Nirvana, by J.R. Stewart

Format: e-ARC, 186 pages

Publisher: Blue Moon Publishers

Published: November 10, 2015

ISBN: 9780993639777

Genre: Mystery & Thrillers, Teens & YA

Back cover blurb: When the real world is emptied of all that you love, how can you keep yourself from dependence on the virtual?

Animal activist and punk rock star Larissa Kenders lives in a dystopian world where the real and the virtual intermingle. After the disappearance of her soulmate, Andrew, Kenders finds solace by escaping to Nirvana, a virtual world controlled by Hexagon. In Nirvana, anyone’s deepest desires may be realized – even visits with Andrew.

Although Kenders knows that this version of Andrew is virtual, when he asks for her assistance revealing Hexagon’s dark secret, she cannot help but comply. Soon after, Kenders and her closest allies find themselves in a battle with Hexagon, the very institution they have been taught to trust. After uncovering much more than she expected, Kenders’ biggest challenge is determining what is real – and what is virtual.

Nirvana is a fast-paced, page-turning young adult novel combining elements of science fiction, mystery, and romance. Part of a trilogy, this book introduces readers to a young woman who refuses to give up on the man she loves, even if it means taking on an entire government to do so.

My review: A very interesting concept, combining virtual reality and a dystopian future caused by the extinction of bees, but some of it is quite confusing and I never really cared for the main character. She seemed much older than just 17 and I never got much of an impression of her partner, Andrew, before his disappearance, so wasn’t really invested in her search for him. The science of it was intriguing, but I’m not sure I’m interested enough to continue with the series.

***Disclaimer: This e-ARC was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Huge thanks to them. ***

My rating: 3/5

Amazon

Stacking the Shelves #18

Hosted by Tynga’s Reviews

Welcome back to Stacking the Shelves, a regular meme hosted by Tynga at Tynga’s Reviews. Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the latest books you have added to your shelves, physical or virtual.  This means you can include books you buy in store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course e-books!

Following on from last week, when I got a bit carried away on Netgalley, I had a few more books approved for me to review. The first was Nirvana, by J.R. Stewart, which I was invited to review as part of Netgalley’s 2015 challenge. I love the cover and think it should be really interesting.

The second was This Book Will Change Your Life, by Amanda Weaver, who is one of my favourite fandom authors now publishing original stories. Really looking forward to this one.

And to cap off the week, I was granted access to Dark Heart of Magic, by Jennifer Estep, which is the second book in her excellent Black Blade series. I loved the first book, Cold Burn of Magic,  so much (read my review HERE) so I may just have to drop everything to read this straight away. Very pretty cover on this one, too.

I spent the last of my Amazon gift card on Heart-Shaped Hack, by Tracey Garvis-Graves. I participated in some of the blog tour for this but hadn’t received an ARC, so just had to buy it. It really looks like my kind of book.

So that’s it for this week. Keep an eye out for my reviews of these in coming weeks. So what new books did you pick up this week? Let me know in the comments.