Unplugged: Volume 1

Donna Freitas

June 2016 · Unplugged Book 1 · Sold by HarperCollins

About this eBook

In the tradition of M. T. Anderson’s Feed and Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies, Unplugged is the first in a provocative and compelling new series from acclaimed author Donna Freitas.

Humanity is split into a dying physical world for the poor and an extravagant virtual world for the wealthy. Years ago, Skylar Cruz crossed over to the App World for a chance at a better life, and her family stayed behind in the Real World. Now Skye is a virtual teenager, surrounded by glamorous apps and expensive downloads—yet she’s never felt like she fits in, and all she wants is to see her mother and sister again.

Skye is desperate and ready to risk everything to unplug from the App World. But she soon learns that the only person she can trust—in either world, including friends and family—is herself.

Ratings and reviews

After finished reading, I lost my sanity with how much betrayal happened left and right. Too much PAIN. Sci-fi? Check. Strong MC? Check. Almost zero romance for MC? Check. Death counts? I didn't count. Anyway, I skimmed from front to back before actually read page to page. That way I understand the complicated plot better.

Unplugged is sci-fi dystopia about a futuristic world in which the 1% lives in a virtual world called App World (lame name, btw) while the rest of the populations serves as Keepers for them. Skye is a Single, one of the lucky few who got a chance to be in App World, thanks to her family’s sacrifices. She doesn’t love the virtual world that much and longs to be reunited with them, to see them again. The first half of the book is setting up how the App World works and how Skye lives there, but I felt it was short on details and proper world-building. How does the economy work in the virtual world? Once the Cure was enacted and people became immortal in a virtual sense, why was there a need for a population cap? These details would have enhanced the book in a better way, rather than drone on about the various games and how Skye felt playing them – which was slowing down the pace and frankly, getting the story nowhere. The second half moves the story to the real world, where Skye sees how different and enhanced feeling the real thing is. Every human activity is now being done by her actual body, rather than just her mind. I found this part of the book to be very good – finally there was some excitement to the plot and the hint of a conspiracy on the horizon. The romance is kind of boring, if you ask me, and played on predictable cliches. If only they would talk and discuss secrets! I had guessed some facets of the secrets being kept from her, and some others I was a bit shocked by. The Body Market is disturbing, but also makes sense in a weird way. However, the ending felt abrupt and out of nowhere – an epilogue would have suited the flow better. Overall, the book is good – it certainly offers something new and interesting, but on a technical level, it could have been written better.

BEST BOOK EVER. Donna constantly has you on the edge of your seat with surprise twists that you never would have seen coming. Can't wait for the next book, The Body Market!!!!

About the author

Donna Freitas is the author of The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano, Consent: A Memoir of Unwanted Attention, and many other novels and nonfiction books for adults, children, and young adults. Her latest YA novel is a rom-com that takes place in her favorite city, Barcelona: Stefi and the Spanish Prince. She has been featured on NPR and the Today show, and her writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times, among many other places. Donna currently serves on the faculty at Fairleigh Dickinson University’s MFA program. She also lives half the year in Barcelona, where she loves partaking of its many bakeries and delicious restaurants galore. Learn more about Donna at donnafreitas.com and on Substack: donnafreitas.substack.com.