Playing Catch Up! Etherworld by Claudia Gabel & Cheryl Klam

Playing Catch Up has really been helping me through my ever growing TBR list. I'd like to welcome all other blogs to participate too! If you do, be sure to post your links in the comments section. I'd love to see your Playing Catch Up Reviews, and I'm sure others would too!! *wink*

Want to know more about Playing Catch Up? I'll tell you all about it here!

Etherworld (Elusion #2) by Claudia Gabel & Cheryl Klam
Genre: Young Adult (Science Fiction)
Date Published: March 31, 2015
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

In this sequel to Elusion, three teens fight a virtual reality program that threatens to destroy their minds. Dangerous secrets and lies add up to a thrilling futuristic fantasy with an Inception-inspired twist.

Elusion was hailed as an exciting leap in technology—until users began to disappear amid rumors of addiction. Regan’s search for the truth led her and her new love interest, Josh, to Etherworld. Etherworld is a dimension hidden deep beyond Elusion's firewall, where players can hide, and ultimately fight back. Regan's father and others are here working to destroy Etherworld, but the longer they stay the less likely they'll be able to return to the real world alive.

Escape means attacking Elusion from within the program. It's dangerous and it’s a puzzle. And even if they manage it, how will they be able to stop Orexis from distributing Elusion to the masses when the people who run it are corrupt?

Etherworld is the second book in the Elusion duology by Claudia Gabel & Cheryl Klam.  Like I said with the first book, I can really see something like this happening, and I think that's one of the reasons this book was so hard to put down. We also got to know the characters better this time around and met some new ones as well.  You'll see so much growth among them. It's still hard to know who to trust... even those who mean well might do the wrong thing out of good intentions.

There are some surprising changes in Elusion to make things more interesting. This is a tricky world to live in, and that's even before you add Elusion itself. This story was well told, and all things were wrapped up nicely. I enjoyed how it was all concluded.

Have you read the first book?

Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam are the authors of Elusion. They met when Claudia edited Cheryl's previous novels, Learning to Swim and The Pretty One. Claudia works as an editor in New York, but she's also the author of several books for tweens and teens, including the In or Out series and the mash-up Romeo & Juliet & Vampires. They liked working together so much that they decided to write a bunch of things together, including movie proposals and TV sitcom scripts. And then one day they had the idea for Elusion, and the rest is the future.

To learn more about Claudia Gabel  and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, and Twitter.

To learn more about Cheryl Klam and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter.

Playing Catch Up! Elusion by Claudia Gabel & Cheryl Klam

Playing Catch Up has really been helping me through my ever growing TBR list. I'd like to welcome all other blogs to participate too! If you do, be sure to post your links in the comments section. I'd love to see your Playing Catch Up Reviews, and I'm sure others would too!! *wink*

Want to know more about Playing Catch Up? I'll tell you all about it here!

Elusion (Elusion #1) by Claudia Gabel & Cheryl Klam
Genre: Young Adult (Science Fiction)
Date Published: March 18, 2014
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Soon, Elusion® will change the world and life as we know it.

A new technology called Elusion is sweeping the country. An app, visor and wristband will virtually transport you to an exotic destination where adventure can be pursued without the complications—or consequences—of real life.

Regan is an Elusion insider. Or at least she used to be. Her father invented the program, and her best friend, Patrick, heir to the tech giant Orexis, is about to release it nationwide. But ever since her father’s unexpected death, Regan can’t bear to Escape, especially since waking up from the dream means crashing back to her grim reality.

Still, when there are rumors of trouble in Elusion—accusations that it’s addictive and dangerous— Regan is determined to defend it. But the critics of Elusion come from surprising sources, including Josh, the handsome skeptic with his own personal stakes. As Regan investigates the claims, she discovers a disturbing web of secrets. She will soon have to choose between love and loyalty…a decision that will affect the lives of millions.

Suspense, thrills, and romance fuel this near-future story about the seductive nature of a perfect virtual world, and how far one girl will go to uncover the truth behind the illusions.

Elusian is the first book in the Elusion duology by Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam. The cover is what grabbed my attention first. The blurb made it sound interesting, and it really is. It kind of reminded me of the movie eXistenZ . And though it had similarities, the story was definitely its own. It was draggy in areas, but really picked up in the end. There was a love triangle of sorts. Maybe. You can't really trust anyone,  so I'm not committed to either of the guys yet. I need to know more about them and their true motives, if they have any.  

Elusion has an intriguing premise. It's the kind of thing that you could see happening in real life. I mean, people already "check out" when it comes to their smart phones, games, etc. Something like this, where they could completely "check out", isn't such a far leap. It's interesting... and a little sad to think about. Anyhoo... back to the book. It has really grabbed my attention. I hope things pick up in the next one. 

Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam are the authors of Elusion. They met when Claudia edited Cheryl's previous novels, Learning to Swim and The Pretty One. Claudia works as an editor in New York, but she's also the author of several books for tweens and teens, including the In or Out series and the mash-up Romeo & Juliet & Vampires. They liked working together so much that they decided to write a bunch of things together, including movie proposals and TV sitcom scripts. And then one day they had the idea for Elusion, and the rest is the future.

To learn more about Claudia Gabel  and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr, and Twitter.

To learn more about Cheryl Klam and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter.