Divya Sharma is a queen. Or she is when she’s playing Reclaim the Sun, the year’s hottest online game. Divya—better known as popular streaming gamer D1V—regularly leads her #AngstArmada on quests through the game’s vast and gorgeous virtual universe. But for Divya, this is more than just a game. Out in the real world, she’s trading her rising-star status for sponsorships to help her struggling single mom pay the rent.

Gaming is basically Aaron Jericho’s entire life. Much to his mother’s frustration, Aaron has zero interest in becoming a doctor like her, and spends his free time writing games for a local developer. At least he can escape into Reclaim the Sun—and with a trillion worlds to explore, disappearing should be easy. But to his surprise, he somehow ends up on the same remote planet as celebrity gamer D1V.

At home, Divya and Aaron grapple with their problems alone, but in the game, they have each other to face infinite new worlds…and the growing legion of trolls populating them. Soon the virtual harassment seeps into reality when a group called the Vox Populi begin launching real-world doxxing campaigns, threatening Aaron’s dreams and Divya’s actual life. The online trolls think they can drive her out of the game, but everything and everyone Divya cares about is on the line…

And she isn’t going down without a fight.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book! I have been following Eric Smith ever since I saw him at a book festival, and the way he is so down to earth and into the online community spoke volumes to me, and I knew from seeing the synopsis to this novel that it was going to be very genuine. I had been counting down the days for an ARC to be released, and I loved it more than I knew I could. The storyline is so here and now. It feels young, honest, and real. I haven’t seen a novel tackle streaming and online trolling before, and because I have friends that do stream, it made it that much more of a compelling and meaningful read for me. It was also so wonderfully nerdy and trendy, making me feel in the midst of friends and like-minded individuals as I turned each page.

Divya and Aaron are two gamers from very different walks of life. They are expertly crafted and feel like people you would meet, both online and face to face. Divya has a Glitch stream where she has built up a following (the Angst Armada) in the game ‘Reclaim the Sun’ and is steadily getting sponsors and donations. She streams not for herself, but for her mom, who is trying to put herself through school after Divya’s father left them. It’s hard on her mom, seeing the things that internet trolls write about her daughter, but Divya has one hard and fast rule for herself; don’t read the comments. Aaron on the other hand is an aspiring video game writer, and he is trying his hardest to break away from his mother’s expectations of him while working for someone who is sketchy at best (not paying him and shooting down his origina ideas) but he is able to lose himself in the very game that Divya streams and dream of a life all his own.

Reclaim the Sun is a large MMROPG where players pilot themselves across a vast universe, finding planets, claiming them, and mining their resources for upgrades to their gear, ships, or avatars. Unless you’re in a party like the Angst Armada, coming across another player is very rare, so when Divya and Aaron find each other as they attempt to claim the same planet, the two forge a quick friendship. Things get rocky quick in both of their lives as the online trolls spamming Divya’s stream start coming after her, both in game and in real life, and Aaron finds out that he may not know everything about the ‘friends’ he’s been making a game with, or his own family. Their relationship is a safe haven in both of their rocky lives.

I think my favorite thing in this book is how it showcases the discrimination that girls still get when they play video games. The line ‘you’re good, for gamer girls’ set my soul alight with fire, because it’s just another way that men have been built up to be better than women. Divya and her best friend (and streaming co-host), Rebekah, are such strong, talented, and driven ladies, and seeing them hold their own and combat the gaggle of threatened boys coming after them is so empowering. It’s sickening to think that these kinds of things really do happen in real life; the discrimination, the bullying, the online and personal attacks, and not just to women, but to minorities, especially POC like Divya herself. I love how she never backs down, and how her Angst Armada stands behind her every step of the way. There are a bunch of moments in the book where Divya is at her lowest, and you think she might be losing her resolve, but then a random act of kindness reminds her what she stands for, and I may or may not have cried each time.

The internet can be such an ugly and unforgiving space. However, I myself have made some of the best friends in my life right now from Twitter. Even as a kid, playing around in places such as Neopets, I had a ‘guild’ where we talked about books and music, and these were and still are communities that I return to when the real world hustle and bustle gets me down. It’s amazing to think of the technological progress that we’ve gone through as a country, and that I could be as connected to my friend from England as I am to my coworker that I see face to face every day. It’s an incredible privilege, and this novel is a beautiful reminder to see it and treat it that way. We should be making content as uplifting, and posting comments that induce a smile, not tears. I usually agree, Eric, don’t read the comments, but I hope you read this one: you’ve made a true work of art.

5/5 stars