About the Book:
What if you found a way to compel someone to support your own ambitions?
But, all the while, this newly devoted follower continued to believe their own free will was intact?
Political advisor, Asha Kharjal, has mastered the mysterious science of directly manipulating the subconscious.
He can literally rewire us.
And for the good of mankind, he’s going to. Whether we like it or not.
MY REVIEW: Maddy
3 stars. This is a really interesting book. It’s very technical and because of that it is somewhat dry unless you have a deep love of the genre and can fathom half of what the author is talking about. Not much of the terms are explained and the reader is supposed to keep reading to make sense of whatever is confusing to you in the greater scheme of things. New characters are treated much the same. It’s not really a bad thing, don’t get me wrong, but it makes it difficult to stay engaged. The plot of the story’s very interesting and on some level enjoyable; I kind of wish one plot line had been picked over the other instead of tossing the reader back and forth. I felt they warred with each other a bit, but I think it’s a common practice with the genre type and since I don’t read these types of books that much, it could just be me.
What if you found a way to compel someone to support your own ambitions?
But, all the while, this newly devoted follower continued to believe their own free will was intact?
Political advisor, Asha Kharjal, has mastered the mysterious science of directly manipulating the subconscious.
He can literally rewire us.
And for the good of mankind, he’s going to. Whether we like it or not.
MY REVIEW: Maddy
3 stars. This is a really interesting book. It’s very technical and because of that it is somewhat dry unless you have a deep love of the genre and can fathom half of what the author is talking about. Not much of the terms are explained and the reader is supposed to keep reading to make sense of whatever is confusing to you in the greater scheme of things. New characters are treated much the same. It’s not really a bad thing, don’t get me wrong, but it makes it difficult to stay engaged. The plot of the story’s very interesting and on some level enjoyable; I kind of wish one plot line had been picked over the other instead of tossing the reader back and forth. I felt they warred with each other a bit, but I think it’s a common practice with the genre type and since I don’t read these types of books that much, it could just be me.
Rating: 2/5 Stars - Jessica
I really wanted to like this book. The synopsis drew me into reading the novel, but unfortunately I couldn’t stay hooked. I got about a third of the way through and couldn’t continue (and it’s rare for me to give up on a book, especially when doing a review of one). I didn’t understand the plot fully or how Asha could manipulate one’s subconscious. I didn’t grasp all the rules or techniques Asha used in his manipulation and training of others to aid him.
There were two separate plotlines occurring throughout the book that I assume would intertwine at some point, but I never made it there. Also, there were a decent amount of characters that I couldn’t keep straight because of the lack of traits unique to them. It was hard to connect to any of the characters because I didn’t feel I knew enough about them to establish a connection to root for one over the other.
I think this book has a lot of potential and will be the right fit for certain audiences. Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with the writing style and therefore wasn’t engaged enough with the plot or characters to continue reading. Perhaps one day, with a different mindset, I will return to Disconnected and form a different opinion!
Review, Rating 4/5 - Corinthia
“Disconnected” was a fascinating read that I couldn’t put down. Balancing between a Sci-Fi adventure with a dash of the fantastic the story delves deep into human connection and moral obligations. The story is told through two main protagonists, Asha and Sarah, who have very different lives. Asha is the leader of a group like cult who are manipulating the thoughts and emotions of politicians around them to create an utopianesque world, while Sarah is trapped in an underground medical experimentation group that’s trying to discover the cure for dementia. As the plot thickens these two character’s story ultimately end up overlapping and becoming interwoven with each other’s.
I mostly enjoyed “Disconnected” and its two main storylines, but I did find myself more inclined to take the time and invest myself into the lives of Asha and his acolytes. A majority of the characters in that setting seemed more fleshed out and their moral compasses were tested more often. It was fascinating to read and be a part of their lives as I saw some characters push the boundaries of their morals until they caved while others overcame their challenges, no matter how difficult, to stay true to what they believed. In contrast this made Sarah’s conflicts and storyline seem dull and underwhelming to read. However, this could be due to the fact that the amount of world building and explanation for the mind manipulation for Asha’s storyline was more refined than Sarah’s moral struggles and the Bio-medical portions.
Overall, I would recommend this book to those who love long stories that are mainly character centric with a great sense of world building. Nick Lloyd will deliver a writing style that is smooth and an experience that will rewire how you feel about the bio-thriller genre!
Review: 3 Stars - Larissa
Disconnected has an incredibly interesting premise which I had never come across before, which is why I took it on for review even though it is a departure from the kinds of things I usually read. I was intrigued, not only by the idea of humans having these subconscious connections with one another, but also how that idea would work in a thriller. Seeing the moral implications of being able to manipulate these connections playing out on a global political and corporate scale was fascinating. I also thought that Nick M. Lloyd did a great job interweaving the various storylines. They were all intricately connected (which I guess is appropriate given the premise) and tied up really well at the end. I thought the characters were also really strong and well-crafted. All of them exist within a sort of grey area morally, even - and especially, often - the idealistic ones. At times I'd find myself rooting for a character even though they had done awful things previously because all of them are multifaceted and live complicated lives.
