Shan Hayes. Andromeda. Kim Le. Cobalt. Loxx. Sigma. The names are unique, but easy to pronounce, and they meld seamlessly into the cyberpunk world of DevTown.
Written in third-person present tense, with vivid descriptions of the neon lights, technology, and grime, Hohulin's writing immerses the reader into Shan Hayes' gritty world.
Shan is a killer-for-hire who eschews the kind of mechanical and technological enhancements that are prevalent in her city in favor of a type of biological injection that can transform her body and give it beast-like advantages— temporarily, at least. She stays ahead of the caloric demands these body changes require by popping CalPills, a type of vitamin that acts as an instant replacement for food. These are the kind of futuristic advances that humankind depends on in DevTown, a place where hovercars zoom through the air, humans jack their brains directly into the Net, and drug dealers and crime bosses rule the city.
At the heart of the city is the company that built it— NexDev, whose murky operations are so top-secret, even their own employees are kept on separate floors and rooms and are only privy to the project they are working on. NexDev is housing a dark and sinister secret, and when Shan accidentally begins uncovering things she shouldn’t, she finds herself— and her city— in a whole lot of danger.
I enjoyed the fast-paced action and ongoing suspense that this thriller had to offer. Without missing a beat, Taylor Hohulin kept me hanging on the edge of my seat as I raced along with Shan and her hacker-friend Andromeda to stop an evil from being launched on the wretched dogs of DevTown.
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