Cold Wire

The StrangeLoom Trilogy #1

by Chloe Gong

An instant New York Times bestseller!

“Super-charged with electrifying action, mind-blowing twists, and timely commentary.” —Xiran Jay Zhao, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Iron Widow

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Chloe Gong comes the first book in the dystopian Strangleloom trilogy, an “adrenaline-fueled mystery” (School Library Journal, starred review) in which humanity has moved to virtual reality to flee their deteriorating world, following two young soldiers who must depend on unlikely allies in their fight for survival.

The future is loading…

To escape rising seas and rampant epidemics, most of society lives “upcountry” in glistening virtual reality, while those who can’t afford the subscription are forced to remain in crumbling “downcountry.”

But upcountry isn’t perfect. A cold war rages between two powerful nations, Medaluo and Atahua—and no one suffers for it more than the Medan orphans in Atahua. Their enrollment at Nile Military Academy is mandatory. Either serve as a soldier, or risk being labelled a spy.

Eirale graduated the academy and joined NileCorp’s private forces downcountry, exactly as she was supposed to. Then Atahua’s most wanted anarchist frames her for assassinating a government official, and she’s given a choice: cooperate with him to search for a dangerous program in Medaluo or go down for treason.

Meanwhile, Lia is finishing her last year upcountry at Nile Military Academy. Paired with her academic nemesis for their final assignment, Lia is determined to beat him for valedictorian and prove her worth. But there may be far more at stake when their task to infiltrate Medaluo and track down an Atahuan traitor goes wrong…

Though Eirale and Lia tear through Medaluo on different planes of reality, the two start to suspect they are puzzle pieces in a larger conspiracy—and the closer they get to the truth, the closer their worlds come to a shattering collision.

Genres: Dystopia, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Fiction, Cyberpunk

496 pages, Hardcover

First published November 4, 2025

About the author

Chloe Gong is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of critically acclaimed fantasy and science fiction novels, including These Violent Delights, Immortal Longings, and Coldwire. Her books have been published in over twenty countries and she was named one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for 2024. Chloe graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in English and International Relations. Born in Shanghai and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, she is now located in New York City. Visit her online at thechloegong.com and on Instagram, X, and TikTok at @thechloegong.

Reviews

[Chloe Gong · Rating 5 out of 5]

hello goodreads!

I am not on here except to post my endorsements of my fave books, but because Advanced Reading Copies of Coldwire are now making their way out, I am poking my nose onto this page as it is an easily accessible place to find my Author Notes:

CONTENT WARNINGS for this book include: violence, blood, self-harm, de-realization/de-personalization, war/war themes, epidemic/disease, death

I am, of course, going to rate my own book five stars, because I wouldn’t be publishing it if I didn’t believe it was my five-star effort—but truly, after all the re-writes and revisions, this is a book I am so proud of. it is both my love letter to the cyberpunk genre and my scathing subversion of it, my international relations degree being put to good use, and my favorite sort of slowburn. after all, Coldwire is only book one of a trilogy…

I hope you enjoy <3

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cutting-edge dystopian thrill that blends cyberpunk aesthetics, raw emotion, and sharp social commentary.

Wow, what a ride! Coldwire by Chloe Gong is a fiercely imaginative, beautifully layered dystopian tale that feels both terrifyingly futuristic and hauntingly familiar. It’s the kind of story that grabs you with sleek worldbuilding and keeps you turning the pages with relentless tension, political intrigue, and characters teetering on the edge of survival.

Set in a fractured future where most of society lives in an immersive virtual “upcountry” while the less fortunate are left to rot in the collapsing “downcountry,” Coldwire plunges us into a world where truth is blurred, loyalties are tested, and rebellion simmers just beneath the surface. From the very beginning, I was struck by how real this world felt—like something that could be waiting for us just a few short decades down the line. The technology, the class divide, the surveillance state—it all felt eerily possible.

I loved the dual narratives of Eirale and Lia. Their perspectives were so different, yet strangely complementary. Eirale’s gritty journey on the ground contrasted powerfully with Lia’s calculated moves in the virtual academy, and watching their stories unfold in parallel—knowing they were destined to collide—made for a gripping experience. Chloe Gong has a gift for tension and timing, and she uses both here to fantastic effect.

That said, there were moments when I struggled to keep up with all the world-specific jargon and complex political layers, especially early on. The pacing could be jarring at times, with quick POV shifts that left me scrambling to reorient. But once I settled into the rhythm of the story, I appreciated the ambition behind it. Gong doesn’t spoon-feed the reader—she trusts us to catch up, and that challenge ended up being one of the book’s strengths.

The emotional beats were subtle, but they landed. There’s a raw, unpolished vulnerability to the characters that really shines through beneath all the chaos. The hints of romance added just enough warmth to balance the darker themes, without ever hijacking the main plot. And the ending? Whew. Let’s just say I’m not emotionally okay and desperately need Book Two.

