Review: Glitch by Heather Anastasiu

Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopian
Format: E-galley provided via NetGalley by publisher for review
To be published August 7, 2012 by St. Martin's Press
Find the author: Website // Twitter
Find the book: Goodreads // Amazon UK
Rating: 3/5 stars

In the Community, there is no more pain or war. Implanted computer chips have wiped humanity clean of destructive emotions, and thoughts are replaced by a feed from the Link network.
When Zoe starts to malfunction (or “glitch”), she suddenly begins having her own thoughts, feelings, and identity. Any anomalies must be immediately reported and repaired, but Zoe has a secret so dark it will mean certain deactivation if she is caught: her glitches have given her uncontrollable telekinetic powers.
As Zoe struggles to control her abilities and stay hidden, she meets other glitchers including Max, who can disguise his appearance, and Adrien, who has visions of the future. Both boys introduce Zoe to feelings that are entirely new. Together, this growing band of glitchers must find a way to free themselves from the controlling hands of the Community before they’re caught and deactivated, or worse.
In this action-packed debut, Glitch begins an exciting new young adult trilogy. - Summary from Goodreads

This science fiction and dystopian premise got my attention pretty quickly and I knew I had to read it, the pretty cover aside. The premise of people having software and programming to control them just seems perfectly creepy and intriguing. If some of the faults are overlooked, the world building is executed with some satisfaction and acceptable writing, but the characters seemed a tad hallow.

I wasn't disappointed with the world building per se, I just saw quite a few things that needed a firmer place. One of the interesting things that go along with glitchers (those who aren't controlled by the system) are there special powers. I wish this was explored more and that the protagonist knew what she was doing with them for most of the book, rather than coming on at the most convenient moment ever in the climax.

Zoe as a protagonist didn't work for me as the story moved on. I felt that she relied on the two main males in the story to progress the plot, as they always reported back to her the goings-on and she rarely took matters into her own hands. While not every story has to have a bad-ass heroine, I feel that protagonists should move the plot along rather than sit on the sidelines. That being said, I will note that there actually was quite a bit of action in the book, it just was brought to Zoe rather than her seeking it out. 

Protagonists aside, Glitch turned out to be an okay read, but I didn't get into it like I wanted to. I wish I had more to say about the writing, but it wasn't anything remarkably good or bad. I'd recommend it to readers who would like to dabble in Science Fiction, but perhaps not for dedicated readers of the genre who would drive themselves mad with some of the holes in the world. This book is meant to be the first in a trilogy and I'm undecided whether I'll continue the series.