Young Adult Review: Disconnected

I am excited to talk about the next book in my book review series! DISCONNECTED by Riley Cross will be available on May 10, 2023, from Monarch Educational Services, LLC.

If you like sci-fi/dystopia stories, then you’re going to want to read this one! This is a genre I particularly enjoy, and this story is unlike any I have read before.

My Review:

In a society where people are genetically engineered, Chiara is an anomaly. Despite the odds being stacked against her, Chiara excels at school and lands a coveted spot in the honors program with a shot at at a top level job in Unity, their community ran by A.I. But after a terrible family loss throws her off course, she is demoted to a low-level position. With nothing left to lose and deperate for answers, Chiara uses her intelligence and top-notch hacking skills to dig into Unity’s database. What she discovers sets her on a completely new path, one that takes her outside the walls of their carefully constructed community and into a desolate wasteland inhabited by rebels and vicious robots. With time running out will Chiara and her new friends be able to save humanity? And after everything she has learned, are they really worth saving?

DISCONNECTED is an action-packed sci-fi/dystopia adventure set inside a community run entirely by artificial intelligence known as Auto. This book caused me to stay up way past my bedtime and invaded my waking thoughts until I reached the satisfying conclusion. The main character, Chiara, is the hero everyone wishes they could be. I only hope there are more stories to come because I miss the rag-tag group of survivors I would be happy to have as friends!

What I loved:

• The main character is intelligent and tenacious. She’s easy to root for.
• The supporting characters have big personalities of their own. I would definitely want them on my side.
• The details of how their world works are woven throughout the story in a way that makes you feel as if you are there.
• The author did a great job of creating an artificial world of code within their exterior world. I loved the scenes where Chiara hacked into their system and altered reality.
• There’s a robot dog AND a forbidden library!

Author Bio:

Riley Cross is a language arts educator with a penchant for all things dystopian. She teaches creative writing courses by day and turns into a coffee-fueled writer by night. Riley resides in New Jersey with her family, who graciously tolerate her need to listen to epic movie scores or country music while working on her next project.

(Bio from Amazon.com)

Be sure to follow Riley on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to keep up on this book, as well as future projects!

DISCONNECTED will be available where books are sold on 5/10/23. You can pre-order now on B&N and Amazon!