This book is a bold, smart, and timely addition to the YA dystopian genre. It tackles themes like social inequality, capitalism, climate collapse, and identity with intelligence and nuance—and it never forgets the humanity at its core.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing | Margaret K. McElderry Books for sharing this exhilarating digital review copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts. Coldwire left me breathless, thoughtful, and just a little haunted. Bring on the sequel—I’m ready.

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[Esta]

What's more dystopian, collapsing ecosystems or late-stage capitalism in a virtual reality to flee a deteriorating world?

Black Mirror and Ready Player One would probably be proud.

[naz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am such a dystopian girlie, and this world was so freaking insane 😮‍💨

Imagine a world where downcountry is Earth, where you physically live, but you get into a pod and log into upcountry, which is a spitting image of it, just virtual and where you spend most of your time. You think it ends there? Nope add corporations and governments that want to rule over the world with two girls who work for said companies with military academy background, and you’ve got an insane plotline.

This book was a bit slow atå the beginning, I won’t lie, and it got a bit confusing with the limits and rules of the virtual world. I’ve never read this author before, but the way she builds worlds DAMN, I loved it hehehe.

I keep talking about the world (duh, because i’m obsessed), but let’s get into the book. You meet Lia and Eirale, each with their own “mission” one in downcountry and the other in upcountry. The way these timelines mash together is actually insaaaaneeee.

Idk how to talk about it without spoilers, so i'll summarize it with the following: If you like dystopian, gasping moments and a sprinkle of 'come find me' then you will adore this read. I also loved the author's writing and will definitely read again.

AND THE LAST 15% EDGE OF MY SEAT MATERIAAAAL

tropes
💘 dystopian
💘 dual POV (two different FMCs)
💘 virtual world vs reality
💘 forced proximity
💘 one bed hehe

⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.⋆. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁⋆.
𝗽𝗿𝗲-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 ꪆৎ ˚⋅ a dystopian where everyone connects to a virtual world pls. say less.

[vaishnavi ☆ﾟ⁠.⁠* · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

My experience with this book was so uneven it's kinda funny to think about. On one hand, I loved the cyberpunk, dystopian setting, and on the other, this book went on for soooo long that I pretty much lost interest right before the "big" plot twist. unfortunate, because when that twist did arrive, it pulled me back in instantly 😭

And so, I feel like I have to give an explanation for why this wasn't a 4 star book imo and for that, I have divided this review into two: the good and the bad.

✨ the Good જ⁀➴
➜ the twist itself is genuinely excellent. I did not predict it (tried to, but wasn't even close), and I loved it for that. my only frustration is that by the time it was revealed, I was already so ready for the book to end that I couldn’t enjoy it.
➜ worldbuilding is another strong point. the cyberpunk aesthetic works and more importantly, the commentary does too: on AI, corporate monopolies, and a future where profit consistently outweighs environmental concerns.
➜ I also really really loved all the foreshadowing. looking back, the groundwork is all there. there are clues throughout and off-notes that only make sense once you reach the end. this is definitely a book that benefits from a reread, but then again, it is quite a slow and big and boring book for the most part. I don't think many are even willing to read this a second time.

📛 the Bad જ⁀➴
➜ the first 40% of the book was a struggle to get through. frequent info dumps and the prose is often too verbose. yes, the world is complex and we would be completely lost without it, but is this truly the only way to deliver all that information?
➜ the pacing does not help at all: first 20% just drags on endlessly and then the final 30% flies by at breakneck speed. I went from forcing myself to read to finishing huge chunks in a couple of hours, which made the reading experience feel so... disorienting? 😵‍💫
➜ look. I am completely okay with dual POVs. I've read multiple books with them and have had fun with them too! but the constant switching was so annoying. I would have much preferred it if the POVs switched every three or four chapters instead of every single one.
➜ and let it be known: I am a sucker for happily ever afters, and I am not a fan of cliffhangers. it often feels less like a creative choice and more like a ploy to force a series. pleaseeeee let standalone books exist!!!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

── .✦ pre-read 𖹭.ᐟ
ya cyberpunk? science fiction?? 😭😭 oh my god I got the arc!!! I'm so ready.

