Review by Booklist Review
Skylar's virtual life in the App World is nothing short of magical, but she waits for the day she can unplug from the machine, return to the real world, and see her mother and sister again. A rift between App World leadership and the Keepers, who maintain the physical bodies of those living in the App World, threatens that possibility, forcing Skylar into the middle of an uprising in the real world. This is a mix of political thriller, social commentary, and futuristic popular culture, told from Skylar's point of view, with a few touches of melodrama. There are plenty of opportunities for discussion on a diverse range of topics, including the nature of families, whether the mind or body is more important, and what effects virtual reality has on the human brain. Try this with M. T. Anderson's Feed (2002), or go retro with William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson's Logan's Run (1967) while waiting for the sequel.--Welch, Cindy Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In the not-so-distant future of Freitas's fast-paced series opener, the world is divided. Those with resources live virtually, plugged into an App World whose inhabitants look vaguely similar (even sharing the same skin color, "Caucasian 4.0") and use Apps to differentiate themselves; those without live in the corporeal Real World, left to deal with disease, poverty, and physicality. Skylar Cruz, 16, is one of the rare "Singles," children chosen to live virtually in exchange for their families' service as Keepers-caregivers to the bodies left behind by the virtual citizens. When the borders between the worlds are suddenly closed and the prime minister's son, Rain, is left on the wrong side, Skye is recruited to bring him back. But the Real World is in the midst of revolution, and Skye has become an important symbol for both sides. Freitas (The Tenderness of Thieves), a PW contributor, invokes several recognizable dystopian tropes-including an expectations-defying heroine, a world facing drastic change, and an impossible love triangle-as she explores interconnections among race, commerce, and technology. Ages 13-up. Agent: Miriam Altschuler, DeFiore and Company. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up-In this first book of an exciting dystopian sci-fi series, Skylar, almost 17, a Single, has been plugged into the virtual App World nonstop since she was five. In the Real World, epidemics have killed much of the population, resulting in an economic divide between the unplugged poor, who can't afford expensive apps, and the wealthy plugged in, who can. Skye can't wait for her Service, the time when a 17-year-old can unplug from the App World and return to the Real World. She's desperate to find her real mother and sister, who stayed in the Real World as Keepers to allow her a better life in the App World with a surrogate family. When the prime minister announces that the border between the real and virtual world is closed and future Service is canceled, Skye is devastated. Then she discovers there's a way she might get what she wants if she can sneak across and bring back Rain, the prime minister's cute son, who's stuck in the Real World. If she fails, she'll virtually die. Skye's drawn into a web of conspiracies, betrayals, lies, and shifting alliances and must rely on her own strength to survive in this intriguing tale with diverse characters. VERDICT This work will appeal to gamers, who will appreciate Skye's ability to apply her gaming and heightened physical skills gained from the App World in the Real World, and to those who enjoyed Dan Wells's Bluescreen or M.T. Anderson's Feed.-Sharon Rawlins, New Jersey State Library, Trenton © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The selfie-tastical virtual world decides to unplug from the physical one, stranding one girl from her familyand from the truth.At a young age, Skye's family plugged her into the App World, a fully digital existence for the consciousnesses of the fortunate while their physical bodies are tended to by the less-privileged Keepers. Skye's been looking forward to her Service, the required time digital citizens spend in the Real World, when she'll finally see her mother and sister again. But a mysterious situation involving disgruntled Keepers results in the cancellation of Service, the closure of the border between the worlds, and even more extreme actions to separate the digital from the physical. Skye, whose distress is apparent, is recruited by a sketchy figure for a mission to the Real Worldgiving her the opportunity to illegally unplug into the physical world. Skye finds that things are far more complicated than she could have imagined, and twist after twist leave her unsure whom to trust. Readers may become frustrated by her reluctance to probe characters who are clearly keeping information from her. Additionally, there is looseness to the worldbuilding, involving racein App World, everybody is Caucasian 4.0and economics, which may be addressed in the sequel. At heart, this is an action novel about capitalism taken too far.Despite imperfections, one of the more ambitious and thought-provoking entries in a crowded genre. (Science fiction/dystopia. 12 up) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
