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Assured Destruction #1
Assured Destruction
You can learn a lot about someone looking through their hard drive...
Sixteen-year-old Jan Rose knows that nothing is ever truly deleted. At least, not from the hard drives she scours to create the online identities she calls the Shadownet.
Hobby? Art form? Sad, pathetic plea to garner friendship, even virtually? Sure, Jan is guilty on all counts. Maybe she’s even addicted to it. It’s an exploration. Everyone has something to hide. The Shadownet’s hard drives are Jan’s secrets. They're stolen from her family’s computer recycling business Assured Destruction. If the police found out, Jan’s family would lose its livelihood.
When the real people behind Shadownet’s hard drives endure vicious cyber attacks, Jan realizes she is responsible. She doesn’t know who is targeting these people or why but as her life collapses Jan must use all her tech savvy to bring the perpetrators to justice before she becomes the next victim.
"Stewart offers up an engrossing read about hacking, computers, and the underbelly of the technological world. He has created a strong character in Jan, who the reader cheers on as she does all she can to save her friends and family. While the protagonist is a young woman, an older audience will still find much to enjoy in Jan’s journey."--Library Journal.
"A fun, fast-paced thriller guaranteed to distract teens from Facebook ..." --Kirkus Reviews
Sixteen-year-old Jan Rose knows that nothing is ever truly deleted. At least, not from the hard drives she scours to create the online identities she calls the Shadownet.
Hobby? Art form? Sad, pathetic plea to garner friendship, even virtually? Sure, Jan is guilty on all counts. Maybe she’s even addicted to it. It’s an exploration. Everyone has something to hide. The Shadownet’s hard drives are Jan’s secrets. They're stolen from her family’s computer recycling business Assured Destruction. If the police found out, Jan’s family would lose its livelihood.
When the real people behind Shadownet’s hard drives endure vicious cyber attacks, Jan realizes she is responsible. She doesn’t know who is targeting these people or why but as her life collapses Jan must use all her tech savvy to bring the perpetrators to justice before she becomes the next victim.
"Stewart offers up an engrossing read about hacking, computers, and the underbelly of the technological world. He has created a strong character in Jan, who the reader cheers on as she does all she can to save her friends and family. While the protagonist is a young woman, an older audience will still find much to enjoy in Jan’s journey."--Library Journal.
"A fun, fast-paced thriller guaranteed to distract teens from Facebook ..." --Kirkus Reviews
185 pages, Paperback
First published March 22, 2013
15 people are currently reading
888 people want to read
About the author
Michael F. Stewart
18 books267 followersMichael F. Stewart has authored over two dozen books for kids and young adults. With works ranging from interactive digital epics and graphic novels to humorous middle grade and surreal young adult novels, Michael enjoys stretching the limits on his storytelling and working with other authors young and old to tell their stories. He has an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives in Ottawa with his partner, four daughters, a cat, and a dog.
To learn more about Michael and his next projects visit his website.
To learn more about Michael and his next projects visit his website.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 91 reviews
April 20, 2013
***I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
We are all guilty of doing things we're not supposed to do.
Janus Rose, a computer genius knows that but doesn't know how and when to stop..why would she? if you we're given a chance to uncover anyone's secret and know him/her intimately through his/her hard drive..would you grab it? Well, Janus did..and that's when the fun and chaos started.
Janus, our girl is a kick-ass computer whiz, she's powerful with just a laptop and an internet connection. I totally want to be her :P she's a cool kid with great ideas, I loved how independent she is, she can totally solve her own problems and she's not a drama queen unlike most of the girls of her age.
I absolutely enjoyed reading Assured Destruction. It made me realize on a deeper level how the internet.. can be use as a weapon to destroy someone else life. How a small joke or a picture can be so destructing. All in All Assured Destruction is a book worth reading and recommending :)
We are all guilty of doing things we're not supposed to do.
Janus Rose, a computer genius knows that but doesn't know how and when to stop..why would she? if you we're given a chance to uncover anyone's secret and know him/her intimately through his/her hard drive..would you grab it? Well, Janus did..and that's when the fun and chaos started.
Janus, our girl is a kick-ass computer whiz, she's powerful with just a laptop and an internet connection. I totally want to be her :P she's a cool kid with great ideas, I loved how independent she is, she can totally solve her own problems and she's not a drama queen unlike most of the girls of her age.
I absolutely enjoyed reading Assured Destruction. It made me realize on a deeper level how the internet.. can be use as a weapon to destroy someone else life. How a small joke or a picture can be so destructing. All in All Assured Destruction is a book worth reading and recommending :)
April 21, 2013
I would like to give a big THANK YOU to the very talented author of Assured destruction Mr. Michael F. Stewart for providing me with this amazing book in exchange for an honest review. I have to say, of all the books I have read to review, this has been the best.
To begin with the actual review, I have to say, I do not have a single complaint with the writing style, logic or the pace. The story is fun, intelligent and thrilling.
The story is set in modern day Ottawa, Canada. Janus, the lead, is a 16 year old computer genius who works in her mother’s company Assured Destruction which is aimed at recycling old computers and their complementary parts and most importantly shredding hard drives and the secrets they hold. Janus’s mom suffers from Multiple sclerosis and requires a wheel chair to move around. Janus’s world is more exciting online than offline. Online she has built a family for herself by saving hard drives from the shredder and names it Shadownet since it’s a shadow of real people but the posts are all her. She seems to have quite the following.
One day Janus acquires the hard drive of a boy from her school. Jonny is a guy who has been showing interest in Janus since a couple of years and the idea of invading his secrets excite her. Her decision to view the contents of that drive lead to consequent events that cause her online family to crumble. In addition, her classmates whose personas are involved in her online creation Shadownet are strangely affected due to contents hidden in their hard drives which cause Janus to believe someone knows about Shadownet and is targeting her for some reason.
These suspicions are further confirmed when her accounts are hacked and messed with.
While Janus struggles to accept her mom’s new relationship with a retired Internet Security analyst Peter she also needs to sort out her own confused feelings for both Jonny and the very hot Karl. How she tracks the person that’s trying to destroy her and her mother’s business, Who she finally picks as her true love, Whether she mends her relationship with her mom and most importantly where Janus’s life is heading? All these form the rest of the story.
I finished this book in a day and was very impressed. Some of the technical information may be difficult to understand for a layman but the plot is still very juicy and high on suspense. The author has given a very decent teen suspense cum (mild) romance novel and can be read by people of all ages. Of course some may disagree with me because of mentions of child porn sites, but the plot supports elimination of such sites so I think it would promote a good message rather than an evil one.
Finally I would end by declaring Assured Destruction as a Must read to anyone who likes a good book and great writing. It made me forget about guessing the plot and letting the story take over. Not a minute of it was boring so please try this one! I am very eagerly waiting for the next book in this series. I am sure Mr. Michael F. Stewart would throw another masterpiece at us!
To begin with the actual review, I have to say, I do not have a single complaint with the writing style, logic or the pace. The story is fun, intelligent and thrilling.
The story is set in modern day Ottawa, Canada. Janus, the lead, is a 16 year old computer genius who works in her mother’s company Assured Destruction which is aimed at recycling old computers and their complementary parts and most importantly shredding hard drives and the secrets they hold. Janus’s mom suffers from Multiple sclerosis and requires a wheel chair to move around. Janus’s world is more exciting online than offline. Online she has built a family for herself by saving hard drives from the shredder and names it Shadownet since it’s a shadow of real people but the posts are all her. She seems to have quite the following.
One day Janus acquires the hard drive of a boy from her school. Jonny is a guy who has been showing interest in Janus since a couple of years and the idea of invading his secrets excite her. Her decision to view the contents of that drive lead to consequent events that cause her online family to crumble. In addition, her classmates whose personas are involved in her online creation Shadownet are strangely affected due to contents hidden in their hard drives which cause Janus to believe someone knows about Shadownet and is targeting her for some reason.
These suspicions are further confirmed when her accounts are hacked and messed with.
While Janus struggles to accept her mom’s new relationship with a retired Internet Security analyst Peter she also needs to sort out her own confused feelings for both Jonny and the very hot Karl. How she tracks the person that’s trying to destroy her and her mother’s business, Who she finally picks as her true love, Whether she mends her relationship with her mom and most importantly where Janus’s life is heading? All these form the rest of the story.
I finished this book in a day and was very impressed. Some of the technical information may be difficult to understand for a layman but the plot is still very juicy and high on suspense. The author has given a very decent teen suspense cum (mild) romance novel and can be read by people of all ages. Of course some may disagree with me because of mentions of child porn sites, but the plot supports elimination of such sites so I think it would promote a good message rather than an evil one.
Finally I would end by declaring Assured Destruction as a Must read to anyone who likes a good book and great writing. It made me forget about guessing the plot and letting the story take over. Not a minute of it was boring so please try this one! I am very eagerly waiting for the next book in this series. I am sure Mr. Michael F. Stewart would throw another masterpiece at us!
June 30, 2013
What a sweet little read this was.
For one thing, Janus is such a refreshing and complex character. She's a computer-geek, who despite being super-smart is failing. She's obsessed with Shadownet, her creation, listening and responding to the clever voices she has created. This YA has the obligatory who-do-I-love triangle, but it's understandable and real (even if I think she goes for the wrong guy).
She's done wrong and she gets punished - in more ways than one. It was fantastic, the way the tale weaves through her wrong-doing and how she knows it's wrong but doesn't know, not really. She knows that people will probably be hurt, and then they are and she feels terrible. But she redeems herself, in her own way.
I loved the twist at the end - I certainly did NOT see that coming.
For one thing, Janus is such a refreshing and complex character. She's a computer-geek, who despite being super-smart is failing. She's obsessed with Shadownet, her creation, listening and responding to the clever voices she has created. This YA has the obligatory who-do-I-love triangle, but it's understandable and real (even if I think she goes for the wrong guy).
She's done wrong and she gets punished - in more ways than one. It was fantastic, the way the tale weaves through her wrong-doing and how she knows it's wrong but doesn't know, not really. She knows that people will probably be hurt, and then they are and she feels terrible. But she redeems herself, in her own way.
I loved the twist at the end - I certainly did NOT see that coming.
March 7, 2013
I really loved the story and enjoyed it enormously, even it is a little bit out of my genre ,as i usually read only fantasy.
But i didn't feel the lack of magic or paranormal bits at all,because the overall feel of the atmosphere is very urban-fantasy-like : a very strong and kick ass heroine,a romance triangle (in a good way cause the girl isn't wining and rethinking all the time who to choose she is just questioning her self about her reactions to the boys),a unknown high-tech villain,an urban environment with a lot of nowadays tech terms and language(which the writer explains quite well for the less knowing readers,and he dose it in a good way,not like talking to children in the 1.grade like some do..).