[Ricarda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally have to admit to myself that it's time to break up with Chloe Gong. I've read her debut novel and didn't really like it and now, five years later, I checked back in and also didn't enjoy her newest release. I actually feel pretty indifferent about it, because I just really didn't care. It totally failed to grab my attention in the beginning and then I never recovered from that rocky start. It's a YA novel set in a dystopian world that's split into downcountry (the real world) and upcountry (a virtual reality). Both realities are explored in alternating chapters through the two main characters. First, there's Eirale, an orphan of war turned dutiful soldier who gets framed for an assassination that she didn't commit. Then there's Lia, top of her class and about to graduate from the military academy she attends to virtually. While Eirale gets kidnapped and wrapped up in the business of an anarchist group, Lia is sent on a mission to investigate the rumor of a powerful AI weapon. Together with her academic rival she can't stand, of course. I guess this book really helped me to learn some things about myself. First thing is that Chloe Gong is not an author for me and the second thing is that I apparently hate academic rivals to lovers. I still have to come across a book where these supposedly super smart people don't turn into cringy children as soon as they speak to each other. Guess what happened here. I think the two storylines don't sound too bad when I write them down like that, but in reality they were just really boring to me. I also don't understand why this book had to be almost 500 pages long. There were plenty of chapters in here that could have been cut and the book would still have been long enough. The dual POV didn't help either, because it made the plot progress even slower when switching perspectives every chapter. I'm also underwhelmed by the setting. I expected it to be some cool cyberpunk world, but it was very basic YA dystopian stuff instead. For a book about a whole virtual world and AI weapons and technological threats this stayed so very unimaginative. Like, the virtual world is literally just a copy of the real world? Could it be any more boring? People can't even alter their appearance or teleport and for some reason they still work out and brush their teeth even though their physical bodies are not affected by that. Why did nothing about that make any sense? The last 100 pages or so at least picked up plotwise, because things were finally happening and there were many twists and turns. I guess it would have been awesome if I had been invested in the story at that point. But I wasn't. I'm not giving it too low of a rating, because I more or less just gave up and zoned out at a certain point. I'm sure that it will find its readers and that fans of the author will have a blast with this new story. But I never was a fan of the author and from now on I will also not be a reader anymore. Ok, that sounded a bit too dramatic, but it's the truth. 2.5 stars.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Hodderscape for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Sunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

haven’t been this gagged by a plot twist in a minute

[Mai ༊*·˚ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ★— You know, reading about artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and shady, dangerous governments isn’t that fun when it’s increasingly mirroring reality and the headlines you’re confronted with daily. This story really took me some time to finish because of that, and also because much of its worldbuilding felt slow and clunky.

Set in a futuristic society where the higher classes live in Upcountry, an artificial reality created after the devastating effects of climate change took their toll on the environment, while those without the means remain in the real world, or Downcountry, the story had me struggling a bit to keep everything straight.

It threw out so many fascinating futuristic ideas and pieces of technology, all of which had the potential to be incredibly interesting, but were regrettably only explored on a surface level. That lack of depth made it hard to stay fully invested in the world or its stakes, especially when the narrative leaned on a fairly basic and not particularly exciting storyline.

The dual POV structure didn’t help much either, since one perspective was clearly stronger than the other. Between the book's two main characters, Lia and Eirale, Lia’s chapters were far more compelling to me. Be it her dynamic with Kieren and the academic rivals angle to their relationship or the actual exploration of the futuristic academy they were both apart of, which added excitement that Eirale’s sections lacked.

As I mentioned before, it all comes back to my main frustration: the story keeps presenting cool ideas and intriguing characters without ever truly exploring them. Take the character of Nik Grant, for example, a supposed anarchist and government enemy introduced through Eirale’s POV. We’re told he’s leading a revolt, yet he ends up feeling completely one-note and bland. He's basically a tall, handsome placeholder without the conviction or complexity an anarchist-against-the-government-storyline could actually provide!

The book did manage to pull me back in at times, especially with some revelations in the ending chapters, which were among the most interesting moments. The issue is that the rest of the narrative just wasn’t strong enough to make those payoffs feel worthwhile.

In the end, Coldwire has a cool aesthetic and some intriguing concepts but not much beyond that. It feels like a generic story with a mildly fun twist that ultimately didn’t make it worth the read for me.

Still, this might appeal to YA readers looking for a different kind of setting or to fans of Detroit: Become Human who want a lighter story than that, but still crave shades of that setting.

__________

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing | Margaret K. McElderry Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[rina · Rating 1 out of 5]

‎ ‎ ੭୧‎ ‎ 1 star‎ ‎ . ۫

‎ ‎ ‎‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ ‎ “ the only part that was bearable was you. half my motivation for this has always been to stay alongside you. ”

fell asleep (2 times)
was put into a reading slump (2 times)
read chapter one (3 times)
questioned the editing and world building (infinite times)

overall thoughts — it's very clear to me that chloe had so many good ideas for this book, but unfortunately it desperately needs major editing. reading coldwire truly brought me back to chloe's older writing (these violent delights): chaotic, unfocused, convoluted, with messy prose, and little to no coherent world building—or explanation of the world at all.

i've read my fair share of books with weak world building and i don't usually let that detract from my enjoyment, this one however, gave me such a horrible, agonizing migraine. the ideas themselves are great and so are the characters. i was genuinely invested in their stories and relationships. adored the sarcastic humour sprinkled throughout! but i COULD NOT get past how overwhelmingly chaotic the writing was, which left me completely checked out and bored.

final thoughts — this was one of the first books i picked up after the new year, and it's honestly wild that it took me almost a month just to reach 50%. at one point, i tried to gaslight myself into thinking it was because i was busy with exams, but let's be real, i finished an entire book before i could even hit the halfway mark of coldwire.

the urge to dnf was STRONG, but i pulled through for the plot twist, which sadly (but unsurprisingly) i did not care for 🤕

CW: violence, death, war

────

finished: 01/24/26 𖥻𓈒 ꒱ ੭
actually gave me a full on brain aneurysm.

pre read: 01/02/26 𖥻𓈒 ꒱ ੭
this is the last book i'm reading before i unfortunately enter exams season 😔 (kms as we speak). manifesting a good time since this is my last chloe gong book before i'm caught up <3

[Gillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great. This was a fascinating and action-packed dystopian about power, the effects of climate change, AI, and the future. Coldwire follows Eraile and Lia as they face different challenges living in a dystopian world where society lives in a virtual reality because climate change and epidemics has negatively affected the world.

