Erased

by Anders Edwards

Erased is a gripping, near-future, dystopian young adult novel, which combines adventure, coming-of-age discovery, and an endearing first-love romance. Perfect for fans of The Circle by Dave Eggers, Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, and Scythe by Neal Shusterman.

Seph lives in a world meticulously engineered for efficiency. Every decision is optimized by the nano chip embedded beneath his skin. The chip promises safety, health, and order, but Seph has always felt like an outlier, and as graduation approaches, he faces a embrace the path set before him or question the system that governs every aspect of life.

When Seph lands his dream job, the truth behind NexTech, the corporation controlling the nano chips, begins to unravel. Alongside Emma, a trusted ally, and James, the conflicted inventor of the technology itself, Seph discovers a plan that is far darker than he could have imagined, one that threatens to strip away the last remnants of free will.

But uncovering the truth is only the beginning. In a society where every movement is tracked, every emotion analyzed, and every relationship predetermined, rebellion isn’t just dangerous, it’s nearly impossible.

Erased is a captivating exploration of choice, control, and the price of a perfect society. In a world where freedom is a memory, Seph must will he play by the rules, or risk everything to rewrite them?

Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult, Science Fiction, Fantasy

319 pages, Paperback

Published July 11, 2025

About the author

Anders Edwards grew up in Seattle but now calls Colorado home, where he lives with his spouse and three children. A lifelong daydreamer and lover of stories, Anders was
captivated by tales of alternate worlds from an early age, with The Giver by Lois Lowry remaining his favorite book and a source of inspiration.

Now, with his debut novel Erased, Anders explores the “what-ifs” of the future, blending his love for dystopian fiction with thought-provoking questions about society, technology, and human resilience.

Reviews

[Jo|Ruth Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a great read! If you’ve ever been amazed by how fast technology is growing but also wondered if it’s always a good thing, you’ll really enjoy this story.

Seph gets his dream job at NexTech, a top tech company. But as he finds out more about the nanochips being used in society, he starts to have doubts. Should he stay and try to stop the next chip updates? Or should he leave and keep himself safe? Things get more intense as the chips begin to control their users more each day, putting even Seph at risk!

The story takes a little time to get started, but once it does, it’s hard to stop reading. The plot is exciting and feels very real, especially with today’s technology. It also includes romance, friendship, and family struggles, which make the story feel more realistic.

I gave this book 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5!

Even though this book stands well on its own, I feel like there could easily be more books in this series. The surprises and hard choices in the story leave a lot of interesting questions for the future.

I received a complimentary copy of this book, and this review is my honest opinion.

[Alex Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a gripping, anxiety-inducing ride from start to finish—and I mean that as high praise. The tension isn’t accidental; it’s the natural result of a chillingly plausible dystopia where a single corporation controls society through implanted chips. The technology, at first seemingly innocuous, gradually reveals its true, insidious nature: a device that hungers for total control over its host.

The author masterfully builds unease, not just through the plot but through subtle psychological cues that urge the reader to question their own reality. It’s a story that doesn’t preach, but rather unfolds horrors with quiet confidence, leaving you to draw your own disturbing conclusions.

What struck me most was how well the book portrays the fragility of what makes us human (autonomy, emotion, choice) and how easily it can be erased when power and technology align too closely. This isn’t just science fiction; it’s a warning.

A great read with potent subject matter. If you like your dystopias smart, sharp, and terrifyingly relevant, this is one you shouldn’t miss.

Thanks to NetGalley and Echo Press Publishing for the advanced copy!

[Debbie Tremel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Compelling and Frightening Tale

This dystopia view of a possible development and abuse of technology is disturbing because it is very realistic fiction. It is easy to see how the early development was celebrated without fear of its potential for abuse. I don't want to say too much about the plot but just know it is filled with page turning anxiety that grabs you in a choke hold until the last page. The story is populated with intriguing characters, unlikely heros and explores some very important aspects of human nature. A great book that I highly recommend.

