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aliciasirvid's review
4.0
Adelaide Te Ngawai's voice is stolen, and not just her voice, her ability to communicate. She knows who infected her, Maunga Richards. But why would Maunga give her Vox Pox?
It's the worst thing imaginable, especially for a writer, but Adelaide's brother makes her a device to help her cope, and slowly but surely Adelaide begins to claw her life back. Still, nothing about the illness makes any sense, it's restricted to a small area, and appears to be a man-made condition. But how? And why? Adelaide is determined to unravel the mystery.
She plans to confront Maunga in a virtual reality world, and what she finds is what makes this book so fascinating. I loved the bizarre world of the virtual reality, and how the plot twists and turns inside it.
Although character and the plot were at times subserviant to the themes, it was still a fun book, and EG Wilson did a great job of exploring her dual themes of self-expression and disablity. For a new author, she had a strong, and enjoyable voice relevant to her character, and as a part of that voice, there were poem-style interludes to add resonance. I enjoyed the interludes, but never fear, they're not vital to the plot.
An enjoyable read, with interesting social commentary, and definitely an author to keep an eye on.
It's the worst thing imaginable, especially for a writer, but Adelaide's brother makes her a device to help her cope, and slowly but surely Adelaide begins to claw her life back. Still, nothing about the illness makes any sense, it's restricted to a small area, and appears to be a man-made condition. But how? And why? Adelaide is determined to unravel the mystery.
She plans to confront Maunga in a virtual reality world, and what she finds is what makes this book so fascinating. I loved the bizarre world of the virtual reality, and how the plot twists and turns inside it.
Although character and the plot were at times subserviant to the themes, it was still a fun book, and EG Wilson did a great job of exploring her dual themes of self-expression and disablity. For a new author, she had a strong, and enjoyable voice relevant to her character, and as a part of that voice, there were poem-style interludes to add resonance. I enjoyed the interludes, but never fear, they're not vital to the plot.
An enjoyable read, with interesting social commentary, and definitely an author to keep an eye on.
didyousaybooks's review
1.0
I was given an ARC review of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Sadly, I’m DNFing it right now. I went to 54% but no more!
It’s just so confusing, all over the place and so badly characterized.
It starts pretty ok, albeit a bit confusing but intriguing enough. But just as it starts, it goes downhill from there.
You get no character development, the « plot » jumps weeks, months YEARS ahead very quickly and it’s just useless. Pointless. Voiceless indeed.
Sorry, I tried and now I pass.
Sadly, I’m DNFing it right now. I went to 54% but no more!
It’s just so confusing, all over the place and so badly characterized.
It starts pretty ok, albeit a bit confusing but intriguing enough. But just as it starts, it goes downhill from there.
You get no character development, the « plot » jumps weeks, months YEARS ahead very quickly and it’s just useless. Pointless. Voiceless indeed.
Sorry, I tried and now I pass.
kelseykeating's review
3.0
I can honestly say this book is one of the most unique I've read. It's a debut novel, and falls into a few traps debuts tend to. However, this world is unlike any other.
It's a quick read and I'm looking forward to finding out what happens in the second book!!
It's a quick read and I'm looking forward to finding out what happens in the second book!!
willdrown's review
3.0
A girl is attacked at 13, losing her voice and talents to the injection of man-made plague known as the Vox Pox. In 3 years, having regained the basic ability to write, she watches as her brother succumbs to the same illness. So, for convoluted and unclear reasons, she finally drums up the courage to face her attacker in a virtual reality world, which is supposed to help heal broken minds and unstable emotions.
This short synopsis tells you the meat of the book, but what it (and others like it) can't mention is that this is not another in a line of "dangerous contest with teenage romance abound" novels, but one that is much more focused on the repercussions of having something taken from you and the feeling it leaves. Wilson is less concerned with the complex inner workings of the VR in which Addy, our protagonist, spends the bulk of the novel, letting it be as wild as possible, with Escherian houses, impossible time/distance stretching and compressing, favouring simplicity of action to hard sci-fi explanations of every minute detail. As Adelaide traverses the dangerous landscape of this reality in search of her foe, a hefty chunk of the writing is devoted to her feelings of uncertainty, depression, and being lost (literally and figuratively). And, as a bigger threat is revealed, the perspective shifts, changing the ongoing thought narrative from "How could one be so vile as to do this?" to "Could I be evil enough?". It's a welcome change of pace, giving the last third of the book something more to chew on, and the events that it defines and leads to should make for a rather engaging sequel.
The book also has two big pluses in the absolute absence of a romantic storyline and a sizeable helping of New Zealand/Maori culture, with words and turns of phrase thrown in casually, looking quite organic and giving an unusual "colour" to the story. It's almost kind of a fantasy vibe, if I may be forgiven for such preposterous words. The NZ culture is completely unknown to me, so seeing these new words, these new terms, it's akin to opening a sword & magic novel with all of its Grothk the Great and "frak it!" and whatnot. It's not the biggest defining trait of the book, but it's a stellar choice, one that brings a lot of character to the novel and making it stand out even in sequences which would be standard otherwise. The inclusion of Maori sayings and identity is welcome and truly refreshing.
I'm struggling to call the book amazing because some of the plot turns and character motivations are baffling and unconvicingly convenient, but I have no qualms in calling this a pleasant, engrossing read that has me eagerly waiting for the sequel. And if E. G. Wilson ever decides to write some books about NZ/Maori culture or folklore, I'll be in line to get it.
This short synopsis tells you the meat of the book, but what it (and others like it) can't mention is that this is not another in a line of "dangerous contest with teenage romance abound" novels, but one that is much more focused on the repercussions of having something taken from you and the feeling it leaves. Wilson is less concerned with the complex inner workings of the VR in which Addy, our protagonist, spends the bulk of the novel, letting it be as wild as possible, with Escherian houses, impossible time/distance stretching and compressing, favouring simplicity of action to hard sci-fi explanations of every minute detail. As Adelaide traverses the dangerous landscape of this reality in search of her foe, a hefty chunk of the writing is devoted to her feelings of uncertainty, depression, and being lost (literally and figuratively). And, as a bigger threat is revealed, the perspective shifts, changing the ongoing thought narrative from "How could one be so vile as to do this?" to "Could I be evil enough?". It's a welcome change of pace, giving the last third of the book something more to chew on, and the events that it defines and leads to should make for a rather engaging sequel.
The book also has two big pluses in the absolute absence of a romantic storyline and a sizeable helping of New Zealand/Maori culture, with words and turns of phrase thrown in casually, looking quite organic and giving an unusual "colour" to the story. It's almost kind of a fantasy vibe, if I may be forgiven for such preposterous words. The NZ culture is completely unknown to me, so seeing these new words, these new terms, it's akin to opening a sword & magic novel with all of its Grothk the Great and "frak it!" and whatnot. It's not the biggest defining trait of the book, but it's a stellar choice, one that brings a lot of character to the novel and making it stand out even in sequences which would be standard otherwise. The inclusion of Maori sayings and identity is welcome and truly refreshing.
I'm struggling to call the book amazing because some of the plot turns and character motivations are baffling and unconvicingly convenient, but I have no qualms in calling this a pleasant, engrossing read that has me eagerly waiting for the sequel. And if E. G. Wilson ever decides to write some books about NZ/Maori culture or folklore, I'll be in line to get it.
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