ALA Booklist

Jason Zhou lives in a near-future Taipei where the super-rich yous wear suits that protect them from the deadly pollution, while the meis struggle and die young. But Jason and a group of bright and clever friends are determined to change things, and to do that they need money. So Jason kidnaps a wealthy you girl; the ransom lets them put into motion a plan to destroy the powerful Jin Corporation that makes the suits d perhaps manufactures some of the deadly poisons that ensure their necessity. Jason, who must assume a you identity to get close to Jin Corp, is successful thanks to the escalating relationship between him and Mr. Jin's daughter, Daiyu. Unfortunately, she's the girl he kidnapped, and he must hope the memory-wiping he administered will hold. Pon excels as this society's architect, constructing sights, sounds, and smells that make this Taipei come alive. Her characters are layered, too, and though some predictability shoots through the plot, the action, attraction, and high stakes will keep readers satisfied.

Kirkus Reviews

In a future Taiwan, street kid Jason Zhou disguises himself as one of the wealthy elite in order to take down a murdering CEO.Jason's been alone since his mother died of pneumonia when he was 13, just another casualty of the disease-ridden streets of polluted future Taipei. He's been poor his whole life, but now Jason's living in luxury and wearing something only the ultrarich can afford: a Jin Corp suit and helmet, designed to keep Taiwan's polluted air from touching his lungs. Among the Taipei glitterati, Jason's success rides on his successfully pulling off a disguise as a rich American new to Taiwan. Taiwan-born Jason and his international crew of friends believe the head of Jin Corp—and inventor of the suits—has been murdering anyone who agitates for cleaner air. The only way Jason can find the information they need is to pose as a high-rolling playboy romancing Jin's daughter, so Jason kidnaps a rich girl so they can use the ransom to finance his wealthy disguise. It's just bad luck that he's kidnapped Jin's daughter. A few seams show from the adaptation of "Blue Skies," Pon's short story from the anthology Diverse Energies (2012), fleshed out here into action occasionally overwhelmed by romance. Overall, though, the effect is successful. An exciting, socially conscious futuristic thriller. (Science fiction. 13-16)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

In this SF thriller, adapted from a short story that appeared in the 2011 anthology Diverse Energies, teens struggle to survive in a pollution-choked Taipei, where the wealthy live in expensive environmental suits and everyone else risks sickness and early death. Jason Zhou, one of the have-nots, joins a group determined to infiltrate the rich and powerful in order to undermine Jin Corp and its monopoly on the protective suits. In Jason-s undercover role, he grows close to his target, Jin Corp heiress Daiyu, but must avoid being seduced by power and privilege. But there-s no time to waste with a deadly flu sweeping through the city. Pon-s (Serpentine) dystopian setting is chilling but familiar-it-s a standard class warfare scenario-as is the omnipresent, corrupt Jin corporation and the romance that brews between resourceful Jason and privileged-yet-rebellious Daiyu. The strength of Pon-s story lies in the way it immerses readers in its gritty Taiwanese setting, and the emotional and cultural conflicts that arise as a result of this perspective. Ages 14-up. Agent: Bill Contardi, Brandt & Hochman. (June)

Voice of Youth Advocates

Want is full of conspiracy, idiosyncratic language, thrilling action, and just enough reality to make this future seem very close indeed. Jason Zhou lives in a dualistic Taipei where the rich can buy everything, including longer lifetimes. It is a polluted society, literally and figuratively, but the rich—called Yous—can afford suits that keep them safe from the city plagues. Zhou, however, is a poor Mei (“without”), and he is hurting from the dubious death of his mother. When he and his friends hear rumors that someone is purposely infecting the Meis with a deadly virus, Zhou must act. He must take down the Jin Corporation, which believably controls the economy; they not only design the pollution suits but probably manufacture the pollution in the first place. Zhou is a likable hero who, with his Mei friends and against all odds, is able to infiltrate the You plutocracy to discover just how powerful it is. Pon is a science fiction writer of the highest order, and her intelligent prose creates a rich, complex world. Her sense of dark social commentary is like crossing Alex London's Proxy with M.T. Anderson's Feed (Candlewick, 2002/VOYA February 2002) and Paolo Bacigalupi's Shipbreaker (Little, Brown, 2010/VOYA August 2010). The concomitant romantic twist is unnecessary, but it does satisfy the reader who comes to expect one. Science fiction fans who enjoy action, technology, and some romance will want this book.—Jim Nicosia.