[The_reading_kit ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited to receive this dystopian novel through Netgalley as an arc. A big thanks to Echo Press Publishing and author Anders Edwards for trusting me with an early copy.

The cover spoke to me as well as the blurb.
Seph is an orphan living with his aunt in a city where it is common to have a chip implanted: connected there are big benefits like early detection of disease and prevention of crime. But when politics start to control the people, June leaves the city. Seph starts a job at the tech company working on the programs for the chips. He wants to take them down from the inside. That's where he meets Emma.

I had a hard time with this novel as I absolutely love dystopian books! But it took me 200 pages to get invested because the characters are quite flat and the plot drags on (there are little to no surprises on the horizon), with too little angst or tension.
I did like how the book tries to challenge you on a more philosophical level: how much would you give up for safety? Where lies the red line between technology as a helpful tool and a means to control.
I don't think I will recommend this one: there are dystopian novels that will creep up to you more.
Sad to give this review 'cause I see the potential (i finished it because I was expecting a different ending and was disappointed), feeling the urge to rewrite rather than to dnf

[Elli (Kindig Blog) · Rating 2 out of 5]

You just have to look at recent headlines to see that we seem to be living in a setting from a dystopian novel. Books like 1984, The Circle and The Handmaiden’s Tale may have seemed outrageous in their time, but it seems parts of them have slowly become reality in our modern world. I was excited to read Erased, which speaks a cautionary tale about technology and how much data about ourselves we chose to share.

When Seph lands his dream job at NexTech, working on nano-technology that many of the population (including him) already have imbedded in their arms, he is excited to learn more. However, what he discovers is shining the light on the darker side of governmental intentions – can he stop the world from sleepwalking into disaster?

I loved the premise of Erased – the idea that a government are trying to control people with implants in their arm and the slow way that this is introduced felt sadly realistic. Starting as a wellness tracker and moving on to something which can help reduce crime, to then using this to make people feel unsafe felt like a convincing narrative that a government in today’s society could feasibly use.

The story is told from three different perspectives – Seph, Emma and James, but all of these points of view are told in quite similar and detached ways – it’s more chapters in the same narrative voice just describing what they are seeing and doing, rather than feeling like you are in that person’s head. This made it quite difficult to engage with each of the characters and would have been less obvious if it was just in Seph’s perspective throughout.

Erased is billed very much as a young adult novel and I will say upfront that I’m nowhere near that demographic anymore! That said, I do love a good dystopian thriller and enjoy books such as The Hunger Games and Divergent, so I have read a fair number of YA reads as an adult. There’s usually a little more focus on first love romance, and the writing can be a touch simpler, but as a young adult, I still very much appreciated good writing, even if some of the themes I chose to read about were different than today. What struck me with Erased is that it very much feels like it’s aimed at young adults, and not really in a good way. The dialogue is clunky, the characters don’t feel developed – they act in ways that are completely black and white with no shade, and situations seem to go from 1 – 100 without feeling realistic in the created world. Although it is a very easy read, I would have liked more depth and some of the more unnecessary or repeated scenes to have been replaced by chapters which made the characters feel rounded out which would have helped build the stakes and increased tension.

I should also point out that this is not a standalone book, but very much part of a series with the plot not coming to any kind of satisfying conclusion.

Overall Erased was not for me – it felt too simplistic, in a way that would have annoyed me even as a young adult reader. If we choose to write about such important and relevant topics to a young adult audience, then we must not patronise them with the way we choose to write for them. Thank you to NetGalley & Echo Press Publishing for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For more of my reviews check out Kindig Blog

[Olivia-Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

First and foremost, thank you NetGalley for allowing me early access to Erased by Anders Edwards.

TLDR: If you’ve ever wondered what life would look like if artificial intelligence and data regulated who you are, what you can be, and what your future is then I urge you to read Erased. 5/5 stars.

I’ve always been a lover of dystopian books. It’s been a place to explore what-if questions that often feel all too realistic. In my opinion a good dystopian novel should make you feel as if their society is right on the cusp of our own. I believe Anders Edwards has done just that with Erased.

