Buckle up! Mindwalker is a total in-your-face thrillride from start to finish. The world Dylan paints is a totally believable one, with power-hungry Syntex corp and the creepy interference and manipulation of people’s lives a completely feasible extension of contemporary corporate greed. Forget your speaker spying on you—this technology literally gets in your head. Sil is a fist-swinging firecracker and Ryder stole my heart. Mindwalker has scratched the action-packed futuristic itch I’d been missing in YA. Read it! You won’t regret it. Thank you Netgalley and Hodder for the early read. Opinions entirely my own.

MINDWALKER is a UKYA scif-fi debut that has been getting a fair bit of hype and was so much fun to read. I was reading it at a very chaotic time, so wasn't able to sit down and just read it (which is what I very much wanted to do) but despite lots of interruptions and long stretches when I couldn't read, it kept me entertained the whole time.

It's a snappy book, fitting a lot in the 311 pages - several twists and turns and revealed corporate secrets. Sil has been effectively brough up by Syntex for the last ten years, so leaving forces her to confront other opinions about the ethical nature of the technology, and the power it allows the corporation to hold. There were also questions about when it was OK to use morally iffy (at the very best) technology and the slippery slope within.

Sil is the sort of character who barrels ahead to do what she thinks is best, and doesn't ask for opinions (other than her super computer.) It means we get some great set pieces of (well-meaning) recklessness in the post-apocalyptic New York City.

The ticking timebomb of the technology in her head, and the way serious action degrades it, adds a great tension rachet to the book. There's so much pressure to find the answers, decide a side, and act before time runs out - but you also know that acting will reduce the time left so there might not be enough.

If you are the sort of reader who likes banter, then this is a book for you. The dialogue is so sharp and snappy, more the clever/witty (and genuinely feels clever rather than thinking it's clever) side than the petty/mean side, which was great as it's the type I prefer. Sil's general voice also made me laugh a few times - her observations were a sarcastic, exasperated mix that worked so well.

I look forward to what Kate Dylan writes next (and I rather hope we get her German books in English now!)

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review!

To begin, I cannot believe I got this arc, and boy, am I delighted that I did!

When I came across the author on Twitter, I found her book's premise to be so intriguing. And when I actually started reading, it truly was such a vivid concept, and right from the start I was immediately immersed into the Mindwalker world.

I absolutely love the world Dylan has created. It's so cool - and creative, with terms that are unique to it, like "horrorforms" and "Valholo."

The main character was so interesting, ambitious, and cool. I loved reading from her perspective. The other characters were a perfect addition as well. I really could picture them and visualize their interactions!

This story is well-written and perfectly paced.

I will say, the only aspect I wasn't interested in 100% was the romance - something about it just didn't completely grab me. But that wasn't enough to dissuade me from finishing the story - because the plot, and the plot twists had me on the edge of my seat.

Also, this book does have a very satisfying end to the conflict - and it sticks the landing! I don't want to and can't spoil anything, so unfortunately I can't quote the last line - but it's one of my favorites from the whole book!

Overall, the story had me so interested in what would come next, and you can just really tell that the author enjoyed writing this book. And that makes a good book that much better, I think.

This was just such a fun read, and I recommend it!

Out soon from Hodder & Stoughton, Kate Dylan’s YA sci-fi novel Mindalker offers up a breathless blast of neon-soaked, tactically-modded fun laid over a surprisingly dark and powerful core. In a divided, post-apocalypse America, eighteen year-old Sil Sarrah is a Mindwalker for the Syntex Corporation – modded and trained to step into field agents’ minds from afar and extract them from the most dangerous missions. Knowing full well that she only has a year or so of life remaining before her implants finally kill her, Sil is determined to go out with her perfect mission record intact, right up until something goes horribly wrong and she finds herself on the run from her own people. As she searches for intelligence on Syntex’s enemies in an attempt to clear her name, Sil starts to relearn how to live outside the protection of the company, along the way gaining a new perspective on the world around her.

As you might expect from what is essentially YA cyberpunk, this starts off fast and never slows down, packing in action and excitement from start to finish. Sil knows that her time is running out, and once she realises the danger she’s in that sense of urgency ramps right up – every action she takes could tangibly reduce her life expectancy, but she has no choice but to keep eating into her lifespan as she desperately searches for answers. Completely out of her comfort zone, unable even to fully rely on her inbuilt tech (including the supercomputer implanted in her brain, amusingly named Jarvis after “this pre-Annihilation movie Dad and I used to watch”), she’s forced to look at the world from a new perspective, and while she starts off very focused on what she knows to be right and wrong, she gradually acknowledges that perhaps life isn’t quite as black and white as her role at Syntex had led her to believe.

