Strings

by David Estes

Awaken. Your entire body is controlled by mechanical strings.

Sixteen-year-old Pia has always lived in a mysterious facility where mechanical strings control her existence. She plays apprentice to her father, Gio, in performing nanotech designs for the Company, and she soon suspects there are diabolical human forces behind the manufactured reality of her world.

Sometimes the strings that tie us down are the same strings that set us free. 

Though her childhood memories and the origins of the strings remain strangely elusive, she begins to find solace with the introduction of two unlikely friends: daring, irrational Sofia, and calm, tender Marco.

As the truths of the past and present unravel together, Pia must find a way to free herself from her strings and escape the facility before facing the wrath of the unstable head of security, Mr. Davis. But to gain her freedom, she must navigate the dangers posed by Davis and by her suspicious new friends to find the real identity of the puppeteer.

If Pia can succeed in revealing the secrets of the Company, she may very well find the independence she so desperately seeks. But in her controlled world nothing is as it seems, and the closer she gets to the truth, the graver the consequences.

• ASIN: B0182SJ8S6
• Publish Date: 15 February 2016
• Publish Status: Active
• Format: eBook (Kindle)
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[Chelsea]

What I Loved:

Wow. I was iffy about a Pinocchio retelling because it seemed like it would be a hard fairy tale to redo, but man that was a really good book.

First of all, I loved that the author chose Pinocchio to do a retelling for. It was very different but I loved the concept he created. I also really liked the dystopian/sci fi aspects of this book because most retellings tend to be fantasy. Also props to the author for not making romance a focal point in this story!

I really, really loved how the author incorporated the Pinocchio story into this story. The whole puppet part was VERY well done and I loved Pia's little friend who played the part of a certain little cricket. It had been a while since I've read/watched Pinocchio so I was worried I would forget the important parts but this story made them easy to pick up.

The characters were all very well developed especially considering you didn't get to see them often. I kind of liked how even though we didn't see a ton of characters, we still knew them. Or thought we knew them... There was a lot of mystery surrounding most of the characters which means you don't know who you can trust and I really liked that. It was a mystery book within a dystopia.

What I Didn't Like:

There wasn't much I didn't like in this book. My only complaint would be that some parts were too slow and others rushed by. Some consistency would have been nice but it didn't take away from the story.

Who I'd Recommend To:

This is great for those people who love fairy tale retellings but are getting tired of seeing the same fairy tales get all the attention. It's also great for all dystopia lovers and I would even say it's ok for a slightly younger teen as well. I even think that guys would like this book too since it's not overly girly or has anything to do with princess and true love. It's defensively a well rounded book for a large audience.

[tweetybugshouse]

This is my first David Estes book and i really enjoyed his take on the retelling of Pinocchio. The whole concept of strings being a way to save someone and that the characters of this famous story are really part of this whole company and are being controlled by 3 owners and how each of the different characters worked together to create this elaborate story that your just drawn in to and are lost in for a few hours. The author really knows how to draw you in and see things from a different angle then you always known. Very well done.