All Ella wanted was to be accepted for who and what she is. In the society she lives in, however, she knows that's not possible. The Aristocrats, genetically-altered humans, shun anything that seems out of their own norm. This includes what is known as the Naturals, humans who've never had any alterations done to their own bodies. Things soon change when an attempt on Ella's life is made. Forced to confront her grim reality, she immerses herself in Nexis, the game her father created. It's there that she soon learns who she truly is.

An awesome start to what seems to be a very promising series, we meet the shy, yet determined Ella. This is a girl who's hiding behind a carefully constructed facade. A girl who wants nothing more than to fit in. Mind you, her father loves her just way the way she is. In a world where looks matter, however, accepting herself as she truly sees herself is hard to come by.

AL has crafted a world, that while fiction, is also reminiscent of what the world could be like in this day and age. Virtual reality exists in many forms, as does the option to alter one's own body. Granted, the enhancements allowed currently aren't as advanced as they are depicted in Nexis. Nevertheless, the book gives us an idea on what it would be like to live in a world where nothing natural is accepted by the human race.

In Nexis, Ella's world is turned upside-down when an accident leaves her with physical limitations. She refuses to accept that she's anything other than what she used to be. Thus, she slips into the game daily, losing herself to a reality that's nothing like the one she lives in. I love the way AL has wound this story around two characters who come from different sides of the train tracks, even if they don't know it themselves.

These characters strive to make sense of the chaos that surrounds them. With every turn of the page, you find yourself diving deeper into the secrets that surround Ella and Nexis. Her feelings, her vulnerabilities, even her expectations, leap off every page. Though Ella's world seems bleak at times, AL shows us that this character isn't truly willing to give in to her pain and heartache. She's got something to fight for and will do everything necessary to protect what she deems hers.

NEXIS is a rollercoaster ride in only the best of amusement parks. A soup pot of adventure, virtual reality, science fiction, romance, in a utopian/dystopian setting, it's a delicious read. Ella is the daughter of the creator of Nexis, a virtual reality game that is taking her world by storm. After a tragic accident leaves Ella with a life she barely recognizes, she escapes into Nexis. Inside the game, she meets Gus and his merry band of friends and gets sucked into their quest. In Nexis, nothing is as it appears, setting up a fantastic adventure full of action, drama, and intrigue.

Plot
The plot centers around the quest, but there's more to it, including Ella's budding romance with Gus and a number of mysteries that I won't spoil. Some I had figured out from the beginning, others not so much. I think that's what makes this so much fun to read. It's part story, part game, part story within a story.

Characters
Ella is annoying at times, but given how she was raised, I could overlook most of it. Gus is an enigma who becomes less so through the story. The rest of the characters play minor roles for the most part. This is probably one of the areas that I least liked about the story. The characters seem to only be there to support the plot, so it's a good thing the plot is so amazing.

World Building
This is where the story shines like the midday summer sun. Author, A.L. Davroe has created a fascinating world that is layered, detailed, and full of rules that drive everything. What makes this world building so interesting is that there are multiple worlds, each just as detailed as the previous. At times it can be tough to keep it all straight, but the author does most of the hard work for you.

What I Enjoyed About NEXIS
1. World building. Absolutely top notch. Complex, detailed, and vibrant.

2. Plot. The plot is layered and brilliant. I love the whole concept behind this and can't wait to dig into the second book in the series.

3. Gus. He's the one character I felt had the most development. Guster is infinitely captivating, and while I was pretty sure I figured out who he was from the beginning, his character unfolded through the pages like a flower blooming in spring.

4. Nexis. Why is this not a real thing? If it was, I'd have a hard time not going into Nexis every day.

5. Technology. The author's imagination comes alive, creating technology that would make Steve Jobs salivate.

Bottom Line
Nexis is a plot-driven story that delivers with plenty of action and lots of twists.

Ellani is living in the Aristocrat world full of modifications and altered beauty as a Natural, completely without any enhancements, making her feel ugly. After a party where her father is given an award for creating a virtual reality game that will change how everyone lives, Ella expresses her anger towards his rules against modifications, the last words she will say to her father. Waking up from an accident that took her father's life and her legs, the world that she knew is gone. All she has left is the escape of the virtual reality game her father created.

Now this was a very interesting book, full of twists and turns and complications. Every time I thought I would read just one more chapter, the ending of the chapter sucked me in and made me keep reading. This was not an easy read, since it was a complicated world that the author built as well as a very dark, depressing reality (at least I thought so) for Elle. If you are looking for a dystopian story with a world inside a world, real and virtual action, conspiracies, feels and a romance, pick this story up.

I was a little put off by the virtual reality encounters when Elle first went into the game, finding it a bother when I wanted to learn about what Elle was going to do in the real world, but then I got sucked in just like the citizens of Evanescence seem to. I wanted more of the game and this creative world the author built and was bothered to be back in the awful depressing situation of Elle's real life. Mad props to the author for that, I was just as addicted as the characters, and the 6 hour limit made perfect sense (if only the 18 hour wait could be overlooked...)

Davroe was able to create 2 distinctive worlds within her book, both so detailed and different, the harsh reality of real life Evanescence, and the seemingly more "real" world of the game. It felt like the game was a more actual world and people were more real, which shows the deviation that society took in this story. The book had some passing similarities to the Hunger Games in respect to the distopian destruction of the world and District One. The Aristocrats in Evanescence were obsessed with alterations to make themselves stand out and look "beautiful", a lot like District 1, so that they were so fake and over the top, not looking like people anymore but exotic parrots. The Dolls were a creepy yet interesting idea, non-altered people purchased by the Aristocrats to alter as they saw fit.

