Elusion Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

ELUSION
Claudia Gabel & Cheryl Klam
Young Adult/Dystopian
Katherine Tegen Books
400 pages
Available March 18th
Source: Rockstar Book Tours for review

THE STORY
Soon, Elusion® will change the world and life as we know it.

A new technology called Elusion is sweeping the country. An app, visor and wristband will virtually transport you to an exotic destination where adventure can be pursued without the complications—or consequences—of real life.

Regan is an Elusion insider. Or at least she used to be. Her father invented the program, and her best friend, Patrick, heir to the tech giant Orexis, is about to release it nationwide. But ever since her father’s unexpected death, Regan can’t bear to Escape, especially since waking up from the dream means crashing back to her grim reality.

Still, when there are rumors of trouble in Elusion—accusations that it’s addictive and dangerous— Regan is determined to defend it. But the critics of Elusion come from surprising sources, including Josh, the handsome skeptic with his own personal stakes. As Regan investigates the claims, she discovers a disturbing web of secrets. She will soon have to choose between love and loyalty…a decision that will affect the lives of millions.

MY THOUGHTS
Elusion is one of those stories where the line between reality and illusion starts out crisp and oh-so clear, but with each chapter our faith in what we think we know gets a little more shaken until suddenly the trust we had in ourselves and the characters is nearly nonexistent. The deterioration of that trust is what makes Elusion such a fascinating read, the solid foundation we had beneath our feet in the opening chapters crumbling beneath us just as Regan’s world falls apart around her, and together we start questioning everything and everyone.

Regan is someone who doesn’t necessarily stand out amidst many of her young adult counterparts in terms of memorability, but she is certainly a solid companion for us throughout. There is a fair amount of technical jargon in this story, the explanations of the Elusion program’s interface and coding sometimes making those of us who are technologically challenged go cross-eyed, but Regan is not overly code-savvy herself, so we’re not left alone in our ignorance. She’s someone who wants desperately to believe in the program her father dedicated his life to, but she’s also not so stubborn as to cling to that belief when enough evidence chips away at it, instead she absorbs the pain that often accompanies monumental revelations and paradigm shifts and sets out to right what she sees as wrongs.

There’s a bit of a romance between Regan and Josh, a friend of her best friend Patrick’s, but it’s just present enough to keep those of us who crave romance in our stories satisfied without allowing it to take over what is undoutedly a uniquely intriguing plot. Her friendship with Patrick is one of the more interesting aspects, the potential for something more between them but a tiny spark that gets continually snuffed out by Regan as the reality of all that is Elusion comes to light, and we can't help but admire how she manages to simultaneously want to protect and interrogate him. We can feel her indecision and her need for stability from Patrick when everything else around them is shifting and changing, but he remains yet one more piece of a puzzle she can’t quite place, and like Regan we want answers from him right up until we flip to the last page.

Those answers with regard to Patrick never find their way to us before we reach the end, and the story concludes with some things made clear while others remain indistinct and muddied, inevitably to be revealed as the series continues. The conclusion is not a traditional cliffhanger where our jaws drop and a groan escapes our lips, rather we’re provided with answers to a few huge questions that dogged us throughout, but we’re also left at pivotal moment (though admittedly, a logical place for a break) that piques our curiosity and has us looking at our calendars in the hopes the release date for book two isn’t quite as far away as it seems.

Rating: 4/5

Find Elusion: 

Amazon • B&N • Goodreads

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CLAUDIA GABEL AND CHERYL KLAM

Claudia Gabel was born in Roanoke, VA, raised in Binghamton, NY, and moved to Manhattan after studying abroad in London during her senior year in college. She received her Masters of Arts degree in English and American Literature from Hofstra University, and planned to pursue her doctorate, until a side-job as an editorial assistant at a large book publisher permanently redirected her career course. Claudia worked as an editor in the adult divisions of several major publishing houses, then made the move to children's books, where she hoped to inspire, educate, and entertain young readers. Along the way, she began writing novels of her own. Her first series, IN OR OUT, was based on her experiences as a freshman in high school. She wrote her mash-up novel, ROMEO & JULIET & VAMPIRES, for readers who were looking to indulge in a fun twist on William Shakespeare. And her latest novel, ELUSION, co-written with fellow author Cheryl Klam, is a glimpse into the near-future, where a girl discovers that a popular alternate reality app is not exactly what it seems. Claudia lives in New York City with her husband Ben.

Find Claudia:

Website • Facebook • Goodreads • Twitter • Tumblr

Cheryl Klam is the author (along with Claudia Gabel) of the young adult futuristic thriller, ELUSION. She is also the bestselling author of several other novels for adults and teens, including THE PRETTY ONE, which was nominated for an Isinglass Teen Read Award. Her work has been published in more than a dozen different languages. She grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan and graduated from the University of Michigan. When she was a teenager she starred in Sam Raimi's first short horror movie, later appearing as a "fake shemp" in Raimi's cult classic: THE EVIL DEAD.

Find Cheryl:

Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads

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GIVEAWAY AND TOUR

There's a fantastic giveaway accompanying this tour, so be sure and fill out the Rafflecopter form below to win:

• 5 Prize Packs of a hardcover copy of the book along with an "Equip" (wristband, earbuds and Visor/sunglasses.) US only.

• A finished copy of ELUSION. US only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

WEEK ONE
3/10/2014- The Irish Banana Review- Review
3/11/2014- Fiktshun- Guest Post
3/12/2014- Jenna Does Books- Review
3/13/2014- Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post
3/14/2014- Fire and Ice- Interview

WEEK TWO
3/17/2014- Supernatural Snark- Review

3/18/2014- Bookish- Review

3/19/2014- The Book Cellar- Guest Post

3/20/2014- Parajunkee's View- Interview

3/21/2014- Fangirlish - Interview