So..yes,i recommend it a lot ,it is a crazy page turner and has no cliffhanger (which is as well a big plus from me) and i am definitely going to read something more from this author :)
I received the book from AToMR Tours in exchange for a honest review.
The review will be posted on my blog Una dressed in Books and on amazon soon.
Excerpt:
To really get invested I need a visual. Jonny requires some way to represent him on the screen that isn’t a real picture of him. This will be Jonny’s avatar, like Heckleena’s screaming lips or Frannie’s doll head. You get the idea.
I slip the same picture I sent to Heckleena into an application that takes images and turns them into cartoons. I tap the desk, waiting for the result. With a little Ta-Da! sound, the caricature pops on to the screen and I gasp. The cartoon that looks back at me is … well … hot. Not even cute: hot.
The program melded Jonny’s shaggy hair and gave a twinkle to his deep brown eyes. Maybe the spark was always there and I just didn’t see it? With a face clear of blemishes, he doesn’t look so foolish; full lips curve in a smile more wicked than silly.
I set the image as his background and screensaver. I catch myself staring and shake my head. It’ll represent him on his social media accounts too. Before I create those, though, he must have a screen name … um … Imsohot? Mr. Jonny Rose? Touch-him-and-die? I need to research this.
At the heart of any profile is the username and avatar I choose. Sometimes I go with my gut, what I need it to be, but other times like this one I try to understand the person within the bits and bytes. I delve back into his files. My first stop are his photos and videos. He’s got a billion pictures, mostly of graffiti, and I imagine him being some sort of gangster. Maybe the school is his turf and he deals drugs to support his family? Speaking of which, he has a little sister. She’s all of three feet tall, freckled, and her mop of hair is even longer than his. She looks happy in a grubby, I get to roll in mud sort of way.
The latest shots are from the summer, nothing more recent. What happened a few of months ago? There are no pics of Foxy Lady either. She’s probably the type who’s never home or ignores the kids. But this is about Jonny and his new home— trapped on Shadownet. Jonny the … gangster? No, that’s not quite right.
I click on a video and clap my palm over my mouth. Jonny sits at a picnic table and strums a guitar. He’s not great and the guitar is out of tune, but his voice is clear and strong. So he’s into music—and a lot of the same groups I enjoy. I scan his Internet cache and see he’s on some music forums, likes horror movies. His browsing history ended three months ago, too. It must have been when he received his new computer.
So, music, horror, graffiti. Somehow Jonny the Jester doesn’t fit the cute guy staring out at me. I avert my eyes from his gaze, know it’s ridiculous, and so force myself to stare back. Jonny, Jonny … hmmm. I start humming the tune he was singing using his name as the only lyric.
But i didn't feel the lack of magic or paranormal bits at all,because the overall feel of the atmosphere is very urban-fantasy-like : a very strong and kick ass heroine,a romance triangle (in a good way cause the girl isn't wining and rethinking all the time who to choose she is just questioning her self about her reactions to the boys),a unknown high-tech villain,an urban environment with a lot of nowadays tech terms and language(which the writer explains quite well for the less knowing readers,and he dose it in a good way,not like talking to children in the 1.grade like some do..).
So..yes,i recommend it a lot ,it is a crazy page turner and has no cliffhanger (which is as well a big plus from me) and i am definitely going to read something more from this author :)
I received the book from AToMR Tours in exchange for a honest review.
The review will be posted on my blog Una dressed in Books and on amazon soon.
Excerpt:
To really get invested I need a visual. Jonny requires some way to represent him on the screen that isn’t a real picture of him. This will be Jonny’s avatar, like Heckleena’s screaming lips or Frannie’s doll head. You get the idea.
I slip the same picture I sent to Heckleena into an application that takes images and turns them into cartoons. I tap the desk, waiting for the result. With a little Ta-Da! sound, the caricature pops on to the screen and I gasp. The cartoon that looks back at me is … well … hot. Not even cute: hot.
The program melded Jonny’s shaggy hair and gave a twinkle to his deep brown eyes. Maybe the spark was always there and I just didn’t see it? With a face clear of blemishes, he doesn’t look so foolish; full lips curve in a smile more wicked than silly.
I set the image as his background and screensaver. I catch myself staring and shake my head. It’ll represent him on his social media accounts too. Before I create those, though, he must have a screen name … um … Imsohot? Mr. Jonny Rose? Touch-him-and-die? I need to research this.
At the heart of any profile is the username and avatar I choose. Sometimes I go with my gut, what I need it to be, but other times like this one I try to understand the person within the bits and bytes. I delve back into his files. My first stop are his photos and videos. He’s got a billion pictures, mostly of graffiti, and I imagine him being some sort of gangster. Maybe the school is his turf and he deals drugs to support his family? Speaking of which, he has a little sister. She’s all of three feet tall, freckled, and her mop of hair is even longer than his. She looks happy in a grubby, I get to roll in mud sort of way.
The latest shots are from the summer, nothing more recent. What happened a few of months ago? There are no pics of Foxy Lady either. She’s probably the type who’s never home or ignores the kids. But this is about Jonny and his new home— trapped on Shadownet. Jonny the … gangster? No, that’s not quite right.
I click on a video and clap my palm over my mouth. Jonny sits at a picnic table and strums a guitar. He’s not great and the guitar is out of tune, but his voice is clear and strong. So he’s into music—and a lot of the same groups I enjoy. I scan his Internet cache and see he’s on some music forums, likes horror movies. His browsing history ended three months ago, too. It must have been when he received his new computer.
So, music, horror, graffiti. Somehow Jonny the Jester doesn’t fit the cute guy staring out at me. I avert my eyes from his gaze, know it’s ridiculous, and so force myself to stare back. Jonny, Jonny … hmmm. I start humming the tune he was singing using his name as the only lyric.
February 4, 2018
I received this book through the group Shut Up & Read's Read it and Reap program. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an review.
My Rating: 5.0/5.0
First Impression: I really loved Jan and I had an instant attachment to her. She just has such a quirky personality that you can’t help but love. Also, I felt so bad for Johnny, because I really wanted him to be happy and with Jan. They would be so cute together. As for their relationship, you’ll have to read it to find out…
More In-Depth
Overall the story flows smoothly until you have reached the end of the book. When I was fifty or so pages to the end, I wouldn’t put it down. I had to know what happened. This book mostly resembles a Technology-Mystery book. I love figuring out mysteries and I have gotten pretty good at it, but this book kept me guessing. I never knew what would be thrown at me next. And I especially enjoyed that. The book had no errors in it that I saw.
One of the things that surprised me about this book was how convincing Jan’s narration was. I know many authors write across genders; however, I really enjoyed this author’s “gender swap”. He is able to capture the girl essence in the character so well, that it doesn’t feel like a man had written this story. It feels like Jan wrote the story.
The avatars that Jan controls are all separate entities, but they all add up to Jan. Each one is a part of her that she created from tidbits of others’ lives, but continued through her own. My favorite would have to be Heckleena and Gumps. Gumps is just so wise and he feels like a giant computer Teddy Bear. Heckleena was just awesome; she made me laugh and chuckle countless times. She’s like me, we like to heckle people.
This book had a bunch of developing relationships. At first, I didn’t like Ellie, and by the end, I REALLY didn’t like Ellie. She’s like that one girl in High School who has to be perfect but she just isn’t. She just gets annoying and then you can’t deal with her anymore. She also has the rich-snob-pretty girl attitude. I liked Hannah, she was a nice secondary character who you couldn’t help but feel bad for, but you were also happy for her at the same time. Jan develops some love interests and I didn’t like the one she was originally leaning towards. In the end, I think she made the right choice.
I really enjoyed this book and it will absolutely be on my favorites shelf. The end of the book leads to there being a sequel or even a series? Which I think is a great idea. This book can definitely stand on its own, but I would love to know what mischief Jan gets into next.
My Rating: 5.0/5.0
First Impression: I really loved Jan and I had an instant attachment to her. She just has such a quirky personality that you can’t help but love. Also, I felt so bad for Johnny, because I really wanted him to be happy and with Jan. They would be so cute together. As for their relationship, you’ll have to read it to find out…
More In-Depth
Overall the story flows smoothly until you have reached the end of the book. When I was fifty or so pages to the end, I wouldn’t put it down. I had to know what happened. This book mostly resembles a Technology-Mystery book. I love figuring out mysteries and I have gotten pretty good at it, but this book kept me guessing. I never knew what would be thrown at me next. And I especially enjoyed that. The book had no errors in it that I saw.
One of the things that surprised me about this book was how convincing Jan’s narration was. I know many authors write across genders; however, I really enjoyed this author’s “gender swap”. He is able to capture the girl essence in the character so well, that it doesn’t feel like a man had written this story. It feels like Jan wrote the story.
The avatars that Jan controls are all separate entities, but they all add up to Jan. Each one is a part of her that she created from tidbits of others’ lives, but continued through her own. My favorite would have to be Heckleena and Gumps. Gumps is just so wise and he feels like a giant computer Teddy Bear. Heckleena was just awesome; she made me laugh and chuckle countless times. She’s like me, we like to heckle people.
This book had a bunch of developing relationships. At first, I didn’t like Ellie, and by the end, I REALLY didn’t like Ellie. She’s like that one girl in High School who has to be perfect but she just isn’t. She just gets annoying and then you can’t deal with her anymore. She also has the rich-snob-pretty girl attitude. I liked Hannah, she was a nice secondary character who you couldn’t help but feel bad for, but you were also happy for her at the same time. Jan develops some love interests and I didn’t like the one she was originally leaning towards. In the end, I think she made the right choice.
I really enjoyed this book and it will absolutely be on my favorites shelf. The end of the book leads to there being a sequel or even a series? Which I think is a great idea. This book can definitely stand on its own, but I would love to know what mischief Jan gets into next.
August 7, 2013
Assured Destruction is about Jan, a 16-year-old girl who turns to computer hacking after her mom is wheelchair bound and her dad leaves. What she does with the hard drives she gets from her mom's business, and what she creates out of her brilliant mind, is amazing. I freaking love Jan. She rocks! However, this is more than just a smart teen who's hurting and bored. Jan represents teens who are addicted to Facebook, Twitter, online games, apps, texting, I Phones, etc. Assured Destruction is fun, funny, sad, alarming, realistic, and very imaginative. Assured Destruction is what could very well happen to teens whose lives revolve around their computers. It has excellent detail and depth. Assured Destruction is current, fresh, and outstanding, especially for teenagers. It is PERFECT for young adults.