It took me a while to became immersed in this fascinating world but once I did I couldn’t stop reading. The pacing in the beginning was slow but it picked up in the middle and end. The premise of this book was very interesting and unique, the idea of people living in a virtual reality. There were several shocking plot twists, although I did guess one. The writing was engaging and descriptive, I felt that I was experiencing the events along with the characters. I loved how the author hid intricate clues into the story that only made sense at the end of the book. I appreciated that the author discussed important topics such as climate change, robots, AI, sexuality, and family. The ending was exciting and shocking, although I wished that the author explained one of the plot twists in a more detailed way.

The characters were interesting and complex. I loved Lia, she was brave, strong, resilient, fierce, competitive and stubborn. Lia’s character development was great, I enjoyed watching her discover more about her past and become more confident in herself. I really liked Eraile, she was resilient, independent, brave, smart and loyal to her friends. I adored Kieren, he was funny, sweet, brave, strong, competitive and protective of Lia. I’m glad that Kieren cared for Lia just the way she was without trying to change her and he understood her in a way no one else did. I loved the banter between Kieren and Lia as well as their rivalry. I loved how the author showed that Eraile and Lia are connected in unexpected ways.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves dystopian novels, awesome characters and a unique world.

[Alina ♡ · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

☆☆☆.5

Coldwire by Chloe Gong was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and while it wasn’t a bad read, it unfortunately didn’t live up to my expectations. The premise itself was incredibly original, she always brings such creativity and bold ideas to her stories and I was genuinely intrigued from the start. I didn’t see the plot twist coming, which was a pleasant surprise and definitely one of the highlights of the book.

That said, I found the worldbuilding to be quite confusing. The constant switching of perspectives between Lia and Eirale didn’t really help clarify things, and at times I struggled to stay grounded in the setting or understand how everything fit together. The plot also felt a little strange and disjointed for most of the story, though it did start to make more sense toward the end.

Usually, I absolutely love Gong’s books, but sadly this was my least favorite of hers so far. Even so, I’ll definitely continue with the series, it is Chloe Gong, after all, but I’m not quite as eager for the sequel as I was for this one.

[Avery]

i'm a simple girl, i see "ya cyberpunk" written by the chloe gong, i click want to read

i'm so excited 😭

[saisha⊹(school ia)]

ABSOLUTELY INSANE CHLOE DID HER THING AGAIN!! def a fav of 2026!!!!!! deadlock 2 more months AHHH rtc 💗

ʚɞ ⁺˖ ⸝⸝⚡️꒰pre-read!꒱.˚ 𓂃₊ ⊹

WE ARE SO BACK!!! if u know me u know i absolutely ADORE chloe gong and all her works so im so freaking excited to be starting this!!! tvd is one of my fav duos ever and i love her young adult books sm💐 sci fi isn’t usually my thing too so im excited to try this and hopefully i love it!! ALSO to make this so much more special, i get to read this w my other half, ellie!!! gen one of my fav ppl ever to read with im so happy and excited for us!! 😽😽 I LOVE YOU💗💐

edit (12/18/24) i think the release date is out!! it says november 20th - 2025😭😭 i want to cry - ugh thats so far away😔but again its chloe gong so i WILL be patient and wait!


OMG YESSS YAY YAY YAY YAYYYYYYYYYYYY A NEW BOOK BY CHLOE!!
WHEN CHLOE WRITES, I READ
I CAN NOT WAIT, THIS IS GOING TO BE AMAZINGGGGGGG, my favorite author has a new book coming out!!!!(in fall 2025)
watch me be the first one to run to the bookstore when this comes out next year😉

[Krysta ꕤ · Rating 3 out of 5]

i liked the concept of this, anything with AI or virtual reality will always capture my interest. i enjoyed the first half, but the middle meandered a little too much for my liking and i started to lose patience. I’ve been seeing a lot of shock over the ending to this book and i have to admit that i called the plot twist almost immediately earlier on, so nothing about the conclusion surprised me. i don’t think this is the most original story tbh, but the biggest issue is without a doubt the pacing.. its way too long for what it is. i wouldn’t be against rereading this when im more in the mood now that i know what to expect, i am curious enough to continue the series.

⇢ many thanks to NetGalley, the author and Simon and Schuster Publishing for the arc, all opinions are my own.

