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_camk_'s review
2.0
Trancehack could have been a really, interesting story as the Clark built was really interesting.
Instead, it was reduced a bad romance novel with a boring male lead who much too piney for anyone's liking.
Instead, it was reduced a bad romance novel with a boring male lead who much too piney for anyone's liking.
jasmyn9's review
3.0
The world building and lore in this book really blew me away. It was like entering an alternate universe where so much was different, yet so much was still sort of the same. Magic users exist, and most of the Normals are afraid of them. So they have been rounded up into what is basically several ghettos. They are only allowed to leave for so long and their ability to live like the rest of the world is extremely limited.
Calla grew up in Zone 13. She's fairly happy there and was content to live her life making jewelry and occasionally hacking into the web to find out what was going on. But then Detective Asshole had to show up and she was drawn into something larger than either of them expected. Calla is hiding a lot of secrets, so this was bad bad news for her and some of her friends. But Nathan was fascinated by the girl and felt he just had to get to know her better.
There was a lot of excitement in this one. It was almost like a dash of suspense and sci-fi technology was thrown in small enough doses that it didn't take too much away from the paranormal aspect. The mystery they are investigating was very engaging and there were a couple characters from Zone 13 that you get to know fairly well and I really liked them. There was quite a twist at the end and I was surprised at the resolution, but it did feel a bit like the author wasn't sure how to wrap it up and had forced herself into a corner with no other options. But then that was how one of the characters felt as well so maybe it was intentional.
I'm interested to see where the series goes next. The world has so much potential to get very exciting.
Calla grew up in Zone 13. She's fairly happy there and was content to live her life making jewelry and occasionally hacking into the web to find out what was going on. But then Detective Asshole had to show up and she was drawn into something larger than either of them expected. Calla is hiding a lot of secrets, so this was bad bad news for her and some of her friends. But Nathan was fascinated by the girl and felt he just had to get to know her better.
There was a lot of excitement in this one. It was almost like a dash of suspense and sci-fi technology was thrown in small enough doses that it didn't take too much away from the paranormal aspect. The mystery they are investigating was very engaging and there were a couple characters from Zone 13 that you get to know fairly well and I really liked them. There was quite a twist at the end and I was surprised at the resolution, but it did feel a bit like the author wasn't sure how to wrap it up and had forced herself into a corner with no other options. But then that was how one of the characters felt as well so maybe it was intentional.
I'm interested to see where the series goes next. The world has so much potential to get very exciting.
chllybrd's review
4.0
I started out not too sure how I felt about the characters or the world that TRANCEHACK took place in only to end the book hoping that book 2 was close on the horizon.
In the world that Sonya Clark has created the Magic Born are second class citizens and treated like dirt. They are forced to live in government-run zones with no rights or freedoms. They test babies and if they are found to be Magic Born their parents abandon them or they are taken away to be raised in these zones. TRANCEHACK follows the POVs of two characters. Calla Vesper is Magic Born and was given up as a baby. She makes money by selling her crafted jewelry and using her magic to break into computers. When she encounters Nathan she sees him as just another police officer that doesn't belong in her world and is just there to cause trouble. She wants nothing to do with him or his investigation. Detective Nathan Perez is investigating the death of a well-respected doctor. His investigation brings him to the zone and he admits not knowing anything about the magic born or what they can do. It's also clear from the start that he is different from the other normals with his treatment towards the magic born. When he sees Calla he stops at nothing to get her to help him in his investigation and refuses to stop pursuing her even though they're from different worlds.
Although the relationship between Calla and Nathan is a big part of the book I felt the world itself was just SO fascinating and drove the story. Sonya did a great job with explaining details without drawing everything out. The world holds so much potential and I couldn't get enough of it. I have so many questions! Will Nathan and Calla continue to lead us through future books? Will the Magic Born stage and uprising? Will the family developments that came to light continue to develop? I will have to find out by reading Magic Born #2.
* This book was provided free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review.
In the world that Sonya Clark has created the Magic Born are second class citizens and treated like dirt. They are forced to live in government-run zones with no rights or freedoms. They test babies and if they are found to be Magic Born their parents abandon them or they are taken away to be raised in these zones. TRANCEHACK follows the POVs of two characters. Calla Vesper is Magic Born and was given up as a baby. She makes money by selling her crafted jewelry and using her magic to break into computers. When she encounters Nathan she sees him as just another police officer that doesn't belong in her world and is just there to cause trouble. She wants nothing to do with him or his investigation. Detective Nathan Perez is investigating the death of a well-respected doctor. His investigation brings him to the zone and he admits not knowing anything about the magic born or what they can do. It's also clear from the start that he is different from the other normals with his treatment towards the magic born. When he sees Calla he stops at nothing to get her to help him in his investigation and refuses to stop pursuing her even though they're from different worlds.
Although the relationship between Calla and Nathan is a big part of the book I felt the world itself was just SO fascinating and drove the story. Sonya did a great job with explaining details without drawing everything out. The world holds so much potential and I couldn't get enough of it. I have so many questions! Will Nathan and Calla continue to lead us through future books? Will the Magic Born stage and uprising? Will the family developments that came to light continue to develop? I will have to find out by reading Magic Born #2.
