Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Review: Future Shock by Elizabeth Briggs

Book Blurb:

What do you do when the future is too late, and the present is counting down to an inevitable moment?

Elena Martinez has street smarts, the ability for perfect recall, and a deadline: if she doesn’t find a job before she turns eighteen, she’ll be homeless. But then she gets an unexpected offer from Aether Corporation, the powerful Los Angeles tech giant. Along with four other recruits—Adam, Chris, Trent, and Zoe—Elena is being sent on a secret mission to bring back data from the future. All they have to do is get Aether the information they need, and the five of them will be set for life. It’s an offer Elena can’t refuse.

But something goes wrong when the time travelers arrive in the future. And they are forced to break the only rule they were given—not to look into their own fates. Now they have twenty-four hours to get back to the present and find a way to stop a seemingly inevitable future—and a murder—from happening. But changing the timeline has deadly consequences too. Who can Elena trust as she fights to save her life?

The first book in an unforgettable series about rewriting your destiny in the city of dreams.

My Review:

4 Out Of 5 Stars

Genre: Another-World, Mystery, Survival, Teen--

Elena is about to turn 18 and once that happens she will be kicked out of the foster system and be on her own. Elena is desperate to get a job but nobody will hire her because of her outward appearance and tattoos. When she is offered a chance to make a large sum of money for one day of testing by the Aether Corporation, she is suspicious but willing to check it out. Elena finds herself and a few other teenage foster kids waiting to take part in an experiment unlike anything they could have predicted.

I have read Brigg’s New Adult series Chasing the Dream and absolutely loved them so I was excited to get my hands on another book by her but in a completely different genre. Well, I was not let down. The author created such detailed characters that I feel as if I know them and like them. Not only does she have realistic characters, but she creates unique plots to keep me engaged. I enjoyed this book and would love another journey with these people as well as to this future, but the book wrapped up so nicely so I am a little surprised that this is the first in a series, so I am not sure what to expect next.

This was a very different type of story from what I have read from the author before, but it was still really well done. The story was full of mystery with subtle clues laid out so that the reader can try to fit the pieces together before it is too late for the characters. The world building that the author did was interesting also, where she made the base of her future our current world and then created new layers of technology to create something new from something old. My favorite invention of hers was the face overlay/computer thing, which acted like a very smart smart-phone but was worn on the person and could be altered to reflect the wearer’s personality. I found it to be very cool as well as terrifying to think of. Cars were operated by a computer system and items were purchased based on hand prints in a system, things that could potentially be true in the future. Oh and yeah, a cure for cancer exists, but not without a potentially deadly side effect. It was a believable future world that I could see being a possible outcome and I like that it was not so over the top as to be crazy.

Elena was really complex, with a mix of toughness and street smarts, mixed with her caring for the underdog, and her eidetic memory that never lets her forget. The book kinda sorta makes Elena, the main character, into a potential bad guy and I was surprise by that. I rooted for her and wanted things to be fixed, but so many clues were set into play to point back at her. I liked the way the plot developed and caused Elena to doubt herself and what was really happening. Side note, I enjoyed Adam and his plucky charm and odd quirks.

Overall this was an interesting ride through the future and I am glad I got the chance to read it. I am a fan of the author and can’t wait for more from her, regardless of the genre.

I received his title from the publisher in return for my honest review.

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