Virtual Reality Bites

A mixture of sci-fi and fantasy, FEYLAND asks readers the question: what if those fantasy worlds within computer games were real?

I've never been much of a gamer. I had a brief period where I was addicted to Gran Turismo - totally wupped my husband's butt, too - and another bout of trying to get that cow Lara Croft to do as she was told. But other than that, it's not really my thing. It was enough, however, to understand the mindset of the kids in this book and their addiction and love of it. Jennet is the daughter of a game developer and as such, has access to the latest technology, including a beta version of a new full immersion Sim game called Feyland. Pretty soon, it becomes evident that the simulated world is actually a gateway to the real, if alternate, world of the fair folk of myth and legend, and that what happens in the game has real life consequences.

Overall, I enjoyed Feyland, although I don't really feel like I was its target audience because despite the fact that I've read and loved a lot of YA novels, I suddenly felt very old reading it. I'd describe it as VYA (very young adult) as it was super squeaky clean content-wise and something I would let my 12-year old daughter read. Nothing inappropriate at all with regards to violence or romantic situations. This doesn't stop it being a good story, of course, it just made me feel set apart from it; as though I was reading it simply for review purposes rather than for my own enjoyment.

Like I said: not its target audience.

There is a lot of good here, though, it has to be said. Interesting characters; particularly Tam and his difficult home life. Also the burgeoning relationship between he and Jennet was sweet. He's a bit of a nerd, she's a bit of a princess. From opposites sides of the track, as it were, in what appears to be a rather frightening speculative America full of gangs and violence on one side, and technology-rich luxury on the other.

I'm settling on 3 stars for this which means "I liked it", although I have no plans to read the next instalment. Maybe my daughter will, though;)

3 Stars ★★★
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Since I met my husband in a video game I can relate to reality and gaming crossing lines. So when I read the premise of this book I just had to get my greedy hands on it. Well I can say I was NOT disappointed!

The story starts with Jennet who is such an interesting character, her father works in the gaming industry and is responsible for the creation of the best virtual reality gaming system ever created. He brings home the prototype and Jennet of course gets to play. She discovers the game Feyland and starts playing only to find out that it isn’t just a game.

Her father and the company move to a new town and Jennet meets Tam. Tam is poor, and I do mean poor and lives with his mother and his younger brother. Together they go into Feyland to retrieve her life force which the evil queen has stolen.

Let me tell you, the characters in this book are tremendous. I absolutely fell in love with Bug even though he’s a minor character. And Tam and Jennet are well written, and oh so easy to like. These characters are written so well that you almost feel like you know them in real life. Tam is a young man who has had an extremely hard life. His mother disappears at times and he’s left to care for his younger brother who has health issues.

The Author has not only captured the characters but her description of the time in game is intense and I as a gamer can relate to how time flies by so quickly while playing. I loved the scenes and the characters both in and out of the game. Puck the loveable and mischievous fey, you’ll have to read the book for more information because I hate spoilers and I just know you’ll love the characters as much as I did.

What I will say is GO OUT AND BUY THIS INCREDIBLE BOOK! Well written, enjoyable and it will suck you in. As I said the line between games and reality is a very fine one to begin with and this author has blurred that line so much that I wonder now if my games aren’t more real than real life.

Details/Disclaimer: Review copy was provided to me in exchange for a fair and honest review. The free book held no determination on my personal review.