There is depth to this story. The characters are just right. I feel as if a teen wrote this! The mystery is superb. I didn't figure it out and, since I was so immersed in Jan's world, I didn't care! The thrill is addicting. The relationships are wonderful. The writing is so brilliant. The ending is excellent. I love Jan's progression, her relationship with her mom, and her decisions at the end. Love it. Teens need to read this. Movies should start now. It's all just perfect. Way ahead of its time, yes. Still, I LOVE IT. From start to finish, simply love it. I can't wait for book two!
There is depth to this story. The characters are just right. I feel as if a teen wrote this! The mystery is superb. I didn't figure it out and, since I was so immersed in Jan's world, I didn't care! The thrill is addicting. The relationships are wonderful. The writing is so brilliant. The ending is excellent. I love Jan's progression, her relationship with her mom, and her decisions at the end. Love it. Teens need to read this. Movies should start now. It's all just perfect. Way ahead of its time, yes. Still, I LOVE IT. From start to finish, simply love it. I can't wait for book two!
March 12, 2013
This book was awesome! It has a strong female lead character who is a really rad and talented hacker which happens i books, like never.
I also loved that it is written in this really cool way that incorporates a lot of social media talk. It made it feel really modern and accessible to young people.
It also has enough intricate computery stuff that I think readers who actually know about computers would feel engaged but is written about it a way that less hackerish readers like myself would not feel completely alienated/out of the loop.
Anyway, I for sure recommend this book for teen girls but it also is definitely not just a "girl book" (for the record, I cringe at the phrases "girl book" and "boy book" because I don't think anything is a girl book or a boy book, but a lot of people talk in those terms and will not recommend a book to boys if they think its a girl book, so I find it a useful category to use when telling someone a book defies those terms)
I also loved that it is written in this really cool way that incorporates a lot of social media talk. It made it feel really modern and accessible to young people.
It also has enough intricate computery stuff that I think readers who actually know about computers would feel engaged but is written about it a way that less hackerish readers like myself would not feel completely alienated/out of the loop.
Anyway, I for sure recommend this book for teen girls but it also is definitely not just a "girl book" (for the record, I cringe at the phrases "girl book" and "boy book" because I don't think anything is a girl book or a boy book, but a lot of people talk in those terms and will not recommend a book to boys if they think its a girl book, so I find it a useful category to use when telling someone a book defies those terms)
April 8, 2013
First I want to thank the author Michael F Stewart for providing me a copy of his work for an honest and impartial review, second I want to say WOW! I just finished the last page of Assured Destruction and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series! I’m not a big computer guru, but the author had me captivated from the get-go.
Assured Destruction…the name of a computer recycling company…also the meaning of completely erasing ones hard drive. Did you know there are special machines that just tear apart ones hard drive like a paper shredder? Honestly, I never really thought of it before and now I would love to see one in action. Well, the main character of this story, Janus, is a teen computer genius hacker extraordinaire. She can do things that make her teachers envious. This story tells you what could happen if you don’t do something that you should have done in a way that keeps you glued to the pages.
I’m a computer user. Don’t ask me how to program one, don’t ask me about binary codes, I’m the hands on type. Give me something, don’t give me a manual and let’s see what I can do with it. You do not need a computer science degree to follow along with this story because the author guides you along so well that you actually start to know what he’s talking about.
This was a refreshing YA read. You don’t feel dumbed down to, you aren’t caught up in romantic teenage angst and you don’t want to strangle the characters for their behaviors. Like I said, refreshing! You root for Janus, while also wanting to ask her what the heck she was thinking in the first place, but knowing that she’s past that point, you are straight back at rooting for her and you feel like you are right there with her the entire time instead of feeling like an outsider looking in or a third wheel. Oh, and when you think you know who’s doing everything to her, there is a twist and you are on to your next suspect.
What didn’t I like? Hmmmm….I’m thinking….you know what? I can’t think of a single thing that I didn’t like. All the characters were well done, descriptions were in place perfectly, and the storyline wasn’t faulty at all. Oh, I know…I don’t’ like that I have to wait until July for book 2! I’ve put it on my “to be read” list and will jump on it as soon as it’s available.
Who do I recommend this to? Everyone from the age of 14 on up. Why not younger? There is a reference to a naked female pic of a high school teen being posted which than refers to child pornography but goes no further into description than that. Unfortunately, it’s something that’s been happening more and more with teens in the age of cell phones, texting, etc. I also recommend this to anyone that likes a good mystery. Assured Destruction will not let you down!
Assured Destruction…the name of a computer recycling company…also the meaning of completely erasing ones hard drive. Did you know there are special machines that just tear apart ones hard drive like a paper shredder? Honestly, I never really thought of it before and now I would love to see one in action. Well, the main character of this story, Janus, is a teen computer genius hacker extraordinaire. She can do things that make her teachers envious. This story tells you what could happen if you don’t do something that you should have done in a way that keeps you glued to the pages.
I’m a computer user. Don’t ask me how to program one, don’t ask me about binary codes, I’m the hands on type. Give me something, don’t give me a manual and let’s see what I can do with it. You do not need a computer science degree to follow along with this story because the author guides you along so well that you actually start to know what he’s talking about.
This was a refreshing YA read. You don’t feel dumbed down to, you aren’t caught up in romantic teenage angst and you don’t want to strangle the characters for their behaviors. Like I said, refreshing! You root for Janus, while also wanting to ask her what the heck she was thinking in the first place, but knowing that she’s past that point, you are straight back at rooting for her and you feel like you are right there with her the entire time instead of feeling like an outsider looking in or a third wheel. Oh, and when you think you know who’s doing everything to her, there is a twist and you are on to your next suspect.
What didn’t I like? Hmmmm….I’m thinking….you know what? I can’t think of a single thing that I didn’t like. All the characters were well done, descriptions were in place perfectly, and the storyline wasn’t faulty at all. Oh, I know…I don’t’ like that I have to wait until July for book 2! I’ve put it on my “to be read” list and will jump on it as soon as it’s available.
Who do I recommend this to? Everyone from the age of 14 on up. Why not younger? There is a reference to a naked female pic of a high school teen being posted which than refers to child pornography but goes no further into description than that. Unfortunately, it’s something that’s been happening more and more with teens in the age of cell phones, texting, etc. I also recommend this to anyone that likes a good mystery. Assured Destruction will not let you down!
April 24, 2013
Rating: 4.5 stars
Janus (Jan) Rose shoulders a lot of responsibility at the young age of sixteen. She not only takes care of her mother, who suffers from MS, but she spends many hours working at the family business... Assured Destruction, a computer recycling business.
When costumers come in with computers, Jan sees a wealth of possibility and creates her own world--Shadownet. There she creates caricatures of people she knows based on school experience and, when she's lucky enough to get her hands on it, their own hard drives.
But then the real people behind her creations become victims of cyber attacks. Did someone manage to hack the hacker? As she pieces together the clues, Jan's life starts to spin out of control. Can she fix the mess she innocently started? Even if she can, will she be labeled a criminal?
Jan is a surprisingly deep character, one searching for answers through her own creations. Those Twitter creations are both hilarious and informative, helping to define who our heroine really is. Beyond typical teenage issues, she's caring for an ailing mom who decides it's time to start online dating.
In addition to memorable characters, the plot is fast-paced and entertaining. Full of twists and turns, the who of the who-done-it surprised me. By the end, I was glad to know this was the first book of a series. I can't wait to see what kind of trouble Jan can get herself into next time.
I highly recommend Assured Destruction to readers who appreciate a page-turner with a litany of characters to care about. This generation has an interesting connection to all things electronic--even their social scene has gone viral thanks to social media. It's the perfect backdrop for modern teen stories, and Michael Stewart crafts a world where even the computer characters are three-dimensional.
Note: I received a complimentary copy for review purposes. A positive review was not requested or guaranteed; the opinions expressed are my own.
Janus (Jan) Rose shoulders a lot of responsibility at the young age of sixteen. She not only takes care of her mother, who suffers from MS, but she spends many hours working at the family business... Assured Destruction, a computer recycling business.
When costumers come in with computers, Jan sees a wealth of possibility and creates her own world--Shadownet. There she creates caricatures of people she knows based on school experience and, when she's lucky enough to get her hands on it, their own hard drives.
But then the real people behind her creations become victims of cyber attacks. Did someone manage to hack the hacker? As she pieces together the clues, Jan's life starts to spin out of control. Can she fix the mess she innocently started? Even if she can, will she be labeled a criminal?
Jan is a surprisingly deep character, one searching for answers through her own creations. Those Twitter creations are both hilarious and informative, helping to define who our heroine really is. Beyond typical teenage issues, she's caring for an ailing mom who decides it's time to start online dating.
In addition to memorable characters, the plot is fast-paced and entertaining. Full of twists and turns, the who of the who-done-it surprised me. By the end, I was glad to know this was the first book of a series. I can't wait to see what kind of trouble Jan can get herself into next time.
I highly recommend Assured Destruction to readers who appreciate a page-turner with a litany of characters to care about. This generation has an interesting connection to all things electronic--even their social scene has gone viral thanks to social media. It's the perfect backdrop for modern teen stories, and Michael Stewart crafts a world where even the computer characters are three-dimensional.
Note: I received a complimentary copy for review purposes. A positive review was not requested or guaranteed; the opinions expressed are my own.
April 17, 2013
I loved this book!
Review originally posted on The Page Turners
This book was amazing! The characters were so well described that I got lost in this book quite a few times.
Michael did a great job at describing this world of technology and this main character that was brave, strong, cocky......basically, a sort of character that you wish was you. In this book, we are introduced to Janus (Jan for sort). She is a cocky sixteen-year-old that is obsessed in this world of computers and technology.
To be honest, I don't enjoy books that has a lot of technology. But somehow, this book cracked my skinny nut completely.
I love the world that Michael created, his way of showing how all of the computer geeks are living. And, I find it VERY cool! I love the way Michael turned this innocent computer world of Janus into a big situation. It's very hard creating up a technology world and using all of those long big words to describe them. But Michael did an amazing job at it.
And I also have to say, THE COVER IS AMAZING! It looks so cool!!
So Janus is basically a geek who loves her computers. And since she has no 'real' friends, she creates her own ones. She even created a website for people to chat on. And I WISH she could teach me how to use photoshop. I'm crap at it. Lol.
I love the way Janus was smarter than anybody else even though they all thought that she was a freak. And as you all know, I am a sucker for romance. In this book, there is a tiny love triangle. Thankfully, the love-romance thing didn't get in the way of Michael building up the tech world, and I find that very hard. But Michael managed it.
Urgh!! How I loveee Johnnnyyyyy!!!! (That's all I'm revealing)
So overall, I love this book. You have to check it out! If you don't, I'll hack your computer and Janus will teach me how to photoshop every personal pictures you have. JOKING!!
