Our desire to be connected 24/7 perhaps has given us an unhealthy relationship with our phones - social media, maps, cooking tips, health and so much more. Stories about tech have been used by authors such as Louise Carey recently in their Inscape series. In Lauren C Teffeau’s Sf thriller Implanted we have a future set Earth riven by climate change, people forced to hide in sheltered cities for generations and so reliance on technology is great and yet danger lurks still. Unfortunately it’s very much an example of too many ideas overwhelming a story to deliver it effectively.

Emery is w working class graduate expert in data who hides a secret she hunts for this preying on women to ensure they are caught. But her latest predator created an incident that gets Emery on the radar of the police but also a shadowy company that couriers secrets for the rich and powerful (by their blood) forced to pretend she is dead. Emery adapts to a new life and soon finds more secrets affecting the whole of her community are at stake.

In the face of it if I summarised the tale you’re probably this sounds a fairly standard action adventure thriller and indeed it follows the beats of someone recruited into a corporation and finds a conspiracy they must investigate. We have montage scenes, spying, covert behaviour and very well delivered action scenes. Unfortunately the wider plots all start running across each other and it creates a really thin read.

With Emery we first meet her on the hunt that goes wrong. Emery is very nervous and the reader thinks this is clearly her first time. Then we find out there patently is a whole series of similar missions. Just when I think this is an unusual SF novel around assault on women and the impact of trauma on victims Emery’s handler kindly finds Emery’s original attacker and the plotline is done and dusted.

Being told your death is going to be faked would also perhaps have a bigger character impact but it’s more a case of Emery going ok then. And then we find out oh it ok for you to make some contact with people you know - a simple false job perhaps would have made more sense. Indeed Emery loves her family so much we hardly see them bar the odd piece of exposition.

The pacing of the story is all over the place all the recruitment happens at super fast pace. We spend nearly a quarter of the book in spy training and then finally the conspiracy starts and that very much goes as you expect. We then add on themes of over reliance of technology, climate change and corporate power but it’s all fairly by the book.

Implanted ultimately felt unusually like it would benefit from being more than one book to allow the story to breathe. The editing decisions are feeling quite flawed here and it may have worked better with leaving some ideas out to be explored later. Sadly not a book I can recommend

Emery Driscoll is a college student who, like most young girls, is keyed in to the popular ways of staying connected with friends. In this era, it is through neural implants that allow one another to communicate immediately and by direct thinking.

Emery is blackmailed into becoming a courier for a darkly secret organization and her neural connections are cut off from the rest of the world who uses the implants to communicate. Imagine a teen today not allowed to have a phone to send texts or IMs.

It seems that Emery has a rare condition which allows her to carry encoded data in her blood, undetected. Now she can transport all manner of secrets from one point to another ... she just has to bleed a little to do so. Her blackmailers will take advantage of this for as long as possible. And of course, Emery is ultimately expendable.

In her domed city of New Worth, there are different factions working to either claim freedom from the dome, or to ensure the safety and security of the domed city - depending on which side one feels most attached. Emery isn't sure she agrees with her blackmailers - but does she have a choice?

The early chapters of this book where wonderfully engaging. As author Lauren C. Teffeau set up this world for us, I was really caught up in it. But as the book moved on from showing us the world, to telling us the story, I lost interest. While I was really enjoying learning about the world that I was in, I was never really drawn in to the characters, so their story just never got very interesting for me.

I also had a strong sense of déjà vu as I read through this. It wasn't too long ago that I read another YA sci-fi book about a courier, and the implant communication is some pretty classic sci-fi.

Looking for a good book? <em>Implant</em> by Lauren C. Teffeau is a pretty average sci-fi book, probably best targeted to teens.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes when I finish a book and want to collect my thoughts I have a brief look at other people's reviews. When I did this I discovered people classing this book as 'cyberpunk' a term I was unfamiliar with though on doing some research I have discovered that this term includes films such as Blade Runner and The Matrix, both of which I have watched and enjoyed, so now I know more about it it's less of a surprise that I enjoyed this book. For those of you who don't know the term cyberpunk, the definition I found states that it's futuristic science fiction combined with advanced technology and breakdown or change of the social order.
This definition fits Implanted perfectly as we have the majority of people in New Worth with implants which help them communicate and engage with their surroundings, combined with a desire by the whole community to leave the dome and return to the outside world once it is again habitable. This is contrasted by the Disconnects, those who don't have implants for various reasons and are shunned by the implanted people as they are seen as inferior because they don't conform with societal norms. 