Despite there being so much about this book I enjoyed, it took me a while to get into it. It wasn't that it was slow paced, but for some reason it took me longer than usual to get pulled into the story and the characters. It might have had something to do with much of the story being told through Asha's point of view, especially at the beginning. It made sense to have it be like that since he is the leader of those able to manipulate the subconscious and gives us a lot of the exposition. But I definitely got more into the story as I spent more time with the other characters. Also, even though the idea of the subconscious is explained really well for the most part, it still felt a little bit confusing at times. This could partially be because it is so well though out and elaborate, but I wonder if there could have been another way the anatomy and rules of the subconscious connections could have been explained that would have made it clearer.
Fans of science fiction should definitely check Disconnected out, but is crosses genres so well that readers of contemporary political and medical thrillers should enjoy it too.
I really wanted to like this book. The synopsis drew me into reading the novel, but unfortunately I couldn’t stay hooked. I got about a third of the way through and couldn’t continue (and it’s rare for me to give up on a book, especially when doing a review of one). I didn’t understand the plot fully or how Asha could manipulate one’s subconscious. I didn’t grasp all the rules or techniques Asha used in his manipulation and training of others to aid him.
There were two separate plotlines occurring throughout the book that I assume would intertwine at some point, but I never made it there. Also, there were a decent amount of characters that I couldn’t keep straight because of the lack of traits unique to them. It was hard to connect to any of the characters because I didn’t feel I knew enough about them to establish a connection to root for one over the other.
I think this book has a lot of potential and will be the right fit for certain audiences. Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with the writing style and therefore wasn’t engaged enough with the plot or characters to continue reading. Perhaps one day, with a different mindset, I will return to Disconnected and form a different opinion!
Review, Rating 4/5 - Corinthia
“Disconnected” was a fascinating read that I couldn’t put down. Balancing between a Sci-Fi adventure with a dash of the fantastic the story delves deep into human connection and moral obligations. The story is told through two main protagonists, Asha and Sarah, who have very different lives. Asha is the leader of a group like cult who are manipulating the thoughts and emotions of politicians around them to create an utopianesque world, while Sarah is trapped in an underground medical experimentation group that’s trying to discover the cure for dementia. As the plot thickens these two character’s story ultimately end up overlapping and becoming interwoven with each other’s.
I mostly enjoyed “Disconnected” and its two main storylines, but I did find myself more inclined to take the time and invest myself into the lives of Asha and his acolytes. A majority of the characters in that setting seemed more fleshed out and their moral compasses were tested more often. It was fascinating to read and be a part of their lives as I saw some characters push the boundaries of their morals until they caved while others overcame their challenges, no matter how difficult, to stay true to what they believed. In contrast this made Sarah’s conflicts and storyline seem dull and underwhelming to read. However, this could be due to the fact that the amount of world building and explanation for the mind manipulation for Asha’s storyline was more refined than Sarah’s moral struggles and the Bio-medical portions.
Overall, I would recommend this book to those who love long stories that are mainly character centric with a great sense of world building. Nick Lloyd will deliver a writing style that is smooth and an experience that will rewire how you feel about the bio-thriller genre!
Review: 3 Stars - Larissa
Disconnected has an incredibly interesting premise which I had never come across before, which is why I took it on for review even though it is a departure from the kinds of things I usually read. I was intrigued, not only by the idea of humans having these subconscious connections with one another, but also how that idea would work in a thriller. Seeing the moral implications of being able to manipulate these connections playing out on a global political and corporate scale was fascinating. I also thought that Nick M. Lloyd did a great job interweaving the various storylines. They were all intricately connected (which I guess is appropriate given the premise) and tied up really well at the end. I thought the characters were also really strong and well-crafted. All of them exist within a sort of grey area morally, even - and especially, often - the idealistic ones. At times I'd find myself rooting for a character even though they had done awful things previously because all of them are multifaceted and live complicated lives.
Despite there being so much about this book I enjoyed, it took me a while to get into it. It wasn't that it was slow paced, but for some reason it took me longer than usual to get pulled into the story and the characters. It might have had something to do with much of the story being told through Asha's point of view, especially at the beginning. It made sense to have it be like that since he is the leader of those able to manipulate the subconscious and gives us a lot of the exposition. But I definitely got more into the story as I spent more time with the other characters. Also, even though the idea of the subconscious is explained really well for the most part, it still felt a little bit confusing at times. This could partially be because it is so well though out and elaborate, but I wonder if there could have been another way the anatomy and rules of the subconscious connections could have been explained that would have made it clearer.
Fans of science fiction should definitely check Disconnected out, but is crosses genres so well that readers of contemporary political and medical thrillers should enjoy it too.
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