Synthetic Dreams

by Kim Knox

Vynessa Somerton was just a girl when she learned about true evil. An encounter with the tyrannical Corporation scarred her body and exiled her to the crime-ridden S-District. Now an adult, Vyn creates glamours, worn by those who visit a virtual playground to live synthetic dreams. She's tried to stay unnoticed by the Corporation, but her latest invention has brought their agents to her door.

Paul Cross works for the Corporation, but he's been plotting their downfall since they took his brother and replaced him with an imposter. Paul has a plan to get his brother back, but he's going to need Vyn and her invention to carry it out.

Vyn agrees to help Paul, but their alliance shatters the barriers she's put up to protect herself, tempting her to give in to desire. Just as Vyn starts to trust Paul and believe he wants her, scars and all, the Corporation prepares for its final move. Can Vyn trust Paul completely, or has he been using her all along?

34,000 words

Genres: Romance, Science Fiction, Science Fiction Romance, Paranormal Romance, Futuristic

110 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2012

About the author

Kim Knox Brewing stories of romance, magic, darkness and technology in a little corner of North West England. And yes, I'm drinking tea.

Reviews

[Marlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

See all my reviews at http://www.readingreality.net/
If there are no such things as demons, which is something that the main character states unequivocally in Kim Knox' new cyberpunk science fiction romance thriller, Synthetic Dreams, then why are the hackers named after the Celtic demons of yore, the Fomorians?

But the real demon is Ouroboros. The worm of legend that eats his own tail. Confused? So was I--for a bit.

Synthetic Dreams paints a fascinating picture of a future world where the rich and powerful are able to harness the mental energy of certain individuals to power artificial reality dreamscapes.

The reader's entry into this world is Vyn. Vyn is a Fomorian, a hacker using the codename Bran-seven. All the Fomorians use Celtic codenames. Hacking seems like half-tech and half-magic, so the Celtic analogies fit. While Vyn is in the Corporation-owned artificial reality world known as the Mind Tiers, she wears a glamour, yet another magic term. Glamour normally means enhancement, usually just enhanced appearance; better hair, better teeth, better body.

But Vyn's glamour is illegal. All glamours are supposed to be tagged. If a person falls for someone else's enhanced looks, at least they know what was enhanced. Vyn's glamour isn't just untagged, it's a complete change of appearance and registry. She doesn't just look better than her real self, she is able to fool the registry into believing that her real-life body matches the simulated person she appears to be.

Vyn has created the "Holy Grail" of hacking: she's created a Simulacrum. It will make her rich--if she doesn't get caught.

Vyn's been pursuing a simulacrum for years, ever since the owners of the Corporation, the March-Goodmans, experimented on her, scarred her body, and had her transferred from the privileged N-sector to the slum S-sector.

Vyn wants to hide her scars. She also wants to find out why she was a victim of their experiments. And why her best friend Liam disappeared when he asked too many questions about her. But that was all a long time ago.

Now Vyn has a way to find the answers. With a simulacrum, she can be anybody, anywhere in the Mind Tiers. Or she can just sell it and get rich.

The Corporation is suddenly chasing her again. In the real world. And with intent to kill. And there's a very hot security agent suddenly willing to protect her. The Corporation wants the Simulacrum. The security agent wants her to rescue his brother from the Corporation, and is willing to trade her promises of a future he can't possibly mean in order to save his brother's life.

Why can't he possibly be sincere? Because that security agent doesn't need any glamour to look perfect. And Vyn knows that no one could possibly be interested in her scarred body except to use her as a tool.

Not even after she finds out what her scars were intended for. And after she discover that her security agent has been watching her, guarding her instead of following his assignment, for weeks.

And that the scars that ruined her life when she was a child--may be the only thing that can save her future now.

Escape Rating B-: This story had so many possibilities, but it's too short to take advantage of them! It's so frustrating. How did the world end up at this point? Why? This is like the current internet on steroids mixed with the Matrix, except everyone, well, almost everyone, is awake and aware, and a slight dash of the Roman Empire under the worst of the emperors. The corporate espionage bits are very, very insane.