In the story we follow Emery who is blackmailed into becoming a courier, carrying data in her blood and delivering it to all parts of the city.  One of these deliveries goes wrong, she is unable to deliver the data, leaving her in the city with valuable information in her blood and unable to know who to trust. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was one of those that is hard to put down. Every time I had a spare few minutes I would pick it up and start reading again because it was that addictive. It's a fairly straightforward story but when you add in the technology and the fact that everyone lives in a dome, because in the past the planet was ruined and it was unsafe to live outside, then you add some new perils and it puts a completely different spin on the whole story.  

The descriptions were spot on, it was really clearly written which I loved. I felt claustrophobic every time Emery went down in the dome to the areas where there are less or no daylight and very relieved when she came back up again. Although we have inequality in many countries the majority of us are still, at least, able to see the sky and breathe fresh air. I can't imagine how society would work if that were to change. In the story there is, understandably, a difference of opinion between the implanted and the disconnects and it was easy to see the perspective of both sides.  

I've always loved sci-fi, more tv than books, but I'm trying to expand my reading of sci-fi and fantasy and happily Angry Robot books are supplying the most fabulous books in order for me to be able to do this, and this book is no exception. Even if you don't think science-fiction is your thing, if you like stories that have differences in society, heirarchical groups and stories that make you question what you believe then this is worth a read.  It'll make you wonder whether the technological advances that we have at the moment are going to lead to the world imagined here or not and whether that is a good thing. A fabulous read and an author that I am excited to see more from!

It's a case of not the book but me - it was fine but I wasn't in love with it. I think it was fine though.

Yesssssss.

Implanted started off a little slow and weird. I was a tad confused by what was going on with Emery for the first chapter or so, although the backstory on what was going on did get explained later. You just get dropped into the story and it was a little jolting to begin with.

Once it picks up, it picks up. The plot is really interesting, if slightly predictable at times. I enjoyed the scienc-y/techie aspects a lot, I think they added an intriguing layer to the plot over all. The idea that you can have someone in your head all the time, whether that person is chosen or forced upon you, I thought was really cool. The technology and the environment – domed cities in a dystopian future because of course humanity has killed Mother Earth – speaks to a likely future, which I always find interesting to read about. It makes it more realistic, which can also make it a little more scary.

The side characters and relationships were also quite well done. Each relationship that Emery has is focused on in a different way, since she basically has to fake her death in order to become a courier and her new “friendships” aren’t exactly coming at a great time for her. Having to cut off her old friends and make new friends in a place she’s been blackmailed into becoming a part of was emotional to read about.

Her relationship with Rik didn’t exactly work out how I thought it would, which was good. I appreciated that it wasn’t completely straight-forward. Through their rollercoaster, I think we saw the most growth with Emery, even if some of the stuff she did regarding him annoyed me. Her lack of communication was somewhat warranted but it still got on my nerves. He was quite a softie and wasn’t at all what I was expecting when we were first introduced to him.

The best part for me was that Implanted read more like a movie than it did a book. I love books like that. I hope it gets optioned one day so I can see it on the big screen 🙂

Emery Driscoll lives in a city which exists in a dome to protect it from a world made toxic by war. She is currently enjoying a life of the privileged who live near to the top of the dome with daylight and luxury, the poor and disposed live in its dingy base. Emery has been lucky, chosen to be given a superior education which will make it possible for her to finance her family’s move to the upper echelons and a better quality of life.
But Emery’s plans for the future take a sudden and sinister turn when a covert organisation intervenes to give her an ultimatum. Join them and her family will lead a much better life than they could have ever imagined, refuse and the reverse will be true. She has what they want. The type of blood that can be used to transport data covertly. The catch is her death will be staged and she can never make contact with her friends or loved ones again.
Implanted begins innocuously enough, with Emery partying and enjoying life like any young student. There is little hint of what is to come, although we are left with the impression of a world of haves and have nots.
The worldbuilding is very good, leaving me with a clear visualisation of the airy, loftiness of the higher areas of the dome and the dark, dank, claustrophobia of the lowest levels.
The pace really begins to pick up when Emery becomes a courier going by the name of M-37. The descriptions of the missions and her subsequent flight from a job gone wrong are really what made the story for me, and was the difference between this and many other post-apocalyptic world novels where all the inhabitants are safe in a dome and the outside may or may not be close to being habitable. Lauren Teffeau is excellent at putting over action in writing, making you out of breath as you follow Emery through her various escapes.
When Emery meets the Disconnects who do not have implants which enabled them to be connected to everything, including social media, you really begin to question to what degree the authorities are right or wrong in what they are doing.
Her romance with activist Randall is founded on the basis that the relationship has to work hard because effectively it is one that has to be rekindled while she is on the run. In this world intimacy is more about being connected through your mental implants. That level of connection is something you would not want to easily agree to unless the other person was meaningful to you. Much of the development of this relationship is about Emery agreeing to this degree of mental connectedness.
Because of the style of writing, age group of the younger characters and general worldbuilding Implanted is a novel which would work as an older YA novel as well as one directed primarily at the adult market.

Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this sci-fi eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

implanted (Lauren C. Teffeau)

Title: implanted

Author: Lauren C. Teffeau

Publisher: Angry Robot

Publication Date: Tomorrow!!! (paperback/e-book)

ISBN: 978-0857667991

Source: NetGalley

This was a fun read that I read in one sitting.  The story takes place in a domed city called New Worth where most of the society is implanted with a technological implant.  The story follows Emery, a college aged student, who is about to graduate and begin working in a mundane job dealing with data organization.  Only her extracurricular activities have caught the eye of a clandestine organization that transports data via couriers.  The hitch - the data is carried in an encoded format in the courier's blood.  The data is set to self-destruct in less than three days so if not removed the courier ends up dead.

Emery is a fun and fierce protagonist.  Besides having to be the actual mule for the data, belonging to the courier organization means that ye have to give up yer prior identity by faking yer death.  Being removed from all the data of yer previous life and learning the city from a implant free standpoint is rough.  Watching Emery try to reconcile the change is one of the better aspects of the novel.

The domed city has been working on revitalizing the land outside in preparation for "the Emergence" when the residents can leave the dome and start their lives anew.  However there is a faction of the city that does not have implants.  These people are called Disconnects and either don't have implants because of money or circumstance.  Like all places, money equals status.  The more money, the higher up in the dome ye live with access to cleaner streets, more light, and more space.  The Disconnects are the bottom dwellers of the dome.  Literally.  While I enjoyed the concept of the Disconnects, this is where the novel didn't fare as well for me.

The first half of the book dealing with Emery and her change in circumstances was easy to follow, engaging, and fun.  When she is pulled into a bad data exchange, the scope of the novel changes and becomes about the larger issues of the Disconnect and their dissatisfaction with being low-class citizens.  Add into the mix the politics of the Emergence and the plot became rather messy.  I wasn't sure which groups were the "bad" guys and the political issues were rather flat and one-dimensional.  Some of the outcomes were extremely predictable and yet the plot meandered in a rather odd fashion to reach these events.  Plus the romance lightly discussed in the beginning becomes an additional issue.  I missed the clear concise writing of the beginning.

Still I did enjoy this one and the other members of me crew seemed to have loved it.

So lastly . . .

Thank you Angry Robot!

Goodreads' website has this to say about the novel:

The data stored in her blood can save a city on the brink… or destroy it, in this gripping cyberpunk thriller.

When college student Emery Driscoll is blackmailed into being a courier for a clandestine organisation, she’s cut off from the neural implant community which binds the domed city of New Worth together. Her new masters exploit her rare condition which allows her to carry encoded data in her blood, and train her to transport secrets throughout the troubled city. New Worth is on the brink of Emergence – freedom from the dome – but not everyone wants to leave. Then a data drop goes bad, and Emery is caught between factions: those who want her blood, and those who just want her dead.

To visit the author’s website go to:

Lauren C. Teffeau - Author

To buy the novel go to:

implanted - Book

To add to Goodreads go to:

Yer Ports for Plunder List

Growing up during the Reagan years, I've long been a fan of dystopian stories. I love the ones that offer no hope just as much as I love the ones that do. That said, I stopped reading post-apocalyptic books a while back because I felt like I'd consumed everything the genre had to offer. But then a couple of months ago I read The Postmortal and decided to give the genre another shot. Boy am I glad I got my hands on IMPLANTED.

the only things I require in my sci fi (aside from excellent writing, of course) are some unique ideas and a story that moves. So I guess I actually require 3 things...

Anyhow, Teffeau provides all three things and more. She also develops characters you end up caring about and I enjoyed both Emery and her relationships, which are nuanced and deep without being sentimental or unbelievable.

I especially love the concept of carrying messages in ones very blood. I don't think I'm alone in being both attracted and repelled by the notion of having a computer chip in the brain or submitting to any of the invasive bio-technology that so often pops up in sci fi. But I have to admit I've never read anything to match Teffeau's idea of hemocryptography. What a great idea! Sometimes the science in science fiction gets lost, but Teffeau does a great job of educating the reader without boring them.

Great action sequences and clean, crisp prose makes this book hard to put down. She's also remarkably deft when it comes to setting the stage and bringing the reader into her futuristic/dystopian world. There is enough detail to make it real, but she leaves enough to your imagination to maintain some mystery.

This was a great read and goes on my keeper shelf!

mplanted is YA cyberpunk with a very interesting premise. Emery lives in a dome city called New Worth, built on the remains of Fort Worth after climate change made the outside world uninhabitable. The city is built hierarchically, with three vertically-stacked districts: the Terrestrial District, the Understory, and the Canopy. The rich and powerful live in the Canopy and get to see the light; the poor, in the Terrestrial District, live in perpetual twilight. Nearly everyone has an implant, or computer in their head, that lets them communicate with others silently, get directions, find out how near people are, etc.

The really interesting thing, though, is the idea of hemocryption. Emery is kidnapped and made work as a courier transporting top-secret information through the city in her blood, encoded in her blood cells. She was chosen because she's one of the rare few who can withstand hemocryption without their body rejecting the information-loaded cells. Hemocryption introduces some very original mechanics to the story, like how Aventine (the courier company) has the encoded cells set to release a toxin after a certain amount of time that builds up in the courier's blood until it induces the 'curdle', incapacitating them if they don't deliver the information (i.e. complete the drop) as promised, and so the couriers need to get their blood filtered and deliver the data as soon as possible ('scrubbing').

Art!

I drew some stuff from Implanted because the more I wrote of this review the more attached I grew to the book. At the top is the domed city where the book is set, and at the bottom are the main characters, Emery, Rik, Brita, Tahir and Kat.






What I Liked

1. The idea of hemocryption - what an interesting mechanic! And it was cool how it introduced physical constraints to a world where transferring information would normally just be done digitally, which would be pretty boring to read about. People who really want to keep their secrets safe go for hemocryption so the information can't be hacked while it travels digitally.

2. The wholesome relationships between characters - while this book is a thriller, it still has loads of really wholesome relationships that made me feel all warm and fuzzy. Here are some cute Emery and Rik quotes:

'My world narrows, until there's only room for me and Rik and each step we take. >>Tell me what it's like outside.>> In case I don't get another chance to ask. In case I don't get fully scrubbed in time.'

'>> Haven't thrown up yet.>>

<<That's my girl.<<'

Her relationships with her handler and her friend Brita are super adorable as well. I guess I'm used to seeing everyone be completely treacherous in thrillers, so it was really nice to see this - that even when the world is dangerous, some people can stick by your side.

3(2b?). The romance is lovely. I don't usually care for romance in books, but this was so not insta-love. It was getting to know each other over a long time, growing to trust each other, trouble, hurting each other (but for important reasons, not just being angsty) and proving that they could depend on each other. I don't want to say too much because spoilers, but it was such a wholesome, gradual, compelling friendship-blossoming-into-romance and so I loved reading about it rather than mildly resenting it like I do with a lot of book romances. Also, it ran parallel to the plot rather than taking it over, which was good.

Oh, and no love triangle.

[Seriously, the relationships are so good!]

4. Representation! There were at least two gay couples very casually mentioned (like, 'her wife' or something) and it was cute. Also, Rik is a scientist like me! There was also what seemed like a lot of racial diversity going by the Hispanic-sounding surnames but I imagine that's quite common in Texas.

5. I was impressed by the approach Teffeau took when showing the technology. In a book whose first draft I wrote years ago, I had some similar things (for example, a main character was training to be a 'data curator', and so is Emery, which is probably because like me the author figured that'd be one of the main jobs remaining in an advanced technological society, and people communicate using implants except for some holdouts) so I felt a little scooped, but I have to give it to her - she did figure out how to make it work, how to make the technology powerful yet restrictive enough that it didn't swamp the plot.

