sonyayx's review
3.0
It was great after all but little boring, it took a long time to get the point of the book..Action moved little slowly but it was interesting.
kasiej's review
2.0
You know... I'm not exactly sure how to feel about this book. Every time I found a good point, there was a disappointment or irritation to counter it.
I'll keep this short and simple.
The premise was fascinating and a lot of fun to imagine. They did a great job explaining Elusion and the work behind it, however, the rest of the world was devoid of real explanation. Even with the acid rain, escalators, and motion sensors, I couldn't picture it. In the back of mind I kept wondering why and how but the answers were never given.
The mystery behind the plot packs a little punch. It caught me off guard but sadly I wasn't really on edge about it to begin with. I decided a lot of that had to do with the dissatisfaction of the characters.
For all of the beautiful backdrops in Elusion, the characters were beyond lacking. I couldn't feel anything for any of them. Nothing. I don't even really know who they were. Then you have the scenes where they're completely contradicting themselves which confused me even more.
If it weren't for the imbalance between setting and cast, I believe it could have been great. If the story continues, I'll probably give the next one a shot at redemption.
I'll keep this short and simple.
The premise was fascinating and a lot of fun to imagine. They did a great job explaining Elusion and the work behind it, however, the rest of the world was devoid of real explanation. Even with the acid rain, escalators, and motion sensors, I couldn't picture it. In the back of mind I kept wondering why and how but the answers were never given.
The mystery behind the plot packs a little punch. It caught me off guard but sadly I wasn't really on edge about it to begin with. I decided a lot of that had to do with the dissatisfaction of the characters.
For all of the beautiful backdrops in Elusion, the characters were beyond lacking. I couldn't feel anything for any of them. Nothing. I don't even really know who they were. Then you have the scenes where they're completely contradicting themselves which confused me even more.
If it weren't for the imbalance between setting and cast, I believe it could have been great. If the story continues, I'll probably give the next one a shot at redemption.
bookishnicole's review
3.0
I know that they say you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but that is exactly what I did with this book. I saw it and I wanted it, not only because of the beautiful cover but I really liked the title and the concept of the book. The idea of having mental "escapes" isn't anything new, there have been quite a few YA books that features something like it, although always in different forms which makes reading them more exciting.
I wanted to like this book more than I did. As much as I loved her name, I couldn't connect with Regan, she was a little bit too polar for me to really feel her internal struggle because it didn't feel like there was one. She jumps from fiercely protecting her father's work to pulling a Benedict Arnold and switching sides at the last minute. I felt like she didn't struggle with it enough to warrant her just saying "Okay, this looks a little like proof, I'm on your side."
While the escapes were well built and interesting, I felt that the world that this book wasn't. We're told that the air quality is really bad, and it's hinted at some corporation, but there isn't much more than that. We know this is the future USA, and I know some authors will leave a date off to give the illusion that it is sooner than you thing, but there was nothing explaining how we got to this point and why the names of things were somewhat different, and how we started using tablets, and there was just nothing to support it.
There was naturally a love triangle that reared its ugly head, and I think Instalove was started to make an appearance, but then it backed down. I did appreciate how at one point one rival guy was like "YOU'VE KNOWN HIM FOR FOUR DAYS!" when she was picking a stranger over the guy she claimed was her best friend. The relationships weren't well developed, we saw that Patrick was Regan's best friend, but there wasn't too much of that going on. Then Josh comes out of nowhere and she's got all these fuzzy feelings for him.
This book was clearly left it open for another book, which I wouldn't be surprised if this turned out to be a trilogy. Also the love triangle was never resolved. So there is that, I haven't decided if I'm going to check the second book out since I was less than in love with this one, it's going to depend entirely on the cover and synopsis. This one is still worth checking out. It was a really quick read, so if you're interested and think you might like it check it out for sure.
I wanted to like this book more than I did. As much as I loved her name, I couldn't connect with Regan, she was a little bit too polar for me to really feel her internal struggle because it didn't feel like there was one. She jumps from fiercely protecting her father's work to pulling a Benedict Arnold and switching sides at the last minute. I felt like she didn't struggle with it enough to warrant her just saying "Okay, this looks a little like proof, I'm on your side."
While the escapes were well built and interesting, I felt that the world that this book wasn't. We're told that the air quality is really bad, and it's hinted at some corporation, but there isn't much more than that. We know this is the future USA, and I know some authors will leave a date off to give the illusion that it is sooner than you thing, but there was nothing explaining how we got to this point and why the names of things were somewhat different, and how we started using tablets, and there was just nothing to support it.
There was naturally a love triangle that reared its ugly head, and I think Instalove was started to make an appearance, but then it backed down. I did appreciate how at one point one rival guy was like "YOU'VE KNOWN HIM FOR FOUR DAYS!" when she was picking a stranger over the guy she claimed was her best friend. The relationships weren't well developed, we saw that Patrick was Regan's best friend, but there wasn't too much of that going on. Then Josh comes out of nowhere and she's got all these fuzzy feelings for him.