This book was thought provoking, and frankly downright scary at times. It had me contemplating the technology around us with an even more critical eye. Like so many others before him, Anders Edwards has broached the subject of observance, interference, and trust between technology and government.

Seph is ready to leave his mark on the world and envies the ease to which his friends take on technological challenges like NexTech. A nano chip, small and connected to a vast unseen world of artificial intelligence and code, promises to make life easy. It takes care of things like monitoring your health, your notifications, location, and even can bring emergency services if needed. It seems so simple, so easy and integrated that you don’t have to think twice about your choices anymore. But what if that’s the point? When Seph starts having doubts about the role of NexTech his life begins to shift in a perilous direction.

How far will you go for the ability to make decisions even if some choices are wrong? What’s the risk of living in a perfect world governed by statistics instead of your own choosing?

Overall, I give Erased a 5/5 stars. Plus I’d like to mention the cover for this book has a very satisfying color palette and is what drew me to select this book out of the rest.

[Rayne]

DNF @ 25%

I really wanted to love this book, because the concept is everything I love about dystopian fiction, and it's very relevant to the world today and the development of AI technologies and generative AI. Unfortunately, this fell flat for me.

There was a lack of nuance in the book that made it too simple for me. I usually prefer more secrecy in dystopian novels, but in this book, it felt like the main characters all knew from the beginning the issue with the nano chips, or at the very least that the tech was sketchy.

The characters felt underdeveloped to me, and I would have liked to learn more about them and their lives before immediately getting into the plot. I felt very detached from them. I also wish the book had felt more immersive, with more details about the nano chips at the start. Like the way they integrated with the transpo, which is genuinely so cool.

This may be a case that I'm just too old for this kind of writing style (I'm in my late 20s), but I do still re-read some of my favourite YA dystopian books like Legend and Warcross by Marie Lu. Maybe this is just better for a "lower YA" reader. I try to avoid DNFing books, but I can tell this book just isn't for me.

Thank you Netgalley, Echo Press Publishing, and Anders Edwards for the chance to read the ARC! All opinions are honest and my own.

[Michaela | Reading in the Heartland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This book was amazing! This is a dystopian novel about technology, control, choices, and more. There is a sweet coming of age romance side story along with it. This is such an important read. I've ruminated on technology and control and the government many times and had many discussions with family. It is so important to actually think of the possible consequences of technology as it arises and the potential for evil or misuse in the wrong hands (you know that saying, "Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely."). I felt like this was a great read for both young adults and teens. The content was easy to read and understand but it didn't feel like I was reading a book for a much younger age group. The first half of the book was slower as it was more of a setting of the stage, but the second half flew by. I devoured this book. I'm unsure if there will be another book to come or if it will leave off after this complete story as real life doesn't always have everything neatly tied in a bow. Either way, this book stands on its own. The romance is just kisses, intimacy level 2. 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Eria SB · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young adult sci-fi novel set in a future where every citizen has a chip implanted in their hand. Originally designed to monitor health and prevent epidemics, the technology quickly evolves into something far more invasive. Governments and corporations begin exploring its full potential; tracking movements, analyzing emotions, and even predetermining relationships. As a result rebellion isn’t just dangerous, it’s nearly impossible.

Our protagonist, Seph, was raised by his aunt, an opponent of the system that moves off-grid and remains unchipped. Seph, however, is talented and ambitious. When he’s hired by the very company that created the chips, he begins to uncover unsettling truths. What follows is a fast-paced journey of discovery, resistance, and escape, as Seph and his friend navigate a society built on surveillance and control.
I gave it 3 out of 5 stars while I was on the edge of my seat expecting a final twist or complication, it never came. Everything wrapped up a bit too smoothly for my taste.

That said, I’d be happy to read a sequel if this turns into a series. There’s definitely more to explore.

[Natasha Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

The foreword about dystopian fiction and the commentary on choice and control were well-written in my opinion. The concept of the microchip is pretty interesting and I enjoyed seeing the POVs of multiple characters (including Seph, Emma, and James).