Review originally posted on The Page Turners
This book was amazing! The characters were so well described that I got lost in this book quite a few times.
Michael did a great job at describing this world of technology and this main character that was brave, strong, cocky......basically, a sort of character that you wish was you. In this book, we are introduced to Janus (Jan for sort). She is a cocky sixteen-year-old that is obsessed in this world of computers and technology.
To be honest, I don't enjoy books that has a lot of technology. But somehow, this book cracked my skinny nut completely.
I love the world that Michael created, his way of showing how all of the computer geeks are living. And, I find it VERY cool! I love the way Michael turned this innocent computer world of Janus into a big situation. It's very hard creating up a technology world and using all of those long big words to describe them. But Michael did an amazing job at it.
And I also have to say, THE COVER IS AMAZING! It looks so cool!!
So Janus is basically a geek who loves her computers. And since she has no 'real' friends, she creates her own ones. She even created a website for people to chat on. And I WISH she could teach me how to use photoshop. I'm crap at it. Lol.
I love the way Janus was smarter than anybody else even though they all thought that she was a freak. And as you all know, I am a sucker for romance. In this book, there is a tiny love triangle. Thankfully, the love-romance thing didn't get in the way of Michael building up the tech world, and I find that very hard. But Michael managed it.
Urgh!! How I loveee Johnnnyyyyy!!!! (That's all I'm revealing)
So overall, I love this book. You have to check it out! If you don't, I'll hack your computer and Janus will teach me how to photoshop every personal pictures you have. JOKING!!
May 15, 2014
Review also posted at Ja čitam, a ti?
Here is the thing. We all have some dream personalities we want to be and professions or things we want to learn so when you think about that one of mine is actually hacking. I have no idea why but I always wanted to learn that. I generally am good with technology and all that but hacking is a world I'd love to discover. So Assured Destruction always appealed to me and it was high time to get to it.
Like I said Jan is someone whose abilities I wish to have. She is one with computer, networking and programming and I admired her easiness while coding and creating new characters. Even though her addiction was sometimes hard to understand still with her mother's disability and everything she has to deal with it was a place where she could be herself. Despite her skills soon she realizes that this world is much bigger and cruel and that virtual and real world often don't have boundaries.
Jan is a character who I liked while seeing her in front of computer as I could understand her then, only problem for me is when outside of virtual world I couldn't connect with her. There were many gaps in her life which disabled me of understanding her views and attitude towards others. Also too many gaps in her feelings so I never knew which guy is she thinking of and this kind of love triangle didn't help me with it.
But all in all, it was an interesting world to be in for a while and I will be seeing Jan soon again.
Here is the thing. We all have some dream personalities we want to be and professions or things we want to learn so when you think about that one of mine is actually hacking. I have no idea why but I always wanted to learn that. I generally am good with technology and all that but hacking is a world I'd love to discover. So Assured Destruction always appealed to me and it was high time to get to it.
Like I said Jan is someone whose abilities I wish to have. She is one with computer, networking and programming and I admired her easiness while coding and creating new characters. Even though her addiction was sometimes hard to understand still with her mother's disability and everything she has to deal with it was a place where she could be herself. Despite her skills soon she realizes that this world is much bigger and cruel and that virtual and real world often don't have boundaries.
Jan is a character who I liked while seeing her in front of computer as I could understand her then, only problem for me is when outside of virtual world I couldn't connect with her. There were many gaps in her life which disabled me of understanding her views and attitude towards others. Also too many gaps in her feelings so I never knew which guy is she thinking of and this kind of love triangle didn't help me with it.
But all in all, it was an interesting world to be in for a while and I will be seeing Jan soon again.
March 29, 2013
I received a free download of "Assured Destruction" by Michael F. Stewart, to read on my Kindle in exchange for my honest review.
Janus Rose, teenager and her mom run Assured Destruction, a computer recycling business.Together they operate a warehouse store, collecting a fee for the drop off of TV's, computers and electronics.Here Janus is responsible for deleting the hard drives, to prevent theft of confidential data, and recycle versus shredding of the computer.For Assured Destruction, they offer a certificate to the client.Janus works a mininum of three to four hours a day before homework, more on weekends. She doesn't get paid.Her mother suffers from MS,and Janus is needed to make ends meet. What her mother doesn’t know is that she’s taken hard drives of some of her friends recycled computers and created her very own network called Shadownet.
Janus is a computer whiz and application programmer. She has seven terminals in a ring network, each with their own personality.She loves to dig around in the hard drives, and let these lost souls take on a new identity.This is her Family.
Suddenly, her real friends begin getting attacked online with information that could only be found on the computers sent in to be recycled. Janus must find out who is behind it, save the business, and clear her name.
As I work from home on the internet, I really got a kick out of this book. It was full of imagination. Janus is a strong female character, and this book had non stop action till the end. A great mystery.
March 16, 2013
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Janus Rose is a brilliant computer wizard. She and her mom run Assured Destruction, a computer recycling business. What her mother doesn’t know is that she’s taken hard drives of some of her friends recycled computers and created her very own network called Shadownet. Suddenly, her real friends begin getting attacked online with information that could only be found on the computers sent in to be recycled. Janus stops at nothing to find out who is behind it, save the business, and clear her name.
This was a fun read for me, probably because I’m a computer geek as well. Janus’ loneliness led her to do something risky yet very cool. I loved had she was written as a smart, strong, and very stubborn female character. There was lots of action, and the ending was quite a surprise. This was a fantastic mystery and I can’t wait to see what Mr. Stewart has for us next!
This was a fun read for me, probably because I’m a computer geek as well. Janus’ loneliness led her to do something risky yet very cool. I loved had she was written as a smart, strong, and very stubborn female character. There was lots of action, and the ending was quite a surprise. This was a fantastic mystery and I can’t wait to see what Mr. Stewart has for us next!
April 16, 2013
A Well Deserved 5 Stars
Assured Destruction by Michael F. Stewart completely exceeded my expectations! When I first read the synopsis I was intrigued by the whole concept. I mean a sixteen year old girl that knows more about computers than I will probably ever know in my whole life? How could that not be interesting?! Not only does this book have an interesting main character but it also has a great mystery that left me wanting to read more.
This novel is about a sixteen year old girl named Janus Rose who just happens to have more friends online than actual ones in her life. She is a total computer genius and uses hard drives from her mother's company Assured Destruction to create different online profiles called the Shadownet. Once the actual people these profiles are based on are targeted, Janus tries to figure out who is behind it all before her life spirals out of control.
One of my biggest worries when I started this book was that I was going to be completely lost when it came to all the computer stuff. However, even when I wasn't sure what Janus was talking about I was not totally confused. All of the tech talk did not distract from the book at all; I actually found it to be quite interesting. It seemed as if Stewart did his homework and if what he was talking about was wrong, the average person (like me) has no idea.
I found the main character Janus to be snarky, witty, and totally hilarious. She had a voice unlike any other that I have ever read, which made me want to read more. I completely connected with her from page one, and I was so tuned into her mind that even when I did not agree with some of her choices I understood why she was making them. Michael Stewart created a character that charmed me from the very first chapter and had me rooting for her for the rest of the book. She is a totally bad ass female heroine that does what she wants when she wants to do it. She made mistakes, learned from them, and continued to grow as a character throughout the whole book.
I absolutely loved Jonny Shaftsbury and his role in the book!! I think that he added a great love interest for Jan, but I also think that he is a very well developed stand alone character. I felt like I knew just enough about Jonny that he wasn't a complete stranger but there was still an air of mystery about him. I think his character added a whole new dimension to the book that I personally loved! Without Jonny, Jan would have been missing an actual friend. Jonny was one of the only people who did not lie to Jan at all through the course of the book, which made him even more likable. He also forced Jan to care about someone, and I mean really care.
Not only were the two main characters amazing, but I found most of the supporting characters realistic and relatable. Jan's mom is one of my favorite characters because even though she is kind of in the background of all the drama, she wants what is best for Jan. Peter is another supporting character who adds so much to the book. He understands Jan in a way that most of the adults in her life do not.
While the characters in this book were my favorite part, the mystery of this book was really interesting and was definitely not predictable. I had no idea where Michael Stewart was taking me until I was already there. I enjoyed that I could not guess what was going to happen next because that would have ruined the whole plot. As soon as I thought I knew what was going to happen, I was taken in a new direction, kind of like trying to ride a roller coaster in the dark and you can't see five feet in front of you.
With all of the great parts of this novel, there were a couple things about this book that I did not like as much; however, they did not take away from the overall book. I did not enjoy the sort of love triangle romance thing going on because to me Karl wasn't really someone who understood Jan at all. Karl felt like an unnecessary character to me, who kind of took away some of Jonny's time with Jan. Karl's character fell a little flat to me in the sense that I do not think he really added anything substantial to the point of the book.
Also, the ending was great, up until the very last line. It took an amazing realistic mystery to the realm of an unrealistic spy movie or something. The way Jan solved the mystery, the way things turned out for her and her family, and how she was going to put her hacker skills to good use were all great, but then things got blown out proportion into a cheesy spy real.
Overall this book is a great read with action, mystery, and a little romance all thrown into one. It delves into the mind of a teenage girl and all of her insecurities, while still having a little action and adventure. I really enjoyed this book, and I think that the idea was not only completely different from anything that I have read before, but it was beautifully executed. I will definitely be looking for the next book in this series because I can't wait to see what is going to happen to Jan and Jonny!
Assured Destruction by Michael F. Stewart completely exceeded my expectations! When I first read the synopsis I was intrigued by the whole concept. I mean a sixteen year old girl that knows more about computers than I will probably ever know in my whole life? How could that not be interesting?! Not only does this book have an interesting main character but it also has a great mystery that left me wanting to read more.
This novel is about a sixteen year old girl named Janus Rose who just happens to have more friends online than actual ones in her life. She is a total computer genius and uses hard drives from her mother's company Assured Destruction to create different online profiles called the Shadownet. Once the actual people these profiles are based on are targeted, Janus tries to figure out who is behind it all before her life spirals out of control.
One of my biggest worries when I started this book was that I was going to be completely lost when it came to all the computer stuff. However, even when I wasn't sure what Janus was talking about I was not totally confused. All of the tech talk did not distract from the book at all; I actually found it to be quite interesting. It seemed as if Stewart did his homework and if what he was talking about was wrong, the average person (like me) has no idea.
