Persistence of Vision

Interchron #1

by Liesel K. Hill

What if the survival of the post-apocalyptic world depended on memories you no longer had?
While on a routine vacation with her brother, Maggie is practically bored. Until a disturbing time loss leaves her feeling violated. And inexplicably empty.

When a creepy thug breaks into her house and nearly kills her, she’s saved by a man with strange eyes. One who knows more about her than she’s ever told anyone. Marcus’s explanation is ludicrous. The time loss incident and the thug can’t possibly be related. Can they?

What follows is time travel, a post-apocalyptic world in which the human race is enslaved, and those who remain free have been hunted to the verge of extinction. Only Maggie holds the key to freeing the world, but it’s lost somewhere in those missing memories. If she wants to solve the mystery of those unaccounted for hours, and save humanity in the process, she's in for the fight of her life.

If you enjoy dystopian worlds, epic romance and visceral fights for survival, the Interchron saga is for you. Pick up this award-winning page turner with One Click!

Winner of the League of Utah Writers’ prestigious Silver Quill Award, 2013.

“Helps us see what we might become…”
“Simply. Stunning. I couldn’t put it down.”

Genres: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Time Travel, Fantasy, Fiction, New Adult, Young Adult

386 pages, Paperback

First published January 29, 2013

About the author

Also publishes under L.K. Hill and K.L. Conger.

Author of scifi, fantasy and dystopian. She lives in northern Utah and comes from a large, tight-knit family. Loves to bake, read, and watch plenty of T.V. And plans to keep writing until they nail her coffin shut. Or the Second Coming happens. You know, whichever happens first. ;D

Reviews

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read other book reviews at Book Junkie Joint.

A well-planned and well-written, thrilling dystopian which is like a mix of the movie Push, and the hit TV series Heroes!

The beginning of the story was slow because of the confusion of the lead female from whose point of the view the omniscient narrator was telling the story. Perhaps, it may make the reader feel confused as well. I know I did feel a little bit off at the beginning, but giving the story time to take root and unfold would be the best course of action to take. I’m pretty glad I continued reading!

Aside from being a dystopian, young adult story, Persistence of Vision also largely incorporates sci-fi elements and political ideologies into the storyline. It’s literally a mish-mash of so many things, but the author was able to weave a compelling story in such a way that it wasn’t confusing or unclear.

The plot was very well-planned, and the whole book was very well-written. Even though I haven’t experienced living in the world where the characters in this book existed, I could picture out everything clearly. From the way the individualists live, to the Interchron compound, and even how David struggled to break away from the collective – everything was picturesque and very detailed. I could even picture this book being made into a movie!

As for the characters, everyone was distinct enough that I was able to differentiate one from another. By the end of the story, this may sound weird but I felt that I even personally knew each character myself. I especially adored David because he’s a combination of honesty, vulnerability and courage, and I loved how his growth was portrayed in the story. Also, I wish to know more about Nat and Doc because they are intriguing. I bet they know a lot more than they openly let on. Smart people can often be sneaky and conniving, after all.

By the end of the story, what was unclear at the beginning finally made sense, but more questions were left unanswered and I really wanted to read more!

What were Marcus and Karl planning to do? What made Maggie give up her memories? What was it about Marcus that made Maggie want to give up her memories? What about Colin and his blood-sucking whatever? Where will they find a replacement Concealer? Where will they find a Deceiver? And how were they going to complete the prophesied members? When will Maggie and the other individualist reunite? I have so many questions that I want answered, I’m already awaiting Book 2!

I highly recommend this book to people who are fans of super powers and super heroes! And also to those who might want to read a thought-provoking dystopian story!

[Sinn · Rating 2 out of 5]

During the process of reading this book, I was looking at reviews on Goodreads. All of them say that it is Earth shattering, mind blowing, life changing, and so on. For me, that really gave the book an air of authority. However, even from the start of the book, I found that I really had a hard time getting into it. While it was obvious that it was the author’s first book—she just lacked a maturity in her craft that authors get with time and experience—it felt like it just wasn’t my type of book. It wasn’t speaking to me, I found myself skipping over sections, and even going to the point of bargaining with myself to read it. At the get go, I told myself that, once Maggie started to figure things out, the book would pick up and things would become less hazy. Unfortunately, the further I went into the book, the more and more I found myself disliking it.

First of all, I never liked Maggie. I felt she was a pretty immature heroine, rather dimwitted, and completely unsympathetic. After losing a large amount of time and waking up in a hotel room with mysterious old wounds on her body, it seems to me that she would be distrustful of people. Granted, I understand that Marcus saved her from the man that broke into her house, but I don’t know if I would automatically rush off with him. And, even if I did, I might have been more insistent about answers. In addition, she seemed to trust the people at Interchron too easily. Even though I have no real area to point to, to me, she felt like the classic damsel in distress that needed a guy to save her.

The fact that Doc was so secretive really drove me nuts. Many times he claimed that he either had to do research or it wasn’t important to the team at the time; however, from his reaction, it was obvious that he was deceiving the team or making an excuse. Considering the people they were going up against, I couldn’t understand why he was so quick to keep things from everyone. Furthermore, I’m not sure why the team didn’t just sit him down and try to force the information out of him. Some of the stuff he kept from the team felt like life and death information. At various points, the characters even mentioned the fact that they didn’t appreciate how secretive he was. If that’s an issue, why didn’t they confront him?

The whole business on the island was rather unbelievable. When Marcus, Nat, and Maggie are completely at Colin’s mercy, her comment was so stupid, ludicrous, and asinine, I couldn’t believe the author actually wrote it. If you and your loved ones are held captive and one of them has a gun to their head, when the guy holding you hostage demands a kiss, will you say the following: “Really? Really? You have us at your mercy, and this is what you decide to do with that kind of power?” Yes, yes, Maggie, let’s taunt the lion. And, on top of that, I couldn’t understand why the team didn’t see that whole fiasco coming. From the minute David came to Interchron and told them about the island, I knew what was going to happen. For all the intelligence they profess to have, they certainly were pretty stupid or just lacked common sense.

To be fair, I think the author has an interesting idea and could develop it into something really, really neat. Even though I couldn’t help thinking of the Borg, attacking things like the hive mind can yield some amazing subject matter and cause in depth discussions. Unfortunately, the last third of the book I skimmed. Once the book ended, I felt as though I hadn’t missed anything. I admit, some of it had to do with the fact that it just wasn’t my type of book. That being said, I also felt that it wanted me to suspend my disbelief for too long. Yes, it is a world set in an alternate reality, but that doesn’t mean that people will act outside of their sense of self preservation.

*Note: I received this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review. I would like to thank Liesel for the opportunity to read the book and take part in her tour. It was an honor to work with her!*

[Mike · Rating 1 out of 5]

After a friend gave me a recommendation for this book, I was excited to read it. For one thing, the premise looked great - original and intriguing, to say the least. For another thing, this is only my second new adult book, and after a relatively positive experience with my last NA book, I was excited for more. Unfortunately, while the premise was indeed interesting and there were some original ideas, the book suffers from a lot of fundamental problems that I just can't get over, and they caused me to give up a third of the way in.

