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Saturday, July 14, 2018

Elusion Series by Claudia Gabel & Cheryl Klam

Authors: Claudia Gabel & Cheryl Klam
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books, 
Date of publication: March 2014

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.



Elusion is the first in the Elusion duology.  Taking place sometime in the future in Detroit, Regan's father invented a way for people to escape the polluted world they live in using a new technology called Elusion.  It's kind of like virtual reality on steroids.  After her father's death, rumors that Elusion is addictive start to surface and Regan wants to try to prove the rumors wrong.

I enjoyed the first book.  I liked Regan, although she was a bit naive in the beginning.  She did grow on me.  I also liked Josh.  I was definitely team Josh the whole time. I found Patrick whiny and annoying.  There was the potential for a love triangle, but thankfully, it didn't end up the way I thought it would.  I'm not a fan of love triangles, so if you aren't either, don't worry.  

The world building could have been better.  I would have liked more background on how the world became the way it did.  However, the technology was explained pretty well, so I had a good grasp on how it worked.  Danger potential aside, it sounded pretty cool.  The book ends on kind of a cliffhanger with questions unanswered.  But, overall it was a good read.


Authors: Claudia Gabel & Cheryl Klam
PublisherKatherine Tegen Books, 
Date of publication: March 2015

Elusion was hailed as an exciting leap in technology—until users began to disappear amid rumors of addiction. Regan’s search for the truth led her and her new love interest, Josh, to Etherworld. Etherworld is a dimension hidden deep beyond Elusion's firewall, where players can hide, and ultimately fight back. Regan's father and others are here working to destroy Etherworld, but the longer they stay the less likely they'll be able to return to the real world alive.

Escape means attacking Elusion from within the program. It's dangerous and it’s a puzzle. And even if they manage it, how will they be able to stop Orexis from distributing Elusion to the masses when the people who run it are corrupt?


Etherworld is the sequel to Elusion.  It picks up right after the events of Elusion.  So, If you didn't read the first book, you will be lost.  This does not hold up as a stand alone.   In this one, Regan and her friends set out to take down the technology of Elusion and save the world from dangerous addiction.  

This was a solid follow up to the first book.  There were a lot of answers that helped things make a little more sense.  I kind of liked this one a bit more than the first.  There was more action and more tense moments.  The ending was satisfying and wrapped up the story in a nice neat package.  I was actually glad that this was only two books.  I was satisfied with how the story ended and didn't feel the need to revisit the characters in any future books.  

I do recommend this one along with the first for any dystopian/scifi YA reader. They were a fun escape for a little while.


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