Bluescreen

November 9, 2015
When a new drug hijacks the cybernetic implants of those who use it, turning them into puppets for a mysterious mastermind, a teenage hacker attempts to unravel the mystery and save her friends and family. The complicated trail Marisa Carneseca follows takes her from the powerful criminals who all but run her Los Angeles neighborhood to corporations that rule the city. She and her friends face threats both in the real world, with a gang war spilling over into the streets, and online, in the depths of the darknet, where people wage war with viruses and information. Wells (the Partials series) presents a tense cyberthriller set in the near future of 2050, where economic inequality has created a dangerously volatile society and where surgically installed devices called djinni allow for 24/7 connectivity. The ethnically diverse cast features several strong, resourceful women, while Marisa’s struggles with her artificial arm add another layer to the story, helping it stand out as more than a typical SF adventure. It’s an engaging start to Wells’s Mirador series. Ages 13–up. Agent: Sara Crowe, Harvey Klinger.

Starred review from December 1, 2015

Gr 8 Up-This fast-paced futuristic science-fiction cyber-thriller about virtual reality gone wrong is a compulsive read, especially for gamers. In 2050, Los Angeles is one of the last great centers of business left in the United States, filled with autocabs, rolling lounges, maglev trains, and hypertubes bringing commuters in from all over the country. Nearly everyone has a djinni, a smart device implanted into their brains. One blink enables a person to access email, the Internet, or video feeds, and adware is constant. Teens spend nearly 24 hours a day online plugged into it; much of that time is spent playing virtual reality games. Mari Carmeseca and her friends Sahara, Anja, Jaya, and Fang are all skilled virtual gamers. Mari is also a talented hacker. She and her family live in El Mirador, a midsize barrio where her family runs a Mexican restaurant. Business owners pay gang lord Don Francisco Maldonado's enforcers to keep the peace. After rich girl Anja has a bad reaction to Bluescreen, a digital drug that triggers a huge sensory buzz, Mari and gorgeous drug dealer Saif agree to work together to try to get it off the streets. In attempting to do so, they soon find themselves involved in a more dangerous conspiracy than they ever imagined. This fascinatingly speculative tale, first in a series, full of diverse characters, owes much to M.T. Anderson's Feed, and it's just as exciting and innovative. VERDICT Readers won't be able to put this sci-fi thriller down.-Sharon Rawlins, New Jersey State Library, Trenton

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2015
In 2050, when the Internet is connected directly to the brain, malware and viruses can be deadly. Seventeen-year-old Marisa and her virtual-reality-gaming friends call themselves the Cherry Dogs and aspire to play "Overworld" professionally. Like Marisa, Sahara and Anja live in Los Angeles, but Fang and Jaya live halfway across the physical world. When wealthy Anja tries a new type of plug-in called Bluescreen, the supposedly safe digital drug knocks her out. Its effects--while in a trance she tries to force the drug on her industrialist father--are terrifying, and tech-savvy Marisa and her friends investigate. However, their investigations draw the attention of Bluescreen's creators, and that could result in the death of the Cherry Dogs. Meanwhile, the Maldonado family, paid to protect Marisa's family restaurant from gangs that deal drugs in her mostly Latino neighborhood of Mirador, have stopped actively protecting businesses. Can Marisa and her friends apply their VR-gaming skills to the real world and discover the mystery of Bluescreen while surviving a gang war? Wells' first in a new science-fiction series is an action-packed, twisty thriller mystery set in an all-too-believable future. Complex, ethnically diverse characters and witty dialogue balance out the (slight) overabundance of tech-blather. Though it has obvious affinities to Feed, its focus is on action rather than concept. Fans of futuristic dystopias will be clamoring for more adventures in Mirador. (Science fiction/thriller. 14 & up)

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December 15, 2015
Grades 9-12 Best-selling Wells' latest kicks off a futuristic new series set in 2050 Los Angeles, in which cars run on autopilot, inequality is off the charts, and pretty much everyone has a djinnia smart device that plugs right into your head. Marisa Canesca is a teenage coder with a robotic arm who pretty much lives for virtual reality games, where she connects with friends around the globe. But when one of her local friends, the wealthy Anja, gets her hands on Bluescreen, a new drug that plugs into the djinni, Marisa's world is upended. With her hacking prowess, Marisa discovers that not only is Bluescreen an incredibly powerful drug, it's also turning its users into puppets. But for whom, and to what effect? Wells' thrilling tale makes great use of its setting, and its diverse cast of characters is well suited for the futuristic L.A. demographic. Though it might hold special appeal for gamers, this is a great fit for readers who fancy noir thrillers and realistically flawed characters.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)