I found the main character Janus to be snarky, witty, and totally hilarious. She had a voice unlike any other that I have ever read, which made me want to read more. I completely connected with her from page one, and I was so tuned into her mind that even when I did not agree with some of her choices I understood why she was making them. Michael Stewart created a character that charmed me from the very first chapter and had me rooting for her for the rest of the book. She is a totally bad ass female heroine that does what she wants when she wants to do it. She made mistakes, learned from them, and continued to grow as a character throughout the whole book.
I absolutely loved Jonny Shaftsbury and his role in the book!! I think that he added a great love interest for Jan, but I also think that he is a very well developed stand alone character. I felt like I knew just enough about Jonny that he wasn't a complete stranger but there was still an air of mystery about him. I think his character added a whole new dimension to the book that I personally loved! Without Jonny, Jan would have been missing an actual friend. Jonny was one of the only people who did not lie to Jan at all through the course of the book, which made him even more likable. He also forced Jan to care about someone, and I mean really care.
Not only were the two main characters amazing, but I found most of the supporting characters realistic and relatable. Jan's mom is one of my favorite characters because even though she is kind of in the background of all the drama, she wants what is best for Jan. Peter is another supporting character who adds so much to the book. He understands Jan in a way that most of the adults in her life do not.
While the characters in this book were my favorite part, the mystery of this book was really interesting and was definitely not predictable. I had no idea where Michael Stewart was taking me until I was already there. I enjoyed that I could not guess what was going to happen next because that would have ruined the whole plot. As soon as I thought I knew what was going to happen, I was taken in a new direction, kind of like trying to ride a roller coaster in the dark and you can't see five feet in front of you.
With all of the great parts of this novel, there were a couple things about this book that I did not like as much; however, they did not take away from the overall book. I did not enjoy the sort of love triangle romance thing going on because to me Karl wasn't really someone who understood Jan at all. Karl felt like an unnecessary character to me, who kind of took away some of Jonny's time with Jan. Karl's character fell a little flat to me in the sense that I do not think he really added anything substantial to the point of the book.
Also, the ending was great, up until the very last line. It took an amazing realistic mystery to the realm of an unrealistic spy movie or something. The way Jan solved the mystery, the way things turned out for her and her family, and how she was going to put her hacker skills to good use were all great, but then things got blown out proportion into a cheesy spy real.
Overall this book is a great read with action, mystery, and a little romance all thrown into one. It delves into the mind of a teenage girl and all of her insecurities, while still having a little action and adventure. I really enjoyed this book, and I think that the idea was not only completely different from anything that I have read before, but it was beautifully executed. I will definitely be looking for the next book in this series because I can't wait to see what is going to happen to Jan and Jonny!
April 26, 2013
(Book provided by the author through ReadIt & Reap 126 in the Shut Up & Read group, in exchange for an honest review.)
"Assured Destruction" is a story I enjoyed a lot, fast and easy to read. The first thing I liked was its heroine, Jan, who for a change isn't your typical "unpopular nerdy girl" (as too often seen in YA novels), but actually has real technical skills, and puts them to use. She's also flawed in more than one way, yet manages to learn from her mistakes—mistakes that could have dire consequences, and not for herself only. After all, she's playing with people's private lives, building her Shadownet.
By the way, I enjoyed the Shadownet idea, too. It has a lot of potential, and I can see several possibilities with such an idea, if the author decides to go on with it in the other books. (I don't know if he will; I just like it when a book prompts me to imagine potential plot lines, challenges my imagination, and don't just leave me "passive".) I probably sit at the frontier between two worlds here, too: savvy enough myself regarding computers and internet security to understand the technical lingo without batting an eyelid, but not enough to spot if there were incoherent parts in how Jan do things... so I won't judge the book on that. On the other hand, I think that even if you're not familiar with computer science, said lingo is still depicted in ways that can allow you to understand what's happening.
There are moments when I wondered about Jan's reactions, though, because they seemed a little rushed, or not as clever as I would've expected. That said, she's no action figure either, so perhaps there's logics to her madness, so to say; and given her circumstances, simply putting the matter into the hands of adult figures wouldn't cut it, indeed. At least she realizes she had made a mess of things, and tried to take responsibility by righting those in her own ways.
I wasn't so thrilled about the love interests part. It seemed to me that they weren't important to the story, that the latter could've been the same without them. Maybe it's just me, because love triangles aren't my thing anyway. Fortunately, said triangle doesn't take too much room, and doesn't detract from the story: Jan remains focused on repairing her mistakes, and doesn't go around swooning over guys for 100 pages. Thank you, Mr. Stewart, for keeping her true to herself, and not going for the cliché girly behaviour.
Those quibbles put aside, the story mostly flowed without a hitch for me. I think it's also a good theme for the YA audience in general, because it shows, through Jan, how internet and the use of new technologies has its downfalls. I've been able to see by myself, more than once, that younger people (I mean the 13-16 crowd mostly) aren't all aware that what they post online could be turned into a weapon against them (=cyber-bullying). Somehow, "Assured Destruction" could very well be a story that would help such teenagers to understand, while not dumbing down things, and not doing it in a condescending, pompous and artificial way.
"Assured Destruction" is a story I enjoyed a lot, fast and easy to read. The first thing I liked was its heroine, Jan, who for a change isn't your typical "unpopular nerdy girl" (as too often seen in YA novels), but actually has real technical skills, and puts them to use. She's also flawed in more than one way, yet manages to learn from her mistakes—mistakes that could have dire consequences, and not for herself only. After all, she's playing with people's private lives, building her Shadownet.
By the way, I enjoyed the Shadownet idea, too. It has a lot of potential, and I can see several possibilities with such an idea, if the author decides to go on with it in the other books. (I don't know if he will; I just like it when a book prompts me to imagine potential plot lines, challenges my imagination, and don't just leave me "passive".) I probably sit at the frontier between two worlds here, too: savvy enough myself regarding computers and internet security to understand the technical lingo without batting an eyelid, but not enough to spot if there were incoherent parts in how Jan do things... so I won't judge the book on that. On the other hand, I think that even if you're not familiar with computer science, said lingo is still depicted in ways that can allow you to understand what's happening.
There are moments when I wondered about Jan's reactions, though, because they seemed a little rushed, or not as clever as I would've expected. That said, she's no action figure either, so perhaps there's logics to her madness, so to say; and given her circumstances, simply putting the matter into the hands of adult figures wouldn't cut it, indeed. At least she realizes she had made a mess of things, and tried to take responsibility by righting those in her own ways.
I wasn't so thrilled about the love interests part. It seemed to me that they weren't important to the story, that the latter could've been the same without them. Maybe it's just me, because love triangles aren't my thing anyway. Fortunately, said triangle doesn't take too much room, and doesn't detract from the story: Jan remains focused on repairing her mistakes, and doesn't go around swooning over guys for 100 pages. Thank you, Mr. Stewart, for keeping her true to herself, and not going for the cliché girly behaviour.
Those quibbles put aside, the story mostly flowed without a hitch for me. I think it's also a good theme for the YA audience in general, because it shows, through Jan, how internet and the use of new technologies has its downfalls. I've been able to see by myself, more than once, that younger people (I mean the 13-16 crowd mostly) aren't all aware that what they post online could be turned into a weapon against them (=cyber-bullying). Somehow, "Assured Destruction" could very well be a story that would help such teenagers to understand, while not dumbing down things, and not doing it in a condescending, pompous and artificial way.
April 29, 2013
I want to thank the author, Michael Steward, for providing a free copy of this book for an honest review. Assured Destruction was a wonderfully executed story. It was full of adventure, mystery, with some romance thrown in. The plot progression built the right amount of mystery and suspense, which had me on the edge of my seat wanting to see what would happen next.
Our protagonist is a sixteen-year-old, Janus. Janus works for her mother at their family-owned company that destroys and recycles computer hard drives for customers/businesses. We quickly learn that Janus doesn’t always *destroy* the computer drives that are brought to the company. Janus has taken up the hobby of looking through people’s hard drives. Janus is a computer genius and she even created her own personal network that she refers to as Shadownet. Shadownet consists of some of these hard drives that Janus stole and where she recreates online identities of the stolen hard drive’s owners. The network has become a source of friendship for Janus. The adventure begins when unfortunate events begin to happen to the real-live people that are connected to the hard drives that Janus used for Shadownet.
It took me the first few chapters to really get into this book. I was a little confused at Janus’s behavior around Shadownet and what exactly was happening. Once I started to understand what Shadownet meant to Janus, the story really took off for me. I couldn’t put it down. I was intrigued by the online personalities that Janus created. She was able to create multiple online personalities on Facebook and Twitter. Not only that, but she maintained it religiously. I really liked how Michael Steward added the links to the Twitter profiles. It really brought some authenticity to these online personalities that teens through adults can relate to. How would one know who is really behind the twitter feed or that Facebook update?
The character development for Janus was done extremely well. I really got to know her personality, what drove her to do what she did, and following her thought process throughout the book was fascinating. Especially with how she was able to follow puzzles and decipher things. Even though this book has technological jargon and there are really high-tech things occurring, I felt that the book can be read by anyone. The language used and the explanations were done thoroughly and simple enough, that even a non-techie could follow and understand.
This book really had me thinking about online personalities and online identities. How reliant we have all become on social media outlets and online communication. How scary it is that our lives can be easily replicated, personal information simply obtained, and how all of this information can be used to hurt us. With the increase in identify theft. It’s a real current-day issue, especially with those computer savvy people out in the world like Janus.
I really enjoyed this book. I think it’ll appeal from teens to adults.
Our protagonist is a sixteen-year-old, Janus. Janus works for her mother at their family-owned company that destroys and recycles computer hard drives for customers/businesses. We quickly learn that Janus doesn’t always *destroy* the computer drives that are brought to the company. Janus has taken up the hobby of looking through people’s hard drives. Janus is a computer genius and she even created her own personal network that she refers to as Shadownet. Shadownet consists of some of these hard drives that Janus stole and where she recreates online identities of the stolen hard drive’s owners. The network has become a source of friendship for Janus. The adventure begins when unfortunate events begin to happen to the real-live people that are connected to the hard drives that Janus used for Shadownet.
It took me the first few chapters to really get into this book. I was a little confused at Janus’s behavior around Shadownet and what exactly was happening. Once I started to understand what Shadownet meant to Janus, the story really took off for me. I couldn’t put it down. I was intrigued by the online personalities that Janus created. She was able to create multiple online personalities on Facebook and Twitter. Not only that, but she maintained it religiously. I really liked how Michael Steward added the links to the Twitter profiles. It really brought some authenticity to these online personalities that teens through adults can relate to. How would one know who is really behind the twitter feed or that Facebook update?
