Vicarious

(Vicarious #1)

Paula Stokes

5 ★ – Intense, Twisted and Mind-blowing!

Published by Tor Teen August 16. 2016

Genre(s): Young Adult, Contemporary, Sci-fi, Thriller

Pages: Hardcover 336

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Winter Kim and her sister, Rose, work as high-tech stunt girls for Rose’s ex-boyfriend, Gideon, engaging in dangerous and enticing activities while recording their neural impulses for his Vicarious Sensory Experiences, or ViSEs. Whether it’s bungee jumping, shark diving, or grinding up against celebrities at the city’s hottest dance clubs, Gideon can make it happen for you—for a price.

When Rose disappears and a ViSE recording of her murder is delivered to Gideon, Winter is devastated. She won’t rest until she finds her sister’s killer. But when the clues she uncovers conflict with the digital recordings her sister made, Winter isn’t sure what to believe. To find out what happened to Rose, she’ll have to untangle what’s real from what only seems real, risking her life in the process.

DAMN.. That was one intense and wickedly awesome ride!!! I binged this duology and LOVED every moment. I honestly don’t even know where to begin.! My mind is still reeling and I’m seriously having a hard time moving on…

Vicarious is haunting, riveting, and absolutely fantastic. Paula Stokes not only manages to keep you guessing and on the edge, but she also excels in creating complicated, but lovable characters. Winter, Gideon, Jesse…they’re damaged to some extent, but that’s what makes them so real for me. No one is perfect and we all have our own demons to fight.

Winter is such a wonderful heroine and my heart ached so much for her. She thinks she’s broken and undeserving of love and affection so she’s always guarded and slow to trust. What she doesn’t realize is just how strong she really is and that she’s capable of so much more than she believes. Despite living through some of the most horrific and traumatic life situations, Winter keeps on fighting for what she wants and challenges herself. She’s resilient, focused and determined. She’s so kickass and she doesn’t even know it.

Throughout Vicarious (and Ferocious too), my heart raced so fast I thought it would burst out of my chest. The plot is thrilling, action-packed and full of twist that will completely blow your mind! I don’t want to spoil anything for you, but Stokes surely knows how to keep you on your toes. The mystery, the secrets, the drama, the action, the slow burn romance (yes! there’s a little romance and it’s so sweet) had me flipping the pages way past my bed time. And that ending … WOW!!! That totally took me by surprise. Wish I could say more than that, but my lips are sealed. Just trust me, you’d want to experience everything for yourself.

As a fair warning, Vicarious does deal with a very sensitive issue that was quite difficult to read at times. Winter and her sister, Rose, experienced extremely horrible situations so there are many parts that are dark, heart-breaking, and just really sad. Stokes doesn’t shy away from showing you the worst and it does get ugly, but she does it in a way that is genuine and respectful.

I’m so utterly in LOVE with this series and I honestly can’t recommend it enough!

Follow / Connect with Paula Stokes: Website / Instagram / Twitter / Facebook

Sincerely Karen Jo