[Kelcey | felinebooktrovert ✨️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

🥱😒🤨🤔🧐😳😲🤯

^^accurate depiction of my progression during this book

I'm not gonna lie. This was hard to get into initially. The writing is good, the story is interesting, and the characters were great. But the sheer amount of info dumping made this hard to keep picking back up. Every time a new term, person, or place was mentioned, we were getting a detailed history/explanation of it. It slowed the story waaaaay down. And I don't think it stopped until well past 60/70%.

I was close to rating this closer to 3 stars but the ending was AWESOME. I had my suspicions about what might be going on during this book, but I DID NOT have the full extent, and it's setting up for a dope sequel that now I cannot wait for. Would definitely recommend for scifi lovers with a sprinkle of romance 🩵

Thank you NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this arc in exchange for an honest review!

[jenny reads a lot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well I made the mistake of reading *that* chapter while in public. Completely and totally crashed out while waiting in line for a used book sale, but it was so worth looking like a fool.

I am unwell knowing that I have to wait an undisclosed amount of time for the next book in the series.

This book was so good!

Whats to love…
- Dystopian, cyberpunk setting
- poignant social commentary
- a little romance
- a lot of found family
- interesting world
- political intrigue
- mystery, lies, and Oh F- moments

What might not work for some…
- pacing was a little slow around the middle but this is the first book series and an in-depth world so its to be expected that time is spent building those aspects.
- A heads up on the world-building. I was a bit confused a few times, it is a lot of information to follow - not really a bad thing but something you might want to be prepared for going in!

OVERALL…

GO READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW!!!!

4.75⭐️| IG | TikTok |

Thank you NetGalley and SimonTeen for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.

[Fernanda (ivyfer_isreading) · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book Chloe Gong gives a masterclass in crafting a cohesive, innovative and relevant piece of work. Coldwire begins many discussions, important ones. It begs the question of who should have control of technology, and by consequence the power to control the masses, or if that should even be in the hands of a government. It is provocative, it left me thinking about many issues and what the future holds. Gong’s way of presenting the world made it seem not only fictional, but with just enough ties to familiar things that it could very well be a not-so-far future. I have never read anything like it, it's such an obvious way to go with fiction, but I haven't seen much of it explored(the exception is one short story in a dark academia anthology I read a few months ago), and I am very intrigued to see if it will pop up more now. 

Now onto the actual book. 
Coldwire is a split pov book, we have two main characters seemingly with no relation, each one in a different mission. Eirale is an orphan and a sort of police officer, on a mission to catch a rebel that is causing problems to the government. Lia is the adoptive daughter of an important man in the government going to an academy with the end goal of becoming an agent much like Eirale. Two very different characters, but they both have in common their place of birth, which is considered inferior and limits their choice of future. They are obligated to go to said academy and become weapons for the government of the country that does not accept them. Oh, and you know that theory that soon people will live their lives in the virtual world and the real world will be basically abandoned? Yeah, this is a thing here. 
I love everything about this book. Usually with dual pov books, I quickly find one pov I like more and am mostly interested in that part of the book. Not here. Both parts are equally as interesting and engaging, I was not bored at all and there was never a moment where I just wished I could skip a chapter to see the other pov. The characters are so well written, I'm already missing them. And I can't even put into words the shock that twist was, I can't remember a single time a book has left me so speechless(maybe ballad of never after). It was so smart and I had to put the book down to clear my head before continuing, that's how good it was.
The ending left me desperate for the sequel, it will pain me to have to wait however long it takes for book 2, but I want the author to take the necessary time because this has the potential to become one of my favorite series. 

Thank you so much to Margaret K. McElderry and Netgalley for the ARC! 

[Val ୨୧ (BACK 4 GOOD THIS TIME) · Rating 3 out of 5]

⋆.ೃ࿔*:･ Review ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

DNF at 67%. Now, Don't get me wrong, I loved this book. But unfortunately, the dangers of being a mood reader strike again. I think it was just really horrible timing, but this was a genuinely amazing dystopian book AND I'VE NEVER HATED BEING A MOOD READER MORE 😭. But chances are i'll come back to this after release date and fall in love with it, so until then !


Preread ~ I just got approved for a Chloe Gong book SOMEBODY PINCH ME. THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND S&S PUBLISHING FOR APPROVING THIS E-ARC ! It's DYSTOPIAN GUYS. DYSTOPIAN. Have I mentioned how much i love dystopian ?

[ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

— 4 ☆ .ᐟ 🫐 spoiler free + mini review
⤷ WHAT AN ENDING.

⋆˚࿔ 89th review of the year

“are you jealous, ward?”
“exceedingly. your attention belongs to me.”

