J. R. Stewart

I received an e-arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.

Nirvana was a quick and fairly enjoyable read. I really liked how the author used the novel to bring to life an interesting reflection on the world we live in. The starting point of this story is that Earth has been damaged too extensively by the savage exploitation of natural resources and the environment. After the extinction of several species, most importantly bees, humans are forced to retire in an artificial environment entirely controlled by the corporation Hexagon in order to survive. Throughout the novel, the author offers several reflection points on the environment and the power that is given to corporations in the contemporary era. I found this to be extremely interesting and well thought out, even though at times the things being said were slightly obvious or patronising. Still, it left me thinking a little more carefully about issues which I'm well aware of, but sometime just fall in the background.

As far as the actual plot goes, I was unimpressed by it. The whole book basically focuses on Kenders' search for Andrew, despite the fact that everyone keeps telling her that he's dead and in spite of the pressure Hexagon keeps putting on her to sign the papers that will make his death official. That's it. Not much else happens in the book... at all. There's a lot of talking and infodumps on virtual reality and how it works that really put a damper on my enjoyment of this book. Also, it ends with a BIG cliffhanger. Now, this is a purely personal point, but I loathe cliffhangers. So that was a definite no-no for me.

Kenders as a character, however, was very interesting. She has a very complex personality and definitely has a lot of issues that she is slowly working through. She is a woman trying to overcome past traumas and at the same time having to cope with grief, desperately attempting to figure out what is real and what isn't in a world invaded by virtual reality. Unfortunately, she was the only character to really come out of the book as one with a full personality. Even though it is entirely possible that the other characters could be better developed in the next books in the series (this is only the first book after all), I was disappointed to only see underdeveloped characters at play.

Overall, Nirvana was an enjoyable read, but not one that blew me away. It had the potential to do a lot more than it actually does, but I hope this flaw will be corrected in the next books in the series.… (más)

This book was a great start for a new author, though there were a few small things that niggled at me.

From the get go, I was completely drawn into this world. The action moved really quickly and it was really easy to stay involved in this story. There was a clear plot with tension on all pages.

The premise of the book as described by the blurb promised a lot more virtual reality than delivered. In the book, people would shell out half of their weekly paycheque for fifteen minutes in Nirvana, the VR program, which honestly isn't really enough time to have an enveloping experience or to keep the people subdued.

I felt like too many things were going. The author had a lot of ideas but didn't manage to focus them down into one concise line. There were a few details I thought could have been explained in much more depth--the importance of the bees, the bubbles in other countries, and even the setting--I didn't realise we were in Ontario until halfway through the book.

Kenders honestly was to young. I get that Stewart is going for the YA audience, but Kenders is basically a 24-year-old who is being told she is 17. We should stop lying to Kenders and just admit that she is 24 before she has identity issues. She's known her fiancée for three years, meaning they met when she was 14. Excuse my cynicism, but unless this is a whole book about first love, I'm not going to buy a 17-year-old's undying devotion. There's too much sex for her to be 17. And oh, her fiancée is 26. Sorry, but that's creepy. He had come out of a 5-year-long relationship, so that means Kenders was what, 9 when he was falling in love with the first girl? Eh. These are all generalizations, of course, but as they weren't the focus of the story, I found them a complete distraction.

I also wasn't really clear on how Kenders was being a punk star--if she was only known to people in Nirvana or if she had made a name for herself outside and then been subdued into work. (And if the latter, how had she managed to go to school? And if the former, were they experiencing concerts in their fifteen minute time slots? I'm confused.)

There were a couple of characters who also really confused me as I thought they were on different sides. Maybe one was 'deciding' but I felt like it was very convenient to have double agents in high places. Also, Serge is supposedly Kenders's childhood best friend, but she doesn't seem to even remember he exists until he shows up. A little too convenient, in my opinion.

The plot in general seemed rather predetermined, and by the end I didn't feel like Kenders was really all that vital to the movement. I was unsure why she really mattered, and why the author was choosing to tell her story out of all these other people.

I was a little disappointed by the ending. It was all racing along beautifully, and then the author threw in a curveball that was, in my opinion, unnecessary, as if she had realized that everything had been wrapped up a little too neatly and she wanted to make us read the next book. It was inelegant.

A lot of small things bothered me in this book, but on the whole it was a really good book and anyone who enjoys tense thrillers should enjoy this one. I think Stewart has a lot of potential as a storyteller.… (más)

Larissa Kenders is having a hard time accepting that Andrew is dead; he's her soulmate and her everything. The circumstances surrounding Andrew's apparent demise are also more than suspicious. And when she starts to have visits from Andrew in Nirvana, a virtual reality world, she feels even more confident that he's still alive--and he has a mission for her. It's a mission that she won't be able to complete alone, and it won't be easy.

This is an interesting and engaging dystopian novel with all of the psychological elements that one might expect. In many ways, it reminded me of Armada by Ernest Cline without the young adult aspect/elements. There is some predictability to some of the turns in the story, but I certainly wouldn't say it is boring by any means. And the character of Larissa is strong, tenacious, and not willing to give up. She's someone readers definitely will want to root for over and over again.

If you're looking for science fiction dystopia that doesn't fit the mold of the past several years, this is one to take a look at.

[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]… (más)

Another story set in a dystopian, post-apocalyptic world - but this one, I had hopes for. I loved the summary. I loved the cover. The basis sounded good - the bees are extinct, life as we knew it is gone and big business - Hexagon - is controlling everything. For most people, life is about surviving and they can find an escape in a world of virtual reality - Nirvana.

What happened with this great start? I'm not so sure. I WANTED to love this story, but for me, the characters weren't fleshed out enough. While I'm usually good not figuring out until the end who is really the good guy and who is the bad...yeah, here, not so much.

Part of my problem was with the main character, Kenders - to me, I'm just never sure what really drives her, and what she is about. Her husband does research for Hexagon; a project he is working on puts him at risk, and he goes missing. Hexagon tries to convince Kenders that he is dead, but she gets messages from him in Nirvana. But for what? Because in the end...well, you'll see.

Would I read the second book in the trilogy? Perhaps, because I was left with a LOT more unanswered questions than answers at the end of this first book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Blue Moon Publishers for the opportunity to read and review this story.… (más)