Control Alter Delete

What would you choose - a beautiful untrue life, or a broken true one? Hal is living a fairy tale - almost. Thanks to tech genius Francis Knox and her company's pioneering work building the perfect World 2.0, the universe is available at a swipe, and Hal has everything she wants. (Except for her family, which fell apart after her dad's disappearance years ago.)Except, perhaps, winning the notoriously competitive Knox Cup. That's a dream even World 2.0 can't fulfil, not when Hal doesn't have the funds to enter. Then out of the blue Hal's guardian challenges her to prove herself, arranging for Hal to compete. It's an opportunity she can't waste. If she wins, she'll meet Francis Knox herself - then all of Hal's deepest, secret wishes might really come true. But as the competition progresses, Hal discovers decay hidden beneath the world's perfect veneer - and, as the cracks begin to grow, she is forced to make a choice about what it is she truly wants. HUNGER GAMES meets BLACK MIRROR - a speculative YA thriller, tackling themes of technology and power dynamics, for fans of Malorie Blackman, Louise O'Neill, READY PLAYER ONE and THE UPPER WORLD.

Kathryn L. Kettle writes speculative fiction that explores power dynamics, grief, the human cost of control and technology. Born in Birmingham and now based in London, she draws on a career as a woman in the world of global technology to build worlds that examine how systems shape identity, freedom, and resistance. Her debut The Boy I Am was Carnegie nominated and recognised across multiple UK literary awards. She is a neurodiverse gamer, mother to twins and a passionate advocate for women's leadership and diversity in STEM.