I thought the story had solid tension and the dystopian elements were mostly what I thought they would be, but there were a few good twists and turns. The biggest challenge I had was tracking with some of the science of the science fiction. I won't give things away by explaining any further, other than to say that reading quickly like I tend to do was not always helpful with a book as complex as this one was.

Interesting page-turner that was hard to put down. The adventure is thrilling and thought provoking.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this free eARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

Husk by Nathaniel Eliason is a thrilling and thought-provoking sci-fi story that explores the price of immortality in a vividly imagined future. Isaac’s journey is gripping, filled with twists, tension, and questions that linger long after the final page. I truly enjoyed this book and rated it five stars.

I was wary for the first few chapters but this ended up being a fun read. Eliason is clearly a big fan of the Matrix and took some heavy inspiration to start off this series, but tweaked and added enough to keep it fresh.

This was somewhere on the older end of young adult to me. It was a bit angsty and the characters weren’t too complicated, but it still posed interesting questions about consciousness and humanity. There’s also some violence and other adult themes throughout the book, but it served the plot and was never gratuitous.

All in all I enjoyed getting a glimpse of the impending techno-pocalypse and the mysteries in Meru – and despite how I feel about the use of “‘Saac” as a nickname for Isaac, I’m curious to see where the series will go.

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.