The character development for Janus was done extremely well. I really got to know her personality, what drove her to do what she did, and following her thought process throughout the book was fascinating. Especially with how she was able to follow puzzles and decipher things. Even though this book has technological jargon and there are really high-tech things occurring, I felt that the book can be read by anyone. The language used and the explanations were done thoroughly and simple enough, that even a non-techie could follow and understand.
This book really had me thinking about online personalities and online identities. How reliant we have all become on social media outlets and online communication. How scary it is that our lives can be easily replicated, personal information simply obtained, and how all of this information can be used to hurt us. With the increase in identify theft. It’s a real current-day issue, especially with those computer savvy people out in the world like Janus.
I really enjoyed this book. I think it’ll appeal from teens to adults.
May 5, 2013
Original review here: http://offbeatvagabond.blogspot.com/2013/04/indie-book-review-25-amazonpaypal-gc.html
Assured Destruction is a story that follows a young girl named Jan. Janus and her mother run and live at their own store, a computer repair store named Assured Destruction. Jan is great with computers. She loves them so much that she has created her own family on computers with the hard drives she hasn't destroyed when she was supposed to. One day while at school, some bad things happen to a couple of students at school. The problem is that they just happen to be people in her “family” or the ShadowNet. No one knows about the ShadowNet because she knows it is wrong to use other people's hard drives. But she isn't the one ruining their lives, but she is ultimately the problem. She has to work fast before more people she knows become the victim of cyber attacks.
What a fun read this was. I love these fast paced, cyber reads. This was great from beginning to end. Stewart wasted no time building this incredible story for us. I love our lead character Jan. She has got to be one of my favorite leads. She isn't a bad person, but she isn't entirely good either. She is basically stealing people's lives and giving them their own personalities which are just an extension of her. Some may think she is nuts, but you do see where she is coming from. But her flaws make her all the move lovable and realistic. She is sassy, strong, and a bit quirky. I loved her mom in this book. The relationship between her and Jan was very realistic. I love that her mom is present and does what she can given her condition. Her mom suffers from MS, but I love that she is there for her daughter. A lot of the time, parents are rare or almost nonexistent.
The story was so exciting. Stewart really understands the world we live in and did a great job with bringing this to life. This story is very modern and easy to relate to. Even though it is quite the cyber thriller, you don't have to be a tech genius to understand this world because it is our world. It was an amazing mystery. You know Jan didn't do anything, well much. But who else knows about her ShadowNet? Could one of her customers know what she did and are making her pay for it? I loved the twist we are given. Stewart will really keep you on your toes.
I highly recommend this read to anyone, well teens and up. I love that this is not a boy specifically for a guy or a girl, it is written for everyone. There is a love triangle involved, but it is handled well and Jan is not the kind of chick to whine and be confused. This is a fast read and there is not a boring moment in sight. Assured Destruction is a must read for those looking for a fun, suspenseful and original YA read. Stewart is one hell of a storyteller. Add this to your wishlist right now. You won't be sorry.
Assured Destruction is a story that follows a young girl named Jan. Janus and her mother run and live at their own store, a computer repair store named Assured Destruction. Jan is great with computers. She loves them so much that she has created her own family on computers with the hard drives she hasn't destroyed when she was supposed to. One day while at school, some bad things happen to a couple of students at school. The problem is that they just happen to be people in her “family” or the ShadowNet. No one knows about the ShadowNet because she knows it is wrong to use other people's hard drives. But she isn't the one ruining their lives, but she is ultimately the problem. She has to work fast before more people she knows become the victim of cyber attacks.
What a fun read this was. I love these fast paced, cyber reads. This was great from beginning to end. Stewart wasted no time building this incredible story for us. I love our lead character Jan. She has got to be one of my favorite leads. She isn't a bad person, but she isn't entirely good either. She is basically stealing people's lives and giving them their own personalities which are just an extension of her. Some may think she is nuts, but you do see where she is coming from. But her flaws make her all the move lovable and realistic. She is sassy, strong, and a bit quirky. I loved her mom in this book. The relationship between her and Jan was very realistic. I love that her mom is present and does what she can given her condition. Her mom suffers from MS, but I love that she is there for her daughter. A lot of the time, parents are rare or almost nonexistent.
The story was so exciting. Stewart really understands the world we live in and did a great job with bringing this to life. This story is very modern and easy to relate to. Even though it is quite the cyber thriller, you don't have to be a tech genius to understand this world because it is our world. It was an amazing mystery. You know Jan didn't do anything, well much. But who else knows about her ShadowNet? Could one of her customers know what she did and are making her pay for it? I loved the twist we are given. Stewart will really keep you on your toes.
I highly recommend this read to anyone, well teens and up. I love that this is not a boy specifically for a guy or a girl, it is written for everyone. There is a love triangle involved, but it is handled well and Jan is not the kind of chick to whine and be confused. This is a fast read and there is not a boring moment in sight. Assured Destruction is a must read for those looking for a fun, suspenseful and original YA read. Stewart is one hell of a storyteller. Add this to your wishlist right now. You won't be sorry.
April 12, 2013
I love the idea of cyber lit. Futuristic cyber literature is even better. When I first read the synopsis of Assured Destruction I knew it would be a novel of interest to me. Surprisingly enough it’s more contemporary then in an Earth light years away. The social networks mentioned weren’t alien. Facebook, Twitter, and blog are popular now.
Jan isn’t your typical YA protagonist. She isn’t syrupy good and also isn’t despicably evil. Yeah she’s a hacker without ethics of proper computer recycling, but she isn’t a bad hatter either. While her antics are border lining psychologically disturbing, they’re also understandable. Her personality was androgynous enough that had there been no love interest I would have been hard pressed to label this girly or a guy-guy’s kind of book. As it stands I think any teen would be able to relate to Jan. The love triangle was a nice touch. It wasn’t your typical YA trio where two guys are pining for the same gal all of a sudden overnight. Nope there was always one faithful stalker in Jan’s life. :D
I appreciated Jan’s mother in this novel. The fact that she was an ever present factor was assuring. The discipline was also a factor that seems to be lacking in most YA novels, but in Assured Destruction, I appreciated the effort. While Jan’s mother wasn’t a push over or absent much, she wasn’t in a position to truly enforce and manage obedience.
The mystery of Assured Destruction is addictive. When you steal the identities of multiple clients, who wouldn’t want to come after you? I thoroughly enjoyed how the villain could have literally been anyone!
While I would have loved to call this novel my muse, I have a few gripes. There was much tech talk that wasn’t confusing but was overbearingly abundant at times. I also questioned Jan’s “money issue”. I mean she freaking had an I-phone and a computer network set up that would put an young NASA hopeful to shame. Had the Michael F. Stewart elaborated on her tinkering skills, I may not have doubted. I can imagine an uber-smart computer nerd piecing together wires to create a motherboard. But when you’re talking about having the latest Apple phone priced at over 500-600 bucks a pop and complaining about being “poor” I say “nay”. The standards of poverty is a tad far fetched in this novel.
Overall Assured Destruction was an addictive and quick read. Aside from the few hiccups, I was throughly engrossed. Assured Destruction is a trendy cryptic marvel! Note to the author: Freeze and vogue for the camera! I look forward to more future Michael F. Stewart novels.
*An ARC was provided from the publisher for an honest review!
December 6, 2014
This review was first posted on Northern Plunder, if you want to see more reviews please click here.
I've been lucky enough to receive all three books of the Assured Destruction series in exchange for an honest review as part of the book tour hosted by Xpresso Book Tours, this will in no way effect my opinion of the book.
The opening to this book really hooked me, the introduction to Janus, her computer identities and her mum was great and as I was reading it on my kindle it also provided links to all the correct sites and twitter accounts which I found to be a great added bonus.
The computers represent different sides of Janus in a way, though its not as extreme as her having multiple personalities, just that she enjoys to fabricate personalities/friends to tell her opinions from different point of views whilst having a conversation with herself/them via twitter.
The whole thing is brilliant, I enjoyed it so much.
Of course she also has to attend school which is never easy for anyone, especially when there seems to be drama following two of your classmates who's hard drive are now part of your computer network... that were supposed to be destroyed. Ooops.
Janus finds herself being targeted by a fellow hacker who takes down her network with a virus and reveals the secrets hidden in her recycled hard drives.
But who? and why?
Things get troublesome very quickly especially when she notices there could be more than one suspect in this mystery.
Once my own university work wasn't keeping me up late not reading, I was hooked to this book and couldn't put it down, I really enjoyed Janus' voice throughout - her personality was clear and never slipped up.
The development between herself and a few key characters were enjoyable too which leave you wandering how things will progress in the next book but also what other trouble will she land herself in, given how this book ends too.
What's even better is that I didn't find the book predictable, it told the story great and gave away just enough detail to keep you guessing all the possibilities without ever being right.
Please keep in mind that the book is only 185 pages and I like to keep my reviews spoiler free, there is a lot I want to talk about because the author only uses those 185 pages to benefit the story, everything is tidied up well and you're not left with any huge cliff hangers.
I've been lucky enough to receive all three books of the Assured Destruction series in exchange for an honest review as part of the book tour hosted by Xpresso Book Tours, this will in no way effect my opinion of the book.
The opening to this book really hooked me, the introduction to Janus, her computer identities and her mum was great and as I was reading it on my kindle it also provided links to all the correct sites and twitter accounts which I found to be a great added bonus.
The computers represent different sides of Janus in a way, though its not as extreme as her having multiple personalities, just that she enjoys to fabricate personalities/friends to tell her opinions from different point of views whilst having a conversation with herself/them via twitter.
The whole thing is brilliant, I enjoyed it so much.
Of course she also has to attend school which is never easy for anyone, especially when there seems to be drama following two of your classmates who's hard drive are now part of your computer network... that were supposed to be destroyed. Ooops.
Janus finds herself being targeted by a fellow hacker who takes down her network with a virus and reveals the secrets hidden in her recycled hard drives.
But who? and why?
Things get troublesome very quickly especially when she notices there could be more than one suspect in this mystery.
Once my own university work wasn't keeping me up late not reading, I was hooked to this book and couldn't put it down, I really enjoyed Janus' voice throughout - her personality was clear and never slipped up.
The development between herself and a few key characters were enjoyable too which leave you wandering how things will progress in the next book but also what other trouble will she land herself in, given how this book ends too.
What's even better is that I didn't find the book predictable, it told the story great and gave away just enough detail to keep you guessing all the possibilities without ever being right.
Please keep in mind that the book is only 185 pages and I like to keep my reviews spoiler free, there is a lot I want to talk about because the author only uses those 185 pages to benefit the story, everything is tidied up well and you're not left with any huge cliff hangers.