My first and probably foremost problem was the writing. The prose was very purple, which isn't a bad thing in and of itself, not at all. Cassandra Clare and Malinda Lo, two authors who I greatly admire and enjoy, use it all the time. But the prose stylistics definitely presented a problem here, in that it created some very stiff dialogue, and awkward turns of phrase that I'm honestly shocked the editor didn't catch. I mean, look at this shit, just look at it!:

Maggie was gasping, clawing for the surface. She couldn't breathe. Everything was blackness.

"She doesn't know who I am, Doc, but she remembers seeing me in Vegas." He said the word "seeing" as though it tasted funny.

In the rooms was equipment she couldn't identify that she was certain hadn't been invented yet. Rather than the colorful, flashing lights she expected to see on an otherworldly craft, the strange equipment gleamed dully in the dim light like cast iron.

Doc's eyes had gotten continuously wider as she spoke. Now they looked like tiny rotating planets.

See what I mean? There were a good bit of sentences and paragraphs like those, ones that badly needed rewrites. There were also a good number of spelling errors - the word 'sensor' was constantly spelled 'censor', and 'console' was spelled 'consul'.

Anyway, apart from the blatant grammar, spelling, and style errors in the book, I also had a problem with the distance that the prose created from the narrator and the events. The narrator wasn't exactly a well-rendered one - more on that later - but the third-person narration didn't help me get to know her a bit. It seemed content with describing events in the most objective way possible, without giving us a single bit of insight into how people in the book were responding to them. This isn't an inevitability of purple prose, not at all. Just look at this quote from Malinda Lo's Adaptation, in one of my very favorite passages of all time:

Kissing Amber was like falling into the sea: [Reese's] body surrendered to the pull of the tide, buoyed by the saltwater, every breath tasting like the ocean. Reese lost all sense of where the surface was. All there was, was this. Amber’s lips, her tongue, her hands stroking back Reese’s hair, curling around her head and holding her steady. If their first kiss had been a bit awkward, that was gone now.

The prose is certainly purple, but there's nothing stiff about it; instead, it's flowing, descriptive, and immersive. Not once in reading that passage - or really, the entire book - did I feel like I was kept at a distance from things. Because what we're seeing there isn't a description of a kiss, but how Resse reacted to the kiss, and even in third-person, I was right there with her. The prose is genuine, honest, and fundamentally alive. Contrast this with how Hill describes a similar moment:

Maggie froze but shut her eyes when their lips met. He didn't do anything more, simply let his lips linger against hers, and she realized he was waiting for her to react. She pressed her lips back against his with the smallest of movements, holding her breath. When she did, he turned more fully to her, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her more deeply.

Not only is it awkward enough that I'm tempted to start line editing, but it's also a rather dull moment, because we might as well be watching it on a video. There's nothing human about it - it's a description of the action of a kiss, not what it should be: a description of how Maggie feels, about the intensity of the moment, about what this means. The entire book is written like that, and it makes for a dull experience.

Despite the book's original premise, the plot didn't end up being any more interesting. The pacing is very rushed for the first ten percent or so - we get four attempts in a row at a sense of normality before it's subverted by an appearance of the story's supernatural elements. Both of these fell flat, because they were both so rushed - we barely got a sense of normal before the paranormal started, and we barely got a sense of paranormal before the normal started again. Once that ends, the pace slows to a sluggish crawl as Hill makes a huge worldbuilding mistake: the dreaded infodump.

Yes, there was infodumping, in what was probably my least favorite part of the worldbuilding. More than a tenth of the book was entirely devoted to Doc and Marcus giving Maggie long explanation after long explanation of what they were, why they were there, and what their goal was. Such infodumping got tedious and boring very quickly, and I felt like Hill should've found a subtler way to give us the worldbuilding - contrary to what you might expect, infodumps aren't really necessary at all. At the very least, Hill could've spread the infodumps out so that they didn't last so long; this would've sped up the pace and made the world more interesting.

The world could've been interesting, by the way, if it weren't for the large number of contradictions. For example, the entire plot hinges on the government sitting on their asses and not realizing that they had made a system where criminals could do whatever they wanted... for thirty years. It really is an unforgivable lapse - even as dysfunctional as Congress is, I'm sure they could figure out something if they were given thirty years to do something about it. (The book also uses that stupid cliche of assuming that all governments would do the same thing - less developed countries wouldn't do the same thing in this particular situation that America did, and after America collapsed, everyone else would learn from those mistakes. Ergo, no apocalypse.) For another thing, the Collectives were sort of a Designated Villain, based on what I saw. The only really 'evil' thing they did was that people in the Collectives disappeared sometimes - there wasn't even evidence that it was murder. The supposed good guys, on the other hand, are essentially terrorists. They're trying to destroy the Collectives, which are the main way that people survive in this post-apocalyptic world, and they'd probably kill more people than they'd save in the process.

But you know what? I could've forgiven a lot of that. I couldn't ignore it, but I could at least place a much smaller stress on it. The way that would happen is if the characters were interesting. But, as you might expect, they were not. The characters were, without exception, one-note. They all talked the same, despite their different backgrounds, they all acted the same... I couldn't name a single one with any personality traits at all. We were supposed to care when Marcus talked about how he wished Maggie could have her memories back so that they could be in love again, but it falls flat because they're both such boring characters that any romance would end up being perfunctory and obligatory. (As a lot of romances are.)

So, there you go. This wasn't an overwhelmingly terrible book, but it was one largely without redeemable aspects; it ended up being a dull, badly written science fiction. And I'm honestly a little surprised this is the first one star rating, because stuff like this - undeveloped heroines, slow pacing, laughably poor writing - is normally the kind of shit that bloggers and reviewers eat right up. This one seems to have gotten a bit lucky and avoided all that, but... well, it's over now for it, I suppose.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maggie our main character really makes it easy to understand the world you find yourself in.At first we see she is afraid and scared as she and her brother have a lapse in memory and lose 12 hours. She really grows and comes into her own as the story progresses. I love how you get to see her compare the different time periods. Marcus I love. He seems so strong, so caring and he even has a power that I think suits him perfectly. There is tons more of characters to get to know but these two are my favorites.

The plot will pull you right in and won't let you go. A future time where the world has totally change is explained in a way that makes it seem it could happen. The author does a wonderful job explaining how hings came to be. It seems like quite a bit of research went into the background of the story and it pays off. You really get a feel for the book. This book has plenty of action as you get to discover the different sides of the future. People have some fantastic powers that I love discovering. You even get some romance that adds the perfect touch to the book. Believe me it has it all. Be sure to pick this book up for a whole new world in which you believe could really happen. There is some mystery to it that adds a nice flair as well. I don't give spoilers just know this author and book are wonderful.

[Edith Hill]

I loved this book. I would read it again.

[Scott Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful! Constantly keeps you on the edge of your seat. Thrilling and sometimes disturbing insight into how we see our own reality and how others might perceive it through our eyes.

