Future Shock (Future Shock, #1) By Elizabeth Briggs

My debut YA novel, a twisty time travel mystery with a kick butt heroine. Want to know more? Join my Facebook fan group for early excerpts or sign up for my newsletter to get a notification when it comes out!

***Note: The Netgalley eARC had an issue with the formatting and caused it to not show the chapter breaks. The book does have chapters - each date or timestamp is a new one (like this). Sorry for the confusion! The final ebook and the print ARC and hardcover are all correct. :) ***

I'm thrilled that FUTURE SHOCK has gotten blurbs from some lovely authors:

Intense and romantic, FUTURE SHOCK is a gripping mystery you won't want to put down. – Amy Tintera, author of REBOOT

“A thrilling page-turner that’ll keep you guessing until the very end!” – Melissa Landers, author of the Alienated and Starflight series

“Buckle up–FUTURE SHOCK is a full-throttle thrill ride of a murder mystery. With twists at every turn, Elizabeth Briggs will keep you guessing until the very last page.” – Karen Akins, author of LOOP and TWIST Future Shock (Future Shock, #1) (Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Albert Whitman & Company and NetGalley.)

“I have to know why I’m not in the system. Even if it damages my brain, I need to know my fate.”

This was a YA sci-fi story about a group of teens sent to the future.

I totally understood Elena’s helplessness at the beginning of this book, being nearly 18 and about to be kicked out of foster care with nowhere else to go must be really scary, and the fact that no one would give her a job was awful too.

The storyline in this was about Elena and 4 other teens being sent into the future by 30 years by some scientists. Once in the future they begin to worry that they maybe didn’t exist anymore, and decide to look their future selves up, even though they’d been told not to, and from there we got a bit of a mystery unravelling over what had happened to them in the 30 years they’d jumped forward. The pace in this was quite slow though, and I lost interest a bit as the story went along.

The ending to this was okay, although we did get some deaths!



6 out of 10 Future Shock (Future Shock, #1) Situación actual: 4 a.m, acalambrada y entumecida en el sofa, hecha un manojo de emociones por este libro que IBA A MIRAR NO MÁS, NO A LEER, MENOS A TERMINAR. Pero valió 100% la pena.

Muy, muy, muy bueno. Fue empezarlo y nunca más soltarlo.
Por momentos es predecible, pero es original, depara sorpresas, es pura acción y te emociona. Future Shock (Future Shock, #1) I was after something light and entertaining. Maybe a little romance and adventure.. So I went to the trusty goodreads recommendations to see what the algorithm would point out to me, and I came across this one. I have never read anything by Elizabeth Briggs before and the synopsis sounded exactly like what I was after so I thought I would give it a go. I listened to the audio version of Future shock and I must say it was SO GOOD! Thoroughly fun and entertaining!

Elena who has a eidetic memory and 4 other gifted teenagers are selected by a mega corporation to travel forward in time 10 years and bring technology back to the present. However something goes wrong and they end up in a fight for their lives. 

What an exciting read! Lots of action and adventure, and TIME TRAVEL! It was like a mini YA cross between 'Back to the Future' and 'Minority Report'. 

I've gone off YA a bit lately, I'm getting a bit sick of the teenage angst - but I am really glad that I found this one. Although there was a bit of angst still, but what YA doesn't have a little bit with the young characters, who are learning what life is about.  Apparently Elizabeth Briggs writes a lot of romance and raunchy stuff normally, and this was her first attempt at YA and I must say I am impressed with her writing! It was so easy to get into and I really enjoyed the characters and the twists and turns. 

The story was very clever and the romance was cute. I had a few minor issues with Elena and some of the silly decisions that she made, and the rationales behind some of her actions, but overall it was a great story and I am looking forward to reading the next one!

The audio version was very well done. Erin Spencer did a great job at the narration! 7 hours was a nice break from the 27+ hours of fantasy novels I've been listening to lately!

Would I recommend Future Shock?
Yes it was a lot of fun! I thought the characters were great, it had a great twist and lots of action along the way. And TIME TRAVEL!!! Super fun!

I purchased Future Shock on audible.com at my own expense.

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Instagram Future Shock (Future Shock, #1) Elena Martinez is 17 and about to age out of the foster system with no prospects until one day she is offered the chance to participate in a research project with a tech company called the Aether Corporation. A group of five teenagers is recruited to be sent forward in time ten years to collect information on new technology and bring it back to the present. Of course, nothing happens the way it is supposed to, and instead of spending their time completing their specified task, Elena and the rest of the team are soon embroiled in trying to solve the mystery of their own murders, which they find out happened the day after they returned from the future.

This is one of those SF books that is very light on the science and basically just focuses on the drama of the story. I don't hold that against it though, as there have been a lot of good SF books that have essentially just used an SF element to create a setting for good fiction drama. It has a nicely diverse cast of characters, which I appreciated, including a young woman of Mexican descent as the lead character.

It was a moderately satisfying book, but I can't help but feel like it could have been more if it had tried just a little harder. Certainly all the right elements were there, but I felt like something was missing. The characters all had potential but ultimately felt a bit flat. However, it was a fairly quick read and I did enjoy the book enough that I will probably read the sequel, Future Threat, when it comes out. Future Shock (Future Shock, #1)

Future Shock was a lot of fun with a twist at the end that I did not see coming. And I'm usually not easily surprised by twists, most are too obvious. Not this one. No. I would never have guessed it is was that person.

This book sucked me easily in, because the writing was so easy and - for the loss of a better word - alive.

Another thing that sucked me in was Elena's POV. I loved Elena's POV. She was a good person, trying to help everyone. Don't think she didn't had her flaws. She did. But they made her human and likeable. Because aren't we all annoyed by perfect heroines?

The other kids were just as likeable.

I would recommend this book if you are into sci-fi and fantasy with a touch of romance, but be prepared to have your brain blown with all the time travel talk. And I mean that in a good way. Future Shock will make you think.

And the moment when the title starts to make sense. Best feeling in the world.

Rating: 4 stars

[EDIT: Apparently this will be a series and the second book is called [book:Future Threat|29506205]. Yay! Can't wait]

~ Book provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion Future Shock (Future Shock, #1) This and other reviews can be found on The Psychotic Nerd

I received an ecopy of this book in exchange for a honest review

MY THOUGHTS
I admit that I have a soft spot for books with time travel. Sure, they're a bit confusing at times, but they are so fascinating. This one wasn't, thankfully, as confusing as previous time travel books I've read and I enjoyed reading it!

Elena Martinez has bounced from foster home to foster home and as she is approaching the age of 18, she'll be kicked out and left on her own. When she's offered an opportunity by a powerful tech company, she can't resist. Not when it means that she can actually have a future. Turns out that she'll get to actually see the future. She, along with a few other teens, will travel to the future, record their findings on the tech there, and return. Sounds easy. Except something goes wrong when they travel to the future. Except the teens can't help but look into what they're own futures are, and what they find out will horrify them.

I had absolutely no clue what this book was about when I picked it up. I make it a rule not to read the synopsis of a book right before reading the book, in case of spoilers. I thought there would be time travel involved, due to the title, but I didn't know for sure. So I was really excited when that bomb dropped! I love time travel in books, especially when folks travel into the future! This book was no different! I thought the time travel was interesting and it was done well. It wasn't a confusing mess like some time travel books. There were some times when I had to tilt my head, but time travel is a strange thing, there's always going to be a little confusion.

The book has strong sci-fi elements, but there's also a lot of mystery. I don't want to say the hows and the whys, as they're spoilers, but there's a lot of mystery elements in this book. It kept me on the edge and it kept me guessing, all throughout the book.

As for characters, I can't say I love any of the characters, but I did like them. Elena is a great MC, but she didn't really strike a chord. She kind of seemed like your average YA MC, except Mexican and with tattoos. I liked all of the supporting characters. I mainly liked how different the teens were and how they interacting with each other.

