This was a DNF for me. I couldn't connect to the characters. I won't be finishing the series. Sorry for the delay in posting reviews, I'm attempting to catch up my netgalley backlog.

Thank you for the opportunities to read this book. I have attempted it on a number of occasions but unfortunately I haven’t been able to get into it.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this book. I couldn't connect with it whatsoever, but that is likely a me problem

I really really enjoyed this one. I loved the premise of someone going round injecting people with a disease called Vox Pox where the only symptom is that you lose your voice, permanently. I loved the relationship between Addy and her brother Theo, he has her back and is there for her no matter what. So when Theo loses his voice as well it’s interesting to see the dynamic change and for Addy to go to any length to save her brothers voice. I really enjoyed this one and was so excited to go and get the sequel, Expression, but I cannot get a copy of it anywhere.

DNF. I couldn't connect with this book at all and found it really hard to get into. I had high hopes for this, which is a shame.

The premise of this book was very interesting and was what drew me in. The execution left something to be desired. The writing style did not work for me as I felt like the focus was off. Too much time was spent on unimportant things. The characterization of the main character, Addy, was not convincing. She makes odd choices and honestly there were parts of the book that made me feel like I had missed something big, but it just wasn't there. So much was not explained and the book was not satisfying.

I’ve attempted many many times to read this book but I could not push through. And today is the day that I am giving up.

I really liked the concept of the book. It is a mixture of dystopian and sci-fi the first time I read the synopsis and I am here for it. But I could really not push through. The writing style is not for me. And the names of the characters are so hard to read.

This was such a unique concept and the author pulled it off well. By the end I still had many questions, but I hope those will be cleared up in the second book. I do wish a few of the characters had been more developed but overall I was left satisfied and looking forward to the next book.

2.5 stars
I wanted to like this so much more than I did because the premise was really intriguing. Unfortunately while the writing in itself is really easy to follow, I didn't feel like the characters were developed enough for me to really go on this journey.
I've read a few other reviews though and people did enjoy the book so I recommend checking out some of those or giving the book a go for yourself.

The book had an interesting premise but it was not carried out the way I hoped it would have been. It had so much potential. The characters were pretty flat as well as the plot, which kind of went everywhere at times that it was confusing.

A fascinating story with an interesting main character. I've not read many books with main characters that are unable to speak and I enjoyed that new aspect of a story. The book has a nice message, focusing on finding yourself above anything else. An easy read that is overall enjoyable.

I really enjoyed the concept of selflessness in the face of dystopian tyranny found in this series. Addy is purposely blighted by a man-made disease, the Vox-Pox, by a schoolyard bully. The sickness leaves the victim unable to write, speak, and destroys individual creativity. Addy does her best to persevere in living a normal life despite her limitations . . . until her brother Theo is also infected. This lights a fire in her to find a cure that did not exist when it was only herself that was crippled. She would go anywhere and do anything to help her brother.

While the plot is excellent and the characters refreshingly real, I found myself bogged down in verbose descriptions. There were places I skimmed just so I could get to the point where the story moved forward again. Please don't misunderstand - the book is definitely worth the read, and I am looking forward to reading the next volume in the duology - just be prepared for extensive descriptions à la Robert Jordan.

Recommended for fans of Suzanne Collins, Kiera Cass, and other Teen dystopian novels.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publishers who provided me with a digital ARC in return for an honest review.

DNF at 38%.

This plot sounded really cool and really different, but the book felt like it was going nowhere. Even at 38%, nothing had really happened, and most of what was going on was quite confusing. Nothing really made sense. There’s a lot of unnecessary useless descriptions, and the book skips out on things that would have made Addy’s character not as flat as a board, such as the struggles of having the Vox Pox, actually having some form of interaction with her family and why did the book suddenly skip three years? How exactly did Addy figure that going into the virtual simulator would mean that she would figure out why Maunga gave her the Pox? I’m so confused. This entire book is so confusing.

I unfortunately was not able to read this book before the archive date. Someday I hope to read and review it for my blog. I will give a 5 star review on here so that I don't mess with it's rating.

The cover is very eye-catching. The blurb was intriguing and made me really curious. I am thankful for the chance to got to read it for an honest review. All in all, the story was good and well-written with not the worst characters that I ever met. If you would like to read a fun sci-fi, young adult book, then I think you will love this. I am not so much a fan of sci-fi books, maybe this was also a problem. It reminded me a little bit of Ready Player One but just because of the psychoreality.

Anyways, an interesting read, so I would totally recommend it, if you are into this kind of stories.

I really enjoyed this novel set in New Zealand. It was intelligently written and marked by emotional, excellent character development. A new twist on what could have been an ordinry read. So good, i finished it and bought #2 the same day! It is a novel of dealing with a major life event and a quest to save her brother. Overall I thought the book was excellent and I look forward to the other part of the duology.

**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own**

This book was pretty good starting off, but after a few chapters, it was touch and go the rest of the way through.
The plot was not very structured, there didn't seem to be a clear point of the stories timeline. It skipped forward in time quite a bit which made it so confusing.
The characters developed pretty well, but with such a confusing plot, it didn't make much of a difference.
I probably won't be reading the next book.

I found the description of this book unique and intreguing. However the book was unfortunantly not to my taste, though i did still find it enjoyable and well written.

Science-fiction with heart.
At the age of 13, Addy’s voice is stolen. She spends years upset by her lack of voice, desperate to find a way to restore her skills.
She learns that her condition is linked to advances made by Breach, a scientific group. Addy finds a way to get inside their workspace as she wants answers. Sometimes the answers aren’t what you’re expecting.
There was a lack of world-building to this and events at the start happened ridiculously quickly. The story was intriguing, though a little more explanation of the events building to this would have been welcome.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this.

I wanted to love this book - it has an amazing covef and great synopsis. Unfortunately I failed to engage with the characters & was unable to finish it .