Review: Doomed by Tracy Deebs

Title: Doomed

Author: Tracy Deebs
Publisher:  Walker Childrens
Publishing Date: January 8th 2013

Pages: 480
Genre:  YA Sci-Fi Post Apocalyptic

Series: Stand Alone
Source: Kindle provided by publisher

  

Beat the game. Save the world.

Pandora’s just your average teen, glued to her cell phone and laptop, surfing Facebook and e-mailing with her friends, until the day her long-lost father sends her a link to a mysterious site featuring twelve photos of her as a child. Unable to contain her curiosity, Pandora enters the site, where she is prompted to play her favorite virtual-reality game, Zero Day. This unleashes a global computer virus that plunges the whole world into panic: suddenly, there is no Internet. No cell phones. No utilities, traffic lights, hospitals, law enforcement. Pandora teams up with handsome stepbrothers Eli and Theo to enter the virtual world of Zero Day. Simultaneously, she continues to follow the photographs from her childhood in an attempt to beat the game and track down her father, her one key to saving the world as we know it. Part The Matrix, part retelling of the Pandora myth, Doomed has something for gaming fans, dystopian fans, and romance fans alike.

I loved Tracy Deebs Tempest novel and I love Sci-Fi and video games... I figured this could be a great read. It was. I was hooked from the very beginning and loved every moment of the story. Unique, definite sci-fi feel, and very exciting. It lived up to all my expectations.

There is a game, there is a hacker, there is a worm, there is a cyber-terrorist, there is a teenage girl in the midst of it all... and that sums it up. On Pandora's birthday she receives a mysterious email from her estranged father. She opens the email, clicks the links, and then she goes to school. She comes home and logs onto her favorite game to play and gets something new. A strange message and a gift to open. The game isn't the only strange thing, her power is out, her phones are out, nothing electronic wants to work... and it's not just her house, its global. Now she has to play the game and win to save the world. Oh... and don't forget the two hotties that join in on the fun.

I really really liked the book. It was a great mixture between post-apocalyptic, a thriller suspense, and a science fiction ride. It was believable. A virus that takes down everything. Tracy Deebs really had the feel, the tone, and the setting down, the plot seemed very realistic. The writing was very fast paced and I was able to breeze through the story very quickly. The book didn't feel like 480 pages and it wasn't lacking either. It felt complete. I liked everything about the story including the characters.

Pandora was a very likable character for me. She would be whiny then tell herself not to be whiny. I think is is a little more realistic and likable for a teenage girl character. With everything she is going through, I think being a little why about it is understandable. Pandora is a very stubborn, solid, loyal character.
Theo and Eli are also very likable, very swoon worthy characters. They are step brothers and pretty much opposites of a coin. Where one lacks the other excels.  Pandora does have a hard time knowing which one to go after. Yes there is a love triangle but it really didn't feel to out of place for me. She basically just meets the both of them and when one is a jerk the other is sweet or funny or protective, then they switch roles. So she has never actually picked one and now they both have there redeemable moments. HMMM... yea I would have a hard time to. Although I prefer Theo. Lots of good banter moments between these characters, I love my banter.

The book was very character drive and story driven to me. I liked the balanced between the two and had a fun time watching them unravel the game to save the world. 

I loved it. Fast paced, thrilling, creative, and entertaining.

Blog Event: Indigo Spell by Richelle Mead- Who is Marcus Finch? Clue #8

In anticipation of the third installment for Bloodlines- Indigo Spell- release, we are going to spread some clues over the blogosphere to help us figure out just Who is Marcus Finch....

Clue #8

Indigo Spell by
Richelle Mead 
February 12th 2013

  

        

In the aftermath of a forbidden moment that rocked Sydney to her core, she finds herself struggling to draw the line between her Alchemist teachings and what her heart is urging her to do. Then she meets alluring, rebellious Marcus Finch--a former Alchemist who escaped against all odds, and is now on the run. Marcus wants to teach Sydney the secrets he claims the Alchemists are hiding from her. But as he pushes her to rebel against the people who raised her, Sydney finds that breaking free is harder than she thought. There is an old and mysterious magic rooted deeply within her. And as she searches for an evil magic user targeting powerful young witches, she realizes that her only hope is to embrace her magical blood--or else she might be next.


Populated with new faces as well as familiar ones, the Bloodlines series explores all the friendship, romance, battles, and betrayals that made the #1 New York Times bestselling Vampire Academy series so addictive—this time in a part-vampire, part-human setting where the stakes are even higher and everyone’s out for blood.

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Delightful Discoveries #1

I decided to start a new feature... Delightful Discoveries are books that I have discovered during the week... old, new, just released... from blogs, goodreads, friends, or bookstores. 

So this week I found these goodies...

A Face Like Glass by Frances Hardinge 

  

        
In Caverna, lies are an art — and everyone's an artist ...
In the underground city of Caverna the world's most skilled craftsmen toil in the darkness to create delicacies beyond compare — wines that can remove memories, cheeses that can make you hallucinate and perfumes that convince you to trust the wearer, even as they slit your throat. The people of Caverna are more ordinary, but for one thing: their faces are as blank as untouched snow. Expressions must be learned, and only the famous Facesmiths can teach a person to show (or fake) joy, despair or fear — at a price.

Into this dark and distrustful world comes Neverfell, a little girl with no memory of her past and a face so terrifying to those around her that she must wear a mask at all times. For Neverfell's emotions are as obvious on her face as those of the most skilled Facesmiths, though entirely genuine. And that makes her very dangerous indeed ...

