Today we have the excerpt blitz for Katie Delahanty’s KEYSTONE! Check out the excerpt and be sure to pre-order your copy of it today!!
Book info:
Author: Katie Delahanty
Genre: YA science fiction
Release Date: January 7th, 2020
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Source: ARC received from publisher which did not influence my opinion
My rating: 4.5 stars
Synopsis:
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 trained to seal 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.
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Excerpt:
Crawling
out of the lake, I sprawl on the beach, sucking in precious air for as long as
I dare. Still breathless, I limp into the woods. My temples throb and I long to
return to the house and climb into bed, to huddle under the blankets until the
shivering stops. Last chance to keep
my old life. I could come out of this a survivor. My parents would be so
proud… Once the story hit the Networks, my Influencer status would be
reinstated—especially now that everyone who knew my family’s secret is…dead.
Isn’t
that convenient?
I don’t dwell on who’s behind the
explosion. Maybe part of me already knows the truth, but I’m not ready for it.
Instead, the final fleeting glimpse I had of my best friend, Deena, her blond
hair whipping across her face right before the blast, assaults me.
Doubling over, I swallow the sickness
rising my throat, shutting my eyes against her. We weren’t speaking, but she didn’t deserve this. None of them did.
Tears bubble down my cheeks. Dropping to my knees, I stare up at the starry sky,
an irrevocable ache seeping through me. How can I be in this world without
them? Wherever they are, can
they see me? The universe is endless, and the stars shine down without even
a wink.
A voice arrives on the breeze from the
lake, its nearness sobering me. For the plan to work, the world needs to
believe I’m dead. But if I stick to the
plan I can never go back. That truth should terrify me, but I’m already
overwhelmed. Besides, there’s nothing left to go back to. Not without Adam.
He was the only one who made me feel like I mattered. Breathing deep, I heave myself to my
feet and drag myself deeper into the woods. I
have no home. I have to keep going.
The old me would have ordered a car to
drive me from Lake Tahoe to the Sequoia National Forest, but the Disconnects
offered me refuge on the condition I wouldn’t be tracked. Starting now, I’m
invisible. They were supposed to send a guide, but he never showed up, and it’s
pure luck I stumble upon the bikes, sneakers, and hooded sweatshirt hidden
behind a tree. Taking it as a sign I’ve made the right decision, I yelp.
Choking back the cry, I tug the sweatshirt over my dress with shaking hands. In
the pocket I find a tube of glittery, gold paint and draw a haphazard zigzag
over half my face to disguise my identity from facial-recognition cameras. The mark of a Disconnect.
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My Review:
This one really intrigued me from the idea being similar to the only episode of Black Mirror that I have watched. Because that's what I was relating it to as I started the book, at first I was a bit disappointed that the story didn't start out with us spending time with Ella in this world of being an Influencer. However, as we got further along, the way those days were brought in with her journaling to try to get past what she was feeling guilty about, it definitely hit hard how things had been and just how far she had gone, or what she had let trying to stay relevant keep her from doing even when she knew what was right and what was wrong. It was hard to wonder though, if the boy from her past, Adam, was really someone as bad as she thought at one point, or if he was someone she should have trusted. And in the end, we learn something else new about him, something I had kind of had a tiny bit of wondering about earlier on. Now, while this isn't listed as part of a series, I sure hope that there is a sequel! It was definitely left off at the end in a way that there is so much more we could do, and I want to know it. I want all the other heists that they could go on, and even though they may have stopped the whole Smart Brain takeover as they tried, it sounds like there is still more that could be done and more to save.
I really enjoyed this book, and it kept me turning pages late into the night, so I was very glad it was during my holiday break from school when I got to read it. I'll be putting this one in my school library for my students to read for sure!
About the Author:
