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There are certain things I don’t like in books. Insta-love and perfect plans out of nowhere - just to name a couple of them. Insta-love is almost a turn off for me because there isn’t a lot of buildup and I love all the tension. Perfect plans that just happen to exist even though this place or event could never be done before is annoying also because, even though it’s frustrating, sometimes a little bit of failure is nice. And both of those were in this book BUT somehow she made them work. I flew through this book because it was just so good. After I was done I tried to be annoyed by certain things that happened but found that I couldn’t because Tilton incorporated them almost flawlessly that I couldn’t even be made about it! The action was non-stop as each scene turned into an important part of the plot. Each action had a purpose or explanation. I really do wish this book was a little longer though because I can think of several things that I would have liked to explore more. Other than that, Tilton blends this story together really well to give a fast, fun read.

The story follows two main characters, Damion and Ivy. At first, Damion is believed to have bought just another vid that was just a little more advanced than the ones he had previously experienced. He prefers life in VR because of events that are told as the book unfolds. I like this aspect because in a world like that, escaping into VR and “meshing” is such a realistic option. If you could escape into something that isn’t real but feels real, wouldn’t you? Overall though I really enjoyed Damion’s character. It was really refreshing seeing a rich family really doing good within a community. Even though they have their privileges, their community projects are true passion projects and not to just squash their guilt or pretend that they are good. Ivy was an interesting character as well. For someone who never experienced life she was very smart and caught on really quickly. That is probably my only complaint. Her character claimed a naive approach, which made sense, but it was hard to believe at some points with some of her actions. Regardless, she was fierce and would stop at nothing until they accomplished their goals.

Final Thoughts
Overall, Catching Ivy by Eliza Tilton was a fast, fun and adventurous read. The plot was definitely unique and even though it had aspects that I normally don’t like, Tilton made it work. I was really impressed on how she blended everything together giving each plot and page a purpose. The pacing was really done well as Tilton didn’t waste time on much background, just the necessary points to gauge the world. I really enjoyed the two main characters and it was really easy to root for them. As the story progressed, so did my connection and the want of them to succeed. I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a fast read that has a great sci-fi/fantasy aspect to it.