The Cover Contessa: Blog Tour: Remote by Lisa Acerbo @Apocalipstick

Monday, September 23, 2019

Blog Tour: Remote by Lisa Acerbo @Apocalipstick_

Check out my stop on the Remote by Lisa Acerbo blog tour!

Remote

by Lisa Acerbo

Genre: YA Sci-fi

Release Date: December 2018

Summary:

When technology fulfills every dream, reality is a nightmare.

Below the streets of New State, the Grounders fight to remain free of the technological control of the world above. When dusk falls, Wren risks her life by entering the capital city as a raider to secure resources for the rebellion. Each step further inside puts her life in jeopardy from New State’s deadliest weapons – Phantoms. More machine than human, tortured until devoid of emotion and caring, Phantoms have only one objective. Kill. And they do it with exacting precision.

Wren is good at her job as a raider and committed to the cause until she meets Codex, a New State citizen who doesn’t quite fit her preconceived expectations. After a couple of awkward encounters, he shows her the meaning of hooking up—a computer simulation that allows people to live out their fantasies—without the complication of emotional entanglements or physical reality. But what Wren feels for Codex is very real. And it’s punishable by death.

As she and Codex grow closer, Wren convinces him to leave New State for the underground. But unrest between New State and the Grounders escalates, and Phantoms move in to destroy her world. Nothing goes as Wren planned. Families are arrested, loyalties are strained, and Wren’s forced to choose between her people and her feelings. The wrong choice could mean the end of her people, and reality could slip away—forever...

★★★★★ Science Fiction, Romance, and Lots of Action - Remote is one of those books that just hooks you from the first page… - Voracious Reader

★★★★★ Enjoyable & Innovative Novel - Enjoyable Sci-Fi Romance that I highly recommend….5 stars. Overall, novel was well-paced, characters are well-developed, and story is detailed but not too verbose. Although the relationship that emerges between [Codey] and [Wren] is predictable, it did not feel forced or rushed. - Janine

★★★★★ Remote is quite the page turner! - A unique and intriguing blend of science fiction and adventure that really engages the reader and makes one think long after the last page. This book is in the YA genre but will appeal to readers of all ages - there's honestly someting for everyone. It also is poised for further installments and here's hoping we can delve into this thrilling world soon again. - Frank T

Remote is about a world divided by technology. Those who live in New State are controlled by it and those who live underground rebel against it.

Purchase link for Remote:

https://amzn.to/2EOQCvZ

Excerpt

The beat of her heart pounded a symphony against her ribs. Adrenaline tripped through her veins. Wren stepped back, not sure whether to run or fight.

“Wait,” the stranger said. “I won’t turn you in. I’m out here too.”

He didn’t realize who Wren was. Yet. She did a quick assessment. No weapons. This man-boy appeared harmless in regulated baggy white New State sleepwear covering his tall, thin frame. She could see knobby elbows peeking out of the sleeves while a shock of bright blond hair radiated from his head like a lion’s mane. The diamond-shape port by his ear was almost hidden, but not quite.

A scowl forced a harsh line across her lips as she took a step closer. Wren should relieve him of his life now, but she’d never killed a New State citizen. The military had trained her to do so, and she’d disposed the abominations known as phantoms, but human life made her hesitate, especially after glancing at the boy who was roughly the same age. Innocence lived in his expression.

Angrily, she shook the thoughts away. Don’t delude yourself. He isn’t human. There’s a CHIP in his brain. She forced chilled fingers around the cold handle of a knife hidden inside her coat pocket. Watching and waiting, the weapon provided much needed courage.

Instead of being scared, the silly boy smiled and brushed the hair out of his shamrock-green eyes. His robotic voice was loud and jarring in the silence. “I’m Codex15111. What are you doing out?”

“Codex.” She tried out the strange name. “I could ask you the same thing.” Wren bounced lightly, ready to spring. She tried to hold his gaze, hoping to read his actions.

“Enjoying the night sky.” Each word was monotone. He refused to meet her eyes, his head tilted, gaze focused on the stars. “Beautiful, right?”

“Um hum.”

“I was waiting for you,” he said.

Silence built like an incoming wave. “Me?”

He looked at her quickly before lowering his eyes. “I think I saw you here before.”

The voice.

Questions exited Wren’s mouth as if they had a life of their own. “Aren’t you supposed to be hooked up, Codex? It is nighttime.” She emphasized the odd name. “Shouldn’t you be enjoying your alternate universe? Battles, booze, and boobs, or whatever perverted fantasy you want to live tonight?” Anger from being caught by a New State loser leaked into the words, but then Wren instantly regretted them. A citizen would never say anything negative against New State. She had to get control. No wonder her dad called her careless and impulsive.

“It’s not like that.” His slim shoulders hitched.

For the first time, his voice took on a more humanistic quality, sounding peeved.

She grunted in response. She knew nothing of the sort.

Codex15111 bright eyes narrowed to slits. “Wait, exactly what do you know? I mean, you’re with the rebels, right?”

Oh no. Wren’s thoughts careened. I have to kill him. “What rebels?”

“Everyone knows about the rebels.” His gaze focused on her clothes and backpack. He took a step back, but he didn’t flee. “You must be one.”

Wren’s feet refused to obey her swampy brain. She couldn’t form a coherent sentence. This wasn’t time for talk, but she felt ill prepared to fight. She'd never actually met a New Stater before because they were always hooked up. This one would not be quiet. Staring at the blathering man-boy, she stroked the handle of her knife. The ritual brought her calm and steadied her. She could kill him to make him shut up but curiosity got the best of her.

I’ll do it before I go. I have to kill him, right?