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outsmartyourshelf's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Winter Kim & her sister, Rose, were rescued from a life of enforced sex work by Rose's then boyfriend, Gideon. Although Gideon & Rose are no longer together, Winter & Rose work as high-tech stunt girls for Gideon, where they engage in dangerous & enticing activities such as bungee jumping or dancing with a hot celeb at a club whilst recording their neural impulses of the experience. Gideon's customers then buy the Vicarious Sensory Experiences (ViSEs) for what feels like the personal experience of swimming with sharks or whatever they choose. When Rose is murdered & a ViSE recording of the murder sent to Gideon, Winter is determined to find her sister's killer. No matter what is takes.
This was rather good. The storyline was intriguing & there were some twists out of nowhere which made you think "Of course, why didn't I see that coming." On the downside, I don't feel as if the ViSE technology angle was used to its fullest, & I didn't feel immersed in the tech. It was all tell rather than show which was disappointing. There's an element of romance in this between Winter & her ViSE partner, Jesse, but I didn't feel that it overshadowed the rest of the storyline. I will probably pick up the sequel at some point.
This was rather good. The storyline was intriguing & there were some twists out of nowhere which made you think "Of course, why didn't I see that coming." On the downside, I don't feel as if the ViSE technology angle was used to its fullest, & I didn't feel immersed in the tech. It was all tell rather than show which was disappointing. There's an element of romance in this between Winter & her ViSE partner, Jesse, but I didn't feel that it overshadowed the rest of the storyline. I will probably pick up the sequel at some point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Pedophilia and Trafficking
hiveretcafe's review
5.0
This review was originally posted on my blog, here
I received an e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Holy crap, what a ride!
I knew Vicarious was going to be a read that I loved from the first several lines of the novel:
Vicarious is about Winter Kim — a survivor of sex trafficking and an orphan. She works with her sister, Rose, to create ViSe recordings for Rose’s ex-boyfriend, Gideon. Essentially, they record the exciting, the sensual and the dangerous, and the recordings are then sold to other people, which allows them to experience all the emotions and see everything that the recorder experienced and saw. However, the office they work out of was broken into and robbed and a ViSe recording is delivered to Gideon of Rose being murdered. Winter refuses to let the police handle it and decides to hunt for her sister’s killer, whether it puts her in more danger or not.
I really enjoyed this novel! It's fast paced and action packed and it really gave me the vibe of a tv show that I could seriously see myself watching, with the crime aspects and the tech aspects as well. I feel like this book really lends itself to being easily adapted into a mini-series. I get a sort of Stitchers vibe to it.
The novel is told in Winter's point of view. She is a Korean teenager and I really liked the way that Paula incorporated slight elements of Winter's culture into the narration without going overboard. It's subtle and informative. Like her name, she's sort of cold and is afraid of crowds and too many people. She's a sort of foil to her sister, who likes to record ViSes at clubs and parties and is not afraid of becoming intimate with others.
Jesse is one of my favourite characters also. He works as Winter's ViSe partner and also serves to protect her from being too reckless in the dangerous stunts they perform. He also has feelings for Winter, of which she's oblivious to. He’s also damaged in his own way and I really like the relationship that he has with Winter.
The last 50 pages or so of this novel really had me on the edge of my seat. The entire time, I was like, “OMYGOD. WHAT’S GONNA HAPPEN NEXT?” The novel goes from a nice highway ride, into a rollercoaster hurtling down a massive hill. It ends in a sort of cliffhanger that leaves you both satisfied and absolutely needing the next novel!
Paula's novels have gotten progressively better and I can't wait to see what else she has up her sleeve. Vicarious is a fast paced thriller with a kick-ass PoC heroine and twists and turns throughout the entire novel!
I received an e-ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Holy crap, what a ride!
I knew Vicarious was going to be a read that I loved from the first several lines of the novel:
“I can’t seem to wipe away the blood. I rub my hands against my nightgown, but traces of the red remain, staining the lines of my palms and the crescents beneath my fingernails. I wipe harder, gathering and bunching the soft cotton inside my fists. The fabric has been slit up the center and for a moment I worry that I’ve been cut, that maybe the blood is my own. I try to ask what’s happening, but there’s a mask over my mouth and nose. Suddenly it hits me—I’m in an ambulance.
I don’t remember how I got here.”
Vicarious is about Winter Kim — a survivor of sex trafficking and an orphan. She works with her sister, Rose, to create ViSe recordings for Rose’s ex-boyfriend, Gideon. Essentially, they record the exciting, the sensual and the dangerous, and the recordings are then sold to other people, which allows them to experience all the emotions and see everything that the recorder experienced and saw. However, the office they work out of was broken into and robbed and a ViSe recording is delivered to Gideon of Rose being murdered. Winter refuses to let the police handle it and decides to hunt for her sister’s killer, whether it puts her in more danger or not.
I really enjoyed this novel! It's fast paced and action packed and it really gave me the vibe of a tv show that I could seriously see myself watching, with the crime aspects and the tech aspects as well. I feel like this book really lends itself to being easily adapted into a mini-series. I get a sort of Stitchers vibe to it.
The novel is told in Winter's point of view. She is a Korean teenager and I really liked the way that Paula incorporated slight elements of Winter's culture into the narration without going overboard. It's subtle and informative. Like her name, she's sort of cold and is afraid of crowds and too many people. She's a sort of foil to her sister, who likes to record ViSes at clubs and parties and is not afraid of becoming intimate with others.
Jesse is one of my favourite characters also. He works as Winter's ViSe partner and also serves to protect her from being too reckless in the dangerous stunts they perform. He also has feelings for Winter, of which she's oblivious to. He’s also damaged in his own way and I really like the relationship that he has with Winter.
The last 50 pages or so of this novel really had me on the edge of my seat. The entire time, I was like, “OMYGOD. WHAT’S GONNA HAPPEN NEXT?” The novel goes from a nice highway ride, into a rollercoaster hurtling down a massive hill. It ends in a sort of cliffhanger that leaves you both satisfied and absolutely needing the next novel!
Paula's novels have gotten progressively better and I can't wait to see what else she has up her sleeve. Vicarious is a fast paced thriller with a kick-ass PoC heroine and twists and turns throughout the entire novel!
tstreet's review
5.0
I loved this and thought it was a bit sad as well.VICARIOUS by Paula Stokes was an absolutely fantastic read. As Paula Stokes’s fifth book, VICARIOUS was definitely a one-of-a-kind read as it dips into the realm of virtual reality and technology so advanced that hasn’t yet been made while at the same time showing the importance of familial bonds. I honestly loved the way the plot developed and how the characters actually changed/developed in front of our eyes to a level that had readers enjoy seeing who the characters became by the end of the story.
However, one thing I disliked about the plot was the fast ending. It might’ve just been because I couldn’t put the book down by the ending chapters or because I just wanted to keep on reading on; but, I felt as though adding more details into the ending of the story wouldn’t have hurt the readers’ understanding as we fumble with the events that occur so quickly.
Overall, I would recommend VICARIOUS to any mystery novel lovers who also know how to enjoy a dash of romance, difficult character backgrounds that bring tears to your eyes, and love to get a rush of thrill while reading about activities like diving into an icy cold river or scuba diving with hammerhead sharks.
image:
However, one thing I disliked about the plot was the fast ending. It might’ve just been because I couldn’t put the book down by the ending chapters or because I just wanted to keep on reading on; but, I felt as though adding more details into the ending of the story wouldn’t have hurt the readers’ understanding as we fumble with the events that occur so quickly.
Overall, I would recommend VICARIOUS to any mystery novel lovers who also know how to enjoy a dash of romance, difficult character backgrounds that bring tears to your eyes, and love to get a rush of thrill while reading about activities like diving into an icy cold river or scuba diving with hammerhead sharks.
image:
novelheartbeat's review
4.0
Before I picked this book up, I was in a massive reading slump. (No seriously, I'd picked up like 5 different books in succession with no luck, I didn't finish any of them.) Perhaps all I needed was to step outside of my genre comfort zone!
