A girl is attacked at 13, losing her voice and talents to the injection of man-made plague known as the Vox Pox. In 3 years, having regained the basic ability to write, she watches as her brother succumbs to the same illness. So, for convoluted and unclear reasons, she finally drums up the courage to face her attacker in a virtual reality world, which is supposed to help heal broken minds and unstable emotions.

This short synopsis tells you the meat of the book, but what it (and others like it) can't mention is that this is not another in a line of "dangerous contest with teenage romance abound" novels, but one that is much more focused on the repercussions of having something taken from you and the feeling it leaves. Wilson is less concerned with the complex inner workings of the VR in which Addy, our protagonist, spends the bulk of the novel, letting it be as wild as possible, with Escherian houses, impossible time/distance stretching and compressing, favouring simplicity of action to hard sci-fi explanations of every minute detail. As Adelaide traverses the dangerous landscape of this reality in search of her foe, a hefty chunk of the writing is devoted to her feelings of uncertainty, depression, and being lost (literally and figuratively). And, as a bigger threat is revealed, the perspective shifts, changing the ongoing thought narrative from "How could one be so vile as to do this?" to "Could I be evil enough?". It's a welcome change of pace, giving the last third of the book something more to chew on, and the events that it defines and leads to should make for a rather engaging sequel.

The book also has two big pluses in the absolute absence of a romantic storyline and a sizeable helping of New Zealand/Maori culture, with words and turns of phrase thrown in casually, looking quite organic and giving an unusual "colour" to the story. It's almost kind of a fantasy vibe, if I may be forgiven for such preposterous words. The NZ culture is completely unknown to me, so seeing these new words, these new terms, it's akin to opening a sword & magic novel with all of its Grothk the Great and "frak it!" and whatnot. It's not the biggest defining trait of the book, but it's a stellar choice, one that brings a lot of character to the novel and making it stand out even in sequences which would be standard otherwise. The inclusion of Maori sayings and identity is welcome and truly refreshing.

I'm struggling to call the book amazing because some of the plot turns and character motivations are baffling and unconvicingly convenient, but I have no qualms in calling this a pleasant, engrossing read that has me eagerly waiting for the sequel. And if E. G. Wilson ever decides to write some books about NZ/Maori culture or folklore, I'll be in line to get it.

Wow, what a mind trip this book was! Once I got about half way through, I could not put it down. Even though I won't be purchasing for my elementary library, I will recommend this to my teen librarian friend so she can push it with her age group. Will be anxiously awaiting the sequel!

I feel let down with this book. The idea was interesting, and the book could have been so much more than it was; if only it were executed better.

The world building was non-existent. I'm assuming it was set in the future in New Zealand.... Mostly because they talk of using Holo's (some kind of tablet/device?), and NZ is mentioned, but.... thats about it.

Within a chapter or two we jump straight into Addy contracting Vox Pox. The pacing felt rushed to me.

This is when things started getting confusing for me. The book would leap forward in time by months or years at a time, and it would take a little while for me to realise that it was suddenly 2 or even 3 years past when Addy contracted Vox Pox.

I did like the interaction between Addy and her brother Theo, it was probably the main highlight for me in this book.

Overall this book left me feeling underwhelmed. A shame, because it was an interesting idea.