Emma and Seph are great characters and their relationship was cool to explore due to the influence of algorithms in it. This whole book feels very relevant in an era where individuals are increasingly putting their trust in AI and beginning to rely on it for every little thing.

I feel as if there were a few too many typos. I understand that ARCs are, generally, uncorrected proofs but it just seems like a lot (ex: sentences with synonyms of words next to each other as if one of them was meant to be replaced not duplicated. Also, there was some weird punctuation (comma placement). Other than that though, this was well-written. Erased is an intriguing take on a dystopian novel due to parts of the premise as well as the primary setting.

Thank you to Echo Press Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC!

[Tyson Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Erased, but it wasn’t without some significant drawbacks. The characters often felt underdeveloped, with personalities that lacked emotional depth and dialogue that came across as flat or forced. Another issue (which I’ll keep vague to avoid spoilers) is that the story never really delivered a twist or an unexpected turn. Each chapter moved forward predictably, with the main characters simply uncovering new information without facing serious setbacks or a true “all is lost” moment.

That said, I do hope this is just the beginning of a larger series. The world Edwards has built is intriguing, and I’d love to see it expanded with higher stakes, deeper conflicts, and more challenging obstacles for the characters. With those elements in place, this dystopian story could really shine.

[Kaylee S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erased is a slow-burn dystopian story. Anders Edwards crafts a world so eerily familiar that it’s impossible not to draw comparisons to our own technological trajectory. From the opening pages, I was hooked by Seph’s inner conflict, caught between the intoxicating allure of innovation and the unsettling cost of compliance.

What sets Erased apart is it forces the reader to evaluate their own compliance in our current world. What freedom have we already given up? What would you be willing to sacrifice for health, safety, and wealth? At what point have we already crossed the line and created a society that can never go back?

Highly recommended for anyone who likes their sci-fi with a dose of reality and heart.

[Kristen Moura · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! Truly a thought provoking read and one I’ll be thinking about for a long time.
The idea that we all could have trackers (we kind of do) that not only track, but can control is so scary. I’m trying to imagine if we really had these implanted trackers, that could help mental illness and stop disease. What an amazing technology.

But being able to feel negative feelings and make choices for ourselves is what makes us human! So many good thoughts. Love that you get to see young people like Seph and Emma having these thoughts. I think this would be a super important read for teens!

[Leia Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great YA book for those who want a Handsmade tale but in Tech form. I cannot believe the work that must have been done to come up with the writting and flow. Anders knows his technology and it shows in this book both the good and the bad.

His character Jim reminds me of the CEO in Terminator II. Easy and fun read, and a little on the Uh Oh as I look at all the tech I am surrounded by.

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was an absolutely excellent book! I felt that the dystopian nature was adjacent to current life so it made me pause and think quite a few times. I thought the story was well written and I definitely had an investment into the characters. Excellent book!

[Caleb Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erased kept me at the edge of my seat, turning page after page, and looks amazing on my shelf! Recommend to any reader looking to escape from our world, into one slightly more twisted!

[kozo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book!

I want to start by saying that the 12-13 year old me would have absolutely ate this book up! Even the adult version of me had a good time reading it, considering the moral qualms of the main characters, and being intrigued by the world that has been created. At its core, it attacks the way that technology is shaping the world, with an eye of where things may go. It really is intelligent in its portrayal of the ways people would react to certain technological advancements--and how we have already. The premise is really the main part that shone through!

Like I said above though, the 12-13 year old version of myself would have loved it, and I mean that. The writing style was very younger young adult, just based off the language and the style itself. It was simple, held my hand in a few instances with a bit of exposition (telling rather than showing) and a lot of the dialogue was very to the point. Nothing really seemed like a challenge, things happened, the plot moved along, I wasn't exactly surprised by anything that happened. None of this really diminished my own thoughts on it though. I had fun! It was absolutely a lighter read with likeable characters, but in the way some YA books are very adult, this one sits perfectly within what we traditionally think of as young adult.