For example, Jaffrey’s parents, who are of high social standing, have no qualms about bribing and blackmailing people into keeping their son’s status a secret, but they simultaneously treat other Prosets just as shittily as everyone else does. I thought this split within society was riveting, particularly since it came with a bunch of corruption and hypocrisy that mirrored what we continuously see in the real world. If they are going to die anyway, why not make the Prosets do all of the horrible jobs no one else wants to? Why give them access to privileges that would mean others would have to settle for less? Their DNA is so scrambled that no Proset has ever reached full adulthood, and because of that, they are expendable. But for Prosets like Jaffrey, the modification means certain death. For some people, the modification simply means that they will never be able to go outside, where the air is rife with pathogens that could kill them. Even though everybody is affected by the genetic modification that was introduced by scientists centuries ago, the degree to which they are impacted differs. In Jaffrey’s world, people’s worth is based almost exclusively on their DNA. Apart from the “genetic engineering gone wrong” premise being fascinating in and of itself, we also get to see the consequences this could have on societal structure – and I was hooked. Like I already mentioned above, what I thought was by far the coolest thing about Shadow Status was the world! A big reason why am such a dystopian fanatic is that I can’t get enough of scenarios that make me question our own society, and this novel most definitely delivered. But when his superiors upload a massive virtual war machine that causes a lethal power surge, the cost in digital and human lives convinces him that the future of both species may be doomed.Ĭan Jaffrey choose the right side before it’s too late? Torn between loyalty to his people and protecting himself, Jaffrey walks a knife’s edge in a play for more time. And when he encounters an illegal AI, she threatens to expose his true identity if he doesn’t help her community survive. A genetic outcast, the brilliant teen’s academy scores have earned him a position patrolling the mainframe and eliminating rogue program code ― a job prohibited to those with his DNA. Sixteen-year-old Jaffrey Pewitt holds a life-threatening secret. Genre: YA Science Fiction / Cyberpunk / Dystopian FictionĪ talented young hacker. (In case any of you are interested: The author is currently still handing out free copies to reviewers. Overall, though, I still thought that Shadow Status was a lot of fun and would recommend it if you’re on the lookout for more action-packed YA science fiction! Mind you, the resolution did take plenty of effort and there were very high stakes, but considering the complexity and the amount of problems Jaffrey had to face, I felt that everything fell into place a bit too quickly… Plus, I also thought that things were resolved rather easily at the end. We did get a bit of that here – I really enjoyed how much focus was put on the protagonist Jaffrey’s sibling relationships, for instance □ – but I just wanted more!! Personally, however, I prefer my plots to be a bit slower, so that there is more time to focus on the characters’ feelings and relationships. If you’re the kind of reader who loves plot-driven books with a ton of action and a big showdown at the end, Shadow Status is right up your alley. That being said, though, the pace was also sometimes too fast for my liking. I absolutely loved the world-building and the horrific futuristic scenario we are thrown into – basically, when trying to genetically alter human DNA to make it disease-resistant, scientists ended up completely frying everybody’s immune systems, forcing all that was left of humanity to crowd into protective domes – and the fast pace of the novel also made it next to impossible to put down. A sci-fi novel set in a dystopian world that also includes AI characters? Of course I wasn’t going to turn this one down! Honestly, I have never really outgrown my dystopian phase, and give me a book featuring artificial intelligence and I’m pretty much guaranteed to be obsessed with the corresponding character □ There’s a reason why I love Illuminae, Skyward, Scythe, and The Unseen World so much – as long as I’m not the one who has to do the coding, sentient machines are the coolest thing ever! I’m just a huge nerd, okay?Īnd, for the most part, Shadow Status did not disappoint.
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