I love Paula's writing, and this one was no different. And such a cool concept, too! I loved the idea of ViSE - Vicarious Sensory Experience - basically, you can live vicariously through someone else's experiences! Skydiving, bungee jumping, swimming with sharks, you name it - you can experience it like you were actually there. Awesome, right?! Our main character, Winter, is a recorder; which basically means she does all that crazy shit so that people can experience it vicariously. (I SO WANT THAT JOB.) I loved the concept of it!
The mystery aspect was pretty awesome, too. I was curious about the murder mystery, and it kept me intrigued. Even when there was a lull in the plot I was still interested in the endgame.
"Fingers to fingers and thumb to thumb, a pair of sisters like matching gloves."
What struck me the most about this book is that Winter is a very tragic heroine. She's got a very dark past, so she carries a lot of that darkness within her. She's damaged and she has issues. I liked that she wasn't perfect. Throughout the whole story I was very curious about her past. There's hints at hospitalization, and therapy for PTSD, but you only get snippets. I couldn't help but wonder, what the heck happened to her? Did she try to kill herself?
Spoiler
The truth was even crazier! I started to suspect that Rose was a figment of Winter's imagination when she stumbled on her recording with Jesse and thought it was her sister. So I had already guessed the twist by the time it was revealed. But that didn't make it any less crazier!Also, MISO. I loved him so much! I love that there was a cat character in the book. (And that Jesse called him Moo!)
The only complaint I have is that I didn't connect to the characters as much as I'd hoped. I didn't have much of an emotional response to things that I should probably have made me cry.
Spoiler
I mean, Gideon died and I didn't even bat an eyelash. Eeeek.This review was originally posted on Novel Heartbeat. To see a breakdown of my assessment, please visit the full review here.
amarylissw's review
4.0
3.75 stars.
I liked the idea of the story and the protagonist's Korean ethnicity, but unfortunately the writing, the character building, the romance, and the ultimate twist did noting for me. Maybe just a personal opinion? Still, I like how this author deals with the real problems and trauma people go through.
I liked the idea of the story and the protagonist's Korean ethnicity, but unfortunately the writing, the character building, the romance, and the ultimate twist did noting for me. Maybe just a personal opinion? Still, I like how this author deals with the real problems and trauma people go through.
sarahanne1994's review
5.0
This book took me way too long to read for how utterly fantastic it was. Winter was a delightfully complex character who was also super badass and Jesse was so swoony. The idea of ViSEs being a thing sounds just super cool to have in real life, I would watch so many of them to do things my anxiety prevents me from doing. The mystery of Rose's death was so well crafted and kept me entertained and guessing the whole time. There was nothing predictable about the outcome of this book for me. There was the perfect amount of action and romance and mystery for me in this book. 100% looking forward to reading the sequel, because of Winter and Jesse. So perfect.
metaphorosis's review
2.0
2.5 stars - Metaphorosis Reviews
A Korean teen who escaped trafficking tries to rebuld her life with the help of her sister and her protector. She takes risks that only increase when it seems her sister has been abducted and killed.
Paula Stokes writes smoothly, but with an inclination toward choppy prose and dramatic pauses. Every chapter ends with a brief, blunt, dramatically-intended wrap-up statement, and they're liberally sprinkled (poured?) throughout the book.
It's annoying.
That's really the theme of the book as well - drama at all cost. While Vicarious pretends to be about the inner life of a troubled teen, every moment is drawn to maximize not character engagement, but drama.
It gets tiring.
The plot itself felt very B-movie - amnesia, vague technology, assorted villains, ambiguous good guys - played out with plenty of surprises for which the foundation hadn't been laid, including for the key twist at the end. Making things worse was a view of gender relations that I just don't subscribe to - very Harlequin romance protective-male, even as the heroine goes around intending to show she doesn't need protection.
It's counterproductive.
Stokes was clearly aiming to write a thriller, not a piece of social commentary, so it may be unfair to hold the book to a very high standard. But I found the flaws of style and construction so pervasive that they kept me from enjoying the thriller elements, and the weakness of the ending in particular left me uninterested. If you're looking for a Clive Cussler-style airplane read, you could do worse, but if you want a book that's interesting and fun to read, you could do a lot better.
Read a different book.
A Korean teen who escaped trafficking tries to rebuld her life with the help of her sister and her protector. She takes risks that only increase when it seems her sister has been abducted and killed.