Vyn is an extremely cool character, but we don't see enough inside the security man's head to figure out how he got into this. It's his brother getting rescued, but he's way more disaffected than that. This world has layers we're not seeing.

About the Ouroboros thing...Vyn's life turns out to be part of a very long plan by the Corporation, a plan that someone else manages to turn back against them. In the chilling sense of "revenge is a dish best served cold". That part was icily well done.

[E_bookpushers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review originally posted at: http://thebookpushers.com/2012/02/28/...

Publisher: Carina Press
Publish Date: Out now
How I got this book: From the Publisher via Netgalley

Vynessa Somerton was just a girl when she learned about true evil. An encounter with the tyrannical Corporation scarred her body and exiled her to the crime-ridden S-District. Now an adult, Vyn creates glamours, worn by those who visit a virtual playground to live synthetic dreams. She’s tried to stay unnoticed by the Corporation, but her latest invention has brought their agents to her door.
Paul Cross works for the Corporation, but he’s been plotting their downfall since they took his brother and replaced him with an imposter. Paul has a plan to get his brother back, but he’s going to need Vyn and her invention to carry it out.
Vyn agrees to help Paul, but their alliance shatters the barriers she’s put up to protect herself, tempting her to give in to desire. Just as Vyn starts to trust Paul and believe he wants her, scars and all, the Corporation prepares for its final move. Can Vyn trust Paul completely, or has he been using her all along?
This blurb came from Carina Press.

I never know quite what I am going to get with a Kim Knox title, and I mean this in a good way. I will look at the title, read the blurb and how I think Ms Knox is going to take me there is never how it really goes which I love. If a book is too predictable for me along the journey then I find myself losing interest. I have never lost interest in an of Ms Knox’s books so when I saw that she had a new release coming out from Carina Press I had to request it for review. Once again Ms Knox took me on an exciting journey.

The world that Vyn lives in is controlled by hungry mega-conglomerates that ruled the planet. Britain in this particular world is ruled for the Corporation, which has a very exclusive complex virtual system where your access to different areas is directly related to how important you are to the Corporation. Of course in those different areas there are different “amusements” available all of which contribute to how much the Corporation controls you. If you are part of the Corporation you are one of the haves, the elite. You live in secluded expansive mansions with bodyguards and everything that money can buy. As one of the elite you also have to be free of physical defects to include scarring from any physical accident because you have money to buy all the skill a doctor has. The Corporation controls everything to include randomly grabbing and replacing people with replacements that look like/sound like the original but aren’t. If you happen to visibly notice or mention the switch you put yourself at risk for being replaced. No one knows what happens to the original but they are never seen again.

Obviously not everyone can be part of the Corporation. S-district is one of the places that the non-elite live. It is pretty bad but could be worse. Vyn used to be part of the elite but after an encounter with some sadistic upper level members of the Corporation she was left with a network of silver scars all over her body. Despite her family’s money the doctors were unable to remove them so she has become an outcast. Living in S-district Vyn tries to stay out of sight while making a living providing cosmetic enhancements otherwise known as glamour to people’s mental avatars. Part of the Corporations rules about playing in their virtual world is that they have to appear as themselves with only the addition of legal glamour. Legal glamour is tagged so anyone who looks can see that they have altered their physical appearance. Vyn develops and refines illegal glamour while working on the holy grail of virtual programmers. She is trying to perfect what is known as simulacrum which would allow a person to seamlessly appear as someone else to the virtual mind of the Corporation. Anyone who could achieve that could set their conditions for the rest of their life.

Vyn is testing her attempt at a simulacrum when she first encounters Paul Cross. The two of them both had reasons not to trust each other and while Paul knows more about Vyn then she thinks neither of them is prepared to face what the Corporation has in store for them. As I mentioned earlier how Ms Knox never takes the journey I am expecting with her work. She threw several twists into this one some of which made me glad I don’t live in a fully wired world. One of the things I enjoyed is how Paul and Vyn traded being the person who had to take charge to ensure that they were able to escape the grip of the Corporation. Overall the world-building, the twists, and how Vyn grew were what carried this book for me.

