THE EVAPORATION OF SOFI SNOW

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Author(s)

Mary Weber

Publisher

Thomas Nelson

Genre(s)

Age Range

14+

Release Date

June 06, 2017

ISBN

978-0718080907

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For fans of ENDER'S GAME, THE HUNGER GAMES, and BLADE RUNNER, comes a story of video gaming, blood, and power. Ever since the Delonese ice-planet arrived eleven years ago, Sofi's dreams have been vivid. Alien. In a system where Earth's corporations rule in place of governments and the humanoid race orbiting the moon are allies, her only constant has been her younger brother, Shilo. As an online gamer, Sofi battles behind the scenes of Earth's Fantasy Fighting arena where Shilo is forced to compete in a mix of real and virtual blood sport. But when a bomb takes out a quarter of the arena, Sofi's the only one who believes Shilo survived. She has dreams of him. And she's convinced he's been taken to the ice-planet. Except no one but ambassadors are allowed there. For Miguel--Earth's charming young playboy--the games are of a different sort. As Ambassador to the Delonese, his career has been built on trading secrets and seduction. Until the Fantasy Fight's bomb goes off. Now the tables have turned and he's a target for blackmail. The game is simple: Help the blackmailers, or lose more than anyone can fathom, or Earth can afford. From the award-winning author of the Storm Siren Trilogy, step into a diverse cast of characters spanning from the electric metropolises of earth to the chilling alien planet above, in a story of re-finding yourself in the midst of losing the one thing you love. Before it all evaporates.

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2 reviews

A Great Main Character

July 12, 2017 (Updated: July 12, 2017)

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4.0

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Mary Weber’s THE EVAPORATION OF SOFI SNOW follows the titular character as she navigates more challenges than any one teen girl should. Sofi’s father has died. Her mother is wedded to the company she built and runs. Oh, and aliens have brought their planet into Earth’s orbit, and they, the Delonese, have brought many positive things with them—but there’s still suspicion about what they REALLY want from the people of Earth.

Sofi and her younger brother are the key components to a gaming team that is involved in Earth’s Fan Fight games—a high-tech competition in which teams compete in challenges that sound like different levels in a video game. When things go wrong in the midst of the games, the powers that be say that Shilo has died, but Sofi is convinced that the Delonese have taken him to their planet. With the help of her former boyfriend, the attractive and politically savvy Miguel, Sofi sets out to rescue her brother amid all sorts of other plot twists and turns.

An engrossing plot and fascinating technology propel THE EVAPORATION OF SOFI SNOW. The Fan Fight games sound amazing, Sofi’s adventures as she escapes various situations kept me flipping the pages, and other than occasional political explanations, the action is non-stop.

Sofi is a fantastic character—a great blend of smarts, sass, and sensitivity—and I suspect we’ll see more of her since Sofi’s story seems to have a lot more to it. (Hooray!) My only complaints about the book are the lack of character development beyond the exquisite care given to Sofi, and some of the explanations for other characters’ actions didn’t quite ring true. That said, those imperfections are overshadowed by Mary Weber’s ability to write good action sequences, and her aptitude with world building. And the awesomeness of Sofi Snow, of course.

My thanks to YA Books Central and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Good Points

A fantastic main character

An engrossing plot

Kristie Lowry, Promotions Manager Top 50 Reviewer 159 reviews

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intriguing

June 14, 2018

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"The Evaporation of Sofi Snow" was a wild ride, full of twists and turns. This young adult sci-fi follows Sofi, who feels fiercely protective of her younger brother Shilo. In this alternate future, World War 3 has destroyed much of the planet. In the aftermath, companies who were able to produce necessary items, like food or medicine, became the new government. People live in "Corp"s- Sofi lives in Corp30, where her mother is also CEO.

Around the end of the war, aliens called the Delonese also appeared and began to revolve around Earth. They gave humanity advanced technology and helped them to recover, seemingly without cost. They appear like beautiful, tall humans who do not blink. They are heavily involved in Earth matters.

Sofi and Shilo compete in dangerous games representing their Corp. Shilo is the gamer (gamers are teenagers who play for the wealth typically) on the field who must pass each level, at potential cost of his life or health. Sofi is the lead programmer who helps him to pass the levels/games. She must be the best, because Shilo's life depends on it. Everything is soon to change when an explosion during the game goes off, killing several gamers and bystanders. Sofi knows she saw her brother alive, even though they have declared him (and her) dead. To find Shilo, Sofi must uncover truths that others have been overlooking and recruit help, in the form of her ex-boyfriend.

Miguel is a delegate to Delon, and he finds himself unable to turn Sofi down when she asks for help. The novel is told in their alternating points of view. While it was slow in places, it was overall really fascinating, like a combination of Warcross with aliens. It ends with a bit of a cliffhanger, so I wanted to mention that as you'll want the next book right away!

The content gets a little dark at the end, so it might be better for older teens. Overall, it was a great YA sci-fi, and I can't wait to get into the next book! I'll also say that I liked the diversity of the main characters (Sofi's skin is brown and Miguel is Hispanic)- so great to see this!