Hello everyone! I am so bummed I didn’t get to post yesterday. Wednesday morning my internet went down and they weren’t able to fix it until today! And we have no cable so there was NOTHING to do around my house. Well, for my husband and child. I got to finish The Center of the Universe by Ria Voros, so that review will be up tomorrow!
Today I’m doing a new post! I first saw this idea on Kristin Kraves Books, who got it from JW Martin! Here’s what Kristin said about the post:
“First Impression Friday will be a meme where you talk about a book that you JUST STARTED! Maybe you’re only a chapter or two in, maybe a little farther.
Based on this sampling of your current read, give a few impressions and predict what you’ll think by the end.“
Just so happens, I started Don’t Read the Comments by Eric Smith today! So here’s my first impression and prediction!
Divya Sharma is a queen. Or she is when she’s playing Reclaim the Sun, the year’s hottest online game. Divya—better known as popular streaming gamer D1V—regularly leads her #AngstArmada on quests through the game’s vast and gorgeous virtual universe. But for Divya, this is more than just a game. Out in the real world, she’s trading her rising-star status for sponsorships to help her struggling single mom pay the rent.
Gaming is basically Aaron Jericho’s entire life. Much to his mother’s frustration, Aaron has zero interest in becoming a doctor like her, and spends his free time writing games for a local developer. At least he can escape into Reclaim the Sun—and with a trillion worlds to explore, disappearing should be easy. But to his surprise, he somehow ends up on the same remote planet as celebrity gamer D1V.
At home, Divya and Aaron grapple with their problems alone, but in the game, they have each other to face infinite new worlds…and the growing legion of trolls populating them. Soon the virtual harassment seeps into reality when a group called the Vox Populi begin launching real-world doxxing campaigns, threatening Aaron’s dreams and Divya’s actual life. The online trolls think they can drive her out of the game, but everything and everyone Divya cares about is on the line…
And she isn’t going down without a fight.
Okay, so first, this is an ARC. I requested it because I have been a gamer for 15 years. Damn. I have mainly played online RPGs, so this is like me in a book. Also, what gamer hasn’t dreamed of being a top streamer? I know I have! I even streamed some WoW and Hearthstone WAY back in the day.
So I’ve just gotten finished reading chapter 1. This is a dual POV book, told from Divya and Aaron’s voices. Chapter 1 was Divya. I had so many highlights – 5! Which may not sound like much, but I don’t highlight a ton.
Divya talks about her best friend, Rebekah, and how she is big into bookstagram. So there’s a point for this book. She also names all her ships after books she has loved. Her current ship is Heart of Iron. This is by Ashley Poston, who was one of our Words & Whimsy chat authors last year! Exciting to see her get this shoutout!
Now, back to Divya. She is a gamer, who has a stream with over 100,000 viewers. And she’s female. So that’s like, the dream. Super awesome to see that rep because a majority of streamers are guys.
There were two quotes that stuck out to me. I’ll show them here, but keep in mind this is an ARC copy, and these quotes may change by the time of publication on Jan 28, 2020.
“Because that’s my life. Plenty of social notifications, but zero texts or missed calls.”
Okay, I have felt this. felt like all my friends were online but no one wanted to hang out irl. I feel you D1V!
“Hey, anonymous bro, I’m not here to be sexualized by strangers on the internet. It’s creepy ad disgusting. Can’t I just have fun without being objectified?”
Okay, I started playing WoW at the tender age of 15. I didn’t have any online gaming experience until then, and it was another world. Kind of literally. Anyway, my guild was sharing pictures left and right, and talking on ventrillo. My pictures along with my southern accent sent some guys crazy. So I also know how this feels.
So my predictions. I think this will be my first five star read of the year! I haven’t read Aaron’s pov yet, but the reviews about both pov’s are great. I’m already loving all the girl gamer rep and feel a kinship toward Divya. She’s going through alot – I’ll talk more about that in the actual review. I am so excited to get this book read. I predict I’ll finish it tomorrow!
Have you read this book yet? Did my first impression make you put it on your TBR? Let me know!
Until next time…
Mithah Reads 