#strangeloom

Hailey: Hello all, it is I, your favourite sibling.  Kieren: Actually, Blare is my favourite.  Hailey: Okay then, it is I, that bitch.

Thanks to @kaysbooks11 and @chloegong for gifting me an ARC. I love you with my whole heart.

✩💾♾️Review:

Gong’s first foray into the dystopian genre is a mind-bending masterpiece!

“Coldwire” follows Eirale and Lia, two young soldiers on different planes of reality, as they unravel the truth surrounding a larger conspiracy amidst a cold war.

From the very first page, readers are thrust in the midst of the action, which sucked me into the fast-paced narrative. Gong’s high stakes cyberpunk world consists of upcountry—virtual reality—and downcountry—the real world. The alternating perspectives immerse readers in both environments and underscore the differences between them. Gong paints a picture of paradise in upcountry for those willing to relinquish their privacy to NileCorp—a billion-dollar corporation. In downcountry, citizens are afforded more autonomy so long as they can survive the pandemics, pollution, and rising sea levels. One commonality amongst the two is the severe mistreatment of Medan immigrants in Atahua, including racial profiling. As Medan orphans living in Atahua, Eirale and Lia shed light on very real experiences that mirror those in our own world. In reading about their struggles and learning of their pasts, I grew doubly invested in their characters.

The alliances that Eirale and Lia strike up with Nik and Kieren respectively introduce interesting relationship dynamics that propel the plot. Both pairings must place their complete trust in one another and I loved watching them work their way up to that as the story progresses. Lia and Kieren’s playful banter in particular was definitely a highlight for me.

The dual storylines add a layer of intrigue that kept the pages flying. As they begin to converge, Gong slowly reveals the true objective of the mission both characters are sent on. The twists and turns caught me completely by surprise and left my jaw on the floor. I’m still wrapping my brain around Gong’s brilliance and haven’t even begun to process the brutal cliffhanger at the end. With more emotional scenes on the horizon, I still find myself eager to get my hands on book 2 as soon as it is out!