May 3, 2013
Janus “Jan” Rose is a very intelligent, yet introverted girl. I think some of the introversion comes from having a home life she’d rather not let anyone know about, especially the other kids at school, and a part-time job. Her mother is in a wheelchair and gets worn out easily, so Jan works the front desk of her family’s business, Assured Destruction, almost every day. Aside from being very smart (she is a better computer programmer than her computer teacher at school), she doesn’t apply herself to her schoolwork and she’s lonely. She built Shadownet to have different outlets for her creativity using hard drives which should have been destroyed to create avatars based on real people. When a woman brings in the hard drive of a boy from school (who she kind of likes), she can’t resist adding him to her collection. Ever since, things have been falling apart for Jan. Her avatars’ real-life counterparts are being hacked and malicious information posted about them online. All fingers are pointing at her and not only is her precarious standing at school in jeopardy, but so is her family’s business. Can Jan fix it all without losing everything she cares about?
‘Assured Destruction’ is what I would consider both a coming-of-age story and a mystery. Jan, her family’s livelihood, and her “friends” are being threatened and it’s up to Jan to step up to fight this unseen and unknown enemy. She’s smart enough to put the pieces together, but needs a little help from her friends. While she’s figuring out the mystery, Jan has to grow up and take responsibility for her own actions and their consequences. I liked Jan and I was glad to see her come to terms with her mistakes and open herself up to others in real life. It was also interesting to see the shift in how Jan saw others around her as she was previously only comfortable dealing with online personas. I would recommend ‘Assured Destruction’ to older kids and adults as some of the subject matter may not be appropriate for younger readers. I think it’s also a good story for parents to read with their teenagers as it can facilitate discussions and open lines of communication. It’ll be interesting to see where the author takes Jan next if there is a sequel…
Series: Assured Destruction (1)
‘Assured Destruction’ is what I would consider both a coming-of-age story and a mystery. Jan, her family’s livelihood, and her “friends” are being threatened and it’s up to Jan to step up to fight this unseen and unknown enemy. She’s smart enough to put the pieces together, but needs a little help from her friends. While she’s figuring out the mystery, Jan has to grow up and take responsibility for her own actions and their consequences. I liked Jan and I was glad to see her come to terms with her mistakes and open herself up to others in real life. It was also interesting to see the shift in how Jan saw others around her as she was previously only comfortable dealing with online personas. I would recommend ‘Assured Destruction’ to older kids and adults as some of the subject matter may not be appropriate for younger readers. I think it’s also a good story for parents to read with their teenagers as it can facilitate discussions and open lines of communication. It’ll be interesting to see where the author takes Jan next if there is a sequel…
Series: Assured Destruction (1)
May 2, 2013
Sixteen-year-old Janus ‘Jan’ Rose and her mother own and operate Assured Destruction, a business that repairs/recycles or shreds your computer depending on what you need, out of their home.
They are barely managing to stay afloat. With her mother in a wheelchair from MS, Jan does all she can to help out. But being a typical computer savvy teenager, Jan has a secret. Spending long hours with the computers, Jan has created her own ‘computer family’ from the hard drives she has neglected to shred. She has given each their own identify and calls them the Shadownet. Since the hard drives are technically stolen, if the police found out the family would lose their livelihood.
When vicious cyber attacks begin to happen to the real people behind Shadownet’s hard drives, Jan knows she’s responsible and must do something to stop it. Jan has to use all her tech savvy to find who’s responsible before she is the next victim and the attacks become deadly.
Not being very computer savvy, I was a bit apprehensive about reading a story where the protagonist is a tech wizard of-sorts. But the synopsis drew me in and I was captivated.
Author Michael F. Stewart has done a great job of creating a realistic teenager in Janus. Between her computer skills and her adolescent problems, Janus represents a typical teenager in so many ways. All of the characters are well-developed and engaging including the computer personalities.
ASSURED DESTRUCTION flows smoothly and at a steady pace. While the story is computer-related, you don’t have to be a computer geek to follow along. There are red herrings to keep you guessing in this intriguing YA mystery.
If you’ve ever wondered what your teenager was really doing on the computer, this story will definitely get your attention. ASSURED DESTRUCTION is an entertaining read with a protagonist you’ll want to see return in story after story.
FTC Full Disclosure - I requested this book as part of the author’s virtual blog tour. A digital eBook copy of the book was sent to me by the tour promoter in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.
They are barely managing to stay afloat. With her mother in a wheelchair from MS, Jan does all she can to help out. But being a typical computer savvy teenager, Jan has a secret. Spending long hours with the computers, Jan has created her own ‘computer family’ from the hard drives she has neglected to shred. She has given each their own identify and calls them the Shadownet. Since the hard drives are technically stolen, if the police found out the family would lose their livelihood.
When vicious cyber attacks begin to happen to the real people behind Shadownet’s hard drives, Jan knows she’s responsible and must do something to stop it. Jan has to use all her tech savvy to find who’s responsible before she is the next victim and the attacks become deadly.
Not being very computer savvy, I was a bit apprehensive about reading a story where the protagonist is a tech wizard of-sorts. But the synopsis drew me in and I was captivated.
Author Michael F. Stewart has done a great job of creating a realistic teenager in Janus. Between her computer skills and her adolescent problems, Janus represents a typical teenager in so many ways. All of the characters are well-developed and engaging including the computer personalities.
ASSURED DESTRUCTION flows smoothly and at a steady pace. While the story is computer-related, you don’t have to be a computer geek to follow along. There are red herrings to keep you guessing in this intriguing YA mystery.
If you’ve ever wondered what your teenager was really doing on the computer, this story will definitely get your attention. ASSURED DESTRUCTION is an entertaining read with a protagonist you’ll want to see return in story after story.
FTC Full Disclosure - I requested this book as part of the author’s virtual blog tour. A digital eBook copy of the book was sent to me by the tour promoter in hopes I would review it. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review.
April 8, 2013
I received this book from the author in exchange for a fair review.
This is a fantastic teen book! It is so nice to see a young female character whose life is not consumed by boys and dating! Jan is a strong character, and while she does not always make the best choices, who really does, especially when they are 16? When her mother was diagnosed with MS and her father left, Jan creates Shadownet, a series of online persona who are at the same time leftovers from old hard drives (which should have been destroyed) and elements of herself. These hard drives are her friends, often more important to her than real friends and, of course, school work.
When these and other secrets from the hard drives start to cause trouble for their original owners, Jan wonders who managed to infiltrate her network, who could out hack her amazing computer skills. And she must do this while working in her mother's business, Assured Destruction, meeting her mother's new boyfriend, Peter, and trying to stay in school.
Throughout the book, Jan grows as a person, learning such important things like there is beauty outside of the virtual world, reading a book can actually be interesting, and maybe she should actually give her mother's boyfriend a chance.
The language is quick and modern, flitting through tweets, facebook, firewalls and code quickly and accessibly to the less technologically inclined; keeping it interesting for young and old. I only hope that the last line of the book does not set the tone for the next one.
This is a fantastic teen book! It is so nice to see a young female character whose life is not consumed by boys and dating! Jan is a strong character, and while she does not always make the best choices, who really does, especially when they are 16? When her mother was diagnosed with MS and her father left, Jan creates Shadownet, a series of online persona who are at the same time leftovers from old hard drives (which should have been destroyed) and elements of herself. These hard drives are her friends, often more important to her than real friends and, of course, school work.
When these and other secrets from the hard drives start to cause trouble for their original owners, Jan wonders who managed to infiltrate her network, who could out hack her amazing computer skills. And she must do this while working in her mother's business, Assured Destruction, meeting her mother's new boyfriend, Peter, and trying to stay in school.
Throughout the book, Jan grows as a person, learning such important things like there is beauty outside of the virtual world, reading a book can actually be interesting, and maybe she should actually give her mother's boyfriend a chance.
The language is quick and modern, flitting through tweets, facebook, firewalls and code quickly and accessibly to the less technologically inclined; keeping it interesting for young and old. I only hope that the last line of the book does not set the tone for the next one.
May 12, 2022
This is a full-length YA-teen novel about real life and virtual life. The story's a knockout, with the geek girl heroine more real than the kid next door, and if the plotline's a little far fetched, well, that's what fiction's all about, right? I actually read the sequel first, but it didn't matter; both books can stand alone and both are excellent.
Janus (cool name) lives with her mother (crippled with MS and confined to a wheelchair) in a warehouse, business below, offices converted to living space above. Together they run Assured Destruction, where old computers and other electronic gear is broken down for recycling. The hard drives are shredded, or at least they're supposed to be. Unknown to her mother and anyone else, Janus secretly resurrects a few hard drives, using them to create new computers joined in a ring network she calls Shadownet. Each computer houses one of her virtual identities: Facebook and Twitter accounts, some blogs, yadda times three. The image of this 16-year-old geek rolling her chair from keyboard to keyboard, holding snarky conversations with herself on Twitter, is so believable.
But then bad things start happening to the people whose hard drives she's resurrected, all of them, including Janus, and of course that can't be a coincidence. Janus has to figure out what's going on without missing work, failing school, getting caught, telling anybody, or losing her cool. Oh, and if she can get the guy by book's end (one of the two guys, so love triangle, too) then that's a bonus.
There were a few elements in the climactic action scenes that seemed to go a hair too far. None of it was unbelievable, just a touch far fetched. And none of it interfered with my enjoyment; I read both books in three days. That doesn't happen often.
Four strong stars.
Janus (cool name) lives with her mother (crippled with MS and confined to a wheelchair) in a warehouse, business below, offices converted to living space above. Together they run Assured Destruction, where old computers and other electronic gear is broken down for recycling. The hard drives are shredded, or at least they're supposed to be. Unknown to her mother and anyone else, Janus secretly resurrects a few hard drives, using them to create new computers joined in a ring network she calls Shadownet. Each computer houses one of her virtual identities: Facebook and Twitter accounts, some blogs, yadda times three. The image of this 16-year-old geek rolling her chair from keyboard to keyboard, holding snarky conversations with herself on Twitter, is so believable.
But then bad things start happening to the people whose hard drives she's resurrected, all of them, including Janus, and of course that can't be a coincidence. Janus has to figure out what's going on without missing work, failing school, getting caught, telling anybody, or losing her cool. Oh, and if she can get the guy by book's end (one of the two guys, so love triangle, too) then that's a bonus.
There were a few elements in the climactic action scenes that seemed to go a hair too far. None of it was unbelievable, just a touch far fetched. And none of it interfered with my enjoyment; I read both books in three days. That doesn't happen often.
Four strong stars.
September 2, 2016
This book is fun. If I had to describe it in one word, that’s what it would be. Fun. I really enjoyed reading this book from start to finish. Some books you seem to drag yourself through even if they’re good just because they have those parts that linger or some might read fast but leave parts out so that you want to scream at the book because it’s just not there, not this book. It starts out great, stays great in the middle, and continues that way until the end. It’s fun!