For example, you could only use your implant to synch chat with people who accepted your request, and if you wanted to be really really close to someone you could 'calibrate' with them, which seems to let people feel things through you and feel your emotions. Like having your partner in your head at all times to comfort you - way more intimacy than we can get now.

6. The action was really exciting and entertaining. One of the features is a bunch of protests as unrest spreads through the city, and just reading about the chaos and commotion was a lot of fun. It'd make a good movie I think, especially with the structure of the city.

'Rik pales at the agitated crowds, and Charon and Denita exchange a panicked look. But for the first time today, I relax. As a courier, navigating the inevitable New Worth crowds is my bread and butter.

Time to go to work.'

7. Emery's backstory was great and I loved how much agency she took. And the role her handler later played in helping her deal with it [can't say much more because of spoilers!].

"What good's the word of a Canopy brat?"
I try not to react to the dislike radiating off her frame. "I lived down here until I was eighteen."
"Bet you couldn't wait to escape."
"No, I couldn't. The only things we have to sustain ourselves are the implants and thoughts of Emergence. Don't judge me for taking one of the few avenues available to me, and I won't judge you for refusing it."'

8. Some cool writing:

The writing style is an odd mix between utilitarian specfic style and the pretty prose of literary fiction, which felt strange at times, but mostly worked and gave us the story without too much interference but with some nice sentences like this one.

''Anticipation twines through me.'

What I Didn't Like

1. For a thriller, the plot was a little unclear. We're pulled through the book by our concern for Emery's safety and her friends mainly, but there are definitely other, larger things unfolding throughout society and intertwined with her story. While those things were interesting to read about (class struggles mainly), the connection between them didn't seem particularly tight and so I wasn't really clear about what they wanted or what would count as 'success' on the large scale. Similarly, there was a hint of government corruption, but it never really became clear how much there was.

I did feel quite nostalgic while reading it - it's the exact sort of genre I was into a few years ago, and it's a really good example of that genre. But I think now I would prefer a more expansive view of what happens to the world rather than just to the character, so I'd have preferred a bit more information on what was actually going on in the rest of the world.

2. The ending wrapped up very, very quickly and tidily. I'm very glad it's not a series (I love a good standalone), but I feel like Teffeau could have written a bit more to explain what happened and not have it end so suddenly.

3. I didn't get quite as into it as I have into my favourite books ever, like Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn and Way of Kings - so, for example, with Sanderson, I was completely crushed and couldn't read on for a while after a main character died, but with this I think I'd be OK - still sad, but able to keep things in proportion. Which is perhaps better(!)

That said, the book still got to me to an extreme degree - one night after reading it I woke up from a nightmare in which I'd been in the world of Implanted and had a huge amount of trouble convincing myself it wasn't real and I was just in my house in the present day. So it can definitely sneak into your dreams!

Overall

This was a really fun read. There were definitely some things that left me a little confused, but the reading experience in general was pure fun and the characters were lovely and well-rounded. The more I think about the characters the more I love them, actually. I recommend it if you're into science fiction or futuristic YA.

In short: Entertaining cyberpunk with new ideas and heartwarming character relationships. 4 stars.

★★★★☆

This book was provided to me for free in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley for the eARC, and to Angry Robot Books for having me auto-approved to download and review your stuff!

Implanted is a novel I’ve been waiting to read for ages, not only because it’s a science fiction novel, but because Teffeau has put her entire soul into this collection of pages. Previously I’ve written about authors who nearly bridge the gap on creating their own genres, I’ve written about authors who have created works of art and not just excellent literature, and now I’ll be talking about an author who has gotten it right to put her soul down in ink.

Touching on that fragile link we as humans cherish between ourselves whether it’s a bond we have with a parent, a friend, or a lover, Teffeau has focused a lot of her attention, and IMPLANTED’s general theme, around surviving in a world where not only has that link been severed, but what one girl will do to set things right again. Naturally, reading this quick summary you’ll think that there are literally hundreds of books in every genre positioned around the same idea, and maybe this one is no exception, but each story is different (even slightly) and each author has a right to put their own little signature or impression on it.

Implanted is undoubtedly the brain-child of a Glen Cook and Marissa Meyer novel and without a doubt Willaim Gibson.

If you wanted a fresh take on cyberpunk while waiting for CD PROJEKT RED to release their latest game, then by all means, Teffeau has given us the perfectly mixed cocktail of science fiction, romance, and drama that eases us into one hell of a ride.

