Review: Glitch (Glitch, #1) By: Heather Anastasiu

Title: Glitch (Glitch, #1)
Author: Heather Anastasiu
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 371 Pages (August 7th, 2012)
From: the Publisher via Amazon Vine
Format: ARC
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis: 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.

Review: 3 Stars - Glitch by author Heather Anastasiu is the first installment in the trilogy bearing the same name.

The people, (if you can still call them that) live underground in a suppressed and highly controlled society. Everything is regulated and there are no emotions. Everyone is “Linked” into a network from the beginning where everyone is stripped free from their humanity. They are 100% controlled, from where they live, who they marry and have kids with, to what they eat. It’s a sad, sad life to be forced into. But what if that’s the life that was chosen by the people who came before you? And what if there was a chance you could break free? What if it’s a malfunction, or as they call them “Glitch” that makes you an anomaly?

These are the questions few people have to face in this world. It’s scary to be an anomaly when everyone is programmed to report you. Zoe is terrified when she starts to glitch. I couldn’t even imagine being a teen and having that huge flood of emotions come rushing at you. Things you have no idea what they are, or why you are feeling the way that you do. And then on top of it to also find out you have an even bigger secret you don’t want getting out… It would be such a whirlwind to me; I wouldn’t know how to react.

So, first things first… I’d like to say that I’ve been DYING to read this book for months now. The whole idea about people living this way, people that are more or less cyborgs, which they are never called by the way. I just had to know more. I liked the story, felt eh about the characters, but I could see such potential, more at the end of the book with the twists and turns than my initial reaction at the beginning.

I felt the characters were a bit off. Yet, while I was reading I had to remind myself that while they were teens, they were teens who had never felt any types of emotions before. In a sense they were younger in age emotionally then they appeared physically. They were pretty juvenile to say the least. Even Adrien was odd. He felt so much older and wiser then his teen years too. It was such a stark contrast that made me have to remind myself that they both came from such different places and was raised so differently that they would be like night and day. Yet, it just didn’t feel right.

The whole insta-love didn’t work for me at all. For Zoe, just learning what all these emotions she’s feeling are, I can’t see anyone in her position just jumping straight into falling in love with someone. I thought of her being more cautious as she was with Max.

Speaking of Max, he creeped me out! Did anyone else feel this way about him?

The writing was okay. Again, I felt that the best part was the last quarter of the book. I liked the twists and turns and felt that those were key points in the story for me. I liked the twist with Molla as well and I’m eager to see how her story line plays out. I just hope that Anastasiu gives us more of her in the next installment.

All in all, I found things that were okay and while I could see reasons for things happening throughout the story and the characters, I was left a little flat while reading. It just didn’t blow me away as I was thinking it would. I am glad that I did read it for that last part of the book, which has made me eager to read the next one to see what happens further on into the story, which is important when reading a beginning of a trilogy. The wanting to see what happens next.

FTC Disclaimer: I did NOT pay for this book, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this HONEST review.