As per usual for my reviews, I’m not giving the story away because you need to get yourself a copy and get to the reading. At the time of this review typing it’s free so you have no excuse really so go get it! It’s good, you should give it a shot. Anyway, I seemed to relate a bit more with the mom, minus the wheelchair meaning I’m old and stuff, so I was afraid the technology stuff would get me (the end binary was just not cool! Yet it was), however although it was over my head it wasn’t so far over that I was lost at all because the author, in the role of the character telling the story, 16 year old Janus, actually did a great job of informing you without really letting you know that you were (in my case old and completely out of the loop and in need of…) getting a bit of a tech lesson. It was just so well written. You get lots of cool tech stuff going on, mystery, characters you learn to care about so much you feel like you really know them, YA angst, and so much more.
This was a really great book that I would recommend to anyone. I’m heading out now to start the second one.
As per usual for my reviews, I’m not giving the story away because you need to get yourself a copy and get to the reading. At the time of this review typing it’s free so you have no excuse really so go get it! It’s good, you should give it a shot. Anyway, I seemed to relate a bit more with the mom, minus the wheelchair meaning I’m old and stuff, so I was afraid the technology stuff would get me (the end binary was just not cool! Yet it was), however although it was over my head it wasn’t so far over that I was lost at all because the author, in the role of the character telling the story, 16 year old Janus, actually did a great job of informing you without really letting you know that you were (in my case old and completely out of the loop and in need of…) getting a bit of a tech lesson. It was just so well written. You get lots of cool tech stuff going on, mystery, characters you learn to care about so much you feel like you really know them, YA angst, and so much more.
This was a really great book that I would recommend to anyone. I’m heading out now to start the second one.
December 27, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. I received a free Kobo version of both this book, and the second book in the series (Script Kiddie) from the author after the Goodreads giveaway ended.
Assured Destruction is about Janus, a 16-year-old girl who is very tech savvy - she creates a whole universe of friends for herself after her mom is diagnosed with MS and her dad leaves. Jan represents teens who are addicted to Facebook, Twitter, online games, apps, texting, I Phones, etc. However, instead of posting every little detail about her own lives, she has entire conversations between her alter-egos.
The book started out a little slow, and at the start I had a little bit of trouble understanding all of the different personalities of Janus. They weren't really explained until about a third of the way into the book, and it was closer to the end when we actually learned the true identities of the alter-egos. That was a little confusing but I was still able to follow.
I absolutely LOVED the whole Peter twist. He turns out to be the underdog and comes from behind for the win... definitely a twist I didn't see coming.
The whole Janus - Jonny - Karl triangle was true to life, if not a bit overdone in YA literature in general. However, it wasn't overkill and it was more of a back story rather than in the front and centre of the book, which made it much more tolerable.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. It was a fairly quick read and face-paced. It was very well written and very relatable for the average teen. Great book, I will definitely be recommending it.
Assured Destruction is about Janus, a 16-year-old girl who is very tech savvy - she creates a whole universe of friends for herself after her mom is diagnosed with MS and her dad leaves. Jan represents teens who are addicted to Facebook, Twitter, online games, apps, texting, I Phones, etc. However, instead of posting every little detail about her own lives, she has entire conversations between her alter-egos.
The book started out a little slow, and at the start I had a little bit of trouble understanding all of the different personalities of Janus. They weren't really explained until about a third of the way into the book, and it was closer to the end when we actually learned the true identities of the alter-egos. That was a little confusing but I was still able to follow.
I absolutely LOVED the whole Peter twist. He turns out to be the underdog and comes from behind for the win... definitely a twist I didn't see coming.
The whole Janus - Jonny - Karl triangle was true to life, if not a bit overdone in YA literature in general. However, it wasn't overkill and it was more of a back story rather than in the front and centre of the book, which made it much more tolerable.
Overall, I enjoyed reading this book. It was a fairly quick read and face-paced. It was very well written and very relatable for the average teen. Great book, I will definitely be recommending it.
March 15, 2013
I won this ebook from a giveaway on another website.
Janus Rose is a high school girl that works at her mom's shop, Assured Destruction, that recycles and shreds used electronics. However, Janus doesn't always shred them and will sometimes dig through the hard drive looking for people's secrets. She will then use this information to create fake profiles of them on her secretive and private Shadownet network.
It starts off simple enough when Janus picks up a hard drive that a mother of one of her classmates drops off but then everything spirals into a much more complicated web of events, hence the mystery. And I must say, I was shocked by the so-called culprit. It was not who I was expecting at all, in fact I think it was the person I expected the least.
Janus is a likeable character and perhaps invested myself too much into her at times (becoming near the point that I was ready to shed tears over some of the terrible drama she had to endure) from relating to her too much (I was stuck in a web design class in high school and ended so far ahead of everyone else that I would just have days sitting at a regular desk doing whatever while my classmates caught up). And I was relieved that everything was set for Janus by the end of the book or I would have probably actually cried.
And if this is really book one of a series, I would jump into reading the sequel. No doubts about that.
Janus Rose is a high school girl that works at her mom's shop, Assured Destruction, that recycles and shreds used electronics. However, Janus doesn't always shred them and will sometimes dig through the hard drive looking for people's secrets. She will then use this information to create fake profiles of them on her secretive and private Shadownet network.
It starts off simple enough when Janus picks up a hard drive that a mother of one of her classmates drops off but then everything spirals into a much more complicated web of events, hence the mystery. And I must say, I was shocked by the so-called culprit. It was not who I was expecting at all, in fact I think it was the person I expected the least.
Janus is a likeable character and perhaps invested myself too much into her at times (becoming near the point that I was ready to shed tears over some of the terrible drama she had to endure) from relating to her too much (I was stuck in a web design class in high school and ended so far ahead of everyone else that I would just have days sitting at a regular desk doing whatever while my classmates caught up). And I was relieved that everything was set for Janus by the end of the book or I would have probably actually cried.
And if this is really book one of a series, I would jump into reading the sequel. No doubts about that.
December 22, 2013
This book was recommended by me on my Blog as a Daily Selection of a free Kindle file on Amazon. You can find the whole of the blog post in respect of the review on my Blog under post #401 in December 2012.
I wasn't totally sure when I started reading this novella that it would be of interest, but happily I'm pleased to report that quality of writing and an interesting story line do wonders to engage a reader - which is exactly what this book provides.
The main protagonist, teenage computer wizz kid, Jan Rose proved to be an all action, dive right on in and blow the consequences kind of girl with layers of depth and texture that create a fantastic character.
The plot moved along nicely and delight of delights no errors or bug bears were picked up. I'd like to commend the Author, Michael Stewart for providing such a good read of nice quality. One particular sentence, even though short, stood out as an example of what writers should be aiming for: 'Without lights, the dreariness shrouds me like a cold blanket'.
There was a certain sub-character that had my teeth on edge, and that was the boyfriend of Jan's mother ... even at the end of the book I still hadn't made up my mind about him.
I am happy to say that this was the first book in a series, and I am eagerly looking forward to reading the next book "Script Kiddie", but for the time being for this book it's a big 5 stars from me.
May 8, 2013
Normally, I don't want to say non - paranormal..., but ya I don't read non - paranormal books usually, but I was surprised to realize I really liked this book. I especially liked the plot, I thought it was creative and interesting, and I was not expecting the ending. I actually really liked the outcome of Janus's punishment, working with the police like that, I probably like this story so much because now Janus has my dream job. I also loved how the author created the plot in a way where it flowed all so well. I was so immersed in the story, that I found myself reading almost throughout the day, I absolutely got no work done. I actually ended up reading the book because I had a little time on my hands and was board so I decided to do a little reading and couldn't stop.
March 7, 2013
I loved it. I love how its an insight to how we're all wrapped up with cyberspace. It's not just adults telling us that it's bad anymore. This book is proof.
I love the protagonist :) Jan is just kind of amazing and lovely. She's incredibly real and just- I don't know, she just has that special something, you know? This keeps you on your toes throughout the whole book, no dull moments guaranteed! You just jump into the action along with the character! The whole story is unique in its own way. The end is a nice cheesy end. It's something I'd imagine that would happen. I love how it kept it open for more books... which are going to be published soon right??? The author has me HOOKED on this story. It's something you'd reread over and over again without getting bored. It was nice to recognize some of the places. GOSH. I can't get over how amazing the character is. Love the minor characters. I don't know what it is about this book but... it's a nice refresher.
Definitely recommend it!
No doubt you will love it if you like that mysterious type of kick ass heroine who is super savvy!
I love the protagonist :) Jan is just kind of amazing and lovely. She's incredibly real and just- I don't know, she just has that special something, you know? This keeps you on your toes throughout the whole book, no dull moments guaranteed! You just jump into the action along with the character! The whole story is unique in its own way. The end is a nice cheesy end. It's something I'd imagine that would happen. I love how it kept it open for more books... which are going to be published soon right??? The author has me HOOKED on this story. It's something you'd reread over and over again without getting bored. It was nice to recognize some of the places. GOSH. I can't get over how amazing the character is. Love the minor characters. I don't know what it is about this book but... it's a nice refresher.
Definitely recommend it!
No doubt you will love it if you like that mysterious type of kick ass heroine who is super savvy!
April 4, 2013
This was a quick read and highly enjoyable.
Jan Rose is not your typical teenage girl, she is a computer genius. Jan helps her mom with the family business of destroying and recycling old computers. Jan has created her own online world from hard drive she was suppose to destroy.
The character of Jan really evolves as the book goes on. She starts out as a being bitter she has to help out her mom who is suffering from MS and the family business. In the end she realizes she needs to show her love for her mom more, and she can actually help others with her computer skills. There is even teenage love in the story.
I was shocked to see who was responsible for the cyber attacks against Jan. I also think it was very creative of her to figure it out and bring attention to who was behind it.
There is so much more I'd love to say about this book but it would give away from the story for others that haven't read it yet.
Jan Rose is not your typical teenage girl, she is a computer genius. Jan helps her mom with the family business of destroying and recycling old computers. Jan has created her own online world from hard drive she was suppose to destroy.
The character of Jan really evolves as the book goes on. She starts out as a being bitter she has to help out her mom who is suffering from MS and the family business. In the end she realizes she needs to show her love for her mom more, and she can actually help others with her computer skills. There is even teenage love in the story.
I was shocked to see who was responsible for the cyber attacks against Jan. I also think it was very creative of her to figure it out and bring attention to who was behind it.
There is so much more I'd love to say about this book but it would give away from the story for others that haven't read it yet.
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