I give Synthetic Dreams a B

[Diayll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally Reviewed at: Mother/Gamer/Writer
Rating: 5 out of 5 Controllers
Review Source: NetGalley
Reviewer: Heather


Synthetic Dreams was really a whole new genre for me. I’ve never really read science fiction type stories. In this book the author takes us to a futuristic England where residents basically lead a life in the cold world, and one within The Mind. Both worlds are ruled by the Corporation which instills rules, laws as well as unfair boundaries on its citizens.

The cold world would be much like life today, but with an extensive web of rules and regulations. There are even different classes of people, the lowest being called Skanks. They are forced to live in S-District where only the bare amenities are given. Think of a life without soap, hot water, or even coffee, and to have only the barest of comforts available. This is essentially a slum.

Vyn is considered to be a “Skank”, however, this is due to the fact that she was selling glamours. You see, inside The Mind, upgrades are available that can enhance the way one looks, but a lot of these are obtained illegally. When she is caught selling her glamours she is forced out of her upper class life, and made a “Skank”.

This of course isn’t the whole story, but just a general idea to how the story itself begins. While I don’t want to give too much away, I’ll admit I was a bit confused in the beginning. Footnotes would have helped tremendously, but I’m uncertain if they would be available in the e-book I was given to review. It’s a really awesome story, but that might hinder a few readers.

Back on point, Vyn is a very different type of Skank. She is highly dangerous (although she doesn’t quite know it yet) and highly sought after for her illegal glamours, but she has also developed the mythical Simulacrum which allows her to enter The Mind and portray anyone dead or alive. It also gives her access to tiers a Skank couldn’t reach, as well as the prison where an old friend is being held prisoner by the Corporation. A friend who was ripped from his life and replaced with a fake.

She quickly finds herself in danger when the security teams come after her. She of course thinks it’s because of the Simulacrum, but it’s because of something else, something she doesn’t even realize yet. Vyn is a key; her body is the Key to The Mind. Marked with scars since she was six years old; Vyn could never quite understand why the Corporation had disfigured her.

Paul, a main security officer within the Corporation as well as her jailed friend’s brother, comes to her rescue. She finds herself attracted to Paul, but can he see past her scars? Will he betray her trust? Does Paul unwrap the mystery of her scars? Will she escape unhindered? Does the mind claim her? You know the drill!

Overall I found this book enjoyable. The author gives explanations of the objects, words and such in the book. However, they were given in the beginning and I had to flip back a lot when I forgot what something was. In a print version this would be much easier, but I state it because e-books are popular. It’s most likely a matter of formatting, so I wouldn’t hold it against the author, nor my opinion of the book itself.

I really enjoyed the fast pace this story took and how it intertwined mystery, sci-fi and some very sexy romance. My recommendation is that this is an adult book, and therefore be read by those over the age of 18. There were also no mistakes found within the book, nor any part that didn’t have an excellent flow. If you enjoy sci-fi, action and romance that you’ll enjoy this story too!

[Book Utopia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

If there’s one thing this author loves to do, it’s create dense new worlds for a reader to explore. The problem is, her stories aren’t always long enough to really take full advantage of them.

This one is no exception. The reader is thrown headlong into a world where the virtual is as real as reality. Vyn is testing her newest tech, something called a simulacrum, to see whether it can pass inspection. She runs into a security guy who introduces himself as Paul, but when it becomes obvious he’s starting to see through her mask, she decides to leave. She needs a diversion, and thinking quickly, kisses the guy. She never expects him to kiss her back, but she manages to get out with her mask intact. Back in the real world, she ventures out at dusk for some coffee, but after surviving the dangerous trip back to her apartment, she finds Paul in her apartment, announcing he knows full well who and what she is. Seconds later, he tells her the only way she’s going to survive the night is by trusting him. She has no choice but to do so when security storms her apartment and destroys everything non-organic.

Thus begins a night of harrowing action, as Paul sucks Vyn into a world more complex than she’d ever imagined. I can’t explain it. By the time I was comfortable enough with the societal constructs and technology the author had created, the story was two-thirds done, and I’m pretty sure that if I tried to explain it now, I’d just make a mess of it. It’s cyberpunk, though, which should give the reader a starting point. From the start, Paul is practically perfect in a lethal kind of way, which turns out to be his major failing as an interesting character. By the time he starts showing chinks in his armor, most of the story is gone. He’s enigmatic to a flaw, and because of that, I never really bought into his feelings in the last couple chapters.

