Elusion
Author: Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam
Publication Date: March 18th 2014
~A copy was provided by Katherine Tegen Books via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review~
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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.
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.
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I'll start this one with a questions that's plagued me since the beginning of Elusion. What happened to the actual world that it's in the state it's in? Terrorist attack? Some natural disaster? Some evil thing that devastated it? Oh, what's that?
Elusion itself was complex, and it was fun to read that side of things, it was detailed and interesting to learn about. It's probably the only thing that kept me reading. The scenes inside Elusion were beautiful and vivid, that side of things were perfect.
I'll start this one with a questions that's plagued me since the beginning of Elusion. What happened to the actual world that it's in the state it's in? Terrorist attack? Some natural disaster? Some evil thing that devastated it? Oh, what's that?
We don't get to know.
Personally, I'm thinking global warming, because it's our world, but it's not. And mentions a
lot of that could happen to us.
There's a lot of technology and advancements that are explained and detailed,
and on the tech side of things, it's pretty damn solid.
But on the basics? It failed completely.
It depends on the book and circumstances itself whether I
find this annoying or not, if I have something to like or distract me about it,
then I couldn't care less. I'm not the type of person that it makes or breaks a
book for me. It's engaging enough and you have at least something, I'll oversee it.
So, this means what
was wrong with Elusion for me?
Characters.
And by that I mean they
were freaking bland.
It felt like they had no personalities whatsoever, and
sometimes really need anger management. They'd go from calm to call-me-psycho
from a sentence. I mean, I get it, I do.
Some shitty stuff happens, but I just wanted them to shut up, stop whining,
learn something from it and do something about it.
There's were so many options to make them come alive,
because there are a ton of other issues involved other than just Elusion. Some
very serious issues to deal with, death, addiction, paranoia, and maybe a
little depression. Things like that shouldn't be an easy thing to read, but it
was in here, because it felt all superficial, there was little depth.
Especially Regan (this is not a spoiler, since it says in
the description) over her father's death, you'd feel like you'd connect
straight away. But, I didn't, and it was really hard to. Which, being first
person and her perspective, that shouldn't have been a problem.Elusion itself was complex, and it was fun to read that side of things, it was detailed and interesting to learn about. It's probably the only thing that kept me reading. The scenes inside Elusion were beautiful and vivid, that side of things were perfect.
Just don't even get me started on the romance. Insta-lust on
sight, and I'm totally hypocritical, but I don't mind insta-love, if the characters click. And they really
didn't. You let the guy take you home though you don't even know him. You
really like him though you know nothing about him, then you're shocked at some
stuff you find out. Which, as the lovely Patrick once pointed out *
"You've known her for a week, Josh. A fucking week!"
In case you didn't catch that, they've known each other for
a week.
Actually, I really did like Patrick.
While Elusion was complex and different, it seemed more tell than show I just couldn't connect to the characters and that's where
things don't click with me, unfortunately.
*Quoted from an
uncorrected proof
Rating: 2.5/5
