Review Glitch by Heather Anastasiu

Title: Glitch

Author: Heather Anastasiu

Will be published on: August 7th, 2012 (St. Martin's Press)

Pages: 304
Source: for review

Series: Glitch #1
Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis from Goodreads: In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network.

When Zoe starts to malfunction (or “glitch”), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers.
As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Both boys introduce Zoe to feelings that are entirely new. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse.
In this action-packed debut, Glitch begins an exciting new young adult trilogy.

When I first read the synopsis of Glitch I immediately knew this was a book I wanted to read. And I was really happy when the publisher accepted my request on Netgalley! While reading it I became more and more amazed by the story. The world setting, the characters, the plot: they're all so good. 

So first, the world setting. It's set in the future where people have a V-chip, so they can no longer experience emotions. Children get other chips than grown-ups, so they can experience emotions sometimes and the more older you get the heavier the chip. When you reach adulthood you get the strongest one and it's unlikely you'll ever experience emotions again. But some people glitch while they hit puberty, just like Zoe. When she glitches she experiences emotions and even develops a special power. At first she thinks she's all alone, but when she's discovered at anomalous behavior she's rescued by Adrien. So she discovers she isn't alone after all. 
The world setting is so well thought of. The fragments where glitchers discover emotions are so good. When Zoe cries she descirbes it as water coming out of her eyes. She learns emotions from books and Adrien helps her. It's so beautiful when he tries to explain love and hate to her. 


I really liked Zoe. The scene where she discovers how it's like to really love your family almost broke my heart. She feels like a strong protagonist, but she also has her weaknesses. She really cares for other people, even when she doesn't know them and that brings her in some trouble. I liked Adrien, he really seems to care about Zoe, but I just felt like he had some serious trouble of his own. I didn't like Max. I just got a bad vibe from him and the way he handled his new found emotions just spooked me sometimes. On the other hand it was realistic. 


About the plot: I did not see that end coming! I knew something was about to happen, but it wasn't before it actually happened that I opened my eyes and saw what was really going on. I loved Heather Anastasiu's writing style. It made the story well paced and I just couldn't put it down. I was in a bit of a reading funk the last couple of weeks, but this book got me out of it!


I would definitely recommend this book. Especially if you're into dystopian novels it's a must read!