Review: Repo Virtual by Corey J. White

 

Title: Repo Virtual

Author: Corey J. White

Published by: Tordotcom

Released: April 21, 2020

Source: Electronic Review Copy through Netgalley and Physical Copy from Library

 

Synopsis: Corey J. White's debut novel Repo Virtual blurs the lines between the real and virtual in an action-packed cyberpunk heist story.
The city of Neo Songdo is a Russian doll of realities -- augmented and virtual spaces anchored in the weight of the real. The smart city is designed to be read by machine vision while people see only the augmented facade of the corporate ideal. At night the stars are obscured by an intergalactic virtual war being waged by millions of players, while on the streets below people are forced to beg, steal, and hustle to survive.

Enter Julius Dax, online repoman and real-life thief. He's been hired for a special job: stealing an unknown object from a reclusive tech billionaire. But when he finds out he's stolen the first sentient AI, his payday gets a lot more complicated. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

 

My Thoughts: I received an early electronic copy for honest review from the publisher.

The synopsis and idea of Repo Virtual really pulled me in. I heard a heist was going to happen and I was all for it. The futuristic sounding world really intrigued me too. It definitely had enough to hook me.

This was okay. It kept my interest, it kept me turning pages, but I didn't find myself enthralled. The world sounded interesting enough, but I don't know if I 100% understood it.

The characters were okay, but it felt like we only got the surface of them. It seemed that we learned more about how they identified themselves then who they really were, what made them tick.

I was also never sure of what the plan was for anything. The heist was announced and happened over the course of a day, there was hardly any planning that went into it. They just went full throttle into all the situations, but they were just going by the seat of their pants. I feel like I was supposed to care about them more, and I didn't. I also wasn't the biggest fan of the AI voice. I would have rather seen the AI through the other characters' eyes.

There were a lot of rambling bits in this, mostly coming from the AI about what it means to be. I just didn't really care that much. I found the AI's voice to be a little dull.

I thought this had a cool concept, it kept my interest. It wasn't exactly the kind of heist story I wanted though. It's a fine book, and I bet a lot of people will enjoy it. I just want a little something more when it comes to a heist story. Maybe less talking and more doing, but with a concrete plan in mind.

 

BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3.4/5

Not Bad