[Bookish Barbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book I've read by Liesel K Hill and I am happy I choose it. The story is about Maggie. One second she is in LV with her brother and having odd 'dreams', the next she's surround by people who all remember her, but she has no idea who they are. She comes to learn she's very important in this timeline and begins assisting her team.
Maggie seemed a little naïve at times but she’s still trying to put it all together and remember things. She’s doing a good job because she sure asks a lot of questions.
Look forward to listening to the rest of the series.
Robin Wasser did a great job in portraying the emotion and state of mind of the characters.
I received this audiobook for free from Story Origin for an honest review.

[Janet Womack · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audio book edition. I enjoyed the scientific parts of Persistence of Vision. The narrator just didn't seem to fit the story and the dialogue was stilted and not we'll written. I think the story itself could have been very good if it was written better. I don't know if this was one of Liesel K. Hill's earliest novels. But, some of her other novels are exceptional and well written.

[Catrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story really captured my attention. I don’t want to spoil anything… but I was really enjoyed finding out all about Maggie’s situation. I can’t wait for the next book!

Liesel K. Hill did a fantastic job with keeping the story original and tying all the characters together. The twists really kept me on my toes.

Robin Wasser delivered a great performance. I really enjoyed listening.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me start by thanking Liesel again for asking me to be a part of her blog tour, in exchange for my honest opinion of her book.

This book seemed to be slightly out of my preferred reading genre when I first read about it, but I am so thankful I took the time to read it! Liesel has created an incredible imaginary future world where the medical advances of the human brain has opened up many doors in the way of medical research, where (just one example) people have the ability to turn off lights or water with just a thought, not by magic but by brain activity. Pretty awesome, right?! Unfortunately as with any good intentions, bad people who are power hungry typically sprout up as well, and in this futuristic setting that is also the case.

There are those who want to make humanity into mindless beings, all functioning with the same thoughts and actions, with the initial intent that people who were criminals can be retrained, if you will, by controlling what they think about and how they act - these people are called the Collectives. "A collective conscious that moves, thinks and acts as one.", "...a form of slavery." And then you've got those who resist such mind control and want to hold onto the freedom they have of freewill and choice as it's what makes us human. These resistors are called Individualists with "...the goal of bringing individual freedom back."

I was intrigued by the story very early on, when our 24 year old heroine Maggie is in in Vegas and sees a strange man on the street who nobody else seems to notice and she is drawn to him for some unknown reason. When he sheds a tear while holding her arm I'm immediately hooked wondering about the mystery of who this strange man is and what he means to Maggie and she to him.

Meet the mystery man: "his eyes were a strange color.", "hazel...but so hazel that they looked almost amber", "a scar shaped like an upside-down question mark covered the left side of his face", "broad shoulders", "deeply muscled arms".

The characters are rich and all have a very unique story of why and how they came to be living in the Interchroniter, i.e. Interchron. There are many twists and turns I wasn't expecting and the story just continued to grow and develop as it went on, setting the perfect stage for the books to come in the series. There are action scenes and emotional ones. For those who are a fan of romance in their books, there is, let's call it a budding romance, between Maggie and Marcus. But you'll have to read to find out what exactly their relationship is and what's in store for them. Persistence of Vision was really quite a gripping tale of the future of humanity.

Those who are fans of books such as The Host, Divergent, and Under the Never Sky will enjoy this story! Though listed as New Adult, and it is based on the ages of the characters, this is a clean story and as such is safe for younger readers, 15+.

Favorite Quotes:

"Consider this reason: in another place, another lifetime, you knew and trusted me enough to tell me your darkest secrets. Trust me now."

"...something told her that he was the safer of the two choices."

"They told as many people as would listen that it is choice, not brain chemistry, that determines our actions and that only by being accountable for our actions could society continue to function."

"Everything he --they --were was leaving her, and she was powerless to stop it. She had a sensation of sobbing, but her body was paralyzed, so it was only her soul weeping. Her memories, her identity was fading."

"People ought to be treated equally and given equal opportunities, but no two people are exactly alike. They exude their own kind of beauty--strong in some areas, weak in others, and just as beautiful for their weaknesses as for their strengths."

"I wish you remembered us", he whispered."

"I know that man loves you. I know all your companions are fiercely loyal to you."

"You're evil people with an insatiable desire to control others. You had no control over some part of your lives in the past, and now you're addicted to the feelings of power and control because you're scared to death of the lack of it."

"...there will always be someone who is so strong, who is such a force of rebellion against those that would oppress him that he will get away."

"Evil men are always narrow minded. They can't see beyond their own intentions. Those of us who are both more educated and more compassionate often can't comprehend their stupidity."

"That had to be the worst pick-up line she'd ever heard, or at least the geekiest."

"I, uh, saw an interesting stump a ways back. I think I'll go sit on it for awhile." - ha ha, I love Karl!

"You were my persistence of vision." (swoon!!!)

In a future such as this would you want to be a Collective or an Individual? There are two sides to every story....where do you think you'd fall? "The question is, are you willing to submit completely to another human being and let them live your life for you?" Would you want the safety and security that comes from being among so many others? "The collectives all worked together for mutual survival." "...easier, others to share pain and life with. No loneliness, no uncertainty, no vulnerability."

Final rating 4 stars!

[Morgan Dewey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Such an incredibly satisfying read! Absolutely loved reading Maggie’s deep character journey. Each twist and turn of this unfolding story had me on the edge of my seat and I binge read it in a day! 🤩absolutely loved this 1st book. Already plotting how soon I can get my hands on the next book.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read more reviews like this at The Book Asylum.

I was approached by Liesel Hill a few months back about reading and reviewing her book, Persistence of Vision. I am definitely a fan of sci-fi and I was intrigued by the book blurb. The idea of collectives (hives/unions/human beings being connected to a mass consciousness), time travel, neurological advances that we can currently only dream about... It was all too much to pass up, so I took a chance on Persistence of Vision and am so glad I did!

The book begins with our protagonist, Maggie, in Las Vegas, as she meets her brother for a drink. Unfortunately, she and her brother wake up hours later in a strange hotel room with no memory of anything that happened over the last ten hours. Fast forward to a year later, and Maggie still can't let go of the incident. She experiences flashes of what she thinks could be memories on a daily basis, and has a sense that something is missing, she just doesn't know what. When she's attacked in her home by a man with a mysterious tattoo, she's rescued by another man named Marcus. Although Maggie doesn't know who Marcus is, she lets him lead to her into a life, into a time, that Maggie could never have known existed... or could she?

I have to say right away that if you are a sci-fi fan, you're going to appreciate all the amazing detail that Persistence of Vision holds. The world-building, the scientific explanations, the implications and societal changes that occur as a result of said scientific exploration-everything is there. Everything is explained perfectly. For me, the book is sort of like X-men (preternatural abilities) meets Looper (time-travel), meets The Passage (hive mentality). I enjoyed all of those stories immensely, so it's no surprise that I disappeared into the world Hill created immediately.

