YA sci-fi is my absolute favorite, so I was thrilled when I got an advance copy of MINDBREAKER! I loved MINDWALKER, and this companion novel did not disappoint. The book is about a former religious cult member who is turned into a robot. It's full of action and has a nice slow-burn romance. Plus one of my favorite parts was the main character's critical thoughts of capitalist society, her family, the cult, and even herself. I definitely recommend it!

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this review copy.

Kate Dylan once again created an amazing story. While I didn't like Indra as much as Sil from Mindwalker, I still got pulled in her struggles and fights. I hope that we will get a third book set in this universe!

This book is dynamic and exciting to read.
The cast are all fun to read about and come from diverse backgrounds. There’s plenty of action and twists and turns with the pacing being fast. The use of humour in the book is great and is a contrast to all the drama/action. Overall I most loved the exploration of being a robot and how this may change you.
A great YA that’s Sci-Fi and accessible.
Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for an E-ARC. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.

Continuing the Black Mirror Vibes of Book 1, this is an action packed follow up that will leave you on the edge of your seats!

3.5*
In general, I really enjoyed this series. It gave me all the Black Mirror vibes. I really like the themes, this series has. Also, I it kinda terrifying, since this could be our future. You never know.

However, I really did enjoy the first book more. I think the first one had better developed plot and more well-rounded characters. In this book, we were running around a lot, but the breaths in-between all the actions were too short. I feel like we did not have enough of chats between the characters (especially with the ones from book 1). Also, we could have used more show, not tell; especially with the parents. Maybe show more of the main character's life in the cult. I would have liked if we could have gone more deeper with the story, not just skim it superficially.

Five stars for a book that is a quite far from my comfort zone. So I’m happy and surprised I requested this book after reading the blurb, because I enjoyed it immensely. To me the blurb looked like something I read (many times) before, because I’ve an avid SF reader for over 50 years now. And I mean SF, not Fantasy. Here is an interesting link: Mind uploading in fiction - Wikipedia.
Need I say here that I didn’t read Mindwalker first? Well, I didn’t but I had no trouble at all connecting to the world the author created. A scary world, but luckily there are many people left who are trying to rebuild it – into something better, not the world that was destroyed in almost all ways.
What I liked the most about this story is the fact that it is clear from the onset that Indra is no superhuman. Not in her old life, and not as soon as she’s uploaded in another form. Yes, she may have superpowers, but inside she’s no Robocop. The Glindell corporation is as bad as they come, and I wager there are many companies who would just love to find out how to explore human beings in another form.
A great book for young (and much older) people who are interested in future technology, not only how it will be developed, but especially the impact technology has on humanity.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this review copy.

I jumped on this book cause the blurb sounded fantastic. It certainly delivered, although I hadn’t realized it was the second book set in the same world. I wish I had known and read the first book beforehand. Although this can be read as a standalone, I think I’d have enjoyed the world and the nuances more if I’d had that background. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, the technological aspects were understandable, the main protagonist was engaging, and I got totally engrossed it the story. I’ll be reading Mindbender now too! Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to to read a review copy of the book, I can’t wait for it to hit the shelves so I can purchase a copy.

Kate Dylan continues to slay me with every book that she writes. The sci-fi genre is beyond lucky that she exists.

Absolutely loved this book. I just want more. I need to know that this isn't the last planned book in the series.

You can read this book as a standalone but it is really the 2nd in the series. The main characters from the first book are in this 2nd book, but only as the story progresses. The new characters in the book are the main story line this time.

Like Kate Dylan says in both her reviews for both her books imagine this as a Marvel movie but in book form. I also agree with her review this second book is basically her reimagining of Ghost in the Shell/ Westworld in the main story line being about AI and robots/ mind upload to a mind drive.

PLEASE PLEASE MAKE ANOTHER BOOK! 📚 📖 📕 ❤️😍😎😄

A brilliant fast-paced sci-fi action thriller.

I was initially worried this wouldn't hold up to Mindwalker, but my concerns were unfounded. Mindbreaker is just as well-plotted and paced, and constantly kept me guessing about what was going to happen next. There's a nice host of original characters to root for: Indra, the down-on-her-luck protagonist raised in a tight religious circle, Nyx, a hacker living on the edge of society, and Tian, a prodigal scientist, as well as fun cameos from old ones. Sil, Ryder and the rest of the Analog Army make a welcome, but not overwhelming return, having their moments of spotlight whilst allowing the new main characters to shine.

I wasn't expecting the thematic scrutiny on religion this time around – Indra comes from a Christian-equivalent group on the fringe of society that worships God (with a capital G) and despises tech enhancements of every kind – but it didn't necessarily feel like a criticism on faith, more so on the cult attitudes it can breed.

WILL I READ MORE BY THIS AUTHOR? Sure

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for allowing me an e-arc copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

I read Mindwalker a few months ago and fell in love with the world that Kate Dylan had built, and couldn’t wait to read the second story set in this world!

It follows Indra, who was a child born into a religious cult who detests the use of technology in a future where technology is needed to survive. She is sold to a tech company when she is close to death, so they can meld her mind with the body of a robot.

