Coldwire

Gr 9 Up–An adrenaline-fueled mystery for fans of Marie Lu’s Warcross and Marissa Meyer’s Renegades. When NileCorp created StrangeLoom, the virtual reality “upcountry” that duplicated the real world without the consequences of humanity’s bad decisions, they built something far more appealing than the “downcountry” reality. Soon nearly everything is upcountry, from preschool to international government, and the world is trapped in a cold war as NileCorp’s technological sovereignty grows. Lia has nearly graduated from the Nile Military Academy: she just needs to ace her final assignment, a highly classified joint posting overseas with her academic rival. Eirale has secured a solid job post-graduation as a NileCorp soldier downcountry, where she’s assigned to tracking an anarchist terrorist—until he turns the tables on her. Lia and Eirale come at the same problem from opposite ends, forcing them to grapple with the nature of reality and what they’re willing to sacrifice for it. Despite an exposition-heavy opening, Gong’s wit and dialogue transport readers into two heroines’ alternating POVs as they fight for their space in an unjust world. Well choreographed action sequences keep the battles interesting, while characters embark on a fetch quest layered in corporate conspiracies. Gong’s worldbuilding interrogates themes of identity, reality, and race, with the heroines’ statuses as second-class citizens vital to the plot. Subtle foreshadowing is hidden behind humor and emotional highs, ensuring attentive readers are rewarded but still surprised. The cast consists of a variety of races and orientations.