Mindwalker might be theoretically aimed at a relatively young audience, but it’s certainly not sanitised or simplified, in fact in places it’s downright dark. Behind all the action and adventure, the corporate espionage and the high-tech hijinks, this is an incredibly relevant and powerful story exploring themes of technological consent, of choice and personal responsibility and the dangers of unchecked capitalism. If nothing else, the concept of an eight year-old being allowed to agree to technological implants which, while astonishingly powerful and capable of facilitating amazing things, will kill her in little more than ten years, is genuinely pretty grim…but at the same time strangely believable. Likewise the post-Annihilation setting, which feels worryingly familiar with its emphasis on unchecked corporate power, and increasing controls being presented in terms of protection and safety.

It’s that balance of light and dark, the pacy action and the thought-provoking questions being raised, that elevates this beyond just a fun action romp. Of course this is a lot of fun, not just because of the fight sequences, hacking, body mods and snarky dialogue, but also in its judicious use of familiar, effective tropes (not least Sil’s reluctant friendship with (handsome) anti-tech activist Ryder). The lively, comfortable elements of the story, along with some clever plotting which feels fairly straightforward but ends up taking some interesting turns, all mesh so well with the points Dylan is making about the risks of technological over-reliance and the worrying path the world is treading regarding privacy and consent. Nothing feels forced, but rather elegantly incorporated into an overall sense of a dystopia which doesn’t spend too much time dwelling on the past, and a hugely entertaining adventure that can be enjoyed on multiple levels.

Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton for providing me with this eARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

As someone who is not usually a sci-fi fan, I’m talking turns the TV off when Marvel movies appear, Mindwalker was just the type of book to make me reconsider all my beliefs regarding this genre. The author mentioned this is a Marvel movie re-imagined as a YA- novel and listen if all Marvel movies can be as good as this book I’m willing to change my believes about this genre.

Mindwalker follows a badass, witty and fast-talking heroine Sil, who is an eighteen year old prodigy and Syntex agent, with a 100% on total performance status. Her job entails her to take control of the bodies of fellow spies to get them out of dangerous situations and back to safety. This is done by the help of a computer in her brain, namely Jarvis, and she is excellent at what she does. Only small problem is, this computer will slowly kill her soon, with another dilemma of her being framed by her own company and now on the run- she discovers her employer has been using this technology to take over people’s minds for years without their consent.

Sil now has a race against the clock to dismantle the company and her employer, before the computer lodged in her brain kills her first.

Mindwalker is a beautiful example of how dystopian novels should be. I haven’t been this invested since books like The Hunger Game and Divergent. I loved the technology aspect and how the futuristic theme was incorporated in such a way that wasn’t over done to a sense that you couldn’t follow. It was adventurous, high-stakes and thrilling. I absolutely loved the pace, and the plot unraveled at the perfect time.

Mindwalker will set a whole new bar for the dystopian genre- you should definitely put this on your TBR, people will take about this book for months to come.

3.5 stars.

I had high expectations for this book, and I'm super glad to say that I ended up really enjoying it! I was so taken by the sci-fi aspects of the technology and corporations, and it's easy to slip into the complexities of the world that has been created right from the beginning. I adored the protagonist and it was so interesting to read about each of the unique side characters.

Whilst I did really enjoy the fast pace of this book, I found the plot to be a tiny bit predictable - including the ending - but I loved the characters and found the central romance to be intriguing enough to mostly overlook this. I do think the ending could've been a bit more drawn out, just to develop the motivations of certain characters.

Nevertheless, a highly enjoyable, fun read with an amazing cast of characters that had me hooked all the way through!

5 Stars

As you all know, I’m a Science Fiction Fantasy lover but I tend to focus on the Fantasy side more often. But let me say that after reading Mindwalker I’ll definitely have to read more science fiction. From the intriguing premise and beautiful cover of Mindwalker, I just knew that I had to request this one off Netgalley and I was happy to learn that I ended up getting approved! Now let me talk about this absolutely incredible story that has become one of my top reads for this year!

Mindwalker is a heart-pounding, fast-paced sci-fi adventure story with remarkable worldbuilding that is sure to immerse you into the story. To everyone who says that Sci-fi isn’t really their thing, I encourage you to still pick up this incredible story that will be sure to convert you to the Sci-fi genre.

Mindwalker is the kind of story that will hold you on the edge of your seat until the very end. From page one, the action begins and doesn’t stop at all. One of the things that the Sci-fi genre is known for is its fast-paced action sequences and let me say Dylan does an incredible job with this, some of the best work I’ve seen! Whenever the characters were put into a stressful situation where there was a chance they wouldn’t make it out alive, my heart started racing afraid for their lives. There was never a moment when I was bored and felt the need to put the story down to take a break.

