What do you think?
Rate this book
Glitched
If you found out you were living in a virtual reality video game, what would you do?
Kashmira lived an ordinary life until an army of invaders sacked her city and left her for dead. When she awakens, she discovers she is a glitch in a virtual reality video game – destined only for deletion by the bots that hunt her.
Dugan is a bitterly disgruntled engineer who played a pivotal role in the creation of virtual reality games and the NPCs who inhabit them. Fired from the company he helped found, he seeks only revenge.
In a chance encounter, Dugan sees in Kashmira a tool to sabotage the games and avenge himself, and through him, Kashmira finds the help she desperately needs. As they traverse the worlds of virtual reality and their friendship deepens, it will take everything they have not only for her to win her freedom and survive, but also to answer the fundamental question of what “life” is.
“As an avid science fiction reader and video game LOVER, the premise of this book instantly drew me in. I was completely captivated by the characters and the relationship/friendship between Dugan and Kashmira. I would be absolutely delighted to read more from Tiffany Yao. Fantastic debut novel!”
“Thanks to Tiffany Yao for penning a book that is thought-provoking and gives you the ability to imagine yourself in the character's shoes in such a way that you feel what her protagonists are feeling the whole time that you are reading. I will be keeping an eye out for more from the author. She’s done a masterful job with her debut novel.”
If you're a fan of Ready Player One or Free Guy, starring Ryan Reynolds, you'll LOVE Tiffany Yao's debut novel, Glitched.
Kashmira lived an ordinary life until an army of invaders sacked her city and left her for dead. When she awakens, she discovers she is a glitch in a virtual reality video game – destined only for deletion by the bots that hunt her.
Dugan is a bitterly disgruntled engineer who played a pivotal role in the creation of virtual reality games and the NPCs who inhabit them. Fired from the company he helped found, he seeks only revenge.
In a chance encounter, Dugan sees in Kashmira a tool to sabotage the games and avenge himself, and through him, Kashmira finds the help she desperately needs. As they traverse the worlds of virtual reality and their friendship deepens, it will take everything they have not only for her to win her freedom and survive, but also to answer the fundamental question of what “life” is.
“As an avid science fiction reader and video game LOVER, the premise of this book instantly drew me in. I was completely captivated by the characters and the relationship/friendship between Dugan and Kashmira. I would be absolutely delighted to read more from Tiffany Yao. Fantastic debut novel!”
“Thanks to Tiffany Yao for penning a book that is thought-provoking and gives you the ability to imagine yourself in the character's shoes in such a way that you feel what her protagonists are feeling the whole time that you are reading. I will be keeping an eye out for more from the author. She’s done a masterful job with her debut novel.”
If you're a fan of Ready Player One or Free Guy, starring Ryan Reynolds, you'll LOVE Tiffany Yao's debut novel, Glitched.
- GenresScience Fiction
254 pages, Paperback
Published April 15, 2022
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 16, 2022
Overall, 4 stars! Kashmira's story has so much imagination; I really enjoyed the beautiful scene/environment details and references to quirky conventions. I think this novel is best suited to sci-fi lovers, especially those who like to consider video game worlds from the NPC perspective! I personally enjoyed the "villain's" motives.
On the other hand, connections and character relationships were not as fully explored as I would've liked. To be honest, it felt a bit like sections were missing from the story, and characters did not each have a distinctive voice. Ultimately, this is a quick and enjoyable read with a satisfying conclusion; I recommend it for it's clarity and charm.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
On the other hand, connections and character relationships were not as fully explored as I would've liked. To be honest, it felt a bit like sections were missing from the story, and characters did not each have a distinctive voice. Ultimately, this is a quick and enjoyable read with a satisfying conclusion; I recommend it for it's clarity and charm.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 14, 2022
Disclosure: The author, Tiffany Yao, is a friend of mine. Thank you to Tiffany and to Booksprout for the Advance Reader Copy in order to provide my honest and full review.
Rating: 4/5 stars
This review contains spoilers!
To begin, I greatly enjoyed this novel! It had me hooked from the very beginning, and I devoured it in only a couple of days. I loved the diverse, well-rounded cast and the representation throughout the novel did not feel forced. There was even a (albeit minor) mention of non-binary/pronoun representation.
The scenery and locations were described with such care to details, however I found this somewhat lacking when describing the characters themselves. Several characters had no physical description at all. Additionally, while motives and actions were well defined, I found the emotions the characters presented to be a little one-dimensional, specifically Dugan and Kashmira's make-up scene.
