Description: 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.
My Thoughts: The Evapo Ration of Sofi Snow (as the title looks like on the cover) was a fairly enjoyable read. The first portion of the book was particularly engaging, drawing me into the world of the games with all of its flare and color. Though it reminded me of a few other dystopians I have read, it did so in a good way, and I was excited to see the world expanded.
Yet the world building seemed to lose its color once the game was left behind as fewer things were described, much of which were important to the plot. For instance, a set of photos delivered to Miguel were not described in any way until the end of of the story, and even then the description was so vague that I was unsure what about them gave the impression about Miguel's past that they did. Though Miguel was just as much of a narrator as Sofi, the photos, as well as certain other aspects of the plot which he was fully aware of, were conveniently left out or glossed over until it was important for Sofi to know the information as well.
There were other issues: side-characters with motivations I couldn't fully believe, an understanding of what really happened at the games that I'm still a little murky on, and quiet a bit of sexual innuendo that I could have done with less of. Still, there were some good parts that made it worth finishing. Other than the games, there was the relationship between Sofi and her brother that drove the story along, as well as a sense of tension and energy that kept the pages turning so that whenever I was able to ignore the questions I had about the plot, I could simply sit back and enjoy the story unfolding. Though I would not recommend this a favorite, I might suggest it as something to pass the time.
I have provided an honest review after having received a copy of this book from the publisher.
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