Sunday, December 30, 2012

[Book Review] Persistence of Vision

Title: Persistence of Vision
Author: Liesel K. Hill
Date of Publication: January 2013
Source: ARC from Author
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi, Dystopian
Rating: 5/5

Links:

Blurb:
 In a world where collective hives are enslaving the population and individuals have been hunted to the verge of extinction, Maggie Harper, and independent 21st Century woman, must find the strength to preserve the freedom of the future, but without the aid of her memories. 
After experiencing a traumatic time loss, Maggie is plagued by a barrage of images she can't explain. When she's attacked by a creep with a spider's web tattoo, she is saved by Marcus, a man she's never met, but somehow remembers. He tells her that both he and her creepy attacker are from a future in which individuals are being murdered by collectives, and Marcus is part of the rebellion. The collectives have acquired time travel and they plan to enslave the human race throughout all of history. The flashes Maggie has been seeing are echoes of lost memories, and the information buried deep within them is instrumental in defeating the collective hives. 
In order to preserve the individuality of mankind, Maggie must try to re-discover stolen memories, re-kindle friendships she has no recollection of, and wade through her feelings for the mysterious Marcus, all while dodging the tattooed assassins the collectives keep sending her way. 
If Maggie can't fill the holes in her memory and find the answers to stop the collectives, the world both in her time and in all ages past and future will be doomed to enslavement in the grey, mediocre collectives. As the danger swirls around her and the collectives close in, Maggie realizes she must make a choice: stand out or fade away...
Review:
A well-planned and well-written, thrilling dystopian which is like a mix of the movie Push, and the hit TV series Heroes!

The beginning of the story was slow because of the confusion of the lead female from whose point of the view the omniscient narrator was telling the story. Perhaps, it may make the reader feel confused as well. I know I did feel a little bit off at the beginning, but giving the story time to take root and unfold would be the best course of action to take. I’m pretty glad I continued reading!

Aside from being a dystopian, young adult story, Persistence of Vision also largely incorporates sci-fi elements and political ideologies into the storyline. It’s literally a mish-mash of so many things, but the author was able to weave a compelling story in such a way that it wasn’t confusing or unclear.

The plot was very well-planned, and the whole book was very well-written. Even though I haven’t experienced living in the world where the characters in this book existed, I could picture out everything clearly. From the way the individualists live, to the Interchron compound, and even how David struggled to break away from the collective – everything was picturesque and very detailed. I could even picture this book being made into a movie!

As for the characters, everyone was distinct enough that I was able to differentiate one from another. By the end of the story, this may sound weird but I felt that I even personally knew each character myself. I especially adored David because he’s a combination of honesty, vulnerability and courage, and I loved how his growth was portrayed in the story. Also, I wish to know more about Nat and Doc because they are intriguing. I bet they know a lot more than they openly let on. Smart people can often be sneaky and conniving, after all.

By the end of the story, what was unclear at the beginning finally made sense, but more questions were left unanswered and I really wanted to read more!

What were Marcus and Karl planning to do? What made Maggie give up her memories? What was it about Marcus that made Maggie want to give up her memories? What about Colin and his blood-sucking whatever? Where will they find a replacement Concealer? Where will they find a Deceiver? And how were they going to complete the prophesied members? When will Maggie and the other individualist reunite? I have so many questions that I want answered, I’m already awaiting Book 2!

I highly recommend this book to people who are fans of super powers and super heroes! And also to those who might want to read a thought-provoking dystopian story!



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