Speechless. OK, maybe a little more than speechless. Like "What?!!" I actually doubled checked to make sure I wasn't missing a page or anything. Yep. The first book in this new series by Mary Weber, The Evaporation of Sofi Snow ends with a major cliffhanger.  Cliffhanger makes me sad. It gets me angry. It makes me want to sought out the author right away and tell her, "how could you do this?!! When will book 2 be out?!" Instead, I held my tongue and my urge to bombard her on social media. Simply because I trust the author. I trust that the author of The Storm Siren Trilogy knows how to write and give me a story that completes what she started. So back to Sofi Snow. 

The Evaporation of Sofi Snow was on my radar the moment I heard about it, simply because of the author. Then when the cover came out, I just knew that I had to read it. And read it I did. Despite the cliffhanger, this is one fantastic read. If you're into the sci-fi or high fantasy genre, you will enjoy this. Fans of this genre will most likely fall in love with the world the author had built. The use of high-tech systems and video gaming references, and add in the sci-fi elements of aliens and artificial intelligence, brings this game/book to a whole new level.

In terms of characters, both our main characters, Sofi and Miguel were well developed. Both complicated with so many layers for readers to discover. Sofi's intelligent, resourceful, loyal and witty, while Miguel is a combination of mischievous and charming. Both great characters for readers to really side with. However, I have some hesitation on the many choices of these characters, particularly Sofi from what we've read. The ease of her decisions would not be something I particularly want to highlight in a novel for teens. Despite that as well, I trust the author to address it in a meaningful and explain the significance of Sofi's choices. I think with the last few scenes in this book, there are already some of that at play or it could just be my mind playing tricks on me.  The romance was pretty intense on the emotional level early on.

"The soft bloom of a love barely formed and the permanent reminder he'd plucked it and toss it aside like a cad.."

The sibling relationship between Sofi and Shilo is the crux of what brings everything together, but readers will pick up the many themes and messages that gives The Evaporation of Sofi Snow substance. Messages that relates to relationships - romance, sibling and parent/child will hit home to many of us on a personal level, but on a broad scope, human trafficking and political atmosphere frame this world that Mary Weber so thoughtfully created. It's subtle enough that some hoping for a lighter fare won't catch on, but for those that love to dig deeper, its presence's known.

Fast paced from the get go, The Evaporation of Sofi Snow brings readers on an intense ride. You may even feel like you're in the middle of a high stake fantasy video game. You'll wonder along with Sofi who can you trust in the world, even if the person is close to you. With underlying messages that relates more closely to the real world, this will be one story you won't be able to get it out of your head, at least until the next one's out.

". . . but if her weirdness had caught him, it was her innocence that stole him."

Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from the author/publisher. I was not required to write a positive review, and have not been compensated for this. This is my honest opinion.