ARC Book Review: Coldwire (Coldwire #1) by Chloe Gong

Rating: ★★★★.5
Audience: YA Dystopian Sci-Fi
Length: 496 pages
Author: Chloe Gong
Publisher: McElderry Books
Release Date: November 4th, 2025
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Chloe Gong comes the start of a daring new dystopian series where humanity has moved to virtual reality to flee their deteriorating world, following two young soldiers who must depend on unlikely allies in their fight for survival.

The future is loading…

To escape rising seas and rampant epidemics, most of society lives “upcountry” in glistening virtual reality, while those who can’t afford the subscription are forced to remain in crumbling “downcountry.”

But upcountry isn’t perfect. A cold war rages between two powerful nations, Medaluo and Atahua—and no one suffers for it more than the Medan orphans in Atahua. Their enrollment at Nile Military Academy is mandatory. Either serve as a soldier or risk being labelled a spy.

Eirale graduated the academy and joined NileCorp’s private forces downcountry, exactly as she was supposed to. Then Atahua’s most wanted anarchist frames her for assassinating a government official, and she’s given a choice: cooperate with him to search for a dangerous program in Medaluo or go down for treason.

Meanwhile, Lia is finishing her last year upcountry at Nile Military Academy. Paired with her academic nemesis for their final assignment, Lia is determined to beat him for valedictorian and prove her worth. But there may be far more at stake when their task to infiltrate Medaluo and track down an Atahuan traitor goes wrong…

Though Eirale and Lia tear through Medaluo on different planes of reality, the two start to suspect they are puzzle pieces in a larger conspiracy—and the closer they get to the truth, the closer their worlds come to a shattering collision.

Thank you Simon Teen and Simon Audio for the gifted ARC and audiobook.

STOP IT RIGHT NOW.

Y’all know by now that I’m a big fan of Chloe Gong’s books and she hit it out of the park again!! If you’ve been missing the era of great young adult dystopian novels, please get this on your TBR nowwwww.

I loved the complicated world filled with AI. It’s haunting and thought provoking and feels like it’s peering into the future. I definitely felt all the things with the way some of these scenes went down.

I enjoyed both of the POV’s and the differences in the world for them. It was a good contrast that led to insight on multiple fronts and let me tell y’all, I was glued to my headphones.

And I don’t know how I wasn’t noting the looming twist, but it notched up my thoughts about this book tenfold. I AM SO HERE FOR IT.

The dash of romance worked well for me too. It’s not at the forefront but plays enough of a *very* slow burn role that it only adds to the overall feel of the book. I can’t wait for the next book after that ending!!!

Overall audience notes: