Shutdown by Heather Anastasiu

Author: Heather Anastasiu
Title: Shutdown
Series: Glitch #3
Publication: July 2, 2013
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: Sci-Fi, YA
Source:  Publisher via Netgalley

Synopsis via Goodreads:
The battle is all but over, and hope seems to be lost. Zoe and her fellow Resistance fighters are on the run, having lost their home, their protection, and their leader. They are outnumbered and outmatched by the powerful corporation that controls the world, and the cruel Chancellor is inches away from completing a scheme that would kill most of humanity. Zoe's only remaining option is to chase the impossible dream of upending the Link system, freeing the world from the hardware that controls their thoughts and emotions, and hope it will trigger a revolution. 

The plot requires a nearly impossible mission to infiltrate the dangerous Community, and it is a task that Zoe must unfortunately complete alone. With challenges and surprises at every turn, nothing goes according to plan. Adrien's visions of the future now show two possible outcomes: one in which they succeed, and one in which humanity falls. It all lies in Zoe's hands. 

Full of romance, high-adrenaline action and shocking twists, Shutdown is a heart-pounding conclusion to an exciting sci-fi adventure trilogy for young adults. 

The thrilling conclusion to an action-packed sci-fi trilogy.

"There's nothing more dangerous than someone who knows they have nothing left to lose"

Zoe's is trying hard to keep it together. Now, the new leader of the Foundation, she has the huge task of figuring out how to eliminate the Chancellor and free the drones with minimal loss of life. Her boyfriend, Adrien, is forever changed by his encounter with the Chancellor. He's seemingly incapable of expressing emotion and Zoe's afraid to face the reality that the boy she loves is gone forever. The thought that he may never love her again weighs heavy on her already troubled heart. She's filled with so much sadness, anger and hate but it her guilt that overwhelms her. Can she be the spark that the Revolution needs to overcome the power of the Chancellor and a chance at freedom or will this burden become too much for her to bear?

I've followed Zoe's journey since it began in Glitch and it's nice to see her taking on a leadership role. She's comes into her new responsibility gradually, all those that oppose her look to her in times of crisis. No one realizes Zoe's internal battle, on the outside she projects this toughness but really she thinks she's a failure and her mistakes have heavy consequences. She also has to deal with her increasing power, which may become a danger to everyone around her if she can't rein it in. It is good to see that she's learned to control her allergies. 

"The Adrien we'd known and loved might be lost to the caged spaces of our memories"

Adrien has changed from the boy we met in the first book. He's no longer hopeful and everything he once believed true now seems illogical to him. Love is obviously one of those things because it makes people do irrational things. Adrien finds love to be pointless. Everyone expects him to magical become his old self not wanting to believe he's gone and in time he will return to them. Zoe learns the hard way that this hope will never come true as she finds herself alone in the wilderness with this stranger. Every time, she thinks he's opening up, he withdraws back into the shell of himself...but maybe there's a chance that they will find a way back to love. 

Overall, this book was good ending to the trilogy. Some of the characters such as Molla and City worked my nerves but other than that I liked them, especially Ginna. The plot moves along at a steady pace, so I was able to finish this in one sitting. I think this would be a good book about self-worth, forgiveness and new beginnings. 

Favorite Quote:
"Were hope and love merely lies we told ourselves to try to create meaning where there was none? And if we were brave, we'd just look in the face of it and call hope what it truly is: a delusion to make the cold nothingness of life seem less dark and futile."

More books by Heather Anastasiu

About the Author
Heather Anastasiu grew up in Texas and recently moved to Minneapolis with her family. When she's not busy getting lost exploring the new city, she spends most days writing at a café or daydreaming about getting a new tattoo.
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Review: Override by Heather Anastasiu

Author: Heather Anastasiu
Title: Override
Series: Glitch #2
Publication: February 12, 2013
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy
Source: Publisher via Netgalley

Synopsis
Zoe is free. She has escaped the enslavement of the Community, disconnected from the hardware that had controlled her every thought and emotion, and evaded capture by the Chancellor intent on killing her. She is finally free, but she is far from safe.

Zoe and Adrien hide themselves from detection at the Foundation, an academy that trains teen glitchers to fight in the Resistance movement. Together, Zoe and her new team of superhuman fighters must risk their lives to rescue other glitchers and humans from the Chancellor's control. Challenges abound at every turn, and Adrien, who has become silent, distant, and tormented by his visions of the future, only adds to the growing certainty of defeat. But worst of all, as Zoe's team fights against impossible odds, distrust and betrayal leads to the terrible discovery that their greatest threat could already be lurking behind the safe walls of the Foundation.

Full of high-adrenaline action and shocking twists, Heather Anastasiu's Override is an exciting continuation of this popular young adult trilogy.

Zoe has a problem. She's no longer apart of the Community but her allergies keep her from being able to fully function without clean air in the upper world. Currently, hidden right under the nose of the Chancellor, Zoe struggles to control her frequent power surges for fear of being found. Just when it looks as if her hiding place is in jeopardy of being discovered Adrien shows up to take Zoe to the Foundation, where expectations of the future leader are high and her beliefs that she can succeed are low.  However, time is running out and her first mission could make or break her but Zoe may never know what she's lost until it's too late.

Override is full of action-packed emotional sequences. The journey that Zoe takes within herself makes her likeable and realistic. She must learn to harness her power and figure out her place in the Foundation. What I really like about this series is that even though Zoe has a weakness that could possibly kill her but she remains determined to sacrifice herself to save those she loves. Adrien struggles with whether telling his visions is helping or hurting the cause. He feels like he's making things worse and begins to withdraw within himself. I'm intrigued to see what happens to him in the next book and how Zoe will cope with their new dilemma.

I liked the characters and their wide variety of powers reminds me of a revamped X-men. Overall, the pace of the story moves steadily and the characters are well written, though I'm currently not a fan of the pregnant girl. Anastasiu has crafted an ending that will leave you wanting more and hoping Zoe will eventually catch a break. 

Glitch by Heather Anastasiu

Audience:Young Adult

Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Dystopian

Publication: August 7, 2012

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin 

Rating: 4 out 5

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

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. 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: A fascinating view of a computerized, futuristic dystopian society. This story takes places years after D-Day, which influenced the creation of the Community after all the toxins and pollution made the Surface unfit for the human race. People were afraid and trusted that going underground and getting these chips implanted in them were the best option for survival. Now, everyone is linked together and they are more walking robots than human. Everyone is wired with the mantra "Community first, Community always and An anomaly observed is an anomaly reported ". Though they are  living, breathing they aren't really alive but existing.

Zoe is an anomaly. She somehow has the ability to free herself, though rather sporadically but these stolen moments open her eyes to the world to her deadened senses. Zoe becomes overwhelmed with emotion over these new sensations. She fears that somehow she will slip up, get caught glitching and then be deactivated. Struggling with the notion that she should turn herself in, she discovers she doesn't want to lose these feelings. One day she comes across a young man, Adrien, that appears to be just like her but she is unsure until he saves her from something (I never really understood what that man was going to do her) and comes to learn of the Resistance and the deception that is the Community. They believe she is the key to saving them from a life that is no longer their own. 

This book reminded me of several things: iRobot, Starters by Lissa Price, Partials by Dan Wells and Unwind by Neal Shusterman because these each have overbearing governments with unethical control over the human population. The author weaves this story in a way that gives great visual detail into the structure and nuisances of this society. This book will appeal to readers interested in action, suspense and romance.