Vyn is a little bit better, but her characterization suffers in a different way. She’s thrust into the action so early, and the pace is so unrelenting, there’s no real chance to discover what she might be like on a normal basis. I certainly didn’t get a lot of what Paul claimed to know. I had to take his word for it rather than see or experience it for myself. This, too, worked to distance me from the romance.

But there’s enough fascinating action going on that I was okay with not being that invested in the romance. I needed to see it play out, especially once I was really clued into how it all worked. The story hurtles along at a breathtaking speed, leaving little room for anything but strapping in. As a reader, I just had to find a way to survive (much like Vyn with Paul’s driving). And even with my reservations about the romantic angle, I’m likely to be there the next time this author has a new title. She’s one of the few I’ve read who consistently come up with complex, interesting worlds. That’s worth it.

[Jessica Strider · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pros: good pacing, tense moments, intricate plot, hot romance

Cons: limited worldbuilding, stereotypical characters

Vynessa Somerton grew up in N-District, a privileged member of society, who fell from grace for selling illegal glamor. Now she lives in S-District and struggles to survive. When the government starts vanishing other highly skilled programmers, she discovers she has a protector, an incredibly handsome man, who wants her to save his brother, who vanished and was replaced 7 years earlier, in return for saving her life.

As a novella Synthetic Dreams is necessarily fast paced. Once the action starts, it doesn't let up. The romance is also fast, but doesn't feel forced, getting hot at times and maintaining a nice simmer throughout the action.

The plot is intricate, with a series of revelations at the end you won't predict. It's necessarily linear, with no deviations. Even the romance serves to heighten the action rather than as a plot device itself.

While there are no info dumps, there is some stilted conversation as important information that the characters should already know is dealt to readers. It's mostly unobtrusive, as the author does a good job of keeping these to one lines at a time. The worldbuilding is unfortunately limited and makes the ending a little confusing, as the nature of the Halls and Tiers of the Mind are never fully explained. Still, it's surprising how vividly Knox paints her world, given the limited description.

The characters don't have time to develop from stereotypes into three dimensional characters. Vynessa has physical scars and low self-esteem when it comes to her attractiveness. And while she's good with tech, she quickly realizes she needs Paul's help to survive what's coming for her. Paul, meanwhile, is tall, dark and handsome with a perfect physique and the need to rescue his lady in distress.

Negatives aside, given the length of the story you don't really notice the problems until after you're done. Though the ending could have been slowed a bit so as to explain a few things more thoroughly, it was a quick, intelligent read.

[SoBeA · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars....okay, seriously awesome stuff here..It was just so so good!
Synthetic dreams took me completely be surprise, it's so,so far beyond what I was expecting, I'm still reeling! it's a well told engrossing read...with strong, interesting characters...


I'd have given it 5 stars but for a few things:

it's so so good, it really should have been longer, these characters, and this amazing SFR tale could have easily been at least a hundred pages longer. Add to that, the story is only told through the heroines head...while it works, I want to see inside the hero's head, dammit! I want his back story, I want to kow what he's thinking as well as planning....I just want to see everything through his eyes! Plus I'd have loved more back story from the heroine,  and for the whole story to have been drawn out...everything moves super fast....now that ive finished the book, I really really want more!

The only other thing that bugged me was that things seemed to get a little to technical...though to be fair, I was damn near exhausted when I read this ( the fact that I stayed awake, despite desperately needing to sleep just shows you how awesome this is)

So yeah, awesome awesome read...I probably didn't go on enough about all the great stuff thats in the book, but I'm still exhausted, and am at a loss what else to say..it's  been way too long since I've read any good sci if romance, but now I'm definitely adding Kim Knox to my authors to watch list!

I -thankfully- received this arc from net galley

[Tammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 1/2 Stars!! If you looked up the definition of Science-Fiction Romance, it should simply say "Kim Knox." She really delivers a creative story with extraordinary world building. This is my second story by Knox, the first being Gambit. Gambit was a completely different world from Synthetic Dreams, which totally adds to my adoration of her strong world building.

