Mindwalker

The author advertises this as Black Widow (my favorite film of all time) meets Divergent (my middle school favorite book) so I'm seated.

Feels like this was written with the goal to be adapted into a movie. The premise is cool - a young woman's job is to infiltrate the minds of her company's field agents to help them escape desperate situations, using advanced tech so she can see floor plans and assess risk ratios while controlling their bodies. Something goes wrong on a mission that forces her to flee. She meets a guy who, it turns out, is trying to uncover a conspiracy and bring the woman's company down. All that is good: the plot is exciting, the writing is smooth, and the ideas are interesting.

The biggest surprise (and let-down, for me as an adult man) was the YA enemies-to-lovers romance trope, which is pretty thick throughout the book. Wasn't a dealbreaker and wasn't salacious, just kinda boring/tired. But I know people like that trope, so if you're into sci-fi/tech and romance, this might hit your sweet spot.

Side-note: the repeated use of the phrase Christ-that-was is an obvious attempt by the author to create a "calling card"/in-joke for superfans of the series that made me cringe every time I read it.

3.5 stars
A dystopian sci-fi about girl working for a corporation she thinks is doing a lot of good. When wrongfully accused of treason and forced to flee, she gets entangled with the enemy and starts finding out that maybe the corporation is not as upstanding as she thought. This books was ok. A decent YA read but felt like it lacked depth.

“Desperation is not the same thing as consent. That it can't be. And it's time we stop pretending it can”

Oh boy did I have fun with this book. It's a fast paced, action packed, tech filled adventure that will leave any techy wanting more. It's been a while since I've read a sci fi that doesn't leave you confused about all the lore and politics. However because this so closely relates to the real world, it was much easier to get into.

The whole idea of mindwalking is fascinating. I'd say I want it to be real but I definitely do not. The underlying themes of consent and the politics behind governmental and corporate control is scary but real. It really does highlight how we have to be careful with innovation and that things really can go too far in the name of science. That being said, having a supercomputer in your head sounds like it would make life a little easier xD

As for the characters, they were all unique and enjoyable to read. The author does an amazing job of keeping the character's secrets and letting them lose at the best possible moment. Sil is such a fun character to read. You can experience in real time how she uses humour to deny the ticking time bomb that is her mind (quite literally). Her sarcasm and snark is off the charts and I am here for it

Can we stop for a minute and talk about that ending? I did not see those plot twists coming (maybe I'm just blind) and audibly gasped when things were revealed.

If you're looking for a easy and engaging read, focussing on incredible new technology, a cyberpunk world, and commentary on consent and control - this is the book for you

I thought I'd like this book a lot more than I did, but the characters were not very compelling and the relationships very typical YA. The plot was also kinda eh it was in the water...really?? that actually made me laugh . It was a quick read though and fun if you turn your brain off. Also the constant christ-it-was had me banging my head WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN