2025
WISE Score
Amazon
A high-stakes dive into a future where everyone’s plugged into VR because the real world is a total dumpster fire.
4.5
4.5View →Our reviews and ratings are 100% unbiased, but as an Amazon Associate, Screenwise earns an affiliate fee if you buy a book or game by clicking one of our links. We don't get any credit if you just Google it instead :)
Coldwire is a winner for teens who like their sci-fi with a side of social commentary. It’s not 'brain rot'—it’s actually a pretty sharp look at where we might be heading if we keep choosing pixels over people.
Gong’s prose is punchy and the world-building is top-tier. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to put your phone down and look at a tree, which is a rare feat for a YA novel these days. Definitely worth the shelf space.
This is firmly for the 13+ crowd. If they've finished The Hunger Games or any of Chloe Gong's other series, they're ready for this. It's sophisticated enough that adults won't be bored reading it either.
It handles the emotional weight of a crumbling world with maturity. While it's a 'cold war' story full of tension, it avoids being nihilistic and focuses on human connection amidst digital chaos.
The 'Upcountry' virtual reality concept is a sharp, creative mirror for our own screen-obsessed habits. Gong builds a vivid, atmospheric world that feels distinct from the generic dystopian pack.
Standard YA boundaries apply here. There's sci-fi violence and political intrigue, but nothing that would shock a teenager. It's a book, so there's no risk of surprise gore or unmoderated toxic chat.
It’s a fantastic springboard for talking about climate change, AI ethics, and why we’re so desperate to escape into digital worlds. It forces readers to weigh the comfort of a simulation against the mess of reality.
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