There were a few instances where action happened "behind the scenes" that I would have loved to see more of: how they found and gathered the other Rebels, Aasfa leaving The Invasion to live in Neon Punk, and the friendship (or more?) between Kashmira and Yunhee. I also would have loved to see more of Jayda after the reveal of the sentient AI's - I think she would have been a powerful ally. I am also extremely curious as to why Calvin pulled on his sleeve? It was mentioned twice (once in the meeting with the advertising companies, and once more in the flashback with the first AI in Virtual Italy). I assumed it would have a more important role, and I was a little disappointed to not see a crazy plot twist involving this.
The end of the novel with the rebel takeover with Dugan's help was so satisfying. It doesn't gloss over the confusing truth of sentient AI's and leaves the reader aware that it will be a difficult journey for Kashmira and the others.
Final thoughts: the story was well defined, well thought out, and well written. Anyone that loves Sci-Fi will enjoy this book. For a debut novel, I came away thoroughly impressed. I am excited for the world to experience Kashmira's journey, and can't wait to see what else the author will bring to life!
Rating: 4/5 stars
This review contains spoilers!
To begin, I greatly enjoyed this novel! It had me hooked from the very beginning, and I devoured it in only a couple of days. I loved the diverse, well-rounded cast and the representation throughout the novel did not feel forced. There was even a (albeit minor) mention of non-binary/pronoun representation.
The scenery and locations were described with such care to details, however I found this somewhat lacking when describing the characters themselves. Several characters had no physical description at all. Additionally, while motives and actions were well defined, I found the emotions the characters presented to be a little one-dimensional, specifically Dugan and Kashmira's make-up scene.
There were a few instances where action happened "behind the scenes" that I would have loved to see more of: how they found and gathered the other Rebels, Aasfa leaving The Invasion to live in Neon Punk, and the friendship (or more?) between Kashmira and Yunhee. I also would have loved to see more of Jayda after the reveal of the sentient AI's - I think she would have been a powerful ally. I am also extremely curious as to why Calvin pulled on his sleeve? It was mentioned twice (once in the meeting with the advertising companies, and once more in the flashback with the first AI in Virtual Italy). I assumed it would have a more important role, and I was a little disappointed to not see a crazy plot twist involving this.
The end of the novel with the rebel takeover with Dugan's help was so satisfying. It doesn't gloss over the confusing truth of sentient AI's and leaves the reader aware that it will be a difficult journey for Kashmira and the others.
Final thoughts: the story was well defined, well thought out, and well written. Anyone that loves Sci-Fi will enjoy this book. For a debut novel, I came away thoroughly impressed. I am excited for the world to experience Kashmira's journey, and can't wait to see what else the author will bring to life!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 9, 2025
The premises of the book is very interesting. Most of us have probably spent some time playing a virtual game to a certain degree. We met characters that we enjoyed interacting with and some we didn't. Thanks to technology the characters are becoming more and more realistic also.
Dugan and his friends are working together on a VR game. He is passionate to improve the game more and more to make it feel more realistic to the players. One of his business partners is more interested in earning them money. Once he plans to utilize the in-game experience for this (which comes with certain ethical issues) it results in them no longer agreeing on where to take the game. On top of that Dugan gets more and more attached to the characters of the game and when he wants to take it further, he gets pushed out of the company.
In the VR game we meet Kashmira, a character in the game, that suddenly wakes up after an invasion took everyone away from her. Characters in a game are not supposed to remember what happened to them a take a life of their own. They are also not supposed to find others like them and form a common goal.
When Dugan meets Kashmira, they start becoming friends and he tries to help her to not get deleted. She is a Glitch in a game not supposed to happen. Bots are after her to erase Glitches. Kashmira is not willing to accept that she is an error in coding. For her this feels very real.
I haven't read anything like this before and that got me interested to begin with. With where technology is going, when will we reach a state where an AI is becoming so real, that is no longer possible to draw the line. What if they feel so real, that they become your friend? Would you protect them from being harmed?
The ending felt a bit too easy and quick for me. While presenting an interesting question, I missed us going deeper. While I enjoyed some of the characters, I wanted to connect to them just a little bit more. Overall, an easy read and if you are a gamer and have a bit of understanding of technology and coding, you will enjoy it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Dugan and his friends are working together on a VR game. He is passionate to improve the game more and more to make it feel more realistic to the players. One of his business partners is more interested in earning them money. Once he plans to utilize the in-game experience for this (which comes with certain ethical issues) it results in them no longer agreeing on where to take the game. On top of that Dugan gets more and more attached to the characters of the game and when he wants to take it further, he gets pushed out of the company.
In the VR game we meet Kashmira, a character in the game, that suddenly wakes up after an invasion took everyone away from her. Characters in a game are not supposed to remember what happened to them a take a life of their own. They are also not supposed to find others like them and form a common goal.
When Dugan meets Kashmira, they start becoming friends and he tries to help her to not get deleted. She is a Glitch in a game not supposed to happen. Bots are after her to erase Glitches. Kashmira is not willing to accept that she is an error in coding. For her this feels very real.
