A new technology called Elusion is sweeping the country. An app, visor and wristband will virtually transport you to an exotic destination where adventure can be pursued without the complications—or consequences—of real life.
Regan is an Elusion insider. Or at least she used to be. Her father invented the program, and her best friend, Patrick, heir to the tech giant Orexis, is about to release it nationwide. But ever since her father’s unexpected death, Regan can’t bear to Escape, especially since waking up from the dream means crashing back to her grim reality.
Still, when there are rumors of trouble in Elusion—accusations that it’s addictive and dangerous— Regan is determined to defend it. But the critics of Elusion come from surprising sources, including Josh, the handsome skeptic with his own personal stakes. As Regan investigates the claims, she discovers a disturbing web of secrets. She will soon have to choose between love and loyalty…a decision that will affect the lives of millions.
Suspense, thrills, and romance fuel this near-future story about the seductive nature of a perfect virtual world, and how far one girl will go to uncover the truth behind the illusions
Jaime’s Thoughts
Elusion by Claudia Gabel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Elusion is going to change the world…
Regan’s father spent years working on the technology known as Elusion… with just an app, a visor and a wristband, the wearer can go anywhere and do anything they desire. But his unexpected death causes Regan to push away from the technology that consumed him. Instead, her best friend Patrick now heads the company and Elusion is about to release across the nation.
But it’s not smooth sailing, there are whispers of problems and then accusations are made. Regan refuses to see all her father’s hard work become a joke and she’ll defend it and him as long as she can.
The biggest plus that Elusion has going for it is that it’s unique… in a sea of dystopian and romance stories it doesn’t quite fit either one of those categories. Set in a future Detroit, the world isn’t what it is today, but I’m not sure why. I wanted a bit more world building and information on why the world is what it is. I wanted to know more about the Escapes and Orexis. I just felt like that information was glossed over and never fully explained.
The characters were definitely interesting. Regan is smart and believable as a young girl who has recently lost her father and I really admired her determination to get to the bottom of what was going on at Orexis. I found myself struggling a bit with her relationships though. I never really felt her connection with Patrick or Josh. And her mom… I’m not even sure what to say about that. She was always just kind of there, but really didn’t play much of a role in the story.
I do have to give kudos to Gabel and Klam for surprising me… at its heart, Elusion is a bit of a mystery. There are things happening that Regan needs to get to the bottom of, and despite my suspicions I found I was completely wrong by the end of the story.
I know I mentioned a bit of romance up above. Like I said, I struggled to feel any kind of connection between her and any of the characters, but specifically Josh. While I don’t know that I would consider what they have insta-love, they did seem to connect fairly quickly, and there didn’t seem to be much of a reason as to why.
Overall, Elusion is a fun and interesting take on sci-fi and mystery. The virtual world that Gabel and Klam created and the dystopian one surrounding it were both exciting and original and the pacing of the story is well done. I’ll definitely be picking up book 2 in this series to see what happens next!
Thank you to Katherine Tegan Books, Harpercollins and Edelweiss for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
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