GLITCH by Heather Anastasiu

Glitch
Heather Anastasiu

Rating: D
Release Date: 8/7/12
Synopsis from goodreads.com:
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.


My thoughts on the book:
Let me just start this review out by saying the concept is amazing, and I did have high hopes for this book. The synopsis doesn't lie when it says the novel is action-packed. However, the characters are sub-par, and the dialogue is atrocious. The pacing is pretty spot on, but the romance is ridiculous. This is a book that I'd recommend checking out from the library before buying. I know many people have loved it, but it will only appeal to people with certain tastes. 

The beginning of the book was pretty good. It started with Zoel already glitching. Since it started in the middle of the problem, I knew that there wouldn't be any long drawn out world-building before getting to the interesting parts. I was right about that. Anastasiu wove the explanations into the narrative seamlessly, and I really enjoyed the first couple of chapters, even if the characters did talk like robots. Then Adrien was introduced and everything went downhill from there. 

Adrien sounds hot - black hair and aqua eyes. At first you're like ooo can I have one please? Then he opens his mouth and everything is shot to hell. He "curses" constantly, but instead of saying actually obscenities, he says things like "cracking," "shunting," and "godlam'd." So basically I spent the majority of the book cringing because of that. He's also quite boring, but then again so is Zoel. Zoel reminds me of a robotic Bella Swan. Oh, and she falls in love with Adrien in five seconds. Then there's Max, and he is the most disgusting, detestable character I've ever read. I'm not even kidding. He asked Zoel if he could see her genitalia. I'm sorry, but if any guy ever asked to see my genitalia, I would rip his off. Just sayin'. You just don't run around asking people things like that. All he thought about was sex, and he even knocked some girl up. He should have been the bad guy, not the second love interest. Just yuck. 

Anyway, the plot was action-packed, and a lot was going on. I was never bored with the story itself, and the pacing was pretty spot on. Nothing ever dragged and nothing felt rushed. If I'd cared about the characters more instead of wanting them all to die, I'm pretty sure I would have been kept on the edge of my seat the entire time. 

Overall, I'd say check this book out at the library before buying it. If you don't mind skeezy love interests and horrible dialogue, then you'll probably love this book because the idea and the plot are fantastic. However, if you're a character and dialogue person, like me, then you may want to pass on this one. 

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