Review - The Evaporation of Sofi Snow (The Evaporation of Sofi Snow, #1) by Mary Weber

Title: The Evaporation of Sofi Snow (The Evaporation of Sofi Snow, #1)

Author: Mary Weber

Pages: 352

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Release date: 6th June 2017

Blurb from Goodreads: 

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.

From the award-winning author of the Storm Siren Trilogy, step into a diverse cast of characters spanning from the electric metropolises of earth to the chilling alien planet above, in a story of re-finding yourself in the midst of losing the one thing you love. Before it all evaporates.

 

Goodreads | Amazon UK | Amazon US

My Review:

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Thomas Nelson Fiction and NetGalley*

Eleven years ago, a new planet appeared in the solar system. The Delonese put an end to the Fourth World War and helped restore the Earth. Now instead of governments, corporations rule the Earth. Sofi Snow's mother is CEO of Corporation 30. Sofi is a gamer, one of the best. Her brother Shilo is a contestant in the Fantasy Fighting arena, and as part of his team, Sofi will do everything she can for Shilo to win. But when a bomb goes off in the arena and players die, Sofi finds herself under suspicion. With Shilo missing and presumed dead, Sofi endeavours to track down her little brother, even if it means going to the Delonese planet.

Miguel is an ambassador to the Delonese. He uses his charm and good looks to learn secrets, but someone has learned one of Miguel's own and is blackmailing him.

With everything that Miguel has worked for now threatened, can he go through with his plan?

Will Sofi find her brother and the person(s) responsible for the attack?

The Evaporation of Sofi Snow had some very intriguing elements, but was slightly disappointing.

I liked Sofi and Miguel, and enjoyed reading from their points of view.

The plot was a mixed bag - there were some twists that I did see coming, but there were also some that I didn't - but it held my attention.

The writing style was mostly good but there were times where things felt a bit vague. For example, I would have liked more information on AIs - there was an AI character but there wasn't any background on how long AIs had been around or how they worked, or even how many there were. There were also times when I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be imagining, like at the beginning where it felt a bit like I'd been thrown in the deep end. I know that people don't like info dumps, but it would have been good to have some more detail about the equipment in the room that Sofi and the other team members were in at the arena.

Overall this was an enjoyable read but it fell slightly flat.