 | Coldwire Author: Gong, Chloe | |
| Price: $16.49 | ||
Summary:
A dystopian story following a young soldier who is framed for a political assassination and must team up with her country's most wanted terrorist to clear her name.
Reviews:
School Library Journal (+) (00/10/25)
Booklist (10/01/25)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 10/01/2025 In a NileCorp-conceived future, even cold war is played out in a virtual, largely AI-replicate space. Refugee orphans from Medaluo are effectively forced to enlist in NileCorp’s armed forces after incurring substantial debt from their mandatory military academy attendance in their unenthusiastic new home in Atahua. Lia and Eirale are two such wards of the state; Lia is barely functional outside of her extended virtual stays at her prestigious academy, while Eirale has a massive gap in her memory following her own end-of-education posting. The worlds—virtual and physical—that Eirale and Lia inhabit as they are thrust into cold war shenanigans unashamedly driven by capitalism require an immense amount of explanation, but that explanation is provided naturally and will not overwhelm genre connoisseurs. Gong’s eye for balancing serious social issues, high-stakes espionage, and moments of levity carries well from her successes writing historical fiction. Although Lia and Eirale are fascinatingly complex, side characters are not neglected in development. Overall, a fresh, disturbing take on dystopia from a more AI-informed world. - Copyright 2025 Booklist.