I don't want to give away any important plot points in the story, so I'll avoid specific details so that you can experience them for yourself. I will share that because of Maggie's memory loss, she is discovering this new world right alongside the reader. It makes for an interesting point of connection with the protagonist and helps to ease the reader into this very new and intricate world. I'll also say that the plot takes care of itself in this book. The chapter transitions and flow are seamlessly executed and completely logical. The writing was great too. All of these elements combine to make an exciting, page-turning read, complete with some mysteries that will keep you guessing, and big surprises that will leave you dying to know what's next.

In addition to all the exciting twists and turns of Persistence of Vision, the book has a host of characters which are all extremely dynamic and relatable. It's crucial for me to be able to connect to characters while reading any book and to my pleasant surprise, I found myself wishing more than once that these were real, live friends of mine. Each of them is unique, with their own role and importance to the storyline. They are brought to life by their laughter, their passion, their hope, their resiliency, and their love. Though I wouldn't classify this as an intensely emotional book, I would say that the intricacies of human behavior, love, and loss are explored in depth. There's also a really beautiful love story delicately woven into the fabric of Persistence of Vision. In fact, that love story inspires the title.

The challenges that these characters faced personally and collectively are huge. Although they overcome some of them in this book, the real story is just beginning. I am eagerly awaiting the next installment in the Interchron series and would encourage you to join me as I wait (rather impatiently). In other words, if you're a fan of exciting sci-fi reads complete with mind-bending scientific advances, prophecies, and themes of human resiliency against all odds, I would absolutely recommend Persistence of Vision!

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Sarika Patkotwar · Rating 3 out of 5]

*NOTE: We (The Readdicts) received a copy of Persistence of Vision from author Liesel K. Hill in exchange for an honest review. We thank Liesel for the book!

"In a Persistence Of Vision, you keep seeing something that was there, even after it's gone. You look at the sun and then you shut your eyes, and you'll still see a purple sun flaring behind your eyelids. Persistence Of Vision is the term for the phenomenon of seeing it, even after it's gone."

Absolutely cool stuff, right?
I read Persistence of Vision as part of the Persistence Of Vision Blog Tour organised by author and fellow book blogger, Liesel K. Hill. I love reading New Adult books. I have read a few dystopians and fantasies and really found them to be interesting and different. Besides, concepts like futuristic and intergalactic intrigue me. I knew Persistence of Vision would be antithetical to what I normally read. I mean, it has everything in it. Not only is it New Adult, Dystopian or fantasy, but it is a New Adult Futuristic Dystopian Fantasy.
The whole concept of Persistence of Vision is really very thorough, intelligent and truly interesting. I cannot think of any words beyond 'intelligent' and 'interesting' to describe the book because that is just what it was. It was something totally different, detailed and deep. It has Science, Psychology, Politics and Psychophysics, subjects that really interest me.
Maggie is taken into the future as she is part of a Prophecy that will aid in changing the traumatic situation of the future. This future is plagued by neurological rapes, a battle between collectivism and individualism and Maggie faces the challenge of doing all that she can to better the situation after having lost all memories from the last time she was in the future. A team of very clever and sharp individuals who are in charge of uplifting the current and are part of the Prophecy as well help Maggie in making her trip to the future informative, innovative and interesting.
Persistence of Vision can be best described using a line from the book itself:

"...the awesome power of it all- hit her with such force that it took her breath away."

It was such a riveting and sharp read with it's details, depth, excellent plot and sheer magnitude. I know that the details were needed, but I found myself drifting away at times when explanations were too long and there were times when things went over my head.
I am not particularly fond of books with too much of depth to it, but I overall liked reading Persistence of Vision. The book has factual information and just reading it makes you feel like you know something that maybe others don't. Author Liesel K. Hill has written a great book, the plot of which looks really promising and gripping. Fans of Science Fiction, Dystopians, Fantasies and Futuristic or all these genres put in one are in for a totally new and reverberant ride with Persistence of Vision.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Persistence of Vision was incredible! I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the premise blew me away. The two opposing theories of collectivism versus individualism were taken to a whole new level in a complex futuristic dystopia with psychological and neurological explanations. The idea seemed so plausible and I loved the way the author focused a lot on brain chemistry being the key. It was such a unique story and I really love the way it was executed. I hate to make the book seem like a far out science fiction full of technological and complicated things because it wasn’t written in a such a way that I felt it was over my head at all. It was incredible without being technologically overwhelming.

The book is written in third person from Maggie’s point of view, which I enjoyed. I felt like I connected with Maggie immediately. She was a strong character, but she also had moments of where she felt small and useless due to her memory loss. She was complex and relatable, especially as the reader is thrown into a world where not a whole lot is recognizable. Maggie’s ability to compare things and figure out how to understand the advanced technology made it easier for me as the reader to understand it, too. I really felt for her, too, as she struggled to make sense of Marcus and her feelings and missing memories and there was a level of conflict there that I really enjoyed.

I loved all of the characters of Interchron. Marcus was a great character and the tension and affection between him and Maggie was interesting and kept me on the edge of my seat from a romantic standpoint. Karl was a sort of carefree character that provided some comedic relief in just the right places. And Doc was one of those wise characters that had a wealth of information. All of the characters had their own issues and depth and I felt like I really knew them all by the time I was finished reading.

I could gush forever about how much I really liked the storyline. The world is so interesting to me and I felt just as eager as Maggie to learn more about it and the abilities of all the people. Learning how the world ended up the way it is was absolutely incredible to me and I’m still kind of blown away by how much I loved it. I just love how it takes some ideas that have been present forever and takes it to a futuristic level the way that it did with so many connections to schools of belief, psychology, sociology, and neurology. The plot was adventurous and yet there was so much room for character development and growth and romance. I could see it all in my head as I was reading and it’s one of those books I’d love to see made into a movie.

I definitely recommend this book to others, even if dystopian novels or science fiction isn’t really your cup of tea because it doesn’t quite fit into just one genre. It’s dystopian, fantasy, science fiction, new adult, romance, with supernatural elements all mixed together. It’s a great story all around with memorable characters and it’s definitely worth reading! I can’t wait to read more books by Liesel K. Hill and I am already eagerly awaiting the next book in the series!

[Nickie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

One afternoon, Maggie and her brother black out and wake up in a strange hotel room. Police are mystified since the two seem to be unharmed, and none of their personal possessions are stolen. Maggie lives the next year in a state of mild paranoia, trying to piece together what happened that day, and why she was the target.

A year later, Maggie is attacked in her home, but rescued by a mysterious stranger. The stranger, Marcus, tells Maggie that her blackout was a consequence of being transported into the future. In Marcus's time, collectives of human (think of Star Trek's Borg) unite human brains into communes. He and the remaining free humans resist being pulled in to the collectives, and need Maggie's unique talents to help.

What I liked about this book:
The premise. It's no secret that I love science fiction. We're living in an age of great change -- within one hundred years of the discovery of penicillin, we mapped the human freakin' genome. About 60 years after man first flew in an airplane, we put people on the moon. THE MOON, guys! Hill applies this acceleration of technology to a new (to me) area -- the mapping of brain functions and brain chemistry. In Hill's vision of the future, all brain functions have been perfectly recognized, so they can be perfectly exploited. It's a fascinating idea that was explored throughout the book.

Hill also does a great job exploring the tension and awkwardness between Maggie and Marcus. When Maggie had previously been taken to the future to help, she and Marcus had a relationship. Her memory was wiped when she returned to her time, so when she sees Marcus again, she feels very conflicted. He remembers a relationship that she can't recollect.

What I didn't like about this book:
There were several areas in this story heavy on exposition, which were a bit hard to wade through. Some of the explanations of the science could have been better integrated throughout the story.

While some of the characterizations were rich and complex (Hill did a great job with the leads, Maggie and Marcus), a few of the background characters got left behind.

Final verdict:
3 1/2 stars. I'm rounding up to four since I can't do half stars, and I liked it too much to round down. I know this sounds like a weird description, but the book was like a NA Twilight mixed with Star Trek, and it was pretty darn good, too. Hill explores some of the hive mind idea explored by TNG in the Borg collectives, and infuses a close look at the people and relationships. I'd recommend this to fans of light science fiction.

[Heather Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sci-fi and fantasy books are usually hit or miss for me. I either really enjoy them or I find myself baffled over the complexities of the plot. Although the Persistence of Vision was leaden with scientific theories, I didn’t feel like I was completely lost and had to refer to World Book every five minutes to figure out what the heck was going on.

The plot had elements reminiscent of The Host, one of my favorite books. The character of Doc reminded me of Jeb and the fact that the characters were part of a resistance hiding out in a cavern designed to house humans. I liked the time in the caves and how Maggie was introduced to the rules of the new society. Although there were big sections of explanation without a ton of action, I felt the concepts were intriguing enough to keep the book interesting.

An enjoyable aspect of the novel was that the plot seemed like it was something that could actually happen. I don’t know where the author came up with the idea that mapping the brain would lead to all of these changes in society and the appearance of supernatural powers, but it was intriguing. The Collectives were also an interesting idea and I loved the fight for individualism within the future society.

I liked Maggie as the main character. She was tough and willing to give up so much to help these “strangers.” I think both Maggie and Marcus needed more physical descriptions because I couldn’t picture either of them in my head while reading. The world building was done so well, it would’ve been great to know more about the characters in this world. The baddies of the book were super creepy. The cover freaked me out before I had even read a word. There were some great twists with the characters too that were unexpected.

I wasn’t feeling the romance of the book. I just didn’t feel a connection to Marcus and thought he came off as very boring. SPOILER ALERT I kind of realized I wasn’t a fan when I kept yelling at Maggie to go for his brother. I thought her chemistry with David was palpable and I’d love to see something come out of it (maybe a forbidden romance?) in subsequent novels. I thought it was annoying how Marcus treated his brother, it made him seem kind of jerky after everything David did to escape and his efforts to help Maggie. END OF SPOILER

There’s plenty of room for so many stories to take place in the world Hill created. I’m very excited to read any sequels about Maggie and the members of the Interchron.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Thanks to the author for copy of this book for review!

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

First off, I would like to thank Ms. Liesel K. Hill for asking me to review this book and sending me a copy. Totally did not regret saying yes to her offer. :) Since, I feel so thankful, I'll be doing this review in my normal reviewing posts way. ;)


The Cover:
I think the cover is scary. LOL. When my English teacher saw it, she was like 'ooohhhhh'. I'll tell you why she saw it later... i like how I know who the guy is when I just began to read the book. So, good job explaining there. ;)


The Characters/Plot:
Maggie Harper - Maggie is from the present day, as in now, the 21st, century. When one day, she woke up not knowing what happened to her for one whole night, she doesn't know what to make of the until a year later, the same man she saw a year before came to get her, to save her, in fact. There, she ran away from these minions called Arachniman (I think..) who are trying to kill her.


Marcus - He is the one who went back to present day to save Maggie. Then, he took Maggie to the future, ( we don't know how far ) to work as a BCO member, like she originally was, and help save the world before it gets taken away by the bad guys.


A BCO member each have their own different role and different job. That's what I like about this book. Maggie is the Executioner and Marcus is the Healer. Joan, Clay, Doc, and Karl all plays different roles. They make up a team, but this stop would be focusing on Clay. ;)


The Ending:
The ending actually left me wondering what would happen next and wanting for more. And I also begin to question who Maggie's brother really is.

Extra:
I'm doing a book report on this book....since the genre of my book report must be Science Fiction or Fantasy and this book was right in front of my face, so why not? Plus, I was too lazy to go the library. Our book report though, is to make a board game out of this book. (I'm dying over here...) So does anyone have any suggestions or ideas? (I hope asking for ideas isn't consider cheating) Thanks!


Rate: (1-10) 9!
;)

Tune in to my blog @ http://bookaholicfaggots.blogspot.com for an interview with one of the characters, Clay!!

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I LOVED it:) I don't want to think that I'm biased, but I tried to go into this with an open level mind. I know Liesel's writing style and I've had the pleasure of watching her go through her writing and editing process, so I was extremely excited for this book.

Persistence of Vision follows Maggie as she wakes up in a hotel room floor with her brother across the room and no recollection of how they got there. Accompanied by strange scars they've never had before, she feels lost. It's a year later when she's scooped up from this time line and wrapped into the future to meet people ... she's already met. People with extraordinary abilities caused by advancement into brain functionality. Some can time travel, some can heal, some can conceal, and others kill. When she's told that she's the key to a prophecy, she and the team must do everything in their powers to take down The Collective -- a group, a vast group of human bodies all neurologically connected into one entity. An entity that takes their individuality, freedom, and independent intelligence away. Not only that ... but Marcus, a young man who's plagued by a past, is also deeply in love with her, from a different period of time, and she doesn't remember it.

This book had action from the first page to the last. The characters were all written so differently, that they each had their own personality. I was aware of a lack of description through areas of the book, and even some over-explanation during dialogue at times. But even these things didn't ruin it for me. Had it been a little more detailed with color and texture, along with some fixes of slight writing issues, I would have given it a five star rating.

But I love Marcus. I love David. And for the first time in a love-triangle, I sheepishly rooting for both guys. :) Can't wait till the next book comes out because it rocked my world too!

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I. Loved. This. Book.

It took a while for me to get started with this book because I had so many others I was reading for blog tours and borrowing from friends/the library. By the time I started this book, however, I read everything but about 20 pages in 2 days. And I loved it!

The story is incredible. I love the dystopian world where these collectives are trying to assimilate everyone in the entire world (am I the only Star Trek nerd that thought of the Borg?). Then there's this little group of people who are trying to bring them down. Right away, I fell in love with the main character, Maggie. I loved everything about her. She's that heroine who finds herself in this world she knows nothing about (because she can't remember it) and she still manages to not break down and sob on the floor like a baby. She is kind-of a kick-butt heroine. Really enjoyed her.