Paula Stokes writes smoothly, but with an inclination toward choppy prose and dramatic pauses. Every chapter ends with a brief, blunt, dramatically-intended wrap-up statement, and they're liberally sprinkled (poured?) throughout the book.
It's annoying.
That's really the theme of the book as well - drama at all cost. While Vicarious pretends to be about the inner life of a troubled teen, every moment is drawn to maximize not character engagement, but drama.
It gets tiring.
The plot itself felt very B-movie - amnesia, vague technology, assorted villains, ambiguous good guys - played out with plenty of surprises for which the foundation hadn't been laid, including for the key twist at the end. Making things worse was a view of gender relations that I just don't subscribe to - very Harlequin romance protective-male, even as the heroine goes around intending to show she doesn't need protection.
It's counterproductive.
Stokes was clearly aiming to write a thriller, not a piece of social commentary, so it may be unfair to hold the book to a very high standard. But I found the flaws of style and construction so pervasive that they kept me from enjoying the thriller elements, and the weakness of the ending in particular left me uninterested. If you're looking for a Clive Cussler-style airplane read, you could do worse, but if you want a book that's interesting and fun to read, you could do a lot better.
Read a different book.
buuboobaby's review
Yet another skimmer. Nothing wrong with the writing style, in fact, it did appeal to me, but the story itself did not hold my attention. I don't know what I was expecting, but a murder mystery set in some hazily defined setting wasn't it. Without getting into spoilers, I didn't find this particularly believable once the big reveal was made, or extremely compelling. The world building was weak, and I never got a clear picture of Winter's surroundings (other than she lived in an expensive penthouse with clubs dotting the street below).
slc333's review
4.0
I received a preview from Netgalley and I must say I CANNOT WAIT til I can get my hands on the whole thing. I haven't given it a rating because I want to wait til i read the whole thing but it is currently on track as a 4 or 5 star. It is action-packed with a great mystery, fascinating characters and I cannot wait to find out more.
Edit 9 July 2017
So I finally got my hands on a copy aaand that was a total mind fuck. I mean I knew things weren’t going to be as they seemed ( you could just tell it was that kind of book) but I still was not expecting that ending. No I wont say more even in a spoiler it would ruin the entire book if I did.
I liked Winter and how determined she was to find out what happened to Rose. She was an interesting mix of vulnerable, strong, stubborn and compliant. After an action packed start it slowed somewhat in the middle but was still interesting in terms of the mystery and finding out about Rose’s life before the action picks up again at the end. However, as dramatic and interesting as the ending was it felt too rushed and abrupt, particularly given how slow the pacing was in the middle part of the book. I know that the story will continue in the next book so not everything needed to be tied up but there should be some sense of resolution and there was none. It was like the story just stopped in the middle because it has hit a certain word count. It didn’t have to be that way. I mean we have chapter after chapter of Winter watching Rose's vises and speculating. Then you have this big reveal from which there is a ton of fallout but before we (or Winter) can process this – bang, bang a couple of other things happen in quick sucesession and the story ends without processing or dealing with the fall out.
Edit 9 July 2017
So I finally got my hands on a copy aaand that was a total mind fuck. I mean I knew things weren’t going to be as they seemed ( you could just tell it was that kind of book) but I still was not expecting that ending. No I wont say more even in a spoiler it would ruin the entire book if I did.
I liked Winter and how determined she was to find out what happened to Rose. She was an interesting mix of vulnerable, strong, stubborn and compliant. After an action packed start it slowed somewhat in the middle but was still interesting in terms of the mystery and finding out about Rose’s life before the action picks up again at the end. However, as dramatic and interesting as the ending was it felt too rushed and abrupt, particularly given how slow the pacing was in the middle part of the book. I know that the story will continue in the next book so not everything needed to be tied up but there should be some sense of resolution and there was none. It was like the story just stopped in the middle because it has hit a certain word count. It didn’t have to be that way. I mean we have chapter after chapter of Winter watching Rose's vises and speculating. Then you have this big reveal from which there is a ton of fallout but before we (or Winter) can process this – bang, bang a couple of other things happen in quick sucesession and the story ends without processing or dealing with the fall out.