to depend entirely on the cover and synopsis. This one is still worth checking out. It was a really quick read, so if you're interested and think you might like it check it out for sure.

The Court's Decision: