(Goodreads)
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.
Thank you to Blue Moon Publishers at NetGalley for sending me this eARC!
There are many things about Nirvana that didn't sit well with me and I think the main one is the lack of interesting characters. We're introduced to Larissa Kenders, (who hates being called by her first name, why? No clue), a 17-year-old who is engaged to a 25-year-old computer engineer/scientist/prodigy and who has led revolts against money-hungry companies through her fame as a rock star.
She sounds interesting enough, so why does her character fall flat? A lot of the novel is told through Kender's point-of-view but there are random chapters here and there told through someone else and the sequence is never consistent. I didn't see the point in alternating the chapters besides giving us information that Kenders didn't have access to. But if that was the case, why not establish a secondary consistent character? These alternating chapters might as well have been told through a janitor's pov.
While none of the characters stood out for me, I was particularly disappointed in Kender's development. We're told from the beginning that she's feisty, unapologetic, a rock star, and the kind of girl that would throw blood on people for wearing fur. However, I don't think we ever see any of that. Instead, Kenders develops into a one-dimensional character who never really takes charge of the situation and instead follows other people's orders. It was aggravating to see obvious clues that she never picked up on. For example:
"Did you leave the stick?" I ask.
"What stick?"
I tell him, and the blood drains from his face. He says nothing, his furrowed brows closing in on his expression.What happens next? Kenders goes to sleep. Um...hello?? If your fiancee's face becomes pale after a conversation, isn't that something to follow up on? Something to prod about? There were many frustrating moments like these.
Nirvana is set in the year 2088 and Kenders dumps a lot of information here and there to let the reader know how much the future has changed. However, it is A LOT to take in at once. I found them very confusing and after the first 50 pages or so my eyes started glossing over paragraphs of information. Another extremely confusing aspect was the timeline. If I'm correct in my math, Kenders was 14 when she met Andrew, (her fiancee), who was 22. Even in the present time, when Kenders is 17, he's 25. UM, do I really need to say anything else? Kenders finished high school years ago apparently, graduated college, toured Canada with her punk band and (pause for breath) worked for the government for a couple of years already.
It was all very confusing and gave me a headache trying to figure out. And although I think this novel deserves 1 star, I do applaud the author for taking reader's feedback and revising the story.
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