⌗ ꒰ my thoughts ꒱ 🐈‍⬛
⤷ wowowo okay. what to start? this was so fun reading! very grateful i gave this a chance and ended up loving it <3 overall, i was invested and i appreciated chloe doing something new for the YA genre. this was very futuristic and some of the themes in this book are scary to think abt if you really comprehend it. LIKE i would not want to live there 😭😅 ALSO THE END?? wow. still dont know what to think but it was cool..!

will eagerly be waiting deadlock! 2 months to go! < / 3

~ to sai, BAEE thank you so much for reading this with me <3 i wouldn't have done it with anyone else bc you are the CG QUEEN!! i love this new world she's created and i hope we get to love these characters even more in the next book!! i love you sm and until the next br hehe 🥹

---------------

🫐 — pre-read .ᐟ ⌗

𐔌 ♯┆9.19.26
⤷ WOOO so overjoyed to finally be back in a chloe gong book and new universe <3 whats even better is that i get to br with my girl saisha!! EE I LOVE YOU GIRL AND I HOPE WE END UP LOVING THIS BY THE END AS WELL 🙂‍↕️💐💐

[zara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won't lie, I feel like I would sound like a broken record reviewing Chloe Gong's books unless she does something to change. I'm most likely the minority here, but this book would've done wonders with plenty of editing and plot tweaks here and there, because for something so fast paced, it's actually a crime how boring and insubstantial it is.

I've come to accept that the dystopian genre has been used more as an aesthetic lately rather than a clear, nuanced discussion on society and how it has regressed. I love the cyberpunk concept and the idea behind this book, but the execution was done rather poorly. The writing was so incredibly juvenile that it rivaled the work of 12-year-olds on Wattpad, and it's almost insulting for it to happen, considering she wrote quite well in her first two books. So, what exactly happened here...

Also, I feel like I need to point out how Chloe Gong's growth as a writer doesn't go up nor does it stay stagnant but somehow, she found ways to be slightly worse than before. I talked about this before, but the more she writes, the more she just repeats the same formula that got her the success that Secret Shanghai garnered, and it's getting fucking boring. The same snarky and sassy and badass main characters who gets more brainless with each series, the same hate and love dynamic with the love interests, the same boring and insubstantial majority of the book followed with a sudden punch at the end just to make sure you stay tuned to her sequels even though it does NOT made up for the mess of the rest of the book, the same info dumping at the wrong times that breaks the flow of the book... I mean, will I ever read something new from her?

All in all, I had high hopes for this and it is fully shattered with miles and miles of disappointment. I wish this book were better executed, but alas...

thank you to hodder & stoughton and netgalley for giving me the arc to review

[niyya نية]

chloe u know i absolutely love u but what is this ugly cover

[Kiki]

how is it possible that this is gong's eighth book and still it serves as a textbook example of total technical failure? how do you write and publish so prolifically and yet you cannot grasp the concept of story structure? i cannot make sense of this. that or how this author could have gotten to this stage of her career with no understanding of how to construct a remotely engaging character. reading this book was like chewing on a pencil eraser. "i did this. i went here. this thing happened. this worldbuilding thing is like this." void of emotional depth. this book has nothing to say about anything. i fear that reading outside of the fantasy and sci fi genres over the past two or so years has severely damaged my ability to appreciate 75% of the content within those genres, because that 75% is written by authors who want to write movies but lack the connections to enter the industry. what other conclusion am i to draw about gong? this book is an abuse of the written medium, much like the will of the many, which was written with the same disinterest in human psyche and hyper-focus on set dressing. it is 90% rote action and 10% hackneyed observations about parents and boys. what 17 year old can relate to being the world's "most notorious anarchist" (lmao; no political theory was glanced at in the making of this book) and what does that have to do with how teenagers nowadays interact with screens, ai, virtual reality, the blurring of the real and the imaginary? gong is so terrified of portraying her characters as anything other than red carpet ready that she constructs absurd contrivances to explain why despite spending weeks on end inside virtual reality, their bodies remain lithe, attractive, and mobile. if our characters stepped out of vr and their bodies were atrophied, that would be soooo unsexy. fuck realism and fuck theme. we also can't customise our avatars, and have a situation where our narrator spends inordinate amounts of money on customisations to make her avatar look cool and sexy while she's ugly in real life, and utilise that as a vehicle to dissect beauty standards and the artifice of social media, because that would require engaging with any kind of theme, and writing from the perspective of someone who isn't beautiful, and please, ew, we're not here to empathise with ugly people! gross! so what we're left with is a vacuous excuse for a novel that goes out of its way to avoid engaging with even the most trite of sci fi themes. i cannot imagine what the editor's notes looked like for this one. if this came across my desk i would literally say forget it, throw the whole book out. how any publishing professional could read this vapid, directionless nonsense and think it was worth the paper it was printed on is beyond me. that is capitalism for you. oh, hey, look at that! a theme.

FIN

[Cas ♛ · Rating 5 out of 5]

pre-reading thoughts: DYSTOPIA IS SO BACK

Initial thoughts: Don't talk to me please. Unless you've read Coldwire and you'd like to scream with me. There was this... little undercurrent of suspicion I had from around halfway through, and then the last 20% was just so explosive and... I will be back with more coherent thoughts, just you wait. There's so much to say, but first and foremost, Chloe Gong has done it again.
———————————————————
For years, I have been wishing for dystopia to come back. It's now been a decade since the peak of the 2010s wave, and we are so back, baby. Coldwire is far from the last dystopian book I'll read this year, but it feels special that it's the first since the author grew up reading the same books that I did and is now heralding the new wave.