We meet Vyn in the opening scene as she is testing out a new product (a glamour) at a club making her appear as a sexy blonde. In walks our H, Paul, as a security guard. There is a certain attraction between the two right away of course! Though Vyn is certain it is because of her glamour. Later, Synthetic Dreams propels these two deep into the heart of The Corporation (the place that has stolen Paul's real brother and replaced him with a fake.) Can Vyn trust Paul? What does he really want with her? And the greatest question of all, can she really believe that he is attracted to her even with all her scars and no glamour at all?

There are times when Synthetic Dreams has a bit of a Matrix feels to it. Which is a good thing, I loved The Matrix! However, it is not a copy, as Knox has really outdone herself this time! I found it quite romantic (and yummy!;-)) at moments, and wish I could say more. I am trying to keep the spoilers out, though! Great read, and I will add, as I did in my review for Gambit, that I believe there is room for more stories in this world. Highly recommended!

[Jen Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kim Knox has created an interesting and unique world in this sci-fi novella. In a futuristic/ alternative Britain, people spend much of their time in a virtual world. Many use glamours to enhance their looks, but the good glamours are often illegal. Vyn is badly scarred in the real world. She used her own skills to create better glamours for herself in "the Mind," but she was busted and sent to live her life in the slums.

It's been seven years since then, and now Vyn has almost perfected a new device that would allow someone to change their appearance completely in the Mind, without the threat of detection. But just as she makes her breakthrough, a Mind security officer named Paul tracks her down, demanding she use her skills to help him find his brother, who was kidnapped by the government. There's definitely a spark between them, which intensifies throughout the story.

The novella really drew me in. It was fresh and I liked the writing style. The story moves quickly, with equal parts action, intrigue and sexual tension. My only complaint is that I found myself fuzzy on the tech elements of the book more than once... and by that, I mean all the logistics of the computer stuff. But I made a choice to just put all that aside and let myself enjoy the story. And I did. I liked the way the action arc progressed as well as the relationship between Vyn and Paul. Almost 4 stars.


*ARC Provided by NetGalley

[Amanda Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty intense sci-fi novella. Vyn (short for Vynessa), is a genius at illegally manipulating high-tech glamour, techie “suits” that allow you to plug in and become anyone you want. If you have the skill, that is. When Vyn gets swept up in a quest with Paul Cross, a Corporation agent, to find and free his brother from Corporate domination, she finds herself struggling to keep it together. Things get even trickier when they both realize she holds the key to bringing down the most corrupt players in the Corporations hierarchy.

This was a fun read, if at times hard to follow. It’s Matrix-meets-Tron feel is pretty cool, but can be tricky to follow if you aren’t paying attention. Synthetic Dreams is a novella, so it’s short, sweet, and fairly to the point. The attraction between Paul and Vyn simmers effectively amid a plot that immerses the reader in a world built on virtual reality and technology.

A perky blend of action and suspense, Synthetic Dreams is a fantastic example of science-fiction romance. I’d be curious for a longer, more fleshed-out *ahemFULLLENGTHcoughcough*story. Overall, I enjoyed Ms. Knox’s sci-fi adventure.

[Cecelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kim Knox’s Synthetic Dreams is set in a futuristic society where a virtual reality has supplanted the real ‘cold world.’ Glamours disguise imperfections in the dream space, if clients can afford them, and the rules of play are directed The Corporation and its corrupt First Family. Vyn is a technology-bender, dealing on the wrong side of legal work, when she becomes enmeshed in intrigue far beyond her ken – and possibly, love?

This short sci-fi tale is sophisticated and well-written. The complexity of the setting only highlights the characterization of Vyn and Paul, and Vyn’s unraveling of her circumstances reads as a tense and exciting thriller. Of course, with romance the reader hopes for a ‘happy’ ending, and with the future of their worlds in balance, so do Vyn and Paul – seemingly against all hope. The result? An enjoyable, expertly-crafted story that delivers action and romance with intelligence.

Recommended for: fans of The Matrix, readers with a taste for romance, sci-fi, and clever world-building, and those who like their adventures both smart and fast.

[Calisto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good scifi/futuristic romance.