And Marcus!! Oh! What's not to love about Marcus? In fact, I think I liked pretty much the entire team. Karl is one of my favorites because he's always making people laugh. I'm a firm believer that a good story always needs a little bit of comic relief. And Karl provided that. All the characters were so loyal to each other and to Maggie. I felt bad for her right at first because she didn't remember any of them but as the book progressed, it was hard to feel bad for her because she had this great "family" with them.

I'm not going to say much about the rest of the story (other than it's full of interesting twists and turns...most of which I didn't even see coming!) because I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't read this book. All I will say is that I can't wait to read the second book. Persistence of Vision deserves each of its five stars. Loved it!!

[Charlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such an interesting high concept dystopian novel. The discoveries that have occurred in this author's vision of the future is backed by some very convincing science that is very well explained and adds depth to the world-building. It is very detailed though, so the reader must really pay attention to take it all in. The mystery of Maggie's past is maintained throughout as pieces of the puzzle are gradually revealed. It's a very intriguing way to develop a story that keeps you turning pages, eager to know the what and why behind Maggie's past. The cast of characters that make up Maggie's team are wonderfully varied and bring an X-Men vibe to the story.

Because there is so much world-building to establish, I felt the pace slows down in the middle, but the tension and surprising revelations made towards the end makes up for the uneven pace. With the interesting ideas the author brings to the hidden power of the mind, she also takes a compelling look at the power of individualism and the comfort in mediocrity. It seems like an easy choice, if one had to choose between them, but the book does make you think and that's always a good thing.

The story does switch perspectives between key characters which I'm not always a fan of when done inconsistently, and I found it sometimes jarring in this story. But this is a great beginning to a series with a strong heroine just realizing her inner strength, a lovely romance with just a hint of a love triangle, and fascinating, complex world-building.

[Cath · Rating 5 out of 5]

The main character is a woman called Maggie, who out with her brother in Vegas one night, comes across a strange scene on the busy streets. She sees a man she feels some hint of recognition with, but mainly from the intensity of his eyes. The next moment he is gone. Maggie and her brother go to a bar for a drink, but when they awake, they find themselves on the floor of an unfamiliar motel room. Presuming they were drugged and something happened to them after being in the bar, they call the police, but nothing is found.

Maggie has strange memories of that night and can’t tell whether what she sees are from a dream or if they are real memories of something that happened to her. A week later, she arrives home and finds a creepy thug in her apartment and when he sees her it is obvious her knows her in some way and wants her dead! He has a strange spider tattoo or marking over one of his eyes. Fortunately for Maggie, there is another man in her room and he saves her from the thug. He says she is no longer save and needs to go with him.

He explains partly on their way, but is leading her into the mountains on the outskirts of town and she starts to feel a bit more concerned. She feels she can trust him, especially from the look in his eyes, but she can’t explain to herself why she feels this way. What follows is a leap through time, travelling to a future she has visited before, but has no memories of. They make their way into a mountain through a hidden opening and she is surrounded by people who seem to know her, but she doesn’t recognize any of them.

This future world has people who are trying to survive as individuals, while the rest of the world has split into large communes, where all the people are joined as one mind, no-one has any individual thoughts or feelings, they are shared across all those enslaved within these communities. Those who are still individuals are hunted and forcibly recruited into these collective communities, with no choice and often violence being used against them. A small group of individuals are hoping to take down these collectives and are working to fulfil a prophecy.

The prophecy states there needs to be seven people, all with different skills, to bring down the leaders of the collectives which are enslaving all of mankind. Maggie is one of the main people they need and they have used others in their group to seek out those with the necessary mind mapping and powers. They have had to go back into the past to find her. What they can’t explain are the marks that both Maggie and her brother Jonah had left on their bodies after their missing time, the previous week. Marcus is the man who saved her in her apartment, and his role is now to help her relearn the skills she learnt before and if she wants to, to get her to help them again.

There are others from the collectives mind communities that are after the individuals and want to enslave all, no matter what. They have assassins that are mindless thugs with only one order in their minds and one job to do – kill all individuals who will not submit. There are also bigger and more dangerous villains, called Tripeds, who are even harder to avoid and overcome, yet the safety of their mountain hideaway is soon almost overrun when a weary group of individuals try to seek sanctuary.

A futuristic world, with Maggie’s memories from before possibly being of upmost importance in the groups hopes to defeat the collectives once and for all. Some of those in the group have powers or skills and can use them to help defend themselves and help towards their aim. Others may have no powers, but do all they can to help the group and support their efforts. Another attack is planned, but whether they can succeed without the full seven team members as required by the prophecy, is yet to be seen.

An intriguing tale that once you get far enough into it, is full of strange powers, confusing relationships that were at a certain stage before and now are having to be restarted, without putting too much pressure on Maggie’s memories, strange marks and collective minds linked with a powerful supply of brainpower behind it. More is yet to come and I look forward to it and the reasoning behind Maggie and Jonah’s marks. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.

[Lane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first read from Liesel Hill. I liked the blurb, so thought I would give it a try. The book started "weird" because we are actually in the middle of the story. We find the heroine, Maggie, is meeting her brother in a Vegas bar, but while on the way, she has a strange "vision". She dismisses the experience and continues on to her brother. She blacks out and awakens with her brother in a strange hotel room. As the story continues we find that Maggie is in a fight with people from the future waging war against the collective. There is quite a bit of info that is given to catch the reader, and Maggie, up to speed, since she's lost her memories of working with these people over the past year.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and the alternate world that Hill created. I will say that this is not necessarily an easy read, but I enjoyed it. I liked the twists (some I saw coming and others were surprises). There were parts of the story that felt like I'd gone back to science class. Some of it I had to ponder over because of the depth of the idea. I am never a fan of time travel due to my belief that any change to the past will greatly alter the future. So, I had to set aside my belief for those pieces of the story. This book had my heart pounding during several parts and I even found myself holding my breath at times. It would have been nice to have the characters speak with different accents or dialects to give them more character.

While the series has just begun, I did not feel jipped by the way the first book ended. It lets you know that there are some loose ends. But the story was compelling enough that I would read the next book in this series. I recommend this for readers who are fans of dystopians, sci-fi and futuristic type novels.

I received a free copy of this book from BookSprout in exchange for an honest review.

[Marjorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maggie's story is a very complex time travel dystopian. It is not a linear story, and coming back and reading this a second time after reading further along in the story I was much better able to appreciate just how rich this book is. First time though I will admit to feeling just as lost as Maggie was as she pieces her way through in search of her missing memories and her place in this story. The second reading reveals hundreds of Easter Eggs. It is a story you have to be patient with and pay attention to as it builds but is definitely worth it. Very large cast, but it grows slowly and characters are added as they are needed for the plot to expand.

There is a love story, but not a true romance - yet. There is lots of action and adventure, but I would not classify it as a thriller. It features humans with neuro-chemical or psionic abilities and the ramifications on society of those abilities. Basically a strictly rules controlled science that functions like magic but still feels more like scifi than fantasy. It delves deeply into the philosophical theory behind individualism vs collectivism and free will vs predestination. I appreciated the exploration of the nuance behind the support for each argument. It is hard to classify and I think that can cause some polarizing as it is not quite hitting genre expectations.

