Shutdown Review

320 pages
Release date: July 2nd, 2013

The battle is all but over, and hope seems to be lost. Zoe and her fellow Resistance fighters are on the run, having lost their home, their protection, and their leader. They are outnumbered and outmatched by the powerful corporation that controls the world, and the cruel Chancellor is inches away from completing a scheme that would kill most of humanity. Zoe's only remaining option is to chase the impossible dream of upending the Link system, freeing the world from the hardware that controls their thoughts and emotions, and hope it will trigger a revolution. The plot requires a nearly impossible mission to infiltrate the dangerous Community, and it is a task that Zoe must unfortunately complete alone. With challenges and surprises at every turn, nothing goes according to plan. Adrien's visions of the future now show two possible outcomes: one in which they succeed, and one in which humanity falls. It all lies in Zoe's hands.

Review (ARC):
What an amazing ending to an awesome series! If you've read the series so far, then you know that things seem to have taken a turn for the worst. Zoe has been through so much since first being rescued from the Community and its amazing that she is able to step up and take the leadership role she was born to fill. Adrien is a completely different person after the cruelty he endured, and its hard for Zoe to connect with him like she used to. Then there is the evil Chancellor who always seems to be a step ahead of the Resistance and is getting close to completely destroying them altogether. Despite all of this you can see the growth Zoe has experienced and her determination to make things right and free humanity from the Link. This novel has a lot of action and adventure which keeps the story moving at an exciting pace. Everything culminates into a jaw-dropping ending with an unexpected twist in one of the characters. I definitely recommend you read this novel if you like books about kids with awesome powers or dystopian novels, but definitely pick up Glitch and Override before you tackle this one. 

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Override Review

320 pages

Zoe is free. She has escaped the enslavement of the Community, disconnected from the hardware that had controlled her every thought and emotion, and evaded capture by the Chancellor intent on killing her. She is finally free, but she is far from safe. Zoe and Adrien hide themselves from detection at the Foundation, an academy that trains teen glitchers to fight in the Resistance movement. Together, Zoe and her new team of superhuman fighters must risk their lives to rescue other glitchers and humans from the Chancellor's control. Challenges abound at every turn, and Adrien, who has become silent, distant, and tormented by his visions of the future, only adds to the growing certainty of defeat. But worst of all, as Zoe's team fights against impossible odds, distrust and betrayal leads to the terrible discovery that their greatest threat could already be lurking behind the safe walls of the Foundation.

Review:
After finishing this novel I am completely stunned. This novel goes from a crazy ride with all kinds of twists ending in one heck of a cliffhanger! But I digress, lets get into what really made this novel stand out. If you read the first book in this series then you pretty much understand what glitchers are. For those who haven't, glitchers are those who have disconnected from the technology that controls their thoughts and emotions with the added benefit of superpowers. Zoe is the heroine of this story and the expected "savior" of the members of the Foundation. Zoe goes through so much and at times its hard to watch her struggle with her powers and the weight of the expectations of others. There are a lot of ups and downs between Zoe and Adrien and their relationship seems to suffer at the expense of their powers. In this novel we get to meet more of the glitchers as well as just regular humans and see that while they may be fighting for the same cause, there are underlying issues and distrust amongst them. This story contains quite a lot of action and adventure as the Foundation tries to rescue the others who are like them from under the Chancellor and her team of glitchers. The explosive ending is one that will leave you wanting to read more. I definitely recommend this novel if you like dystopian fiction and superhuman fighters but make sure to pick up Glitch first before you read this.

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Glitch Review

320 pages
Release date: August 7th, 2012

In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network. When Zoe starts to malfunction (or "glitch"), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers. As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse.

Review (ARC):
People being imbedded with computer chips that control them is a frightening future and this novel reflects the danger but also adaptations of the human mind. Zoe seems to have potential to be a strong character but she hasn't reached that yet when she starts to glitch. I thought it was interesting how hard it was for Zoe to control her emotions but it makes sense when considering she never had them before. I love the powers that the other characters develop and the ways they start to use them. Adrien and Max are the romantic interests in this novel and they are also two completely different characters. One is caring and compassionate and does things to help others and the other is mean, a bit scary, and obsessive. I enjoyed finding out with Zoe what was really going on in the Community and that there was more to life than she originally thought. There are a few surprises in this novel that you don't see coming and that makes this novel even more exciting. The end had a lot of action and this story definitely ends on a high note. I definitely recommend this to those who like dystopian fiction and characters with cool powers.

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