You guys know me, the SplatterGeist does not do spoilers and I shall not break that vow (too many people know where I live and I like staying alive), but if there’s any reason to get lost in the 300-plus pages of Teffeau’s proudest work to date, or if you’re like me and this is the first time you’ve even heard of this lady, take the following declaration with the best intentions of reassurance:

Read it. Love it. Reread it.

Joseph Brassey is one of my new favorite authors, and if any of you have enjoyed my reviews about his last two books, then just know that Lauren C. Teffeau is another author whose books you can start collecting and keep your social life on standby.

Firstly, I review multiple books a month and when I go through the list of books to review, I try to review from many different genres to try to mix it up. I am not a huge fan of science fiction as I tend to find the science tends to bog down the narrative or the science doesn’t’ quite work due to multiple authors not able to make a believable world that works. I also have difficulties with writing in the first person, as I find a lot of authors have difficulty writing in this narrative because you end up spending four to five hours with an annoying voice.

Teffeau, first novel Implanted has surprisingly has contradicted all my concerns and I found myself totally engrossed with the new world and with her main character as well. This is has totally caught me off guard and for a tainted reader such as I, this is a very welcoming surprise.

The characters are richly drawn and you care about these characters in this futuristic world. She has a real talent of bringing these to life through the eyes of her first narrative character Emery which is a very difficult thing to do and the author did this masterfully.

The science works very well and she has made a future that is very plausible. I loved how she was able to utilise this within her plot. She also was able to put in the science without slowing the pace which is another trap that a lot of authors fall into. The only other author that comes to mind who is able to do this is Mira Grant, whom I am a big fan of. I am totally chuffed that I now have another author that I look to for future releases as Mira Grant’s books do not come out quick enough for me to savour. Teffeau is now a new author that I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

This is a masterful tale full of science, intrigue and mystery but is lead by real emotion which gives the reader that little bit extra to make this a most enjoyable read. The work works on so many levels and she cross genres her work in a most ingenious way. She mashes together science fiction, human interest, apocalyptic, political thriller and mystery in an most rewarding way.

Overall, this is definitely a must read and a book to savour. Hopefully this is not the end of Emery and the richly drawn characters and world. This is an author to really invest in because she is the future of excellent writing with an excellent well throughout premise. Implant has to be one of the best science fiction, dystopian political thrillers of the year. I would eagerly urge all lovers of fiction no matter what age to get their copy today. I am more than excited to have discovered a fantastic writer at the beginning of a most successful career. Simply fantastic.

Teffeau Creates A Brilliant World

4.25 out of 5 stars

This is the second ARC I've gotten from Angry Robot and it's another enjoyable read.  Implanted tells the story of Emery.  A typical college kid living in a dome near the city formerly known as Fort Worth. She's been playing arcade games with a guy that she's falling for and might even want to connect with him on a deeper level when everything in her life falls out of place.  She's thrown into a hidden and secretive world where her entire former life is erased and she's forced to start over. What she finds out would chill your blood and make you want to crawl in your bed and stay there forever.

Looking at the synopsis of this book - I can tell that it's okay to talk about the major part of the book without it being a spoiler.  Emery is enlisted as a messenger- but not just any messenger - all of her messages will be encoded into her DNA and then decoded once she arrives at her destination. I've heard/watched/read other things related to this but Teffeau really took it to the next level.

Speaking of next level - the world building inside of Implanted is amazing.  There were a few parts that feel overdone (or just reused in stories like this) like everyone cannot be bothered to look up from their devices - now that the devices are in their heads.  But it was a needed part of the story and I thought that Teffeau did a good job explaining the world of implants and what they have done for us in the near-future.

Everyone is looking forward to Emergence - aka when the domed walls/glass comes down.  And a lot of the story revolves around that.  But Teffeau throws in some class struggles, along with non-conformity issues too.  I think this book might be aimed at high school aged readers and the way that it was presented would do really well with that audience.

Implanted definitely hooked me early and kept me interested.  I wasn't sure where it was going but I had some ideas.  Some of the things I guessed early on and others surprised me.  I'm happy to know that I couldn't predict the entire book from beginning to end.