Vynessa is a scarred programmer who creates glamors for a virtual playground. She has just created the ultimate glamor that brings the tyrannical Corporation in charge of her world crashing to her door. Enter Paul, the Corporation man who is more than he appears to be.

I have to say that I've had really good luck with Carina Press and their scifi romances and this is a perfect example. Scifi romances need a little more than then the average romance because they have to set up a whole new world and Synthetic Dreams totally does that.

Not only was this a 'new' world, but it was easily accessible and with likeable characters. I don't want to spoil thing, so I'll just say that I really liked Vynessa and Paul. I was bummed when the book was over. I wanted it to be longer.

Really, all I can say is, as a fan of science fiction and romance, this book was a total joy to read. I definitely rec it.

ARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

[Jess the Romanceaholic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Quickie Review. For the full review, please visit The Romanceaholic.

Expected Release Date: February 27, 2012 (Available Now!)
Publisher: Harlequin
Imprint: Carina Press
Author’s Website: http://darknessandromance.com/
My Source for This Book: Netgalley
Part of a Series: No
Series Best Read In Order: N/A
Steam Level: Steamy

This one was a hard one for me to rate. On one hand, I absolutely adored the world that Ms. Knox has created, with both its strong emphasis on virtual reality and its gritty and bleak futuristic world. On the other hand, there were just a few too many times where I felt myself overly confused, and the inclusion of forced nudity sapped away quite a bit of my enjoyment.

In the end, despite my enjoyment of the plot and even the characters, I found that there were too many things that confused me or were left incomplete for me to really enjoy it.

3.5/5 Stars

[A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Synthetic dreams book review March 24th 2012

When hiding your imperfections with glamour’s and dream space is the place to be …or not be is the premise of your book you know you’re struck gold. Kim Knox’s synthetic dreams is set in a futuristic world where glamour is not the stuff of Faery-tales but virtual reality and Vyn is the girl to get this awesome tech from.

The corporation and its corrupt first families set the rules and play the game, a game which Vyn used to play and still plays as this savvy tech bender becomes enmeshed a system so corrupt and filled with lies that changing her identity a Second time is child’s play.

With romance and a world filled with intrigue this short-tale is sophisticated, fast pace and complex. Knox’s characterisation is on point and this intense thriller balance Vyn’s world balance precariously on one man’s shoulders.
An entertaining, expertly-crafted tale that will make you succumb to its thrilling action and sizzling romance.
A must read

[C.L. Bevill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sci-fi fantasy cyber punk extravaganza. Vyn is a girl who likes to hack things but this is a brave new world and there are worlds within worlds. Think of Inception except with quirks. She runs into bad boy cop, Paul, who's been watching her and has a specific need for her. It's a novella but full of interesting concepts. I probably would have given it a 3 1/2 if I could have, but I knocked it up because the author was creative with her world building. Interesting story but published by Carina so it's got some f*cks and sexual innuendo in it that really didn't need to be there for the story to work. I will try some more Kim Knox.

[Caro · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I was great. Twisting and turning, edge of your seat, keep you on your toes, fast-paced, emotional, suspenseful, a couple of steamy scenes, great characters, and the 'it can't be real' feeling. I would most definitely read this book again. I liked the sci-fi/magic feel of it and the creativity. Everything was written well and pulled me in so I could see the scenes clearly. I couldn't put it down. This is my first time reading this author and I am looking forward to reading more. Definitely keeping an eye out. (don't know if new or not) Greatly Enjoy

[AnnaM · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm beginning to see that I like Kim Knox's style. I've enjoyed every story she's written. This one kept me guessing, had great pacing, characters, and twists. I liked the ending and the romantic plot, as well as the action plot and the SF worldbuilding.

There is a bit of sex but it's not graphic or gratuitous. I thought this was an excellent story.

[C.A. Szarek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haven't read something like this in a long time. I loved it. Had a great feel. Very sweet love & great sexual tension! Onto the next one...Kim Knox Rocks!

[Ginny Lurcock · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://puretextuality.com/2012/02/24/...

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This could have been an awesome sci-fi or a pretty good romance. As it ended up, it was a crappy bewildering romance and a decent sci-fi story.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars