REVIEW {39} Elusion by Claudia Gabel & Cheryl Klam

ELUSION

SERIES: Elusion | Book #1

AUTHOR(S): Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam

PUBLICATION INFORMATION: March 18th 2014 by Katherine Tegen Books

EDITION: Paperback, 400 pages

ACQUISITION: ARC from publisher

CATEGORIES: Review, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Dystopian, Fantasy, Romance, Virtual Thriller, 2 Star Rating, 2014 Release

RATING: 2.00/5.00 | GOODREADS RATING: 3.60/5.00

ADD TO GOODREADS

WHAT IT'S ABOUT: Soon Elusion will change the word 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.

MY THOUGHTS: I went into this book unsure of whether I'd really enjoy it, because virtual thrillers really aren't my cup of tea. Dystopians - yes, computer ruled futures - not so much. But the cover of this book was just too beautiful to ignore, so when I ended up with an ARC, I knew I had to give it a go.

The first thing that I noticed, is that the concept of the story really didn't seem that unique to me. I didn't at any time really find myself wanting to continue reading the book so much as I wanted to finish it so I could get a review up. The writing itself was okay, I don't think it was necessarily spectacular or horrible in any way. I did have issues with the world-building though. It's set in a "Near Future" Detroit, but they are suffering from pollution (and something called Florapetro?) and acid rains which require 02 masks and special umbrellas to be used nearly 24/7. There is mention that the rich usually are above the pollution clouds in their penthouses and offices, so they can go without and even open their windows sometimes. While this leads me to believe there is a caste system of some type, this isn't really explored past explaining vaguely the different Sectors the residents live in, and what they are like now. There also isn't any explanation of why the world is so polluted, so you're left assuming why it happened.

There were only a few instances as well, where we got to experience Elusion with Regan, the main character. Users can go into Escapes (pre-existing destinations such as mountains or Thai beaches. etc) with other people using an invite code, and no one is supposed to be able to be injured in an Escape. Users can experience Escapes in 1-hour increments and they are equipped with wristbands that have an emergency button that yanks them out if trouble occurs. But no trouble should ever occur, right?

The main character Regan lacked in my opinion, the characteristics of a kick-ass heroine. In fact rarely did she manage to do anything on her own, and required damsel-in-distress saving from either her best friend, Patrick, or the new hottie bad-boy, Josh. I really had no connection to Regan whatsoever, and never felt for her. She seemed quite gullible, and didn't seem to have much common sense. She tended to believe what she was told, and acted really offended and surprised when she realized that the bubble she lived in was slowing losing air.

The fact that Patrick was supposed to be Regan's best friend was lost on me. I didn't feel any type of connection between them, and even Patrick's affections towards Regan bordered on creepy-stalkerish. Especially considering he kind of had something going on with one of Regan's classmates, Zoe. I never at any point wanted these two to get together.

Josh's character wasn't one I connected with either. He was fueled by his own personal problems - his missing, possibly Elusion-addicted sister, Nora. When he meets up with Regan, she suddenly finds her world turned upside down - not sure who to trust and believe - but she seems to put all her faith and trust into Josh... even though they barely know each other.

Overall, I just wasn't able to get into any of the characters, and with the lack of world-building I wasn't able to really enjoy this one. I know it's gotten good reviews and ratings on Goodreads, but this one just wasn't for me.

I RECOMMEND THIS TO: Fans of sci-fi, virtual thrillers where society relies heavily on technology and giant corporations willingly risk the health and safety of citizens with little or no remorse, leaving it to a group of teenagers to bring them down.

SIMILAR READS: Starters by Lissa Price | Glitch by Heather Anastasiu 

Happy Reading!

Laura