City of Shattered Light by: Claire Winn
Release Date: October 19th, 2021
Publisher: Flux
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction
Pages: 400
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound
Synopsis
Content Warnings: violence, death, blood, mild gore, emotional abuse/manipulation, mild body horror (cybernetics), references to suicide, terminal illness, drug and alcohol references
As darkness closes in on the city of shattered light, an heiress and an outlaw must decide whether to fend for themselves or fight for each other.
As heiress to a powerful tech empire, seventeen-year-old Asa Almeida strives to prove she’s more than her manipulative father’s shadow. But when he uploads her rebellious sister’s mind to an experimental brain, Asa will do anything to save her sister from reprogramming—including fleeing her predetermined future with her sister’s digitized mind in tow. With a bounty on her head and a rogue A.I. hunting her, Asa’s getaway ship crash-lands in the worst possible place: the neon-drenched outlaw paradise, Requiem.
Gun-slinging smuggler Riven Hawthorne is determined to claw her way up Requiem’s underworld hierarchy. A runaway rich girl is exactly the bounty Riven needs—until a nasty computer virus spreads in Asa’s wake, causing a citywide blackout and tech quarantine. To get the payout for Asa and save Requiem from the monster in its circuits, Riven must team up with her captive.
Riven breaks skulls the way Asa breaks circuits, but their opponent is unlike anything they’ve ever seen. The A.I. exploits the girls’ darkest memories and deepest secrets, threatening to shatter the fragile alliance they’re both depending on. As one of Requiem’s 154-hour nights grows darker, the girls must decide whether to fend for themselves or fight for each other before Riven’s city and Asa’s sister are snuffed out forever.
Review
Thank you to TBR and Beyond Tours and author Claire Winn for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The rest of the Tour Schedule can be found below.
The beautiful cover on this book should’ve told me all I needed to know about how much I was going to love this story and our MCs. I don’t read a lot of young adult sci-fi, the last book I read being Goddess in the Machine in 2020, but I am so happy to add this to my repertoire of that genre. This story is packed with syndicate action, romance, and some friendships that are built along the way. Asa and Riven are thrown together in this journey to save the place that they call home from a terrifying villain. I really enjoyed seeing the friends that Asa and Riven make along the way and the fights that break out during their journey. The plot was well paced and characters and settings were introduced at appropriate time to ensure that you are fully grasping the info that Winn presents to you. I truly hope their is more to this story and that the journey isn’t over for our MCs. I would be so excited to see what is in store for them next.
Top 5 Reasons to Read
- A sapphic cyberpunk adventure story you must read.
- Very immersive world-building.
- GUN FIGHTS AND KISSING!
- Fully described locations with their own personalities.
- Wonderful dynamic between our two MCs!
Meet the Author
Claire Winn spends her time immersed in other worlds—through LARP, video games, books, nerd conventions, and her own stories. Since graduating from Northwestern University, she’s worked as a legal writer and freelance editor. Aside from writing, she builds cosplay props and armor, tears up dance floors, and battles with boffer swords. City of Shattered Light is her first novel.
Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Facebook | TikTok
TBR and Beyond Tours Schedule: City of Shattered Light
October 4th
Melancholic Blithe – Interview
Sometimes Leelynn Reads – 15 Reactions While Reading City of Shattered Light
Stuck in Fiction – Promo Post
The Broke Book Blog – Top 5 Reasons to Read City of Shattered Light & 15 Reactions While Reading City of Shattered Light (Tik Tok)
October 5th
Bibliosini – Review
Stacia Loves to Read – Review
Bookz Forever – Review
October 6th
We Write at Dawn – Review
The Book Dutchesses – Promo Post
Beneath A Thousand Skies – Review
October 7th
A Court of Coffee and Books – Interview & Top 5 Reasons to Read City of Shattered Light
Djreadsbooks – Playlist & Favorite Quotes
astralbooks – Review & Playlist
Read With Serena – Review
October 8th
Book Lover’s Book Reviews – Review
Dipped in Ink – Top 5 Reasons to Read City of Shattered Light & 15 Reactions While Reading City of Shattered Light
Nine Bookish Lives – Promo Post
October 9th
Pei Reads – Review
Justice For Readers – Review & Top 5 Reasons to Read City of Shattered Light
popthebutterfly reads – Review
October 10th
Kait Plus Books – Interview
Rajiv’s Reviews – Review
Rampant Reading Reviews – Promo Post
heylittlesiren – Review
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