Ok so I have tons of questions about what happens next, about the world, Gus and especially Quentin- the sneak peaks of the next book only lit more of a curiosity fire than even I can handle so I would love to read more. This series was not what I expected, in a good way, and I look forward to more.

I received this title in return for my honest review.
For more reviews visit my blog at http://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/

"Nexis" is a fantastic and imaginative sci-fi novel. Ellani begins the novel as a petulant teenager, upset with her father for making her a "Natural" and not allowing her to get any Mods. She lives in the post-apocalyptic future where most people live in a dome, sheltered from nuclear fall-out. She has recently moved into the circle of the Elite, which are essentially the people highest up in the company that runs the dome, due to her father's role as a programmer, developing a popular game called Nexis. There is a rigid social structure, where the lowest are the disfavored and they live mostly outside the dome, suffering from illnesses due to the poor air quality, etc. The Elite are born with genetic modifiers that give them the perfect skin, hair, eyes, etc. and then as they get older begin to do even crazier modifications to look even "better" such as lights under their skin, sparkling eyes or different eye slits, and anything of which you can dream.

Ellani is often picked on for not having any Mods- and being born a Natural- where she was not genetically designed. Her father wants her to stay the way she is- just like her mother, who died when she was young. The book begins with a ball and a pod accident that kills her father and makes Ellani lose her legs. Trapped in her home with a mean caregiver and without legs, Ellani searches for answers- primarily by entering the virtual reality game her father created. It is there that she learns more about her parents and the meaning of life- she also meets a young man, Gus. She also has a purpose in the game- to complete a complex quest.

It's an amazing ride and certainly a very unique story. I absolutely loved every step of the journey! Ellani grows a lot throughout the book as she learns about the value of the way things were and family- and love. By love, I not only refer to romantic love, but also for her parents and her caregiving artificial intelligence unit, Memes. Although, the romantic love was pretty fantastic. As a heads up, there is sexual content (not described in depth, but it does happen) and lots of kissing, which may make it inappropriate for younger audiences. There are also some bigger themes like sacrifice and what we do/should value, which really add an extra dimension to the story.

I devoured this story quickly, as it was nearly impossible to put down. I highly recommend this book- it's got a bit of everything- adventure, sci-fi, mystery and romance! An incredible story, and I can't wait to continue with this series!! Please note that I received an ecopy from the publisher through netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Wow. Where do I even begin with this book?! I love it, I love it, and I love it. The End. Okay, I won’t really leave it at that… But I will be less verbose than I normally am so that I make absolutely sure I don’t give away any secrets. I want you to have this incredible reading experience all on your own!

I have been a follower of Amanda’s blog for a long time now, maybe 3 years I guess, and I read and adored For Your Heart, her YA take on the Tam Lin mythology. I added Nexis to my wish list as soon as I heard about it, and then when I saw the tour announcement from YA Bound I jumped at the chance. I was actually late seeing it, but they were generous enough to sneak me in at the tail end of the tour, and I am so grateful!

I love every single thing about this book, and I treasure every single moment that I spent reading it. It’s a long, intricate book, but I raced through it as fast as I could (which was kind of difficult because I had a sick kid home from school with me all week!). I adore the characters that Amanda created, especially Ellani (aka Elle or Ella), of course. She is strong yet fallible, confident yet insecure, brilliant with programming but awkward when it comes to social interactions (very much the outsider), and she is able to persevere through all sorts of adversity that I know would have felled me. I also adore Guster (ahhhh, Gus, how I love thee! even though I am *thoroughly and completely confused* about you by the end of the story! yeah, you know what I’m talking about, Amanda!) and the other tricksters that Ellani meets in Nexis. And Nexis itself, the virtual reality game created by Ellani’s father, is an incredibly intricate, detailed, rather mind-blowing “place.” Not to mention the real world in which Ellani lives – Amanda has outdone herself with this depiction of a future that seems frighteningly possible.

I know the Goodreads description says the book is just over 300 pages, but I swear it felt more like 450-500 - which for me is a good thing! I just never wanted my time with Ellani to end! When I reached the end I felt this bitter disappointment that it was over, and I wanted the story to just keep going and going. I audibly sighed, and my son looked up and said, “what’s wrong, mommy?” I had to explain that I hate it when I get to the end of a book in which I have been so utterly immersed and which I have loved reading. (Luckily, he knows how book-crazy I am, so he just kind of rolled his eyes and smiled!) I also must note that I really appreciate that the editor/publisher allowed Amanda to really take her time to slowly build the story, flesh out the world, allow for multiple interactions in-game and gradual development of characters and relationships. In my opinion, it feels like with too many books these days either authors don’t want to put the time into so much detail and background, or the editors are forcing them to cut their books down. But I think the length of this book is perfect and really allows us to connect and empathize with the characters and feel like we are somehow virtual reality bystanders in Ellani’s life. Like, I really felt like I was THERE. And talking about it now makes me sad again because I want to be there NOW! Sigh.

Basically, without giving away too much, I’ll just say I LOVED THIS BOOK AND YOU MUST READ IT. It is unlike anything I’ve read before and it captured my interest and my heart 100%. I simply cannot wait for the next book in the Tricksters series to make its way to my grabby hands!! Thank you, again, to Entangled Teen and YA Bound Tours for allowing me to take part in this blog tour. And thank you, Amanda, for the incredible story, the incredible *experience*, you have given us all! I wholeheartedly recommend this book to EVERYONE, and it has earned an enthusiastic 5 stars from me. I’d give it more if I could!