Want - Cindy Pon

⭐ 8.0/10

(Originally written by Magdalene)

This is a book set in an alternative near-future Taipei, and I LOVED the setting, obviously. Since I've been there and could recognize the place names, that made it extra fun.

Jason Zhou is a Mei, one of the have-nots, who is stuck breathing the heavily polluted air, while the Yous can afford fancy suits that protect them. The class divide is super wide, and the Meis are dying early, but the government doesn't seem to care. Jason and his friends decide to infiltrate the You world and take down the corrupt Jin Corporation. Jason poses as a You and gets close to Jin's daughter, which of course means Feelings happen.

This book is action-packed and fast-paced, like an action movie. It was very entertaining, but still had some things to say about inequality and environmentalism. They just weren't especially new things to say. But I'd definitely still recommend it to anyone looking for a fun, sci-fi read with a setting you don't see a lot in Western sci-fi. It's a great look into Taiwanese culture, even if it's a future, crappier, version of Taiwan.