Corey J, White, the author behind the Voidwitch Saga, brings an exciting and interesting cyberpunk world for readers to enjoy. Augmented Reality and other virtual technologies take center stage in this heist/escapism novel, and the main characters are full of idealism and philosophy, which are both questioned heavily in this book, which I particularly enjoyed. This title is chock-full of cyberpunk and science fiction tropes, but does just enough to stand out on its own. In addition, White does a great job of finding ways for the reader to feel they are connected with the characters by the difficulties of living in a world controlled by a company who controls the virtual, and real world as well.

White, does an excellent job with the pacing of the novel, but at times, the book lost focus slightly, or the clarity of the story was much better in the second half of the novel than the first. I felt that the age of the characters in relation to the story, allow this title to be accessible by teens and adults alike. The actions scenes were fantastic and full of energy and the conclusion was a good ending. There is also good LGBTQ representation in this novel, so keep that in mind. This title comes out April 21st, 2020.

All in all, this is a welcome addition to modern science fiction readers, and public libraries alike. An enjoyable story, not too dry, and some unique takes of questions of self-identity and what truly matters to you.

A neat book, which in some ways felt derivative but then in other ways felt really unique. Kind of like [b:Ready Player One|9969571|Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1)|Ernest Cline|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500930947l/9969571._SY75_.jpg|14863741] except like, good, because I didn't really like that book. The book summary kind of pitches it as a cyberpunk heist but I didn't feel like that was exactly accurate-- there was a heist at the very beginning and one at the very end, but the meat of the story in the middle was more about AI ethics and ecofuturism. I really liked the casual diversity that White brings in, and it was neat to read a scifi book not set in future America (normally, Chicago, NYC, or SF, even if not explicitly named as such...). The philosophy of AI bits were interesting too, even though I guess they felt a little shoehorned. I think the biggest disadvantage of the book is that I didn't feel a real connection to any of the characters. I guess I liked Enda the best, but the whole thing moved so fast that I never really felt like I had an emotional investment in any of them. The ending was satisfying, but not thrilling, and I feel like White didn't spend enough time inside the virtual world that he put so much effort into creating. There was maybe too much worldbuilding for such a relatively short book, something just had to give. Fun but not exceptional.

3.75/5 Cyberpunk capitalist future with a baby AI and mellow queer characters doing a heist and rebel against the system? YES please.

I enjoyed this book a lot! The city feels very like walking through the cities in Altered Carbon (Netflix series) and you feel the weight and depression of the corporation ruling everything. The VR aspect reminded me of Ready Player One but was not played out extensively so it's just a nice nod to it.

I love the characters.
the non-binary revolutionary punk sibling.
The gryffindor queer protagonist with a philosopher hot professor boyfriend (my favourite kind of OTP okay?)
The super young funny hacker
The master-assassin queer badass woman with zero f***s to give.

The story is a heist and the aftermaths of it. What if you do give the very important piece of tech to the corporation or the chaotic cult leader? What are AI rights? Where does a person begin?

The concept is amazing, but I feel like the execution was lacking some punch behind it. The stakes in this feel underrated most of the book. The plot has for some reason two climaxes and I felt pretty annoyed by it. It took away some tension from the final showdown, which was unfortunate..
As always I have some issues with the AI in this. His character kinda still stays shallow. I GET that he is super young and still developing an identity and I LOOVE how the philosophical discussions shape him. I just don't feel a lot of emotions from Mirae and that's a bit of an issue for me.

Overall I think this book is a good sci-fi heist, but not great.

Not sure whether to give 3 or 4 stars. I really liked parts of it, but sometimes it could get a little slow. The cyberpunk tropes are fairly up-to-date, but still tropey. The characters are very relatable. If you want a fun heist story that doesn't insult your intelligence, this is a good pick.

If you’ve read the Philip K Dick story where the guy has to swipe his way out of his own apartment, conning the AI into extending him enough credit to use his own john and thought, oh yeah, that’s exactly how the future’s gonna be, then you’ll understand when I say that White has built one of the most realistic futures I’ve ever read. Every scene is grounded and alive with sensory details that aren’t cynical, tropey, or preachy. They are absolutely believable and sensible and never separate from the people who inhabit the setting, and this foundation makes the whole book an immersive thrill ride.

If you’ve read any Robin Hobb books and been astounded that you could care about fictional people so much, wait until you meet the messy bunch of individuals tangled up in this drama. I love a book that makes me talk out loud to the characters, and White delivers this with every twist and turn. The compassion in this book was a welcome surprise – no 80s cyberpunk coldness here and hallelujah! the smooth and relaxed representation! I may have cheered once or twice.

If you’ve read Neuromancer and felt a little baffled and out-of-touch, White has cracked the code on making a tech heist concrete and understandable without losing any of the excitement or wonder. The stakes are clear, the mission impossible, and the people flawed. It’s a gorgeous, enthralling read, and I can’t wait to shove Repo Virtual into people’s hands and tell them…read this! It’s magnificent.

I was given an ARC of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.