I think one of the things that turn people off from the Fantasy and Sci-Fi genre can be worldbuilding. If not done right, the world that these characters occupy can be confusing for the audience to understand and comprehend elements that are key to the overall storytelling aspect. This was definitely not the case here!

The worldbuilding is written in a simple way which makes it easier for the reader to understand the world of Mindwalker. This world is filled to the brim with mind-boggling technologies that I would never think of in a million years. The overall concept behind Mindwalkers of people who have supercomputers in their heads that are then able to infiltrate people’s minds is such an intriguing concept that honestly deserves to have its own movie.

With a world focused on technology, it brings into question how far are people willing to go in order to get the latest technological advancements. Themes of consent are featured heavily throughout this story which has characters pondering the question of how much are they willing to give up in order to get ahead in their society. With Sil being on the run after being accused of being a traitor to everything she has ever known, she faces the dangers of corporate power and untying the web of lies that have always been fed to her.

Not only does this story feature incredibly detailed worldbuilding and thrilling action sequences, but the characters are also sure to have you captivated in their own personal journeys. Sil Sarrah was a brilliant main character to follow and I’m sure many readers will love her prickly exterior while still having a deeply sympathetic interior. The enemies-to-lovers relationship between Sil and Ryder was executed well, having been built over the course of the story and not overtaking the main premise behind Mindwalker.

Mindwalker is a story not just for Sci-fi readers but those looking for a story filled with action, extraordinary technological advancements, morally grey characters, and immersive worldbuilding that is sure to grab your attention from the very beginning.

I am really not a sci-fi person and normally i would never even bother picking up a book like this but my GOD does this book grab you and not let you go. it's fast-paced, witty and extremely inventive, making it a perfect binge-read. my main complaint is the characters - though I loved Syl as a narrator (we stan a sassy queen, i loved being in her head), the side characters are less memorable (still fun! just not stand outs when compared to casts in other books) and the book's romance unfortunatley fell flat. the love interest, in theory, sounded like he would be exactly my type, but his personality didn't come across strongly enough and the romance happened too predictably. still, this book is just so much action-packed fun that it didn't bother me much at all, and i would 100% recommend this to anyone, sci-fi fan or not.

I will update the review with a link to our blog closer to publication date.
I'd like to thank the publisher Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for providing me with an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review

4.5✰⠀
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I didn't expect to enjoy it, not because I'm not a fan of sci-fi, because I am; however, not all sci-fi can be processed by my brain, LOL; To be honest, I was initially perplexed, and there are so many computer technology terms that I don't comprehend that I want to abandon this book, but its action-packed and gripping nature makes me want to keep reading until the end, and I don't regret it.⠀
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It's told about Sil Sarrah, a mind walker who aspires to become a legend. Sil hasn't lost a single life in ten years of rescuing Syntex corporation field agents by taking over their minds and leading them to safety. And she has no plans to start now. However, when a critical mission fails, Sil is forced to flee the very company for which she once worked.⠀
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Sil infiltrates the Analog Army, an activist faction working to bring Syntex down, desperate to prove she is not a traitor. Her strategy was to regain her boss's trust by destroying the group from within. Instead, she and the Army's rash leader, Ryder, discover a horrifying truth that threatens to undo everything she's ever accomplished.⠀
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The concept of mind walking fascinates me, as does the author's apparent mastery of the term computer technology, which I find really cool. I also liked how the characters evolved. It has a dystopian and cyberpunk vibe that I haven't seen in a long time in a book. The MC is fantastic. I wasn't expecting romance, so it was a pleasant surprise! The plot twist caught me off guard; it was completely unexpected, and how I wish it was a series!⠀
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If you want an engaging full-fledged action story with badass female characters, don't miss this book, which is set to be released on September 1, 2022.⠀
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Also thank you to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for granting me access to the eARC! this is by far my favorite. ⠀
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I love science fiction. I love watching it and I love reading it. And lately, as more and more YA Sci-Fi books have started to come out, I have found myself falling in love with them. Mindwalker by Kate Dylan is one of them. I was drawn into the story from the premise itself. When I actually got to reading Mindwalker is when I knew I had found a new favourite.

The action begins in the first chapter itself and never stops. The pacing in Mindwalker is some of the best I have seen in sci-fi. It is fast and stays fast till the end; which makes you not want to put down the book because you want to know what happens. The worldbuilding is pretty damn great as well. Everything from the setting of the world to the concept of Mindwalking is written in simple language, making it easy to understand from the get-go. Kate Dylan has created such an incredible world in this book, that you’d be left in awe.