This is the first book is what looks to currently be planned as a 6 book series. While this book has a satisfying plot arc, it is also just setting the stage for the larger overarching plot and will leave you with far more questions than answers. I thought Robin Wasser did a great job bringing the characters to life and enjoyed listening to her reading.

[Beverly Laude · Rating 2 out of 5]

I hate to give up on books, but after listening to 2 hours of this book (through Chapter 6), I don't have a clue what is going on and I just don't care. The MC, Maggie, is supposed to be a 24 year old, but some of the dialogue and actions seem like those of a young girl. Then, there is a chapter that comes out of nowhere, introduces another character and events, then back to the main story.

There is a long chapter (number 6) which supposedly explains what is happening through the voice of a person called Doc. I listened to his chapter, hoping to discover what the story was all about, but I ended up still in the dark. It is billed as a time travel/dystopian book and maybe that is part of the problem. I think the way the author wrote the book was what bothered me. She seems to throw things out there, then jumps to something else. From what I read, I was reminded of "Terminator", but not sure if that was the inspiration.

I might have tried to finish the book, but when I realized that it ends in a cliffhanger, I decided to throw in the towel. I didn't want to invest that much time in a book I wasn't enjoying and then not have a resolution.

The narrator does a pretty good job, but some of her voices were a little "off" for me. For example, the voice of Doc fluctuates between that of an old man and a weird foreign accent. Maybe if I had been more interested in what was happening, the narration would have been better. I was given the chance to listen to this audiobook through Story Origins and chose to review it.

[Daphne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wooot! First Blog Tour Ever! Huge thank you to Liesel Hill for inviting me to be a part of her tour and providing me a copy of her debut novel, Persistence of Vision! :D

*Does Happy Dance*



Now that I've gotten that out of my system, let's move onto the actual book, shall we? Persistence of Vision was definitely something I have never encountered before! I'm usually a pretty eclectic reader when it comes to books, but the Sci Fi/Time Travel genre has never been of interest to me. I've tried reading books like Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris (which is related to the Time Traveling theme if you don't know), but throughout most of that book, my reactions and thoughts basically equated to, "Uhhhh what the heck just happened?" All of the sciencey terms and equations they used had my head reeling! Although there were certain points in Persistence of Vision when I was confused as to how something worked or how something came to be, unlike Unraveling, those moments weren't very often and the majority of the explanations were very straightforward.

In this story, we follow Maggie and her journey into discovering who she truly is and where she really came from. Ever since she and her brother lost 12 hours of time and woke up confused in a locked hotel room, Maggie has always felt like something was missing. Even when her brother, Jonah, moved on and wrote off the incident as a freak accident, Maggie could never get it off her mind. She always felt out of it, as if she didn't belong where she currently resided. She constantly had the same flashes of random events but never understood their meaning. When a stranger drops by her doorstep one afternoon, everything she ever knows changes within a blink of an eye. Maggie soon finds herself caught between two life changing choices: To either leave with a complete stranger who seems to know things about her that she hasn't even admitted to herself.....or ignore his warnings and stay at home...even with the possibility that someone's coming for her. Someone who means to kill her. Or Worse.

Maggie was a great character most of the time! She wouldn't hesitate to risk her life in order to save someone she didn't even know. She was compassionate towards others and was an admirable character to read about. Generally, she made realistic decisions. Like when she was questioning Marcus and Doc about who they were and what their purpose really was. She asked the exact same questions I would've asked if I was in her position. Also, when she was told that she and Marcus were romantically involved, she didn't immediately swoon over him. Her reactions were sensible and although their conversations flowed easily when they had a topic to talk about, she felt awkward because she didn't remember anything about their love for one another. Which is understandable. However, there were also times when I felt like she trusted others a little too easily and ignored VERY important LIFE CHANGING revelations.

Marcus was a great character as well! Although he wasn't swoonworthy, he was sweet, thoughtful, and kind. Even though he remembered everything about Maggie and the romance they once kindled, he didn't push her to remember him or try to force a relationship upon her. He gave her space to breathe, and if things got to uncomfortable between them, he would find a way to excuse himself in order to not cause her any discomfort. Marcus did whatever it took to protect her even if it meant sacrificing his life in the process.

Since Persistence of Vision wasn't in the Young Adult category but instead was classified as a New Adult novel, I feared that there would be some....inappropriate material not suited for people under the age of 18. xD But rest assured! The romance was as clean as can be and the most that ever happened were a few kisses here and there. Actually, to be honest, it was cleaner than most YA novels. There was a slight love triangle, but since the two main characters were around 20, there wasn't as much teenage angst. So for those of you who flinch at the very mention of love triangles, be warned, but I don't think you'll have any issues with it.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that there were barely any grammatical errors at all! If you've read my previous reviews, you would know that I am grammatically challenged, but from what I could see, there were only a few slight problems with missing words here like "the" or "a". However, even though there were a few minor errors here and there, you could still clearly see what the author was trying to say. The other grammar/spelling mistakes I did find were tiny and didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the novel.

The pacing was slow in the beginning. I was bored, but not to the point where I was flipping pages in order to find something better on the next page. However, when I hit around the 35% mark I think it was? It started to get a lot more interesting, and I was soon sucked into the world Liesel weaved! :D

Overall, the premise of a futuristic world when people are being absorbed into "Collectives" and controlled by higher beings is super unique! I've never read any book with a theme remotely close to this, but since I'm not usually into the whole Sci Fi theme, I don't know if my word means much. xD The characters were very likable, and I really connected with them, despite the fact that they were slightly older than I'm used to. If you enjoy stories related to mind control, Sci Fi, and superpowers, you'll definitely want to see what Persistence of Vision has to offer!

Heroine- 4/5
Romance- 4.5/5
Action- 3/5 Little slow in the beginning, but it picked up near the middle.
Comedy- N/A There were a couple of funny moments but not enough to rate.
Overall- 4/5

For more reviews, visit my website Reading Until Dawn! :D

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I ended up enjoying Hill's debut. The cover does not help out the book, nor does the synopsis accurately convey what Persistence of Vision is really about, in my opinion. What I found in Persistence of Vision was a well-written, quite readable, and thought-provoking novel that defies easy classification, or even easy explanation.

Ever since Maggie and her brother were drugged and found in a hotel room with half a day of their lives unaccounted for, she's felt a void in her life. She remembers being in Las Vegas, finding a man who seemed to stand against the movement of the crowd on a busy street, and sitting down at a bar with her brother. Then she and her brother were found in a hotel, each with no memories, strange marks on their bodies, and, for Maggie, flashes of inexplicable memories.

