Series: Elusion, #1
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publish Date: March 18th, 2014
Source: ARC
Goodreads

Rating: 3/5 – A thought provoking take on the direction that virtual reality technology can go and some of the side effects that go with it.

About the book: 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. – Goodreads

Thoughts: Trust me when I say that I am very much looking forward to the evolution of virtual reality technology. I am counting on one day being able to walk the halls of Hogwarts without leaving my living room. I know that Star Trek’s holodec’s are a long shot (I mean, how can they walk infinitely in any direction in a tiny room! It doesn’t make any sense) What we’re more likely to see is headsets and motion control sensors, which hey, I’d be pretty okay with oo. Elusion by Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam looks into some of the repreccusions of this kind of technology and the ways it could be handled and how it might be exploited. The world building is a lot of fun in this one, creating a gritty and futuristic version of Earth. Pollution is everywhere and Detroit is well, what you’d expect. But being included in the trials for Elusion has real potential to turn the city around. Elusion is a virtual reality technology that also seems to have some sort of euphoria effect as well as some pretty severe side effects (after coming out, it takes a while to be able to function again). So no surprises when we learn that things might not be entirely what they seem.

Regan’s father invented Elusion, but after his death the program was taken over by Regan’s best friend, Patrick. When things start to go wrong and people are accusing Elusion of being dangerous, Patrick starts getting a little squirrely which sends up some red flags.  While the world building was great, the plot lacked some oomph from me. You’ll probably be able to see some of the twists coming, but that doesn’t mean Elusion isn’t worth your time. It’s more of a mystery than anything else as you try to figure out who is telling the truth and who is just being paranoid. I did find some of the accusations against Elusion to be kind of silly though since the people getting into trouble were hacking the system and using it in ways it wasn’t designed for which seems a little unfair to me, but maybe I’m missing something.

Anyways, if you’re looking for sci-fi that gets away from spaceships and dystopia, you should absolutely check this one out!

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Second Opinions
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