Book Review: "Followers" By Megan Angelo

Followers is a creative idea in a world in which it's not crazy to have this realm of possibility.

It's a dystopian novel in which the end results could be magnified and become dangerous if not handled properly under the guise of those who seek to harm.

What if hackers were able to take over the world by stealing personal information and revealing it?

Would you worry about what someone could uncover about you?

We live in a data driven society in which our worth is measured by our amount of followers, our daily interactions, our perfectly painted lives that have been altered and cropped.

We no longer live in the moment, we no longer interact as humans, we simply move around in a state of constant chaos and anxiety driven by fears.
What if we were able to understand that fame can lead to influence and that influence can be tweaked?

Think to yourself, what is social media's purpose? How has it altered your own life?

Who should be held accountable and responsible for what is posted, what's shared, what's seen online on the dark web?

Is privacy nothing more than a mere illusion? 

Privacy in the wrong hands can wreak havoc among us all and this novel examines the relationships of the end consequences to such judgement.
We live in a world in which our self worth boils down to the number of likes, followers, comments, and shares we receive.

We have technology that shows who follows and unfollows, who interacts and doesn't, who spies on us and withdraws from us; but is this a fair and equal balance or should we simply 'build a wall'?

The story revolves around two main characters: Orla and Marlow with two distinct timelines from 2016 to 2051 with plenty of action and intrigue to fill the mind.

In Marlow's futuristic yet empty world she's not only lonely but wondering if having a ton of followers can replace her neediness.

She begins questioning the idea that perhaps her definition of friends has been too laxed and in fact what she now encounters in her constantly evolving life is nothing more than mere followers. 

Can she take the next big step in order to appease the public and brand and market herself in a different 'light?'

It's all in how one sells oneself but for her the life she built revolved around branding, marketing, and publicity and she's feeling isolated more than ever before.

Now with Orla we have a different situation revolving in orbit in which she must rely heavily upon trends in order to pave her way as a NYC blogger. Her roommate wants to have the fame and fortune but she's got one major issue: her devices are her world.

Yet, if only they can take time to smell the roses rather than be held up hostage to their own devices.

The value of work is questioned alongside the complicated relationships they have forged.

As parents we've all been told be careful what you share pertaining to your kids and how much of it you place online.

Stalkers, bots, trolls, auto-matrons, all of it is not only shocking but scary in the fact that a simple google search of a name or a reverse click on a phone number can send a treasure trove of information. PERSONAL information.

So, it's not wild too conjure up an idea such as the author's in which hackers have launched a US attack in which time seems to stand still.

People are revolting. Households are suffering. The emotional terrorism has shut down the normal ebb and flow of simply living.

It'd be worth noting that up to the latter 200 pages I was set to give this a three star rating. As I progressed into the last 100 pages or so I found a shift in the general feel this book had taken from the beginning and was now on a fast track of rapid altering changes.

All secrets were now being revealed. The 404 broken link was part of the equation. The files never seemed to stop being downloaded even three years later after causing undue chaos in so many lives.

The idea behind 'Atlantis' which was set in two separate locations was a unique take on the science fiction arena.

The marriages, the births, the familial relationships all became much more crucial to the characters existence.

The fact that one character in particular wanted to be so successful in her career but later uncovered she was already a success in her own eyes having raised a family, in becoming a wife, in being a decent citizen- and that was 'good enough.'

As mothers we must unite and stay grounded and focused on the bigger picture and in this case that picture need not be shared with the world nor do you need to go back to the past to uncover it.

As a debut, this worked well, and I would recommend it.