Dangerous
Addictions by Naomi Bellina
Amazon
KDP, 2016
Nothing
gets my juices flowing like a well-written dystopian novel. I’m not
sure why. Perhaps I find perverse satisfaction in visions of how much
worse the world could be than it actually is. I also appreciate the
imagination required to convincingly take today’s trends to their
awful extremes, or to create new threats and horrors. Then there’s
the pleasure to be gained from watching characters deal with the
negative forces in their world. This can be exciting, even inspiring.
Or
maybe I’ve just read too much Philip K. Dick.
By
the time I was a few pages into Dangerous
Addictions, Naomi
Bellina’s new scifi thriller, I was hooked. Welcome to the Secure
States of America, where all citizens have been quarantined after a
devastating terrorist bio-attack that killed millions and destroyed
the cognitive capabilities of millions more. Since the emergency,
prior to the start of the book, the government has consolidated its
control over the remaining population. Everyone is micro-chipped for
identification purposes. No one can leave the country, though travel
within its borders has been made simple and free—to
distract people from the fact that those borders are actually prison
walls.
Riley
wants out. A brilliant hacker with a criminal past, he’s consumed
by the desire to defeat the surveillance apparatus of the SSA. When
he develops a mysterious ability to control electric fields, he
realizes this power could provide the wedge he’s been looking for.
However, exercising his talent wreaks havoc with his body. He needs
to know more: where the power comes from, how to control it, how to
keep it from destroying him.
As
the only member of her family undamaged by the Malik virus, Danika is
overwhelmed with survivor’s guilt—guilt
compounded by the belief that her own super power caused the
accidental death of her fiancé.
Danika can sense and control the muscles in other people’s bodies.
Like Riley’s power, hers appeared suddenly a few years after The
Annihilation. She wonders if she might be able to use her abilities
to somehow heal the fractured minds of her mother and brother. That
vision is what keeps her sane.
Riley’s
and Danika’s paths cross as they are searching for others with
similar unexplained powers. They join forces in an uneasy alliance,
but there is little trust between them, as each one puts personal
goals first. However, enemies are hot on the trail of the same
information pursued by Riley and Danika, people and organizations who
do not hesitate to use murder or torture to get what they want.
Dangerous
Addictions
is not a relaxing book. Ms. Bellina ramps up the tension, as Riley
and Danika try to hide in a world where constant scrutiny by the
authorities is the norm. The book moves quickly, from one crisis (and
one city) to another. Pieces of the puzzle gradually fall into place,
but I was a bit disappointed to discover that much remains
unexplained by the end of the book, presumably because this is the
first in a series.
Both
protagonists are intriguing, multi-faceted characters. Danika’s
impulsiveness gets her into trouble, but she’s rescued by her quick
wit and a brazen willingness to do whatever needs to be done to
survive. Riley’s brooding cynicism is offset by a streak of
kindness that embarrasses him. There’s a spark of physical
attraction between them from the start, but they don’t act on their
impulses for a long time.
Most
of what I’ve read by Ms. Bellina would be categorized as erotic
romance. This book doesn’t fit neatly into that genre (or any
single genre, really). When Riley and Danika finally get together,
the sexual tension is resolved, but not the emotional conflicts. The
treatment was far more realistic than in most romance.
Overall,
I really enjoyed Dangerous
Addictions,
though I have to say, I’m not sure where the title comes from. The
series title seems much more appropriate: “Messed-Up Heroes”.
That describes both Riley and Danika pretty well.
(I
freely chose to review this book, having read other work by the same
author.)
