In the domed city of Evanescence, appearance is everything. A Natural Born amongst genetically-altered Aristocrats, all Ella ever wanted was to be like everyone else. Augmented, sparkling, and perfect. Then…the crash. Devastated by her father’s death and struggling with her new physical limitations, Ella is terrified to learn she is not just alone, but little more than a prisoner.
Her only escape is to lose herself in Nexis, the hugely popular virtual reality game her father created. In Nexis she meets Guster, a senior player who guides Ella through the strange and compelling new world she now inhabits. He offers Ella guidance, friendship…and something more. Something that allows her to forget about the “real” world, and makes her feel whole again.
But Nexis isn’t quite the game everyone thinks it is.
And it’s been waiting for Ella.
Our protagonist, Ellani, makes it so easy to want to follow her story. She’s down to earth and relatable on every level, yet at the same time has a strength to her. She is forced to grow up in so many ways on so many different levels through this story, and watching her come out on top makes you constantly root for her. I am so intrigued to see where her story will take us next.
Next, you’re introduced to a slew of fellas in the beginning of the book, and once in the game of “Nexis” any one of them could be the mysterious Guster. Guster is simply, for lack of a better word, perfect. I genuinely loved his role in this book and everything he was made to be. I was literally so surprised at the end of the book of not only who we find out he may be in real life but also of how many times this story was able to whip my brain back and forth. Every time a hint was revealed, I would scroll back to the opening chapters for clues…but A.L. Davroe did a very good job of covering her tracks to keep you guessing.
Once I got to the last quarter of the book, it was impossible to put down. I honestly kept feeling like I was in a tangled spider web as much as Elle did. One moment I was believing one thing and in the next I was questioning my own thoughts. This debut is a fantastically written sci-fi, fantasy. I kept having the, “Wait, maybe I should put the book down and go do something else so I don’t finish.” That thought didn’t get too far, considering I’d do a task and want to pick it right back up.Overall, I’m blown away by Nexis. This story is everything I want in aa book and with how it ends, I am dying for the next book in series and cannot wait to see what happens next!!
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