Mindwalker by Kate Dylan is thrilling sci-fi for young adult readers.
Sil Sarrah is a Walker, a high-tech army soldier capable of controlling other people's bodies in terms of necessity. Her score of successful missions is 100 % until she fails on a public demonstration of Syntex's technological power. After that, she is on run from her beloved company and is publicly marked as a traitor.

This book is one of the best sci-fi I have ever read. I love the way of a combination of computers and the human brain. How could our future world look. Because the terrifying thing is that it can happen. Maybe. Somehow.

Sarah is a loveable main character, she is smart, brave and I did not mind that the story was told by her. The side characters were nice, Ryder could be a little bit more developed, but... this is a stand-alone story (or I think it is), and on this count of pages, there can not be epic worldbuilding and huge character development. On the other hand, things make sense. We can understand how that world and technologies work, and why characters act as they do. For a YA genre, this book is solid and really well written.

Yeah, the end could be bloodier, I would like to know more about everything, there could be more dead bodies. But then it will be an adult sci-fi and about 500 pages longer. This book contains ethical and moral questions, it makes you stop for a while and think about it. It is smart. It is wise. It will not ruin a young reader's soul. It can entertain an adult reader like me.

So there is no other way but to give this book a 5* and how would Val Garland from Glow Up say: "Ding dong, darling! Ding dong!"

Wow. If I didn't need the sleep I would've finished this in one sitting last night, I woke up early just to finish it before my son woke up!

I was hesitant on this, I always am with sci-fi books, I didn't think it would be my type of thing but I saw some people raving about it then I took the plunge and I do not regret it! It was such an incredible book, I loved it so much I must grab a physical copy!

I liked that we're pretty much thrown into the action, it's non stop and always something going on, I wished there was a little more to the ending but otherwise it was perfect and well rounded!

Omg . I absolutely loved this book. Plot twists . Action non stop though out the book. Each chapter made me read more and more. And the enemies to loves was amazing. It was interesting to read something new and futuristic life of technology everywhere.

What a scary glimpse into a (probably) not so distance future. Sil is an 18yr old living in a post apocolyptic world. Where corporations that had developed ways to help the human race survive now have all the power. But Sil doesnt see anytjing wrong with that as she herself has a vital role within the biggest Company of them all: Syntex. And with the help of the Supercomputer inplanted in her brain, she is also one of their top assets. I found the scifi elements really interesting, and the moral questions it raises, since the corporation is installing technology in children thats effectively a ticking time bomb. I found the story fast paced with lots of high stake situations. I really liked all the characters, I found myself rooting for them all but especially Sil. I think if you wanted to dip your toes into the scifi genre, this would be a really good place to start!

A fast paced, action packed, and gripping sci fi. I loved the style of writing and the excellent storytelling.
Good character and plot development.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A unique, fast paced read - love this level of sci-fi & sarcasm, with a touch of romance, plenty of banter and big problem to solve. I guessed the reveal at the end about 4-5 chapters before it happened, but that didn't stop it from being pretty thrilling!

Thank you so much, NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

Sil Sarrah is eighteen years old and she wants to die as a legend. With a computer grafted in her mind and the ability to commandeer field agents for the Syntex corporation from afar and to lead them to safety, she has a stellar record. She has never lost a life. But during an espionage attack to her home and a unexpected mission that goes south, Sil is labeled a traitor and forced to escape her home and friends. Now, with time running out before the computer in her brain kills her, she's detemined to clear her name and understand what happened. This brings her to an activist faction working to bring Syntex down, with a plan to infiltrate and win her company's trust back, but nothing is like she thought it would and secrets, lies and truths are uncovered and exposed, threatening her world and beliefs. With her tech degrading, new allies like the mysterious leader Ryder, Sil decided to do anything in their power to save her friends, reputation and her life.

Fast-paced, thrilling and captivating, Mindwalker is a brilliant and originale sci-fi story with a brave and stubborn main character, forced to grow and to discard her previous beliefs in order to understand the ugly truths beneath the company she has always trusted. Sil is a fantastic main character, a soldier, always respecting rules, keeping her record stellar and never doubting what they told her to do. Living in a world highly technologized, her home is Syntex, with her friends and partners, with a dangerous tech in her mind, with a experiation date. Eighteen and some more. When something catastrophic happens, her whole world is turned upside down, leading her to trust new people and to finally see the world as it really is. Her growth, bravery and stubborness are impressive and I truly loved her. Her relationship with Lena, Jondi and Ryder are so moving and funny to read, it's so clear their bond.
Mixing espionage, sci-fi, a world filled with devastation, high tech and lies, the story is truly involving and it captures the reader's attention right away, with plot twists that keeps coming and coming, until the very end.
Truly amazing.