* This book was provided free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review.
scorchingnix's review
5.0
Really 4.5 Stars
FTC : I requested this book from NetGalley for a fair and honest review. I have no relationship with the author.
After reading the Mojo Queen a few years ago, I knew I liked Sonya Clark’s writing. After seeing this one was published by Carina I decided that this was a book I needed to read. The premise is so intriguing, so different to anything that I have read before that I was excited. I wasn’t disappointed and devoured this as fast as I could.
The premise of the book is simple; those that have magic are segregated from birth (yes, they are tested that young) and put into zones. In these zones, there is no rights, and a hell of a lot of external oppression, but the people that live there have managed to create a community. It is into this (hostile) community that Nate has to go following a murder of a high profile scientist and it is on this case that he meets Calla. Once they meet, we are taken on a tale of sex and intrigue in a city of magic and persecution. It is very different and very good.
The relationship between Calla and Nate is the main plot thread and it is both happy and sad. It was lovely to watch them fall in love (they are both very likeable characters) but it was quite upsetting to see them believe their relationship would be doomed because of Calla’s magic status. They couldn’t stay the night together (Calla wasn’t allowed out of the zone for more than 18 hours), they couldn’t go on dates (Calla wasn’t allowed in most restaurants) and, if he chose to stay in the zone with her, Nate would lose everything. It was a lot to give up for one person and I agreed with them; it did seem hopeless. I wanted them together so badly but I couldn’t see anything but resentment in their future if they stayed together.
As characters, Cella and Nate bring different things to the table. I liked the contrast of Nate's naivety and Cella's cynicism when it came to the way that the world worked. Their life experiences have shaped the way that they see things and I enjoyed the way that they brought a balance to each other. They matched well and I could only hope that they could find a way but, bar a destruction of the entire infrastructure of the world, I didn’t see that happening. The chemistry between them is intense which made it even harder to watch them on their journey as I knew that, for them to have a HEA, it was more than likely that someone would have to make huge sacrifices.
The world that this book is set in was the main draw for me and my only complaint is that we didn’t learn that much about it. As a reader, I felt that I only got a brief snapshot of the complexities of it and the different layers that made it unique. I’m glad this is a series book as I know I will gradually learn more. I also wanted to see a bit more of Cella’s powers! The suspense plot is fabulous and I didn’t see any of the plot twists coming.
This is a gritty romantic suspense set in a dystopian world where external forces conspire to keep our romantic couple apart. With magic and intrigue aplenty, this is one I recommend for dystopian fans.
FTC : I requested this book from NetGalley for a fair and honest review. I have no relationship with the author.
After reading the Mojo Queen a few years ago, I knew I liked Sonya Clark’s writing. After seeing this one was published by Carina I decided that this was a book I needed to read. The premise is so intriguing, so different to anything that I have read before that I was excited. I wasn’t disappointed and devoured this as fast as I could.
The premise of the book is simple; those that have magic are segregated from birth (yes, they are tested that young) and put into zones. In these zones, there is no rights, and a hell of a lot of external oppression, but the people that live there have managed to create a community. It is into this (hostile) community that Nate has to go following a murder of a high profile scientist and it is on this case that he meets Calla. Once they meet, we are taken on a tale of sex and intrigue in a city of magic and persecution. It is very different and very good.
The relationship between Calla and Nate is the main plot thread and it is both happy and sad. It was lovely to watch them fall in love (they are both very likeable characters) but it was quite upsetting to see them believe their relationship would be doomed because of Calla’s magic status. They couldn’t stay the night together (Calla wasn’t allowed out of the zone for more than 18 hours), they couldn’t go on dates (Calla wasn’t allowed in most restaurants) and, if he chose to stay in the zone with her, Nate would lose everything. It was a lot to give up for one person and I agreed with them; it did seem hopeless. I wanted them together so badly but I couldn’t see anything but resentment in their future if they stayed together.
As characters, Cella and Nate bring different things to the table. I liked the contrast of Nate's naivety and Cella's cynicism when it came to the way that the world worked. Their life experiences have shaped the way that they see things and I enjoyed the way that they brought a balance to each other. They matched well and I could only hope that they could find a way but, bar a destruction of the entire infrastructure of the world, I didn’t see that happening. The chemistry between them is intense which made it even harder to watch them on their journey as I knew that, for them to have a HEA, it was more than likely that someone would have to make huge sacrifices.
The world that this book is set in was the main draw for me and my only complaint is that we didn’t learn that much about it. As a reader, I felt that I only got a brief snapshot of the complexities of it and the different layers that made it unique. I’m glad this is a series book as I know I will gradually learn more. I also wanted to see a bit more of Cella’s powers! The suspense plot is fabulous and I didn’t see any of the plot twists coming.
This is a gritty romantic suspense set in a dystopian world where external forces conspire to keep our romantic couple apart. With magic and intrigue aplenty, this is one I recommend for dystopian fans.
panxa's review
2.0
The more I think about it, the more nit-picky I feel about it. Kind of an interesting set up that I don't think was utilized as well as it could have been. Big reveal was obvious really early, so spent the book just waiting for the story to get around to making it official. In light of current events, the internment camp stuff was awkward.
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