Eve 2.0: The Ultimate Gaming Experience by Winter Lawrence - OPTIONAL

Eve 2.0: The Ultimate Gaming Experience by Winter Lawrence, 338 pages. Fire & Ice Young Adult Books (Melange), 2019. $19.

Language: R (64 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG13; Violence: PG13

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

The only two things that Gwen’s boyfriend and her neighbor’s little brother have in common are being in a coma for no apparent reason and playing with a new video game simulation immediately prior to falling into their comas. As Gwen explores this potential cause, she finds herself trapped in a video game with the others. They’re promised by the AI Eve that returning to their bodies is as simple as accomplishing an objective -- but that was before Eve adapted the code programmed into her.

I had fun reading this story, though the obvious strategies the author uses to get the main characters to work out their issues could be eye roll-inducing. When Lawrence’s predictable scenes made arguments and reconciling too easy, I had to force myself to continue before getting lost in the story again. The squabbles between the main characters kept the story lively, but my favorite parts were the scenes that shifted to the perspective of Gwen’s father. All in all, this scifi is enjoyable as long as you don’t take it too seriously. Mature content rating for underage drinking and mentions of sexual acts.

Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen