Great fun, a good read, and lots of action and excitement!
Some great new ideas here, raising it above the norm of books of this type.
Looking forward to the next one!

5 Enthusiastic stars! This science fiction thriller ticks all the boxes for a must read. It has a great premise, engaging characters, cool technology, action packed battles, and clever twists. It raises moral and ethical questions that you will want to discuss with your friends and family. It also promises at least a sequel and perhaps a series. I will definitely have my eyes out for more offerings from this talented author. I received this as an ARC through NetGalley.

Isaac is on the verge of transferring into Meru, the virtual reality world that has almost entirely replaced dying in Epsilon, when his best friend confides his concerns about what really happens when transferring. Before long, he is questioning if his friend was right, and his life will never be the same.

I enjoyed this book. It reminded me of discussions about “you-ness” from my college philosophy days. It also got me thinking about when I would want to transfer if it was an option. Too early and you might regret missed experiences, too long and you risk dying or too much damage to your memories before making it in.

I liked seeing how Isaac started valuing real-life experiences after wanting to transfer at a young age. It could have gone too anti-tech, but I think it hit a good balance.

While I found the battle scenes closer to the end engaging and exciting, I found keeping track of the characters a little confusing.

Overall, I’d be interested in reading future books in the series.

Thanks to the publisher for providing this book in exchange for my review via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.