Also the code-based messaging system; I don’t know if that’s the best way to describe it but yeah; that was so cool to read!

Sil was the perfect main character to read from. She was so badass, brave and determined and I felt like I would love to meet her. Or work alongside her. Or be her friend. And Ryder? Love that boy. A new book boyfriend has been found hehe.

If you have been looking to start reading sci-fi, especially YA sci-fi, then Mindwalker is the perfect way to start reading the genre!

I want to start by saying that this was granted access to an early access copy of this to review. My review is honest and left voluntarily. Also, as always I try to avoid too many spoilers bar character names etc. to ensure any twists, turns or surprises can be enjoyed by readers.

Mindwalker is now on the top of my modern sci-fi books. It’s been a long time since I have found a sci-fi that isn’t a tie-in that I adore and this is it. A little about the book before we begin.
DO NOT SURRENDER CONTROL.
Eighteen-year-old Sil Sarrah is determined to die a legend. But with only twelve months left before the supercomputer grafted to her brain kills her, Sil's time is quickly running out.
In the ten years she's been rescuing field agents for the Syntex corporation - by commandeering their minds from afar and leading them to safety - Sil hasn't lost a single life. And she's not about to start now.
But when a critical mission goes south, Sil is forced to flee the very company she once called home.
Desperate to prove she's no traitor, Sil infiltrates the Analog Army, an activist faction working to bring Syntex down. Her plan: to win back her employer's trust by destroying the group from within. Instead, she and the Army's reckless leader, Ryder, uncover a horrifying truth that threatens to undo all the good she's ever done.
With her tech rapidly degrading and her new ally keeping dangerous secrets of his own, Sil must find a way to stop Syntex in order to save her friends, her reputation - and maybe even herself.
First of all Sil Sarrah is a dream of a main character. She’s flawed, stubborn, heroic (although she may not see it) sassy, skilled and powerful. I loved her. Add to this the other misfit group of characters and I was overjoyed. Even characters that annoyed me (partly because they were meant to by the way) I loved. But characters aren’t the only thing that make a story. The worldbuilding while not in your face is tight, cleaver and believable. The plot is fast-paced, fun and also edge of your seat with a couple of twists that made my head spin. I almost thought a certain someone was too good to be true, turns out they were.

The chemistry between Ryder (who is also amazing) and Sil is brilliant. It fits them perfectly and made me all the more invested with a slight enemies to friends to lovers vibes going on. That said it isn’t the main focus of the plot and I think that is why I loved it so much. It wasn’t the real driving factor which made it all the more enjoyable (to me at least).

As already mentioned the story does not lack action, tension and a few twists along the way. I honestly adored this book and I really hope we get to see Sil and Ryder again or at least more from Dylan since it was just... well perfection.

TW FOR MINDWALKER: violence, death on page, death anxiety, suicide, alcohol use, drug use (off-page), and graphic medical descriptions (including mentions of blood and vomit)

Reminded me of YA dystopian novels when I was younger, and that IS NOT a bad thing at all! I loved all of the characters, I loved the plot twists, and it was just written beautifully. The only thing was that the romance was slightly insta-lovey, but that's the only real issue I had with it.

- I loved the friendship between Sil, Lena, and Jondi
- Loved the idea of the big tech company that needs bringing down a peg or two
- I hope there are a couple of novellas that will explore the relationship that Sil has with her parents, because there was probably a chapter and that was it
- Book could have been slightly longer to describe the villain's intentions (the big plot reveal felt slightly rushed), there was a reveal about one of the characters that could have been expanded upon more, and just general relationship building of characters.

I was fortunate to get my hands on a copy of this book early thanks to Netgalley.

Mindwalker was an absolute thrill-ride of a novel. First off, the concept is just flat out COOL—like, come on, a character who can infiltrate someone else's mind to act as the ultimate secret agent? I was gripped from page 1. The tech in this book is so creative, but it feels real, and the world is so lived-in that every moment felt absolutely believable to me. This is a futuristic, post-apocalyptic version of the USA that I could perfectly envision myself living in.

The writing is fantastic, fast-paced and high-octane to match the plot, which is just excellently paced. The story careens from one corner to the next so fast that your heart won't have time to come down between pages... and you'll like it, damn it!

Plot? ✅
Characters? ✅
Setting? ✅
Writing? ✅

Overall, Mindwalker was a huge win for me. It stands alone perfectly, but I would love a sequel, or at least something set in the same world, just because I want more. This is the kind of story that sends a girl on the hunt for fanfiction! Which, believe me, is the highest of endorsements. Trust me, you do not want to miss out on this one. Preorder this book!

