Review: Bluescreen (Mirador #1) by Dan Wells

Title: Bluescreen (Mirador #1)

Author: Dan Wells

Published by: Balzer + Bray

Released: 2016

Source: Library

Summary: Welcome to Los Angeles 2050. The future is an interesting place. Technology has advanced so much that it's literally inside you. The majority of the population has a djinni implanted in their heads, and are able to plug in anywhere and everywhere. VR Gaming is super popular, and with a blink, you can check your email.

Technology also has its downsides. Since robots have taken over most of the menial labor jobs, work is hard to find. The city can be split up into the very rich and the very poor.

Marisa lives in Mirador, a lower income neighborhood of Los Angeles. She's a great VR gamer, trying her best to aim for the big leagues. She's also a pretty skilled hacker.

When a fancy new drug starts making the rounds called Bluescreen, Marisa thinks nothing of it. When her friend Anja takes it, she starts to get worried. This new drug is dangerous, and has a more evil intent than anyone could have ever realized. Marisa must save her friend and her city from a new evil.

My Thoughts: This was a pretty fun ride! Dan Wells did not disappoint. The world was a pretty cool thing to witness. All this technology right at your fingertips. The world was also interesting in how dangerous and corrupt it could be. Drugs, gangs, gaming, danger, Wells pretty much stuffed it all in there. I'm interested to see where everything goes next.

I will say, it did take me a little bit to get into the world. There was a lot going on, and it took me a little while to catch up. I found it interesting and sad how far the technology had come, but also how poor most of the population was. There was no middle ground.

I would also recommend this book as a diverse read. Some people might not count it because it's written by a straight, white guy, but ignore those people. It had characters from all over the world, and it also had a main character that was an amputee. Sounds diverse enough to me.

I am kind of curious how this is going to translate into a series. I think it could have worked really well as a stand-alone. I assume the next book will be about Marisa finding out about her past, which will be interesting.

This was a fun, exciting read, with a lot of twists and turns. I'm excited to see where it goes next and what Dan Wells does with this series. It was a fun ride.

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4/5

Drugs Are Scary.