Corruption by Jessica Shirvington
Series: Disruption #2
Also in this series: Disruption
on November 2014
Pages: 437
Goodreads

How do you live with yourself when you’ve deceived the one you love?
How do you move on when the person you’ve been fighting to save betrays you?

Two years ago, Maggie Stevens began the hunt.

Four weeks ago, Maggie’s world fell apart, when she finally
found what she’d been looking for. And when Quentin,
who had blindly trusted her, unravelled her web of lies.

Now, Maggie lives in the dark. But she’s not about to stay there.
Not when she still has to bring M-Corp down.
Not when there is still a chance she could win him back.

In the exhilarating conclusion to Disruption, Maggie must do
whatever it takes to show the world the truth.
And the price for her quest?

Everything.

After reading Disruption earlier this year, I’ve been anxiously awaiting the release of Corruption, the second book in Jessica Shirvington’s newest series. I loved the first book and desperately wanted to know what was next for Maggie, Quentin, Gus and M-Corp.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Disruption series here’s what you need to know: It’s set in the not too distant future where a device called an M-Band monitors citizen’s lives. From their blood pressures to their pheromone matches and so much more – the M-Band controls all. Maggie Stevens has been on a mission for the past few years to rescue her father from the corporation who created the M-Bands.  They took him prisoner along with the thousands of others their technology deem to be unfit for society. Maggie is snarky, sarcastic, single-minded in her rescue mission, and has a slightly abrasive personality. To put it simply – I adore her. Her loyalty to her father is admirable and the lengths she would go to in order to save him are believable. She’s not afraid to get her hands dirty and her actions are less that moral in many circumstance. This includes getting close to Quentin, the M-Corp heir, and doing whatever it takes to free her dad. Blackmail, breaking hearts and kicking arse – Maggie will do all this and more to rescue her father from the evil clutches of M-Corp. 

(IF you haven’t read Disruption, be aware that from now on there will be spoilers for the first book). 

Corruption easily lived up to all my expectations – and completely surpassed them. Maggie is just as caustic as ever despite her world and everything she believed in being ripped apart. Her crusade to bring down M-Corp is still strong despite her eyes being opened to the true nature of her father. One of the things I like most about Maggie is her consistency. She’s still every much the bad-ass, punch now ask questions later kind of girl she was in the first book. Despite everything she’s been though and seen, she doesn’t stop being the character I came to admire in Disruption. Falling in love, going though terrible ordeals, learning the truth – none of this stopped her from being the ruthless and resourceful girl many who meet her fear.

That said, we do get to see a softer side of her at times and she is a character, who despite her consistency, has some great growth. Her relationship with Quentin has many obstacles especially considering how things went down between them at the end of Disruption. Gus and his super hacker skills are a great support to Maggie’s cause with her determination to ruin M-Corp stronger than ever. These are all fantastic characters who are perfect in their imperfection. They all have flaws and as a reader, I found this made them that much more authentic and fun to read. One of the highlights of Corruption for me was Maggie’s relationship with Gus. It’s wonderfully handled and brought back memories of just why I loved their interactions so much in Disruption.

Corruption is beautifully paced with action, drama and romance each perfectly intermingled. The flow of information was easy to follow and the techno-speak was never too heavy for a non-science minded reader to understand. There’s a lot going on in this book. Many characters from Disruption were reintroduced and despite some fairly daring antics from Maggie and her crew and despite all that was going on, as a reader I was never lost.

Corruption is the perfect follow-up to Disruption and a brilliant end to what has come to be a truly enjoyable series. Jessica Shirvington has delivered a compelling and exciting dystopian duology complete with action, romance and friendship. The concept of M-Bands is frighteningly realistic and Shirington gives us an interesting look at just how dangerous technology can be in the wrong hands. This book has easily been one of my favourite reads of 2014.

 

Thanks to Harper Collins Australia for the review copy.

Click here to read my review for Disruption (Disruption #1)

Corruption is perfect for fans of interesting heroines, futuristic sci-fi stories, exciting plots and well written fiction.