Review Detail

“And you want to know something else, something truly freaky? It is absolutely amazing how much stuff can flit through your brain while you are plunging to your death.”

Thus begins this rambling, geeky tale of undeveloped teenage brains. A corseted murder. Story yarns riddling from the Dark Web. And ominous but poetic clues waxing how “Death is Immurement.”

I loved this story, from the very first line to the last. Sidonie Rubin—aka Sid—is the most endearing, wildly amusing cerebral female character I have read in a long, long while. Her mind is racing a hundred miles an hour as she recants for the reader how she survived a jump toward certain death (literally and figuratively), filled with hilarious nerdy tangents and self-deprecating humor. One part socially awkward, two parts genius brain, and a billion fractured parts rambling pop-culture reference queen. The result? Brilliant!

"The geeks are my friends because I am one with them..." Me too, Sid. Me, too. *raises fist in solidarity*

Curiously, this beginning of the end for Sid starts with the death of another. Someone Sid is convinced died while in cosplay for a LARP (live action role playing game). A local police department recruits Sid and her wonderfully eclectic group friends to lend their knowledge on LARP and to “hack” for clues, eventually leading to a questionable link on the Dark Web. A link that opens an invitation to a secret Steampunk LARP, created especially for participants who are willing to “die for their art.”

But that, dear reader, is for you to discover! If you dare…

Back to Sid. A story and character element that I loved about her is that she is the main point-of-view character and she is a lesbian. Usually this is reserved for side characters. Additionally, this isn’t a tale of blossoming sexual orientation. Rather, her attraction to women—one woman in particular—is perfectly natural for her character. Well done! I’m glad to see more diverse characters, especially in YA, who are “real” about who they are, in ALL areas.

Time to wrap this up!

“You know my friends, the floor is rapidly approaching and I have just enough time left to be guessing this is probably a consummate example of what Dad meant when he said I needed to learn to look before I leap. But now, it is so way too late for that…”

You want to find out what happens, don’t you? *wink, wink*

Get. This. Book. You won’t be disappointed! Your stomach muscles will thank you for the work out, both from holding your breath in anticipation and from laughing.