Author: Heather Anastasiu
Author Info: Website / Twitter / Goodreads
Pub Date: August 7, 2012
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Format: ebook (netgalley)
Pages: 371
Purchase: Amazon / Barnes and Noble
Summary:
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. Both boys introduce Zoe to feelings that are entirely new. 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:
I think it’s hard to come up with a unique dystopia novel
because the concept is that in some way the world has crumbled and more common
than not there is an oppressive government. I found this novel to particularly
interesting by the way the author has taken that managed to twist it such
different ways. Our main character Zoel is part of the Community. The Community
implants chips into all its members to prevent them from being able to feel any
emotions, saying this is the only way that peace can be preserved. Our bodies
are strange things and with or without emotions they can recognize something
unnatural inside of them. With this it finds a way to evolve and adapt to get
around the foreign hardware. Which is where Glitchers come in, the Glitchers
are those who experience anomalies, which is basically moments when their
emotions override the hardware and break through.
Zoel or Zoe as she really likes to be called is an
interesting character. This is someone who was void of emotion and now is
experiencing everything for the first time. She could simply report herself and
get “fixed” but instead she chooses to hide and ride out her glitches. The
novel is about seeing her grow and mature in a short amount of time because her
emotions are flooding in.
I think the romance in this book was interesting. I
understood the dreaded love triangle and why it happened. Even though we do
experience some insta-love there is also kind of a bump in that road. What if
all that could be wiped away, would you find out it was really just lust or
would it still be love.
I liked Adrien, he’s strong and not afraid to fight for a
cause. Typically good for one of the male love interesting and even though I
like him over Max, I found Max fascinating. Max kind of has his moments of bad
guy/ good guy and I think he fits well what it might feel like for 17 year old
boy to suddenly hit puberty because for him that’s what it was. Before he
didn’t have any emotions and now he has all these raging hormones and the
choices he makes reflect that.
I enjoyed the fact that rather than escape from the
controlling society they end up having to go back in. Not only that but they
have a desire to fight it. Just to do it. I feel like a lot of dystopia novels
the characters have to have something they want in order to. I liked the character development and the
confusion of who is a villain and who is not.
I of course loved the cover. It actually fits the story. I
really enjoyed this dystopia.