First of all, I would like to say thank you for the review copy, which was provided to me by the publisher. This fact does not in any way affect my personal opinion of this book. This post contains advertising and the rights for the book belong to the publisher.
Of course, is this only my personal opinion of the book and just because I give this rating to the book doesn’t mean everyone will have that opinion.

Normally, I don’t read a lot of Science Fiction books, but Mindwalker caught my eye. Maybe it was the pink cover or the overall design or the synopsis. I don’t know anymore, but I was excited when I got this ARC.
Mindwalker was my first book by this author, and I can say that I liked it. I enjoyed the overall plot idea, and it reminded me a little bit of a mix between Renegades and Legend ( but only very loosely ).
While I enjoyed my reading time, I still had some problems with the book. It took me a while to fully understand the world. Maybe a few more pieces of information at the beginning would have been good to understand the world more. I didn’t feel the chemistry between the two main characters, and I wished there would have been a few more indications before the reveal. The plot twist at the end also felt a bit flat for me, and everything happened rather quickly.
I think it would have been better to add an extra 50 pages to this book and extend the finale and the love story a little more.
Why do I still give four stars beside my critical points? It’s a good standalone, and often these books lack the information depth that I want, so I know that my critical points are a me-problem, and I still enjoyed reading it, so I decided to give it four stars.

Conclusion
A nice standalone Sci-Fi!

Oh my goodness this book is amazing! I haven't read much science fiction/dystopia recently so it was amazing to get back into such a fascinating and scary world. The plot of this book is so unique and I was completely gripped from the beginning. Sil is a highly engaging MC and there was even a twist at the end that completely floored me. Kate Dylan has written a masterpiece and I cannot wait to read whatever she publishes next!

Mindwalker has such a natural feel to it, a Sci-fi dystopia that moves through its story with pace and personality. There are plenty of entertaining set pieces, and the characters are easy to grow fond of even in a short time (I think the romance feels quite natural as well without forcing or overstating itself). I just could have done with a bit more to everything: the plot went exactly where I expected it, with all the familiar beats and a few obvious twists; because the book is (understandably) concerned about the ethics of the mindwalking tech, we don't get quite as many mindjumping hijinks as we perhaps could have; and I would have loved a brief sense of how gender and sexuality even work when people are changing and inhabiting different body types. But those limitations don't stop this being a fun, modern YA that is well worth a read.

Mindwalker ticks all my boxes of a great read: a fast-paced, twisty, and action-packed sci-fi thriller with a bad-ass main character, both caught up in and fighting the system, plus add an enemies-to-lovers subplot. Sil is an elite "mindwalker" who's been cybernetically enhanced and trained to take over the brains of her employers field agents/spies to help extract them from dangerous situations. When one of her assignments goes spectacularly awry and she ends up on the run and thrown in with the resistance, launching her non-stop quest to find the truth, avoid getting killed, righting wrongs, and accidentally falling for her enemy. The worldbuilding is intricate and convincing, and readers of all ages will root for Sil.

"Do not surrender control." - Mindwalker (Kate Dylan)

Sil Sarrah is an 18 year old who knows she has 12 months or less left to live before the CIP grafted to her brain stem, kills her. She's known this would be her life since she was 8 years old accepted the position offered to her by the Syntex Corporation. She has been Syntex's perfect Walker for 10 years, rescuing every agent with no loss of life. And Sil is committed to keeping her perfect score. But when she is placed in an impossible mission, she goes against protocol and the outcome of the mission forces Sil to flee the only place she has friends and a "family."

While on the run, Sil Sarrah will find allies, enemies, and ultimately the truth. But with time running out and her system hardware deteriorating every day, will she have the time and ability to bring that truth to life?

I read this ARC of "Mindwalker," by Kate Dylan in one sitting, and I am blown away! This story gripped me IMMEDIATELY, entered my brain and took me on the ride of my life! I wanted to read this again as soon as I finished it. Definitely a top 5 standalone book of all time for me.

This book was like if parts of the "Uglies" Trilogy, mixed with parts of the "Matched" Trilogy, then added some Marvel-like advanced tech and spit out the absolute perfect Sci-Fi for today's world! The dystopian aspect was right on track with what could happen to the US if 💩 (crap) hits the fan. It was very easy to fully immerse myself into the dark city streets and the corrupted big companies alongside Sil.

Forever a fan of Kate Dylan! Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the free eARC in exchange for my honest review.

A gripping read, worth checking by readers interested in intriguing worldbuilding, solid characterization, and fast-paced adventures.