Semi-spoiler (not really, just want to point it out for those Dystopian haters for this exact reason): I'm also pleased to say that there is NOT a love triangle in this (thank god). And the love/intimacy/trust part of this was earned not given.  It was a long hall and I respect the heck out of Teffeau for writing it this way. I won't mention how long a certain thing that's teased early on takes - but it was atypical for this genre.

Overall, a book that I can write this much about has to do something for me.  Sure, there were some typical tropes used - but it was done in such a way that made it an enjoyable read.  The tagline drew me in and I couldn't let go.  I enjoyed this near-future sci-fi thriller a good deal.

This dystopic YA novel revolves around several nifty premises: the Earth has been so polluted that the majority humans survive only in domed cities, while efforts are underway to ameliorate the toxins and re-establish a viable ecology; the dome cities are stratified, with the rich elite living on the topmost levels, with access to greenery and sunlight, while the poor scrabble for a living in the “Terrestrial” slums; brain implants that permit direct mind-to-mind communication as well as social media are near-universal and because of this, data is highly insecure, so... sensitive material gets encoded in the blood cells of specially trained couriers who physically transport it from sender to recipient. That’s only the setting.

The plot itself draws together a variety of threads. The heroine, Emery, comes from a lower level and has worked her way to better prospects. She’s been on a crusade that’s pit her skills against the thieves who rip implants from the skulls of their victims. She’s also become romantically entangled with a fellow gamer, although they’ve never met in person and she doesn’t even know his real name. As for the agency that recruits her to carry encrypted data in her blood, she uncovers plots within plots as New Worth (the city built on the ruins of Ft. Worth, Texas) stumbles toward “Emergence” into the supposedly restored outer world.

The setting, main character, and evolving action were absorbing enough to keep me reading for most of the book, but toward the end I had problems with the lack of focus. It seemed to me that the book couldn’t decide what it was about, and my attention kept being pulled in different directions: ecological disaster story? Romance? Techno-spy thriller? Victim seeking revenge? “Betrayal and reconciliation”? Other readers might feel differently. The book certainly stands out for creativity of conception and narrative voice. I’ll be keeping an eye out for the author’s next adventure.

Implanted by Lauren C. Teffeau
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From the get-go I was reminded of a direct mix of Nexus and Europe in Autumn.

This isn't a bad thing. I love neurotech and transhumanist stories and love spy fiction couched as Courriers. So based on nothing more than the blurb and a Netgalley interest, I tore through this book and quite enjoyed it.

Who doesn't like to do clandestine data handoffs through their blood, become invisible to all sensors, or otherwise erase your identity in favor of being a hardcore member of a spy network in a futuristic Earth city under a dome with archeological layers of city life within? You know, with the poor down below and the rich up above?

Uh, right. That doesn't sound too good, even if direct mind-to mind linking is possible and it encourages a level of intimacy unheard of except among full telepaths. Or the wild virtual games that are better than life. Unfortunately, the haves and the have-nots take up the crux of the novel.

I thought it was going to be more about intimacy avoidance and layers of consciousness and identity, and there was a lot of that, but most of it revolved around economics, re-terraforming our own planet, and other dystopian stuff. I liked the early spy stuff quite a bit more than the later stuff. :)

All in all, it was a very enjoyable mix of tech and the future vision of dystopia with a bit of romance, rebellion, and funky spy-stuff. :) Quite decent for what it is: some fluff, some angst, great tech, and an overarching idea. :)

Implanted rests on a unique premise - data can be encoded and stored in a person’s bloodstream.  The world of Implanted is divided into the haves and the have nots. The haves, the affluent, educated and implanted live in the luxurious upper levels of the domed city.  The have nots, the poor, the working class and those without implants live on the lower levels, struggling. The area beyond the dome is only now beginning to have the means to support life and the prospect of Emergence has created tensions around the city.  Blackmailed into giving up her former life and becoming a blood courier, Emery finds herself in a difficult situation. The data drop she is assigned is rigged, some want the data others want it destroyed, and there is only one person she can afford to trust.  


Implanted has a decent plot, but it feels more like a New Adult Sci Fi novel than a Cyberpunk thriller.  Emery’s whinging can get a bit irritating, as does her tropic reluctance to connect with Rik. All in all though, the novel is pretty good as long as you know what you are getting into.


4 / 5


I received a copy of Implanted from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.


— Crittermom

Wow, this book really grabbed me! I love the premise of the encrypted blood and all the twists and turns to be had in this. Hopefully, another book is on the horizon?