Want by Cindy Pon

Synopsis: Jason Zhou survives in a divided society where the elite use their wealth to buy longer lives. The rich wear special suits that protect them from the pollution and viruses that plague the city, while those without suffer illness and early deaths. Frustrated by his city’s corruption and still grieving the loss of his mother, who died as a result of it, Zhou is determined to change things, no matter the cost.

With the help of his friends, Zhou infiltrates the lives of the wealthy in hopes of destroying the international Jin Corporation from within. Jin Corp not only manufactures the special suits the rich rely on, but they may also be manufacturing the pollution that makes them necessary.

Yet the deeper Zhou delves into this new world of excess and wealth, the more muddled his plans become. And against his better judgment, Zhou finds himself falling for Daiyu, the daughter of Jin Corp’s CEO. Can Zhou save his city without compromising who he is or destroying his own heart?

Review: Want was a thrill ride from page 1. Zhou was an interesting perspective to see. He knows what it's' like to be poor and broken. That has been his entire life. He also isn't afraid to do what needs to be done in order to fix the world. I liked getting to know the other characters in his group as well. Iris and Lingyi had such a cute relationship. I wish it was more apparent, but it was still nice to see a couple of ladies in love. Arun and Vic were also neat to read about, but I wish we had a little bit more of a relationship within the group. I'm glad we had the chance to know Daiyu. I always appreciate stories where the offspring of rich, corrupt people are not horrible like the parents. She had her own group of friends that made for an interesting parallel with Zhou's own group.

Cindy Pon doesn't hold back when dealing out the heartbreak in this book. The world felt sadly realistic. It seems like the kind of setting we could all be living in if things don't change. Taipei was a fresh city to experience. Not just that, we spent a good amount of time with the "haves" and the "have-nots," yos and meis respectively. It took a little while for me to get used to this terminology, mostly because I know Spanish and yo in Spanish sounds the way it looks. In Want, the term yo is pronounced you. When I got past that struggle, the book flowed really well. I will say that I saw the twist coming, but I felt the relationship between Zhou and Daiyu grew in a realistic way. Want is a fantastic book that uses found family, action, and a bit of romance. Definitely worth the read.

4 howls

Sidenote: If this story sounds interesting to you, I would highly recommend checking out the video game Shardlight. It also has a setting where the air is toxic and there's something sinister at work. Here is a playlist I watched of someone playing through the game. It's also great, and I think it compliments the story of Want very well.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRAcwizMKyhqe0suLr1ysy7Ecq6TPFzUc