#Review - Incognito by Katie Delahanty #YA #Dystopian #Thrillers

Series: Keystone (#2)
Format: Paperback, 334 pages
Release Date: May 3rd 2021
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Dystopian / Thrillers

In the virtual utopia of the Simulation, everyone will live peacefully and without fear or needs—at least that’s how they’re selling it. But the government plans to use this program to take control of the entire human race. Elisha Dewitt has just been given her first mission to help prevent this, and she’s ready to prove she can go incognito just as well as any other master thief.

Breaking and entering? No sweat. She’s done worse. Stealing a cassette tape from the museum vaults will be easy—in, out, done—until he shows up...and everything gets way more complicated. Garrett Alexander just has that effect.

Nothing is as it seems, and a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse begins with Garrett, her rival and match in every way. Not knowing who she can trust, Elisha decides it’s up to her to rescue everyone—even Garrett—before the world as she knows it comes to a brutal end.

 

Incognito is the second installment in author Katie Delahanty's Keystone series. This is a series set in a far off future. This is a society divided into factions such as Corporates, Influencers, Laborers, Unrankables followed by the Disconnects who are of the lowest order. Keystone, who Elisha Dewitt formerly Ella Karman belongs to, are all Disconnected from the world. They intentionally cover and mark their faces so that facial recognition doesn't catch them. Their main mission is to steal analog history and to preserve the truth corporations and governments are trying to hide or alter forever.  

Elisha has a gift of superior intuition which is what led her to Keystone in the first place. At the end of Keystone, Elisha was given her first solo mission by Professor Allard to steal a cassette tape from the Andy Warhol Time Capsule Museum in Pittsburgh. Breaking and entering? No sweat. She’s done worse. Breaking into a nearly impossible museum with state of the art security will get a bit more complicated. Especially when Garrett Alexander shows up and tosses everything out the window. Garrett tends to unnerve Elisha at times. He literally left her stranded in a tree house 5 months ago. 

In the virtual utopia of the Simulation created by Simon Technologies, everyone will live peacefully and without fear or needs—at least that’s how they’re selling it. But the government plans to use this program to take control of the entire human race. help prevent this, and she’s ready to prove she can go incognito just as well as any other master thief. Nothing is as it seems, and a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse begins with Garrett, her rival and match in every way. Not knowing who she can trust, Elisha decides it’s up to her to rescue everyone—even Garrett—before the world as she knows it comes to a brutal end.  

Thankfully for Elisha, she has a core of friends (Rayelle, Stewart, and Sophia) who are strong in their own talents which make them a great team. This is a good thing since there are those who are uniquely interested in Elisha and her brain which could be key to the so called Super Brain. So, off the crew goes to Stanford where things get interesting. I'll stop here by saying that there are lots of twists in the final chapters of this book. Characters truly prove who they are loyal to. Other characters reveal a shocking truth that leaves the book in a wicked cliffhanger ending. I am looking forward the sequel. There are so many questions that need to be answered, and the shenanigans between Elisha and Garrett need to be sorted out.

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#Review - Keystone by Katie Delahanty #YA / #Dystopian

Series: Unknown?
Format: Paperback, 390 pages
Release Date: January 7, 2020
Publisher: Entangled: Teen
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Dystopian

Black Mirror meets Ally Carter in this futuristic tale of social media gone bad, and the teens determined to save the world from ruin.

When Ella Karman debuts on the Social Stock Exchange, she finds out life as a high-profile "Influencer" isn't what she expected. Everyone around her is consumed by their rankings, in creating the smoke and mirrors that make them the envy of the world.

But then Ella’s best friend betrays her, her rankings tank, and she loses—everything.

Leaving her old life behind, she joins Keystone, a secret school for thieves, where students are being trained to steal everything analog and original because something—or someone—is changing history to suit their needs.

Partnered with the annoyingly hot—and utterly impossible—Garrett Alexander, who has plenty of his own secrets, Ella is forced to return to the Influencer world, while unraveling a conspiracy that began decades ago.

One wrong move and she could lose everything—again.

Katie Delahanty's Keystone is first of three books in a yet to be named series. The book is reminiscent of Bryce Dallas Howard's Black Mirror episode called Nosedive. The story alternates between the years 20x4 and 20x5 where Ella is debuting on the Social Stock Exchange with a very high debut price. Ella Karman's life was dependent on being an Influencer. She wore a Life Stream that followed her everywhere she went. The more people talk about you, the higher your rating. Things seemed to be going well until she's betrayed by her best friend.

During her own birthday party, Ella feels as though something is wrong and jumps overboard just as the yacht explodes. Did her parents intentionally try to kill her to rid themselves of the embarrassment? After all, they had the most to lose when the secret of her birth goes public. Luckily, thanks to Ella's own intuition (she is able to perceive correct information about a person or a situation rapidly), she escapes and joins a group known as Keystone. Keystone changes her name to Elisa Dewitt. 

Keystone are all Disconnected from the world. They intentionally cover and mark their faces so that facial recognition doesn't catch them. Their main mission is to steal analog history and to preserve the truth corporations and governments are trying to hide or alter forever. There is a third category called Unrankables. These people are mostly unemployed, unmotivated poor who live off handouts. One could say that there still are quite a bit of prejudices that exist in this world.

Elisha trains mostly on her own but also with the help of Allard who recruited her. She quickly learns Morse code, lock picking escape and evasion, and using ciphers to break codes. Elisha's major competition and irritant is Garrett the son of Whitney & Jeff Alexander who run Keystone. Elisha also must not finish last in a brutal obstacle course challenge that will see the last place finisher sent to Keystone Farms where they likely won't ever return and have no hope of participating in this years Keystone Quest where, if she is successful, she will help someone more experienced. 

While Elisa and her crew are participating in the Keystone Quest, there's lots of secrets that come about Ella Karman and those who she has been in contact with. Her very existence makes her highly desirable by some powerful people thanks to the way she was born. This book literally begins with a bang, and ends on a wicked cliffhanger. It's a good thing the author plans on writing 2 more books. The ending leaves much room for questions as to what really happened at the end of the heist.

Thank you to the author for answering my questions on Twitter! 

*I voluntarily read this book without any obligations of writing a review. My review is based on my observations and notes and not on expectations by the author or anyone else.*

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