As for romance, it didn't wow me, but it also didn't distract from the major plot, so that's good. You could tell right away who the love interest was going to be, though that's the case with most YA, and it just felt it an added romance. *shrug*



IN CONCLUSION
Overall, I enjoyed this book. Again, I love time travel books, so this one was right up my alley. I loved the sci-fi elements and the mystery. There were some things, like characters and romance, that I was just okay with, but overall I think this is a great sci-fi standalone!
Future Shock (Future Shock, #1) Review originally published on my bookstagram acc: https://www.instagram.com/p/BheRq7qgtcq/

[review in english below]

Gracias a @somosbestya por el ejemplar
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Elena ha sido criada en hogares de acogida durante toda su vida. A los dieciocho años tendrá que dejar su actual hogar y por eso se encuentra en la desesperada búsqueda por un empleo. Pero Elena no es la típica chica mexicana/estadounidense, tiene una memoria prodigiosa. Y cuando una compañía le ofrece ganar una exorbitante suma de dinero, no lo duda. El trabajo parece baste sencillo: ella y un grupo de adolescentes deben viajar al futuro, observar todo lo que encuentran y luego reportar sus observaciones a la compañía. Pero algo sale mal y tendrán 24 horas para volver al presente y detener a un asesino.
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Empecemos diciendo lo mucho que me sorprendió este libro. No estaba esperando disfrutarlo tanto como lo hice. Como la sinopsis claramente demuestra, este es un libro plagado de acción. Muchas cosas suceden todo el tiempo y el argumento no te da un respiro. Me tuvo en ascuas durante toda la lectura, al punto tal que no podía parar de leer y me lo terminé fumando en menos de 24 horas.
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Pero no sólo el argumento me resultó entretenido, realmente me gustaron como estaban construidos los personajes. Si me siguen hace rato sabrán que siempre tengo problemas con los personajes en la literatura juvenil. Sin embargo, estos personajes se sintieron increíblemente reales para mí, con sus motivaciones claras y plausibles. Si bien hubo algunos clichés típicos del género, no me arruinaron la lectura para nada.
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Así que si están buscando un libro divertido, lleno de acción y que los mantenga todo el tiempo con ese deseo de saber más y más, denle una oportunidad a #ShockDelFuturo de #ElizabethBriggs
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Calificación: 4 marusitas
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{I was kindly sent this book from a local publisher in exchange for an honest review}
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Elena was fostered cared her entire life. At the age of 18, she will leave her foster home and that’s why she is desperately looking for a job. But Elena is not your common Mexican American girl, she has a prodigious memory and when a company offers her the opportunity to earn a huge amount of money she doesn’t hesitate. The job seems quite simple; she and a group of teenagers must travel to the future, observe everything they encountered and then report their observations back. But something goes wrong and they have 24 hours to return to their present and stop a killer.
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Let’s start by saying how much this book took me by surprise. I was not expecting to like it as much as I did. As la synopsis clearly states this is an extremely action packed novel. A lot of things are constantly happening and the plot doesn’t give you a brake. It had me all the time at the edge of my seat and I just could not put the book down. I was that invested in the story that I read it in less than 24 hours.
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But not only was the plot enjoyable, I really liked how the characters were crafted. And if you have been following me for a while, you know I always struggle with how YA authors write their characters. However, these characters felt extremely real to me, their motivations and feelings completely clear and plausible. There were some YA tropes but they did not spoil my enjoyment of this novel at all.
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So, if you are looking for a fun, action packed read that keeps you at the edge of your seat, give Future Shock a go.
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Rating: 4 stars
Future Shock (Future Shock, #1) Elena Martinez has to find a job before she turns eighteen or she will be homeless and on the streets when she ages out of the foster care system. She's determined, street smart, and has an eidetic memory, but she's having a difficult time finding work. Maybe it's because she's a tatted up Mexican girl with a record, and her father's legacy hanging over head to boot. When she suddenly receives a job offer from the Aether Corporation, an L.A. tech giant, for more money for a day's work than she's ever seen in her life, she jumps at the chance. Aether Corp. has recruited four other teens - Chris, Trent, Zoe, and Adam - for this mission. All five are a part of a secret operation to travel ten years into the future, and bring back any pertinent data. They're only given one rule - do not to look into their own futures. However, something goes wrong when they arrive and they are forced to break that one rule. They now have twenty-four hours to get back to their own time, change the future, and stop a murder. They'll have to be careful, though, because changing the timeline can have deadly consequences.