Mind walker follows Sil Sarrah, who rescues field agents by controlling their minds and leading them out from afar and has never lost a life. In 12 months the supercomputer grafted to her brain will kill her and she's determined to use that time to leave a legacy. But after a mission goes south, she's forced to flee her home. Desperate to prove she's not a traitor, she infiltrates the analog army, a group of activists wanting to bring Syntex down. However along with the army's leader she uncovers a horrifying truth that threatens to undo all the good she's ever done.

I was instantly hooked by this one! There are high stakes, as Sil doesn't know if she'll achieve what she wants before her death, amazing worldbuilding and lovable characters. The plot moves fast, with so many thrilling twists and heartbreaking moments. I was always surprised by what happened next and would love to see it play out on the big screen!

Sil was an incredible protagonist and so well developed, I loved all the different relationships she had and seeing how they progressed. I felt every emotion alongside her and was rooting for her to bring down the villain! Her enemies to lovers romance was brilliantly written, it had enough development to seem realistic but didn't take away from the main plot. I'd love a sequel to this one to see how the characters deal with the fallout of the ending, which was a great ending! I definitely recommend this one, even if sci-fi isn't your thing I think you'd still really enjoy it!

If you are after a futuristic science-fiction book then definitely pick this up!
The title 'Mindwalkers' summarises the premise really. Sil is a Mindwalker or sometimes called a Junker by the opposition/rebels. She can insert her consciousness into the minds of others and control their bodies. This is first shown when Sil saves a soldier who without her assistance, would have died on his mission.
There seems to be one issue with these Agents though: they have a very short lifespan around the age of 20. This is somewhat accepted among them. Lena, one of Sil's closest friends has started her twilight zone, where parts of her super computer brain starts to glitch and go wrong, suggesting she doesn't have long left. Although it is accepted, the friends don't really acknowledge this horrible and inevitable doom but try and remain positive in each others company.
After a mission goes awry, Sid is framed for a crime she didn't commit and has a warrant for her arrest. With the help of a few trustworthy people, Sil goes on the run, infiltrating the rebel group who had some sort of involvement in the hack Sil looked into.
What takes place is a journey of twists and plenty of turns, a novel that suggests not everything is as it seems and it's governing body and eay society was set up is completely different to any other novel I've read.
Kate Dylan wrote a strong and captivating sci-fi novel that could be compared to Lifel1k3 by Jay Kristoff, Alita: Battle Angel and other dystopian books, TV shows and movies.
Thanks for the eARC! It was a fabulous read

This was a really fun sci-fi. It had some really good writing and was well structure. The characters were also well written. Overall really enjoyable and and had some interesting unique elements.

I have said this before but standalone sci-fi is one of the hardest things to get right. You have to introduce a reader to a whole new world which is often very different from our own as well as set up a plot with a convincing beginning, middle and end. All of that squished into a few hundred pages is no mean feat!

Mindwalker is a great example of standalone sci-fi done well. As a reader we are introduced to the apocalyptic world full of radiation storms and crumbling civilisation. Large tech companies have stepped in to save the planet and one of them, Syntex has merged technology with human brains to create a new type of being – The Walkers. Doomed to only live until they are 19 before the technology in their head explodes, Walkers are tasked with missions to take over field agent’s bodies when their odds of survival are low and get them to safety. We meet Sil, one of the most gifted agents with a perfect streak record whose life is turned upside down when she gets set up on a very public mission.

The world building is done well, and we really get a feel not only for the cold and clinical world that Sil lives in as a Walker but also the outside world, what happened to it and what has been created in its aftermath. There were a few bits that I felt were a little under-explained, for example, religion is not touched on at all, however a popular swear word is ‘Christ-that-was’ and ‘Unholy mother’ is also referred to at some point. As we didn’t have any reference for this is it was a little confusing – I would have liked a bit of background on this especially as the curse word is used so often.

I liked the characters, however it is a young adult book and therefore the romance element was a little cringy in places. It’s very much the typical, girl meets boy she ‘hates’ from the offset who believes in a whole different world view to her and then they argue a lot before falling in love. However, there were a lot of other strong characters as well and they all felt very well-rounded and realistic.

The plot moves along nicely, I never felt like the pace dragged and I kept wanting to pick it up to see what would happen next. I actually didn’t guess the final twist and there was a lot of smaller plot points that I did not see coming which kept the book interesting.

