Elusion

You all know me, if a book is hugely polarized in the blogger world I have to read it. When there's so much hate spewed against it on one side, and so much love on the other side, I must figure out which side I fall on. I had absolutely no expectations one way or the other when I picked up Elusion from the library. I just wanted to give this book a shot and, you know what? I actually really liked this.

Regan lives in a world that is a shattered version of our own. Acid rain falls from the sky, black poisonous clouds hover overhead, and an O2 shield is pretty much necessary most days if you don't want to choke to death on the chemicals floating in the atmosphere. Nature as we know it is gone. So how do people get away from their problems? An Escape. An Elusion. Before he mysteriously died, Regan's father invented this amazing way to take a “trip” to somewhere new. Sounds amazing, right? Or is it?

I have to say, I was impressed with the world that was built around Regan. Although it wasn't flat out explained, it was immersive enough that I didn't even question it. I was lost in the desolation around these people, and the fact that they just ignored it all. I'm a sucker for new technology, and Elusion was amazing to me. Imagine a way to travel to somewhere new, to somewhere that hasn't existed in years, in complete safety. Of course that kind of technology always comes with its fair share of flaws. This one was no exception.

There was nothing I could do but hold on as Regan flew through one part of the mystery after another, uncovering all the dirty laundry that her father's company was trying to hide. Once again I'll admit, it wasn't exactly a perfectly plausible story line. Still, this was a new world. It was a vividly built world, and I was willing to forgive a lot simply because I couldn't help but feel caught up in it all. I wanted to know what Orexis was hiding, and you couldn't have stopped me if you tried.

The absolute only thing that slightly irked me was the quasi-romance that Elusion brings to the table. Regan was such a strong character. She fought for what she believed in, and never gave up no matter how many people tried to break her down. Seeing her loose it over a guy she just met, no matter how handsome he was, bothered me. I can't deny it. It also made for an ending that, although the cliffhanger is killer, was rushed as well. Still, I know I'll be back for more. This series has hooked me. You can mark me solidly on the “I liked this” side of the Elusion camp, and I'm proud of it.

Elusion by Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam is a futuristic young adult book and it was very interesting to read. I was quite engrossed into the book and read it quickly during my shift at work. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and it reminded me a lot of Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi.

The main character, Reagan, was a good character overall for what she was going through. She was torn between her best friend and future lover for pretty much the whole book and some seem to see that as a weak thing to do. I see a lot of people tearing her apart in their reviews but how would you act in this type of situation?

She is the daughter of the creator of Elusion where you are able to go to an alternate world that is better that the real world due to the destruction. The readers learn that her dad has passed away in a plane crash which was really hard on her and her mother. Her dads co-workers take over the company along with Reagan's best friend, Patrick, who is a coder for Elusion. In the beginning, I really liked Patrick and I thought Reagan was going to end up with him then I realized I never read anything about a Patrick. Just this Josh character. You meet Josh near the beginning of the book also and I thought he was going to be a bad boy (considering his background) that helped her out of a situation. He was a real sweet kid throughout the entire book though.

[ WARNING THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS ]

This book isn't complicated but it isn't simple either. It is a quick read and you get engrossed with what is happening with Elusion. Reagan learns that there is a problem with Elusion that causes people to get addicted and possibly die. Most of the book is her trying to find the answers to what is happening to people and also get proof to expose the company that her father worked so hard on. Everything changes when she sees her dad in Elusion and that is when I knew something was up. How could she see him? It is just another world where real people go to get away. That is when I knew that her father was alive and possibly trapped in Elusion.

Josh and Reagan are trying to find the answers and by the end of the book they finally find her father in Elusion together. This is where he tells her everything he knows. Elusion is harmful to young people and can be addicting to them. When he told his co-workers, they trapped him inside Elusion and are hiding his body in a room at the company. Whattttt? The end of the book they find Josh's sister, Nora, in these parts behind the firewall with her dad and they have called it Etherworld.

The ending seems like this book is a series and I hope so. I want to know what happens next. This book is a mix of Under the Never Sky and Across the Universe. It has the technology of Under the Never Sky but the corruption of Across the Universe. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys those two series as well!