Going into Future Shock, the first book in a new series by Elizabeth Briggs, I knew that it featured time travel. Honestly, that's a huge reason as to why I wanted to read the book and I'm pleased to say that I enjoyed the execution of this novel from the time travel to the future, a good central mystery, characterizations, and pacing. Also, I really got a kick out of the pop culture references to Doctor Who and Back to the Future!

Usually, I prefer my time travel into the past, but I do like to see how the future can be imagined every now and then. In this novel, they expect to go only ten years into the future, rather than the thirty they actually end up going, so there are quite a few interesting changes between then and now. For example, in thirty years cash is obsolete and payments are made by fingerprint scans that are linked directly to your bank account, cars are entirely self-driving, and many people wear devices called flexis on their face, which are something like having a mental link to a smartphone via a small, transparent sheet of plastic that can display a pattern of the wearer's choice on the surface. I wouldn't doubt a future of self-driving cars and payment via fingerprint at all. I'm not sure about going totally hands free like with these flexis, but I guess only time will tell - I mean, just look at how much technology has changed since 1986. Either way, the time travel aspect is handled well with minimal confusion.

This leads me to the mystery at the heart of the story that Elena and her fellow time travelers need to work out. Due to time travel (and some research), Elena knows the end results, but lacks the details of how exactly they get to that point. They have to work backwards to put together their own personal futures, while also trying to figure out if they've been set up and if there is more to the entire situation than meets the eye. I really enjoyed trying to piece everything together with Elena and her companions and I liked that the novel kept me on my toes with it's quick pacing.

As for our diverse cast of characters, Elena, one tough cookie with a great memory, and Adam, a smart nerd (plus a fan of the Doctor), are the two most well developed characters of the main five. Don't get me wrong - Chris, Trent, and Zoe each had their moments to shine, but I felt they were somewhat lacking in comparison. I also liked that we got to see some of the adults behind Aether Corporation - and I only wish I could have seen more of them. Then again, part of the mystery probably would have unraveled a bit faster if that was the case. Although each of the main five time traveling characters can be somewhat prickly or off-putting for one reason or another, I came to like all of them well enough in turn.

Overall, I had a great time while reading and keeping up with the time travel and mysterious antics in this creative debut YA novel by Elizabeth Briggs. The twists and turns are well executed and the story kept me turning those pages. For me, the time travel and the sci-fi elements really make the story, and the characters plus their mental and emotional baggage, all make this new novel a must read for fans of the genre.



This review also appears on my blog as a part of Brittany @ Space Between The Spines Summer 2016 Review Train and can be found here. Future Shock (Future Shock, #1) Future Shock was a very original time travel, young adult novel.

Elena, a teen with extraordinary skills, is hired by a technological corporation to be sent into the future with a team of other young adults. They are each picked for their unique skills. But the corporation is keeping secrets that has Elena extremely concerned but the money is too good to turn down.

They are told not to check into their future or ask questions about this experiment but the travelers soon discover only one of their team survives to the future and one is accused of killing the rest as well as themselves.

Plots, machinations and betrayal face the time traveling team. They must unravel their future before they return to the past or they will end up murdered. They don't know who they can trust and who is out to get them.

Awesome premise but the storytelling is a little slow going, Future Shock really had that imaginative potential to blow me away. Unfortunately, the pace ended up putting it in between the like it and really like it for me. 3.5 stars

I received this ARC copy of Future Shock from Albert Whitman & Company - AW Teen in exchange for a honest review. This book is set for publication April 1, 2016.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

Written by: Elizabeth Briggs
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: AW Teen
Publication Date: April 1, 2016
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0807526827
ISBN-13: 978-0807526828
Genre: YA | SCIFI

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Future-Shock-El...

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/futur...



Future Shock (Future Shock, #1)

review ☆ eBook, PDF or Kindle ePUB ☆ Elizabeth Briggs