A review by outsmartyourshelf
Vicarious by Paula Stokes

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. 
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