Set in the not so distant future, Coldwire follows two pairs of teenagers as they navigate a world that is split between virtual reality, upcountry, and the real world, downcountry. Lia and Kieren are students in their final year at Nile Military Academy, while graduate Eirale is based downcountry where she has to contend with Nik, Atahua's infamous anarchist.

This book has it all. The cast, the action, the mystery. It's fast-paced and full of twists and turns to keep you guessing. The bright neon world depicted so vividly on the cover feels just as real within the pages, perhaps aided by the fact that we do live in such dystopian times. Coldwire takes the best elements of 2010s dystopia and refreshes it for the 2020s world we live in. It's only the beginning, and I can't wait to see what book two has in store.

Thank you to Simon Teen and Edelweiss for the e-ARC!

[jolie]

edit: it’s cover reveal day!! i might be the only one who doesn’t like it 😭

so late to this but i’m SO excited !!

[Maeghan &#x1f98b; · Rating 3 out of 5]

A juvenile dystopian that doesn’t really say anything substantial. A lot of modern day concepts & problems - but nothing to take out of it.

If you take out all the useless repetition & fillers ; I think you’d remove at least 150 pages from this. It was extremely underwhelming. I don’t think her being a grade A student needed to be repeated 20 times.

I didn’t necessarily like the characters (that one’s on me. They were just very immature) and I predicted what was going to happen.

[DaniasBooktique D Amora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually did not see that coming.

[Kalena ୨୧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

⋆.˚✮ 5 stars ✮˚.⋆

⤿ Thank you to Simon Teen for the advanced copy through netgalley and a physical arc in exchange for an honest review!

chloe gong has just cemented herself as a favorite author of mine with this book. she was already sort of there with these violent delights & immortal longings, but especially with a story like this i cannot not acknowledge how cool she is. i often struggle with dystopian novels, especially ones with such heavy technology themes (i think of stories like cyberpunk, which was a mixed bag for me), but chloe gong managed to make me utterly love this story.

as rising seas and epidemics threaten society, most people now live in “upcountry” a glittering virtual reality while those who cannot afford it are forced to stay in “downcountry” or the real world. but upcountry isn’t perfect as a cold war rages between two major countries, and war orphans are forced into military academies. Eirale graduated the academy and joined the military force downcountry, but gets framed for assassinating a government official by the most-wanted anarchist. in the academy, Lia is paired with her nemesis for her final assignment, one she is determined to prove her worth in. they begin to suspect they are pieces of a bigger reality, and their worlds inch closer to a startling reality.

this book starts off with a bang and never seems to slow down, we are launched right into a mission that Eirale is conducting and see Lia preparing for her final year. the tension that was created on every step of the page really helped me power through the beginning and wrapping my head around upcountry vs downcountry. it was a little confusing, but i saw that as more of a me thing because i’ve always struggled with wrapping my head around this technology stuff.

my favorite character was definitely Eirale, i really enjoyed how self-confident she was but also willing to learn from the people around her. she was really smart too, obvious from going through the military academy, but she had a lot of “street smarts” as one would say. all the other characters were fantastic too though, seeing Lia piece together the clues to what’s happening around her with her nemesis Kieran (i love him). the enemies to lovers aspect was perfect here and I enjoyed seeing how they evolved, even with Eirale and the people around her too.

one issue i usually have with dystopian books is that to me, a good story in this genre should have a commentary on society. there were some messages that i felt were explored rather well in here like climate change, use of robots and technology alongside humans, uses of AI and what it really means to be alive. these all combined made me really feel like there was good commentary and value to this book, not just for entertainment purposes.

all the plot twists too??? omg they were crazy. i semi-guessed one of them, or at least guessed pieces of it, but NOT the full scope of it. it was great seeing chloe gong weave clues throughout the entire book that didn’t make sense until the end. this series is going to be absolutely fantastic and i cannot wait for the next book!!

↬ trigger warnings: blood and gore, death and murder, self-harm, war themes, epidemic and illnesses

[vxmpslibrary [hiatus] · Rating 4 out of 5]

.4.5 stars. - minor spoilers ahead!💌


.my thoughts.
Chloe Gong YOU MASTERMIND?!?!

I'm genuinely in love with this book? The way it was written was mass perfection, the characters? Funny, intriguing, and captivating. The plot was absolutely shocking, the twists I did not expect at all! I was way shocked, and smiling because I have never felt like that in a longer time.

From reading about the old Shanghai of 1920s where there's a strange epidemic, we are transported into this cyberpunk place, where the year is 2038, and everything has been mass developed, and divided into upcountry and downcountry.

The Medan orphans in Atahua, are supposed to join the Nile Military Academy and become a soldier in work, or be turned in as a spy. It's the same as Eirale did, and Lia is doing, but both are small pieces of a larger potrait, one they both won't able to believe, because I didn't either.

The plot was executed very perfectly, even when I was thinking about how everything is, the second half practically bombshelled it on me. Like it's eating everything inside me to not have the second book in my hands to read.

