SYNOPSIS:
When the MK virus swept across the planet, a vaccine was created to stop the epidemic, but it came with some unexpected side effects. A small percentage of the population developed superhero-like powers. Seventeen-year-old Ciere Giba has the handy ability to change her appearance at will. She’s what’s known as an illusionist…She’s also a thief.

After a robbery goes awry, Ciere must team up with a group of fellow super-powered criminals on another job that most would consider too reckless. The formula for the vaccine that gave them their abilities was supposedly destroyed years ago. But what if it wasn’t?

The lines between good and bad, us and them, and freedom and entrapment are blurred as Ciere and the rest of her crew become embroiled in a deadly race against the government that could cost them their lives.

WHY SHOULD YOU CHECK IT OUT?
Superhero YA is certainly on the rise! This time, our heroes are villains, altered by medicine rather than radioactivity or solar emissions. In a world where celebrities are lambasting vaccines as the cause for autism, this is an interesting fictional take on where superpowers might come from.

The cover does a great job of having a gritty, noir atmosphere. With the searchlights and helicopters and urban setting, it’s almost easy to overlook that Ciere is clearly using her power on the side of the title there. It’s a really neat touch.

This is author Emily Lloyd-Jones’ debut novel. She “grew up on a vineyard in rural Oregon, where she played in evergreen forests and learned to fear sheep”. But with an English Degree and a Philadelphia publishing program under her belt, Emily is never far from books and writing: she even works at a bookstore by day!

EARLY REVIEWS SAY…
Lloyd-Jones relishes the details of criminal undertakings and con jobs but also builds a believable world of haves and have-nots, unaffected and immune. (Kirkus Reviews)

Multiple plot twists and the present-tense narrative heighten Ciere, Devon, and Daniel’s sense of paranoia as they struggle to survive in a world in which it is often difficult to tell the good guys from the bad guys. (School Library Journal)

NECESSARY DETAILS
YA Science Fiction
Hardcover & ebook, 416 pages
Published on July 15th 2014 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (ISBN 0316254568)
http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/emily-lloyd-jones/illusive/9781478900399/