This book was clearly left it open for another book, which I wouldn't be surprised if this turned out to be a trilogy. Also the love triangle was never resolved. So there is that, I haven't decided if I'm going to check the second book out since I was less than in love with this one, it's going to depend entirely on the cover and synopsis. This one is still worth checking out. It was a really quick read, so if you're interested and think you might like it check it out for sure.
novelheartbeat's review
3.0
While this one didn’t necessarily wow me, I did really love the concept! That was by far my favorite part. I could picture everything clearly, and I thought the world building was spot on. It was so easy to imagine the world in Elusion. This would make a great movie!
I think the characters were the downfall for me in this book. I never really cared much about what was happening to them, and they didn’t feel very realistic. They didn’t inspire any empathy. Regan was just there, and I didn’t care about Josh at all. I felt their relationship developed much too fast. I didn’t care about Regan and Patrick’s relationship because it had already been established. In fact, I pretty much felt nothing throughout the entire book. If it weren’t for the amazing cinematic world, I probably wouldn’t have liked this book much at all.
I did think that the mystery aspect was cool, though! I liked that there was little bit of a puzzle to solve with the book and the numbers. It kept me interested even when the story was dragging a bit. All the secrecy behind Elusion and the company was intriguing. I also really liked that the science of Elusion was explained, and it all sounded very convincing, and I was fascinated by it. It sounded like something that could actually happen! The snippets of the future world we got really helped to portray why Elusion was necessary – the overpopulation, the Standard 7 cycle (you work 7 am to 7 pm, 7 days a week), and the poor air quality (they had to wear something called an O2 shield). It was very easy to understand why people would practically want to live in Elusion instead of facing reality.
But the ending – WTH? This isn’t listed as a series, but it pretty much stopped in the middle of the story. Nothing was resolved, and there was even a little bit of a cliffhanger in there! I’m curious to see how that ending is going to be solved, so I hope there is a second book!
ASSESSMENT
Plot: 4/5
Premise: 5/5
Writing style: 3/5
Originality: 4/5
Characters: 1/5
World-building: 4.5/5
Pace: 3.5/5
Feels: 1/5
Cover: 4/5
samiism's review
2.0
The main character is a bint and I just couldn't make sense of her idiotic decisions. She's a blinded lovestruck teenager.
sc104906's review
3.0
Elusion offers a hot new virtual way to forget about your problems and just be happy. Regan's father created Elusion, but he recently committed suicide and Regan simply cannot visit Elusion anymore. While her best friend is now in charge of the company, Regan tries to be supportive of him, but increasing negative reports are being leaked. Regan is determined to find answers and prove that her father created a good thing (right?).
This book reminded me of Countdown and the graphic novel Chobits. It discusses the impact of the virtual world on our daily lives. Also, just because something feels good, doesn't neccesarily mean that it is good.
This book reminded me of Countdown and the graphic novel Chobits. It discusses the impact of the virtual world on our daily lives. Also, just because something feels good, doesn't neccesarily mean that it is good.
alexperc_92's review against another edition
3.0
The concept of having a dreamscape of virtual reality was really appealing to me when I first saw this book. While I waited to see many things, I was alittle disappointed.
Ree and Patrick know about Elusion the app which can tranfer you into the "Escapes" virtual places where you can relax. But when probles start to arise friends are tested and mystery prevails.
The plot felt a little too rushed for me and the love triangle was annoying. Whule I liked the mystery and didn't expect the ending, I really hope to see more of Josh on the second book "Etherworld".
On the other hand, there's a detailed description of the destroyed planet, where the people nedd masks to breathe and acid rain makes your eyes burn. At least there are some messages coming from the book. ;)
Ree and Patrick know about Elusion the app which can tranfer you into the "Escapes" virtual places where you can relax. But when probles start to arise friends are tested and mystery prevails.
The plot felt a little too rushed for me and the love triangle was annoying. Whule I liked the mystery and didn't expect the ending, I really hope to see more of Josh on the second book "Etherworld".
On the other hand, there's a detailed description of the destroyed planet, where the people nedd masks to breathe and acid rain makes your eyes burn. At least there are some messages coming from the book. ;)
cendi's review
3.0
Reviewed By: Paperback Princesses
When I started reading Elusion, it wasn’t exactly what I’d been expecting. I had been expecting a virtual reality more akin to the Smarteye in the book Under the Never Sky. What Elusion was, was more or less the early version of that, closer to the virtual reality we can achieve now with our current technology.
Read full review here.
When I started reading Elusion, it wasn’t exactly what I’d been expecting. I had been expecting a virtual reality more akin to the Smarteye in the book Under the Never Sky. What Elusion was, was more or less the early version of that, closer to the virtual reality we can achieve now with our current technology.
Read full review here.
themoongoddessreads's review
3.0
This was a fun read but it really lacked resolution. I am assuming that there is a sequel coming. There is a certain finesse I feel that an author or authors must have both when ending a book that is a standalone and a book that is part of a series. The ending to this book certainly left enough questions and intrigue for a sequel, though I feel it left so much open that reading this book felt like a waste of my time. However, I did really enjoy the imagery and concept of the book. I look forward to reading a sequel if there is one and I hope that it ends with more resolution than Elusion did, even if it is not the final book.