DISCONNECTED by Riley Cross: A Book Review by Guest Blogger, Georgie Bartlett

Please welcome a new teen blogger, Georgie Bartlett. You can read about her and the giveaway below her review.

REVIEW

I thoroughly enjoyed Disconnected (Monarch: 2023) for a myriad of reasons, one of them being that it was an interesting and thought-provoking story from start to finish. Riley Cross has a way of making you feel as if you are really in Unity, Chiara’s controlled and restricted world. 

 The main character, Chiara, was born a third-generation Anomaly, meaning she was the result of her parents falling in love rather than a perfect genetic match chosen by Auto. Inside Unity are those deemed worthy of citizenship, and outside of the circular walls of this futuristic civilization live the Streamless, the social outcasts. Unity’s inhabitants have been taught that the Streamless are mindless and incapable of functioning; just one of the many lies they have been fed since birth. The all-powerful artificial intelligence, Auto, controls the virtual world (the DataStream), and essentially rules over the citizens of Unity.  

When her mother and father die under mysterious circumstances, Chiara is orphaned and put under the care of her enigmatic Grandfather. When he also dies mysteriously and Chiara’s memory is wiped, she begins her mission to collect the shattered fragments of her mind, uncover the truth, and ignore the awful headaches, nightmares, and visions plaguing her. She also needs to escape Unity. In doing this, she has to decide whether or not she can leave her childhood best friend, Silas, possibly forever.  

Something that really stuck with me throughout the book was the phrase “Always with you,” which Chiara’s Grandfather tells her. I loved that he always had something to steady her. You can actually learn a lot from Grandfather and Auto about the plethora of dangers attached to AI and the gradual development of technology, and I positively love a fiction book that can teach me something. It had me thinking, could our society get to this point eventually?  

The characters in Disconnected felt so real, sometimes I forgot they were fictional, which is certainly a distinguishing characteristic of good writing. Among the main characters, there were arguments, conflicts, and heartbreak, but they all manage to put everything aside and come together in the end. I related to Chiara’s struggle with staying true to herself in an abrasive society. 

I am still thinking about this story, which is always a good sign when it comes to a novel. I adored how the evil of Auto was combated by books and the Forbidden Library which were all preserved in Chiara’s mind. She actually quotes Robert Frost at one point, and I have to say, that only helped to raise this book in my estimation. He is by far my favorite poet, and this book is by far one of my favorites I’ve read this year.  

 I don’t often read Sci-Fi, but Disconnected had me engaged from the start. The plot always kept moving, keeping me interested and wanting to read more. I recommend this to anyone with a penchant for Science Fiction. This book is an entirely clean read, which is one of the many things I appreciated about it. It does contain some graphic imagery surrounding Grandfather’s death, so I would recommend this book for readers ages 13 and up. If you want a novel that’s suspenseful and captivating, then Disconnected is a wonderful book to add to your TBR. I believe you will love it! 

ABOUT THE REVIEWER

Georgie Bartlett is a teen living in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina with her family and two mischievous rescue dogs. She enjoys writing, crocheting, journaling, gardening, playing the drums, and above all, reading. 

GIVEAWAY

Monarch Publishing is giving away a paperback copy and an Ebook version for two of my blog readers. To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment by August 22 with your email address if you are new to my blog. This would make a great gift for the young Science Fiction reader in your life -- or as an addition to your library. You can also email me to enter the contest. If you share this on social media or start following my blog I will enter your name twice. U.S. addresses only for the paperback. 

Chasing Augustus: A Review and an Audio Book Giveaway

REVIEW

What 10 to 14-year-old doesn't enjoy a good dog book?  If your son, daughter, grandchild, or student fits into that category, then Chasing Augustus by Kimberly Newton Fusco, is a book that you want to win for them.  

Rosie's got it tough. Her mother left her as a child to make a better life for herself in California. Her father has a stroke and is hospitalized. That leaves her paternal grandfather, Harry, in charge of raising her--something he is ill-equipped to do. On top of that, when her mother comes home temporarily, she gives away "Gloaty Gus"-- Rosie's "lug of a dog." 

From the first chapter, the reader is rooting for this spunky protagonist who feels as if she is "half the girl she used to be" without her furry, stubborn friend. As the title intimates, the book is mostly about Rosie trying to find Augustus and the various obstacles she has to overcome in the process. Readers see the sandpits which cover the town with grit whenever the wind blows--and which makes riding a bicycle (when she goes looking for her dog) include wearing swim goggles. Readers feel her apathy in school and cringe when she makes bad choices. And of course, they resonate with her longing to be reunited with her dog. 

Although this is a book about determination and not losing hope, it is truly about making friends in unexpected places. Readers meet Rosie's next-door neighbor, Phillipe, a foster kid who won't shrug off his huge overcoat and who is obsessed with Monopoly; Cynthia, a girl who gets on Rosie's nerves because she asks too many questions; Swanson, a mute woman who the town kids mock and fear but who provides surprising answers to Rosie's questions; and even her grandfather Harry, who is an ornery sardine-and-cracker-eating guy who makes Rosie get tutoring over the summer for her poor English grade; and Mr. Peterson her tutor who she despises at first, but who she learns to appreciate. 

Readers will care about Rosie, but they will also see how her behavior is not above reproach. She puts her desire to find Augustus above everything else; not caring about how her Grandfather will worry when she leaves home in a storm or how Phillipe feels when she pushes him into helping her. I think if the book is read in the classroom, I would recommend pointing out her lack of empathy and why she is self-absorbed in her quest. It would also be good to discuss how she resolves her relationships in the end. 

Here's an audio snippet from the beginning of the book. The narrator, Karissa Vacker, created an authentic voice for the first-person protagonist. The secondary characters are also portrayed well through a variety of authentic voices. 

And finally, a line early in the book which summarizes the sand-pit setting as well as Rosie's life, “If you don’t do something with all the grit in your life, things seem to jam up something awful."


GIVEAWAY

A winner will receive a code from Tantor Audio and instructions on downloading the book. To enter, please leave me a comment with your email address if you are new to my blog by 6 PM on May 29.