A year later, Maggie is at home minding her own business when strange men with spiderweb face tattoos try to kill her. She is saved by the very same man she saw standing alone on that crowded street in Las Vegas. He asks her to trust him, to go with him to escape more of the mysterious spiderweb men, and Maggie agrees. Soon they find themselves transported into a future where massive collectives have taken hold over society, forcing people to join and lose their freedom and sense of individuality. The man, Marcus, who saved Maggie and had her transported to this future is part of an underground resistance effort and lives with like-minded individuals in Interchron, a underground cave society. Interchron is more than just a safe haven, but a place where leading resistance members plan on how to save individuality and humanity itself. Maggie learns not only that last year she was an active member of the resistance, but also that she's an essential part of a prophecy for how to save the future of the world.

As I've mentioned in previous reviews, I absolutely love "chosen one" stories, especially when the chosen one has the role so unexpectedly thrust upon his/her shoulders. Maggie resides in the current day but, because her brain structure fits that of one of the key players in the prophecy, others named in the prophecy transport her through time in the hope that she'll help lead humanity to salvation. Persistence of Vision certainly fits my criteria and, even better, it's a well-done prophecy. It is by no means easily understood, but, as the story continues, more and more aspects become apparent to Maggie and the readers.

Perhaps what Persistence of Vision does best is examine so many philosophical and moral questions. From Maggie's forgotten year at Interchron to ideas of individualism and the power of the collectives, Hill's book made me contemplate the driving forces behind humanity's existence. Is is enough to live but have no semblance of self or personal desires? To have no true purpose in life? To forsake everything for community? The collectives have tried to argue that life is better and simpler within them, but the truth of the matter is that they continue to join with other collectives, continuing to limit the choices of people within them. And collectives have become militant, rounding up individuals and forcing them into the collective mind and killing those that resist. Persistence of Vision makes a very strong case for how a fulfilling life should be one not dictated by others.

It's clear that Hill has thoroughly researched many of the scientific and philosophical concepts present in this book. In particular, in this futuristic world people have become quite adept at recognizing others from their brain chemistry and using mental manipulation for tasks in the physical world. It is a jarring juxtaposition between the scientific advances of this world and the societal regression due to the prevalence of collectives. At its core, the novel is about the importance of individuality, and Hill uses her characters, their extraordinary powers, and their relationships to give examples of what would be lost if the collectives win.

Although it makes complete sense within the context of the novel, Persistence of Vision does include a lot of telling rather than showing. Much of what Maggie (and, through her, the reader) learns about the future world of Interchron and the collectives is revealed through conversations with team members. Because of Maggie's memory loss, she has to relearn everything about this world and, while the world-building itself seemed somewhat solid, Hill relies far too often on dialogue being the only means of information dissemination (and perhaps even reveals too much information for the first book in a series). It would have been more powerful if Maggie could have experienced more about this new world first-hand — although it's possible that this will in fact be the case for future novels within this series.

Another minor issue was the use of narrative voice. For the majority of the novel, Hill employs a pretty formal third-person past tense limited narration focused on Maggie. Instead of having one consistent narrative voice throughout, however, there are select chapters and sections told from other characters. They mostly inform the readers of events going on where Maggie herself is not present, physically or consciously. One minor narrator is a man who has just forcibly left a collective and its influence, and that was certainly interesting to read. I do believe, however, that none of those extra narrators are necessary. Persistence of Vision is Maggie's story, focused on her learning about her role in a prophecy that could save the future of individualism. While I could certainly identify Hill's reasons for these sections, those plot points could have been added to the story in other ways that would not compromise the narration.

Overall, I was impressed with how thought-provoking the novel is. More than the characters, plot, or narration, Persistence of Vision is a novel that asks its readers to focus on bigger questions of morality and freedom of individuality. It asks the questions worth asking and, over the course of the novel, demands that Maggie and readers begin to answer them.

[Jamie Bee · Rating 2 out of 5]

First Confusing, Then More Interesting

This is the first book that I have read by this author, and I am not quite sure what I think of it. It starts with a lot of action, but we're thrown into a confusing circumstance without much explanation. This is followed by another confusing scenario, where the heroine and her brother experience a time gap. We see them in a bar and then immediately see them in a motel room with not much transition to explain it. I hate it when the beginnings of books are confusing.

I also thought that the heroine seemed immature and naïve, and certainly far too trusting, especially as these bizarre and dangerous things kept happening to her. The book has a lot of elements that are popular in speculative fiction today, like time travel and a post-apocalyptic, dystopian landscape. Once those elements came into play, the book became more interesting and had a lot going on. I do, however, expect my speculative fiction to adhere to some basic believability within the world’s structure, and I feel like that was violated on several occasions. All in all, it was an interesting read, but there are elements that certainly decreased my enjoyment of it.

I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

[4katydid Donahue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't get into the book but am sure lots of other readers will love it. This epic story is very complicated and involves a lot more key people than just Maggie and Marcus even though their strong connection is an element throughout.

The future world is in danger because of the collective which rules the world by making everyone join and participate in a forced shared existence and consciousness. Individuals are struggling to survive in this world and attempt to overthrown the collective. In the future there are people with special powers including time travel which is key to this storyline. Maggie has been brought to the future once before in an attempt to participate in a prophecy to overthrow the collective but she doesn't remember it or her future colleagues because she had lost her memories.

Her missing memories and a second attempt against the collective are involved in the current storyline but there is much so much more to the story that I don't want to spoil the ride.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Bo0kSLoth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by the author and the blurb really caught my interest. I'm so glad I read it. It is so different than most of the dystopian books I've read in the past. Yes, there is time-travel involved and a giant mind-collective bent on taking over the world (insert Pinkie and the Brain music), but hey all good dystopian romances have those right?!? Oh but there is so much more, there is altered human neutral pathways that allow for higher powers- think X-Men with brain-power abilities (telekinesis, time-travel, telling the future, blasting stuff your mind). Pretty cool premise. Ms. Hill has a great plot going on the sci-fi front and she adds the romance, too. It's not so much you feel like you have decide between the two, but a good balance between them. I'm looking forward to the next book

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jill Anna Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Persistence of Vision : A Dystopian Sci-Fi Romance Adventure (Interchron Book 1) By Liesel Hill Is A Tale Of One Maggie Who Is Snatched From Her Life & Time By Marcus ….Into A Nightmare Future Where Her Lost Memories Of The Past..Their Shared Past…Can Alter The World’s Future & Human Individual Futures…& Marcus & Maggie’s Love Affair…In This First Installment Much Occurs For Maggie As She Re-Learns She Is Part Of A Strange Prophecy …In Fact ..An Internal Part …& About Marcus’s Long-Lost David & The Malignant Entities That Would Destroy The World As It Is Known. Will Maggie Be Successful & Save The World & Her Friends On The Team & All The Others At Interchron…& Will Marcus & Maggie Re-Kindle Their Love Affair & Will All Have A HEA As The Strange Prophecy Is Fulfilled…Find Out In This & The Other 3 Installments Of The Series. ….Beautifully Narrated By : Robin Wasser ….Listen & See….Much Enjoyed and Highly Recommended. I Voluntarily Reviewed An Advanced Copy Of This Audio Book.