I haven't read anything like this before and that got me interested to begin with. With where technology is going, when will we reach a state where an AI is becoming so real, that is no longer possible to draw the line. What if they feel so real, that they become your friend? Would you protect them from being harmed?
The ending felt a bit too easy and quick for me. While presenting an interesting question, I missed us going deeper. While I enjoyed some of the characters, I wanted to connect to them just a little bit more. Overall, an easy read and if you are a gamer and have a bit of understanding of technology and coding, you will enjoy it.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
April 16, 2022
I thought the book was great. I am a big fan of syfy, fantasy, and games so this was a perfect match. I loved how the characters all came together and grew into themselves. They were the perfect picture of relatable but also way more willing to get stuff done. Overall a great read!
Spoiler section:
I really enjoyed how Calvin's desire to make society better had such bad consequences. I feel like this is something that is so true in our lives today. It was also a good choice to have the "Disruption" have such major consequences. I wish the effects of that and the emotional till it took would have been expanded upon so we could really grasp how horrible it would be to be an AI in that situation. I need a spin off side story of what the duplicate Kashmir are doing. I bet that would be another great story to tell.
Spoiler section:
I really enjoyed how Calvin's desire to make society better had such bad consequences. I feel like this is something that is so true in our lives today. It was also a good choice to have the "Disruption" have such major consequences. I wish the effects of that and the emotional till it took would have been expanded upon so we could really grasp how horrible it would be to be an AI in that situation. I need a spin off side story of what the duplicate Kashmir are doing. I bet that would be another great story to tell.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 12, 2022
I am not a big fan of games and sci-fi books. Well let me rephrase that, I wasn't a big fan of games and sci-fi books. Glitched completely changed my mind. I found myself turning page after page, wanting to know more about Kashmira and Dugan, wanting to be a part of their adventures, it felt like I was there and I didn't want to leave. Very well written, great characters and amazing story. I can wait for Glitched to be turned into an audiobook so I can listen while I work 😜
May 15, 2022
I am a HUGE fan of sci-fi and anything game related. A friend of mine suggested Glitched and I didn't even think twice. I bought it right away and let me tell you that I am not disappointed. I would buy it again (I kinda did LOL, I bought the kindle version after finishing it just so I can go back and read it again while avoiding awkward social interactions ahah). Action packed, with awesome characters, this book will keep you hooked until the last page.
June 24, 2022
Vivid and written in a very descriptive way that really allows the reader to imagine the world in their head, which I loved. I felt submerged right along with Kashmira and Dugan.
I liked the themes woven through this book. There was mystery and action, there was fantasy and sci-fi elements, relationships and friendship themes and so much more.
I felt that the plot was a good one, I found myself trying to keep up, as there was a lot of moving parts, but it was highly original.
I liked the themes woven through this book. There was mystery and action, there was fantasy and sci-fi elements, relationships and friendship themes and so much more.
I felt that the plot was a good one, I found myself trying to keep up, as there was a lot of moving parts, but it was highly original.
July 21, 2022
This book brought us an imaginative world with great characters.
Great flow with action to keep you flipping pages, it was quite clever.
I loved the way that the author was able to give these characters major obstacles, keep them endearing, and not let the reader lose sight of what this is all about.
Great flow with action to keep you flipping pages, it was quite clever.
I loved the way that the author was able to give these characters major obstacles, keep them endearing, and not let the reader lose sight of what this is all about.
July 22, 2026
I found this very intriguing as we enter the world of games. Kashmira, a character in the game that Dugan and his friends have built and she discovers that she is in fact a glitch as characters are not supposed to remember what happens to them let alone feel alive. It’s an exciting read that draws you in with this premise of designer and character becoming more and I really enjoyed this!
May 11, 2022
this was a great use of scifi and games, i really enjoyed going through this story and getting to know the characters. It was a really well done scifi story and a good revenge story.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
May 15, 2022
Great book. Not what I was expecting but in a great way. Kashmira and Dugan are my favorite characters and I loved the interaction between them. It's very well written and original. Kept me entertained and guessing what would happen next. Great read
June 24, 2022
This was such a fabulous read. It’s got a sci-fi feel.
The plot flowed nicely and the action kept me guessing and flipping pages.
.This is one of those books that kept the pacing up. A few great twists along the way. What a clever story
The plot flowed nicely and the action kept me guessing and flipping pages.
.This is one of those books that kept the pacing up. A few great twists along the way. What a clever story
Read
May 11, 2022Very excited and unique. Easy to read and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Even if you don't like games, you will love the book!!
March 29, 2023
Good read
Not my usual type of book but I'm very glad I read it. Well written, thought provoking with great characters and world(s) building
Not my usual type of book but I'm very glad I read it. Well written, thought provoking with great characters and world(s) building
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews