What's Hot? Books.

Glitch by Heather Anastasiu.

Title: Glitch
Author: Heather Anastasiu
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi, Dystopia, Romance
Publication Date: August 7, 2012
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Goodreads Summary: In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network.

When Zoe starts to malfunction (or “glitch”), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers.

As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Both boys introduce Zoe to feelings that are entirely new. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse.

In this action-packed debut, Glitch begins an exciting new young adult trilogy.

{ Review }

I was really excited when I got an email inviting me to participate in the Glitch book tour. Ever since I added Glitch to my Waiting on Wednesday list I've been desperate to read it. It sounded like it was going to be something along the lines of The Host by Stephanie Meyer and I hadn't read a book like that in a long while so I thought I'd give Glitch a go.

My favourite character is undoubtedly Adrien. For starters, his description almost exactly matches that of someone I was once saw across the room and I decided to call him 'Adrian' in my mind (hey, maths lectures are boring, staring at hot boys across the room is far more interesting) so I felt like it was fate. Silly, I know. Adrien is amazingly caring and the description of his green/blue eyes makes him sound divine. The one thing that really annoyed me about Adrien is the way that he talks. Some of the language he uses is just weird but I suppose it gives him more personality.

The other male interest, Max, is just incredibly annoying in my opinion. Apart from the fact that he keeps getting in the way of Adrien and Zoe, the thing at the forefront of his mind seems to be sex - and he doesn't even really know what it is! I think his character is a bit obsessed with Zoe, rather than actually caring for her.

I have very mixed feelings about the character Zoe. The book is written from the first person perspective so you see everything through her eyes and sometimes I couldn't help but think - How can you be so dumb? For the most part she is a great protagonist and I like that she stands up for herself. For someone who's suddenly been thrown into the middle of a resistance against a global operation she handles things quite well and remains headstrong. Reading exactly how Zoe feels made everything all the more interesting because I thought it let the reader in on what she was thinking about Adrien and Max which I really liked. She doesn't always express what she's feeling but I still felt a tingle of anticipation when reading her thoughts.

I thought that the relationships between Zoe and Adrien and Zoe and Max were a little rushed because both boys seemed to develop really strong feelings for Zoe very quickly. I loved Zoe and Adrien's relationship in the first half of the book, but I think it could've been even better if it had just slowed down and tad.

The plot is so fast paced and action packed I couldn't stop reading. Between the confusing teen romances, the rise of the resistance and the need for secrecy, there's never a dull moment in Glitch.  I was hooked from the very first time I saw the cover, which is stunning, and I was even more drawn in when I started to read it. I found some parts of the plot really confusing just because I never really understood how you could be 'linked' to the system and still have your own thoughts at the same time. I suppose you could think of them as really advanced human robots, but I was just a bit baffled by the mix of links and glitches.

This is a brilliant young adult novel that had me flipping pages like crazy until the end and I'd highly recommend it for fans of dystopia or sci-fi with a bit of romance thrown into the mix. I like to think of this as The Hunger Games mixed with The Host, though still completely unique of course. Glitch has the power to become a brilliantly popular teen trilogy and I absolutely cannot wait for the next two books!

{ Author Bio }


Heather Anastasiu is the author of the young adult sci-fi novel,GLITCH (St. Martin's Press/Spring 2012). She recently moved to Minneapolis with her family, and when she’s not busy getting lost exploring the new city, she spends most days writing at a café.

Random Facts About Me:
• I played the piccolo in my high school marching band.
• I paint a little, but for some reason, only in winter.
• So, the last name, I know it looks like Anastasia, but it has a U on the end: Anastasiu (rhymes with 'so-nice-to-see-you'). It's Romanian in origin.
• I like body art. Well, I like art of all kinds, but especially body art, i.e. tattoos, because it's the art you get to take with you. I figure, there's so much about the body we're given we don't have control over (hips, nose, forehead, chin, height, foot size, health), so much that we get no choice in, but hair color and ink designs? Hello world, this is me and the kinds of things I find beautiful!
• I was in a wheelchair for a year during college because of health problems. Being wheel-bound and knee-high for a year certainly changed my perspective on life (pun intended).
• Yes, I am a fan of cheesy puns.
• My favorite book is East of Eden because it blew open my world when I first read it at age 20.
• I also unabashedly love Twilight. I even wrote a chapter in a forthcoming book of academic essays about how Twilight, for all its shortcomings, can also have positive implications for readers in that it provides a platform for public participation in a communal female myth. It's compulsively readable and is all about engaging our fantasy lives and letting us participate in vicarious wish fullfillment.
• I like pink and black together, but not apart.

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