Starting off from the characters, all have their own potential that I loved, they delivered the exact thing and I enjoyed having them onscreen.

Lia Ward, genuinely I loved her so much, her teasing Kieran and Rayna was the best, and it takes everything in me not to go inside the book and hug her after the truth she finds out🫂

Kieran Murray, the nemesis, is the man, actually he is, the way he competes with her on everything!? Oh my, and when he knew where to find her has me like🤭🎀. I honestly don't know the fact what I'm gonna do when I get second book, because he's the mastermind here too!!

Eirale is a strong character, and the way she fights Nik at every steps has me intrigued, like how come she does it? she's very intelligent and I ought to be like her bahaha. 

Nik Grant is the smartest one, first of all him planning everything smartly till the very end has me on a good hold, intrigued generally.

I actually don't have enough words to describe how much everything is done perfectly to an extent I want the second book NOW!!!! The romance is a subplot too, but it takes all my heart!💓.

Generally Netgalley took my ability to write quotes so I have none of them right now and I can't reopen it makes it even worse! :(, like I wanna go back to my bbs💓

Convincing y'all to read this if you love sci-fi, cyberpunk, angry love confession in the rain [you heard it right] and found family kinda with friendship vibes, and also mastermind plotting.

. currently reading.
when I'm planning to do my assignments and then this drops in....guess who just got the arc the day after their bday🤭IM SCREAMINGG AHH... here I go🫡🎀

[Noa (semi ia) ˚୨୧]

Whatever Chloe Gong writes, I read💳💥💳💥💳🧎‍♀️

[Sophie (lambsbooks) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Wait, wait," I beg. "I just want to be normal. Please, let me be-”

OHMYEVERLOVINGGOOOOOOD

A Strange Loop…
On a Strangeloom…
The Future Has Loaded.

What the hell was this?? What in the fresh hell, mind warp did I just read? Lmao I am shook. Did everyone else see that reveal coming, and it was just me who missed it? I wouldn’t be surprised at this point, I see nothing coming, I’m here for the vibes. My heart was full on racing when I got to the last 15% of the book (15%? I dunno, I was reading the physical ARC, percentages mean nothing for physical books lmao).

I hear it at the academy all the time too, the kids from prestigious families who don't understand why insurgents protest NileCorp for taking their jobs. Asking why people can't work hard and earn their keep no mane what unfortunate circumstances befall them. Never acknowledging that money and privilege their families have has kept them from needing to work hard their whole lives.

Okay, this was just so perfect. It was a throwback to our beloved dystopian era, with a corrupt government, overreaching private Corporation with a military force, and the poor relegated to the offshoots of society to die. The orphans of immigrants are forced to attend the corporation's military academy and pay their way and then, oh look, they are indebted to the corporation for the rest of their lives. HAHA #reality

"You're not being kidnapped," he grumbles. "Far from it."
"I'm being held at gunpoint to work for you."
"Is that what you want?" In a flash, Nik pulls a handgun from a holster hidden in his trousers. The metal is piercing cold when it touches my chin. He presses hard, lets the imprint of the muzzle dig its mark. "Will this help?”

We have upcountry, where the wealthy have gone to virtually live because the world has been destroyed by climate change (FUCKING RELEVANT, ANYBODY??) and downcountry, where those who can’t afford upcountry live - and die, because the world is just not that habitable anymore. I mean, at one point, there’s a fucking plague outbreak lmao #tooclosetohome

No one wants to admit it, but upcountry grew popular early on because the unhoused populations were getting unmanageable. City hubs were impossible to navigate past the slumped bodies and makeshift tents and the smells-and if the government refused to do anything about it, people chose the selfish option, the easy option, the pretty option. They built another world and fled.

Oh, and did I mention that the government and military are fighting to produce an AI that can be weaponized and used against civilians and other countries?? Hmm, AI is bad?? Who would have FUCKING THOUGHT.

Okay. I’m breathing normally, I promise.

We have two POVs that we are following, Eirale and Lia. Lia was kinda annoying in the beginning but she grew on me fast, and I loved Eirale from the start. Both work for NileCorp, Lia is about to graduate from their military academy that she was forced to attend, and Eirale is already working for the Corporation, paying off her debt.

“If someone seems to have outsmarted NileCorp, it's probably NileCorp.”

The plot was clear and moved fast, the characters were super interesting, and I was a big fan of the relationships formed and the rivalry that was going on.

“It could harm you to find out anything now.”

I think you should go into this pretty blind, so I’m gonna end this here even though I want to add ALL THE SPOILERS CUZ WHAT THE FUCK and to be clear, I am a massive fan of the reveal, I did not expect it, and it blew me away, but wow, that was done beautifully.

Thank you so much to Simon and Schuster Canada and the author for sending me this PR box!!! The way I almost cried when I opened my mailbox, I love Chloe’s writing with all my heart.



__________




I have one word for this book:


AHHHHHHHHHWHATTHEFUCK


review to come once I can get over the absolute shocking reveals 🤯

book 2 please?