Overall, Mindwalker is a great standalone piece of young adult sci-fi, I can see the author Kate Dylan has hinted there may be more books in the same world and I will certainly be keeping my eyes out for these. Thank you to NetGalley & Hodder & Stoughton for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Eighteen year old Sil Sarrah is dying. Thanks to the tech put in her head by Syntex, she has days, months, years at best left until she melts down in spectacular fashion, so Sil is planning to go out as a legend. She spends her days infiltrating the minds of trapped Agents, directing them to safety by taking over their bodies, and with an 100% survival rate, Sil is the best of the best. But when her latest mission goes horribly wrong, Sil finds herself on the run from Syntex and the family she has made there, and ends up mixing with a group of hackers who are determined to bring Syntex down. Sil doesn't buy into their conspiracy theories, but she is more than willing to use them for her own needs, until something happens, something Sil was told was impossible, something that could bring Syntex to it's knees. Sil has all the cards, but no way to play them and she will have to rely on her friends, both old and new if she is to bring the true horror of Syntex to light before it's too late, for the world, for her friends and for herself.

Sil was such a brilliant POV to read this story from, and has made her way into my favourite characters of all time. She joined Syntex to forge a better life for her family, signing her own death warrant in the process, something that has never weighed down on her until now. She enjoys her job, most of the time, enjoys being the best, the elite, but she also wishes that she could enjoy her life before she looses her head... literally. She's so incredibly strong, but she also just wants to live, something she has never let herself wish for, and it's tragic seeing the propaganda she has been fed her whole life slowly come crashing down around her. She's super competitive and full of attitude and I just wanted her to be my bestie and trade snarky comments with each other.

Though the story is told solely from Sil's POV we get treated to a close knit crew of side characters that Dylan effortlessly brings to life. From Sil's friends at Syntex, to the people she meets in the Analog Army, the resistance, she has a knack for making friends as well as enemies and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing her building new relationships in her life.

The story is your typical, global tech company want's to take over the world, but Dylan puts a macabre, sinister and sometimes humorous twist on it enough to make the story stand on it's own two feet. Sil is a Junker, someone able to 'Mindwalk,' basically enter the head of any human as long as they are given permission. As much as these situations are dire, and plenty action packed, Dylan puts a witty twist on it thanks to Sil's snarky personality. She's the best, and determined to stay that way so doesn't take too kindly to the hosts minds questioning her ideas. I really enjoyed the scenes where Mindwalking was put to use & thanks to Dylan's writing style those, as well as the general action scenes, absolutely jump off the page and ensure the story stays energetic, high octane and fun.

Through Sil, and Syntex, Dylan talks about a lot of big themes including consent and body autonomy. Sil was hired by Syntex at eight years old, an age they deemed was old enough to consent to signing your own death warrant. And through the story we see her start to realise just how fucked up that, as well as Syntex as a whole is. What she does brilliantly, is show just how easy it is to fall under the spell of a company like that. How they know to go to the poor families, the children in such dire circumstances that they would jump at the chance of a better life, even if it only lasted for a few years. As fun and exciting as the story was, it had a dark and emotional undercurrent throughout, something that means you can't help but empathise with our characters and want them to succeed.

Fans of enemies to lovers romance... check this book out. The romance arc was both hilarious and steamy in parts. They are both hiding things from each other, thanks to a lack of trust, but I loved seeing them open up bit by bit, start to show their real selves to each other. Their story is heart breaking, not just when you learn about their pasts, but also thanks to the knowledge that Sil has a ticking time bomb in her head, but I lived for the scenes where we get to see them interact.

If you like your sci-fi fast paced and energetic, filled with mega cool tech, but with a dark and emotional underbelly, you need to check out this book. It was a story I didn't want to end, but one I simply couldn't put down and I am eager to see what Dylan has in store for us next.

I received an electronic advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to Kate Dylan and Hodder & Stoughton for giving me the opportunity to read Mindwalker before it’s release.

This book was marketed that fans of Marvel would love this book and as a huge Marvel fan I can safely say that I loved it!

With a super computer ingrained in her brain and a dwindling life expectancy, the fact that her stats remain at 100% is nothing short of phenomenal. She holds the lives of others in her hands as the CIP inside her brain allows her to take over another persons body (with consent) temporarily in order to get them out of situations they could not survive themselves.

But far more sinister things lurk around the corner and Sil will soon find herself dealing with completely different odds.

This book gave me everything I wanted and more. The romance subplot didn’t feel overwhelming and I was quickly gripped by the world Dylan portrays. The twists within this book were fantastic and there’s not a single character that I didn’t like (or love to hate)

I look forward to seeing what Kate Dylan comes up with next, and she can rest assured that I am one of what will be many fans of her work!

OH MY GOODNESS THAT WAS SOOOO GOOODDDDDD. Sassy characters, action packed, brilliant concept, MINDblowing twist, and perfect ending.... I couldn't ask for anything better in a YA scifi DEBUT. Will definitely shoving this book to anyone who cares to listen. PERFECTION. Love it so much😭💖

I will rewrite this review into more fleshed out paragraphs later bc I need some time to proceed this martespiece. Kate Dylan, you're amazing.

Oh my gosh! This book was so perfect and basically my dream book, considering I'm a space geek and also a casual marvel fan. The plot was wonderful, and so were the characters, I feel like they were very well developed! I cannot wait for Kate Dylan's next book, because this was truly a refreshing read.

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing me with a digital arc of this book in return for my honest opinion.

I utterly adored this book and could not put it down. I finished it in two days and loved every second reading it… I would have finished it in one sitting if I didn’t have to go to work.

Mindwalker is a gripping, fast paced YA Dystopian Sci-Fi. 18 year old Sil Sarrah works as a Mindwalker for the Syntex Corporation and is one of their best agents. As a Mindwalker she has the ability to enter the consenting minds of Syntex agents and take over their bodies in order to guide them to safety and out of dangerous situations. The problem is, the supercomputer implanted in her brain that enables this ability is also a death sentence - killing most agents by the time they’re 19.

When a mission goes wrong Sil is forced to flee everything and everyone she knows in order to clear her name.

I really loved Kate Dylan’s style of writing and the futuristic dystopian world building in this book. I am keen to read more by Kate Dylan. This is one of my new favourite reads. I don’t know if this is a standalone or the first book in the series, but, I’d love to see what happens next and read more books set in this world.

Every update I saw about Mindwalker I became even more excited. The premise, the cover, the blurbs - everything! And Dylan immediately plunges you into the action. From a SF world perspective, I loved the ways in which it begins with the ethics of technology in these teens. The ways their bodies are weaponized, treated as assets, necessary sacrifices with a countdown. Even days after finishing Mindwalker, I cannot get over how much I am in love with the premise. The ramifications of mind control and the ethics.

A world where our bodies are just technology and assets. What I loved even more is that Dylan fully explores the ways in which corporations and power functions. How they come into a system of poverty and desperation and know just what to say to exploit it for their benefit. To disguise control as protection. A world in which we cannot trust that we aren't pawns. Even if we have a modicum of power, someone always has more.

Riveting, fast-paced, complex and edge-of-your-seat exciting, Mindwalker was a non-stop thrill ride from start to finish. With strong characters, dangerous secrets, wonderful friendships and dire peril this was a book that, once started, I did not want to put down. Great writing, an engaging plot, sympathetic characters and an excellent pace, there wasn't one aspect of the story that didn't work for me. There are many themes explored in the book and each one was executed extremely well.


If you ask I'll always say I'm not a huge fan of YA books, of course, there always has to be an exception to the rule and Kate Dylan's book proves to be just that. Sil is more mature than your average 18-year-old but given both the dystopian setting and her experiences as a Walker, it felt very plausible. I found her to be a very sympathetic character, vital since the entire story is told from her first-person perspective.


I loved how the author allowed the reader some agency, especially in that ending. I don't need everything tied up with a neat bow, life isn't like that, but we are left with a sense of hope for the future. There are some amazing side characters, Aja and Brinn perhaps could have been a little more developed, they were integral to the plot and I would have liked to have spent more time getting to know them. That is a personal preference though and not an issue with the story.


Finally, I can't not mention the utterly swoon-some Ryder. A good man prepared to do somewhat bad things for good reasons, how could I do anything else but love him for it? He and Sil made a delightful pair and whilst the romance aspect felt a little rushed, a little light on emotion, on balance I'm happy that it didn't detract from the main plot.


Mindwalker was an absolute winner for me and is an SF, YA novel I am only too happy to recommend to like-minded readers.

A fast-paced sci-fi I couldn’t put down. Even for those who don’t read sci-fi, Mindwalker is not one to miss!

This YA science fiction thriller is a blast.

In a dystopian future, Sil Sarrah is an 18-yr-old agent for the Syntex Corporation. Her brain has been engineered so she can piggyback on other agents' minds and lead them to safety without ever leaving the building she is housed in.

Only problem is, Mindwalkers never live far beyond 18 - eventually the CPUs planted in their brain burn up, taking their host with them. Then another problem crops up. Someone she helps accuses her of accessing his mind afterwards without consent.

Sil finds herself framed as a spy and has no choice but to flee. Hiding from the Corporation, she's desperate to prove she isn't a trailer, but then she finds some unsettling information that might just prove everything she's been working for is a lie...

So yes, this is a rollercoaster ride of a page-turner, cliches doubled down on and intended. If you like sci-fi thrillers, this is one for you. If you don't, don't even try. Unless you like YA fiction in which case it might work for you anyway.