This story is intense and yet again the author manages to create a politically and culturally diverse sci-fi world with beautiful world building, and also focuses on a few key subjects with the main being religion. It is fast paced and easy to read, although I did find myself struggling through the middle. However, the plot twists near the end drew me right back in and I could not put this down!!

Me and the main character Indra had a bit of a love hate relationship. I loved her backstory and the way she was always trying to do the right things for the ones she loved. However, she was also somewhat annoying as she had a tendency to make as many terrible decisions as she could with skill and accuracy. I did love the comeback of some of the character from Mindwalker though, and loved the queer character representation.

Her love story also felt a bit forced, and couldn’t see the appeal there at all.

However, overall I ended up loving this book and would highly recommend. I can’t wait to read what Kate Dylan comes up with next!

Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton for providing an arc in exchange for a review.

I read this book in one day and when I say I couldn't put it down I really mean it. I read it while eating and continued even when my eyes hurt; It was such a great read. I read Mindwalker last year and loved every second of it so I went in with high expectations that did not disappoint. Mindbreaker is an indirect sequel to Mindwalker, while you don't have to read Mindwalker, this book does take place after the events in the first one and I would recommend reading Mindwalker first.

This book is so relevant to this day and age where AI is growing faster than we can regulate and design laws for. It plays with the ethical concerns around tech and our dependence on it. But the characters are also great and well-developed. I'm not a big sci-fi reader, but this one is well worth a read!

"I'm the end, I guess we're all just doing our best for the people we care about. Even if our actions aren't always rational."

Once again Dylan manages to create a Sci fi world filled with the cultural and political discourse we all know too well. This time religion is on the stage.

This time big tech corporations have managed neural transcendence aka, moving ones consciousness into a new body - a cybot. Religion is at the forefront of the debate as the main character has been raised in a religious (anti tech) cult where God is their leader and not technology. It's filled with the main character battling her faith as she's forced to be a part of this tech world

Whilst it is a standalone book, I do recommend reading Mindwalker first as it gives you a lot of context that make the read a little less confusing. Despite this, it is once again a fast paced, action packed read that will leave you thinking about our future in technology

Mindbreaker goes a bit heavier on the thematic, existential crisis side of this tech-dystopia world, and I think that really works. Indra's story has several layers which come together, and there is a real sense of dread evoked by her powerlessness throughout. The story proceeds rather predictably (at some points to the extent that it makes characters feel short-sighted), but mostly because it follows its ideas through to their natural ends. I do wish Nyx and Tian got a bit more spotlight, as it sometimes feels that characters from book 1 push this book's supporting cast into the margins, but I think this is a great little classic sci-fi story that takes a fairly simple premise and gets out of it a good amount of emotion and philosophical resonance.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. While the premise was interesting I didn’t connect with the characters or story in a meaningful way. Some books just aren’t for us, and that’s alright.

I really love it when second books are just as good as the first. Kate Dylan has delivered on the promise made by Mindwalker, with another action-packed stark warning of the dystopian future that lies ahead of us if we mindlessly careen into an AI future with the same carelessness of thought we give to appointing our political leaders.
It’s great to pick up with some of the previous cast, and good to see a way forward for the next book in what’s already a gripping series. If you enjoyed book one, you’re gonna love book two!
Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton and to NetGalley for the chance to read an ARC.
Mindbreaker releases on 14 September.

Another fab sci fi/cyberpunk book from Kate Dylan! I loved the resurface of some of the faves from Mindwalker, and this further glimpse into the world it was set in. I will admit I like Indra less as an MC than Sil, but she was still engaging to read about

Having read the first book in this series I had big expectations for this book which can sometimes cause books to be a letdown for me. This book for me is 3.5 stars which I'm rounding up to 4 stars. There's plenty of fast-paced action in this that nearly felt too fast personally, I think the new characters here weren't as fleshed out as in the Mindwalker. Disclaimer now, at the moment I'm looking for books that have extensive world-building which I'm a sucker for so that definitely affected my mood when reading this book. A major plus here is how Kate Dylan uses the dangers of technology and corporate capitalism to build her villains and highlight how reliant humanity is and could be on tech.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is such a great follow up to Mindwalker by Kate Dylan. She has done it again and produced a great exciting novel. I loved it but I'm sure that my teen grandaughter is obsessed with this series. It is all she and her friends talk about.

I received Mindwalker in my Goldsboro Sci/Fi Fantasy subscription. It was not a book I necessarily would have picked up on my own, but I thought it was a fantastic read. One of the best of their sub for the year. If you enjoyed Mindwalker, I think you'll also enjoy Mindbreaker. This spin off novel follows a young girl who has been given a death sentence. A tech company has offered to save her, but she is a member of a religious fringe group who objects to the use of technology and she is not of age to consent herself. So she is awaiting to see what her parents will decide. Her father decides to leave his religion in order to save her life. She leaves behind her world and finds out their way of saving her is by essentially turning her into a cybot. She has her own memories and thoughts, but is otherwise a machine. She becomes close with the girl helping experiment on her, but is otherwise isolated. She begins having memories that she isn't sure are real. Things heat up when she decides to escape and search for answers. We get to see characters from Mindwalker, which I always think is fun. Overall, this is a solid fast paced novel.