(Review) LIFEL1K3

LIFEL1K3 by Jay Kristoff

Publication Date: May 29th, 2018

Pages: 416 (kindle)

Genre: Young Adult

My Goodreads Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis:
On an island junkyard beneath a sky that glows with radiation, a deadly secret lies buried in the scrap. Seventeen-year-old Eve isn't looking for trouble--she's too busy looking over her shoulder. The robot gladiator she spent months building has been reduced to a smoking wreck, she's on the local gangster's wanted list, and the only thing keeping her grandpa alive is the money she just lost to the bookies. Worst of all, she's discovered she can somehow destroy machines with the power of her mind, and a bunch of puritanical fanatics are building a coffin her size because of it. If she's ever had a worse day, Eve can't remember it. 

The problem is, Eve has had a worse day--one that lingers in her nightmares and the cybernetic implant where her memories used to be. Her discovery of a handsome android named Ezekiel--called a "Lifelike" because they resemble humans--will bring her world crashing down and make her question whether her entire life is a lie. With her best friend Lemon Fresh and her robotic sidekick Cricket in tow, Eve will trek across deserts of glass, battle unkillable bots, and infiltrate towering megacities to save the ones she loves...and learn the truth about the bloody secrets of her past.

My Review: 

It's been a while since I've fallen for a book. Normally when I find something that hooks me it's a fluffy YA or romance, so this was a great surprise. I haven't read any of Jay's other books, but I'm definitely in for this series, I know that! 

LIFEL1K3 starts with Eve, our main character, gambling all her money away on bot fighting.Only she's the one who has built the bot and is fighting in it. Her friends, Cricket and Lemon try to help her, but Eve still loses. Just as she's about to get crushed, something miraculous happens. The bot crumples with just a scream and an outstretched hand from Eve. 

Now, she's on everyone's hit list.  As she and Lemon scavenger a helicopter wreck and find the pilot with it's arm ripped off that also happens to be a "lifelike", the danger just gets thicker. When the lifelike turns out to be a friend, that knows Eve's grandfather (who has just been kidnapped by another lifelike), and the home that she knew is destroyed everything starts to unravel.  

As you learn more about Eve's past and her family, you start to understand a little of the life that she knows and of the life she can't remember. Eve's past is a big, sticky, bloody mess and Ezekiel holds many of the pieces. 

But he doesn't hold them all. 

Guys. This story is full of twists and turns. I feel like I can't even put a synopsis into words myself. With every chapter I learned something knew about Eve, Ezekiel, and literally every other character. This story is like an onion, peeling away each layer to get down deep. 

The ending left me shocked, a little upset, and absolutely wanting more. I can't wait to see how Eve's story plays out. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.