Return To Me by Justina Chen 

  

        
Nothing is going as planned for Rebecca Muir. She's weeks away from starting college--at a school chosen specifically to put a few thousand miles of freedom between Reb and her parents. But her dad's last-minute job opportunity has her entire family moving all those miles with her! And then there's the matter of her unexpected, amazing boyfriend, Jackson, who is staying behind on the exact opposite coast.
And if that isn't enough to deal with, mere days after moving cross-country, Reb's dad drops shocking, life-changing news. With her mother and brother overwhelmed and confused, Reb is left alone to pick up the pieces of her former life. But how can she do that when everything can change in an instant? How can she trust her "perfect" boyfriend when her own dad let her down? Reb started the year knowing exactly what her future would hold, but now that her world has turned upside down, will she discover what she really wants?
Justina Chen, the acclaimed author of North of Beautiful, has created a moving and powerful novel about the struggles that arise from betrayal, the uncertainty of life after high school, and the joy that ultimately comes from discovering what's truly in your heart.

Wanted: Dead or Undead by Angela Scott 

        
Trace Monroe doesn’t believe in luck. He never has. But when a fiery-headed cowgirl saunters through the saloon doors, wielding shotguns and a know-how for killing the living dead, he believes he just may be the luckiest man alive. Trace wants to join "Red’s" posse, but she prefers to work alone—less messy that way.

In order to become her traveling companion, Trace has to agree to her terms: no names, no questions, and if he gets bit, he can’t beg for mercy when she severs his brain stem. He agrees, knowing only that Red is the sharpest shooter he’s ever encountered. The fact she’s stunning hasn’t escaped his attention either.

What he doesn’t know, is that Red has a very good reason to be on top of her game. She not only has the answer for how they can all outlive the plague taking over the wild, wild west, she is the answer.

Life After Theft by Aprilynne Pike

  

        
Moving to a new high school sucks. Especially a rich-kid private school. With uniforms. But nothing is worse than finding out the first girl you meet is dead. And a klepto.

No one can see or hear Kimberlee except Jeff, so--in hopes of bringing an end to the snarkiest haunting in history--he agrees to help her complete her "unfinished business." But when the enmity between Kimberlee and Jeff's new crush, Sera, manages to continue posthumously, Jeff wonders if he's made the right choice.

Clash meets sass in this uproarious modern-day retelling of Baroness Orczy's The Scarlet Pimpernel

Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn

  

        


The spine-tingling horror of Stephen King meets an eerie mystery worthy of Sara Shepard's Pretty Little Liars series in Kate Karyus Quinn's haunting debut.

On a cool autumn night, Annaliese Rose Gordon stumbled out of the woods and into a high school party. She was screaming. Drenched in blood. Then she vanished.

A year later, Annaliese is found wandering down a road hundreds of miles away. She doesn't know who she is. She doesn't know how she got there. She only knows one thing: She is not the real Annaliese Rose Gordon.

Now Annaliese is haunted by strange visions and broken memories. Memories of a reckless, desperate wish . . . a bloody razor . . . and the faces of other girls who disappeared. Piece by piece, Annaliese's fractured memories come together to reveal a violent, endless cycle that she will never escape—unless she can unlock the twisted secrets of her past.

Waiting on Wednesday #43 and W.W.W. Wednesday #33

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Truth or Dare by Jacqueline Green
May 4th 2013

When a simple round of truth or dare spins out of control, three girls find it’s no longer a party game. It’s do or die.

It all started on a whim: the game was a way for Tenley Reed to reclaim her popularity, a chance for perfect Caitlin “Angel” Thomas to prove she’s more than her Harvard application. Loner Sydney Morgan wasn’t even there; she was hiding behind her camera like usual. But when all three start receiving mysterious dares long after the party has ended, they’re forced to play along—or risk exposing their darkest secrets.

How far will Tenley, Caitlin and Sydney go to keep the truth from surfacing? And who’s behind this twisted game?

Set against the backdrop of Echo Bay, an isolated beach town haunted by misfortune, Truth or Dare is a highly charged debut that will keep readers in suspense from beginning to end.

Inhuman by Kat Falls
May 1st 2013

In a world ravaged by mutation, a teenage girl must travel into the forbidden Savage Zone to recover lost artifacts or her father’s life is forfeit.

America has been ravaged by a war that has left the eastern half of the country riddled with mutation. Many of the people there exhibit varying degrees of animal traits. Even the plantlife has gone feral.

Crossing from west to east is supposed to be forbidden, but sometimes it’s necessary. Some enter the Savage Zone to provide humanitarian relief. Sixteen-year-old Lane’s father goes there to retrieve lost artifacts—he is a Fetch. It’s a dangerous life, but rewarding—until he’s caught.

Desperate to save her father, Lane agrees to complete his latest job. That means leaving behind her life of comfort and risking life and limb—and her very DNA—in the Savage Zone. But she’s not alone. In order to complete her objective, Lane strikes a deal with handsome, roguish Rafe. In exchange for his help as a guide, Lane is supposed to sneak him back west. But though Rafe doesn’t exhibit any signs of “manimal” mutation, he’s hardly civilized . . . and he may not be trustworthy.

W...W...W.. Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Should Be Reading.... I wold love to hear What you are currently reading, what did you just finish and what are you reading next...

What Are Currently Reading: 

What Did You Recently Finish Reading?

What Do You Think You Will Read Next?