Mindwalker by A.J. Steiger

Series: Mindwalker (bk. 1)

Genera(s): Dystopian Sci-fi/Romance

Subjects: memory, brainwashing, psychology, love, technology

Setting: The city of Aura in the United Republic (in the future)

POV/Tense: 1^st person POV, present tense: Lain Fisher

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 393 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: Penguin: Alfred A. Knopf

Summary/ product description: “At seventeen, Lain Fisher has already aced the Institute's elite training program for Mindwalkers, therapists who use a direct neural link to erase a patient's traumatic memories. A prodigy and the daughter of a renowned scientist-whose unexplained death left her alone in the world-Lain is driven by the need to save others.

When Steven, a troubled classmate, asks her to wipe a horrific childhood experience from his mind, Lain's superiors warn her to stay away. Steven's scars are too deep, they say; the risk too great. Yet the more time Lain spends with him, the more she begins to question everything about her society. As she defies the warnings and explores Steven's memories, it becomes clear that he's connected to something much bigger…something the Institute doesn't want the world to discover.

Lain never expected to be a rule breaker. She certainly didn't plan on falling in love with a boy she's been forbidden to help. But then, she never expected to stumble into a conspiracy that could ignite a revolution.”

My Review:  This book was surprisingly awesome. I enjoyed every minute of it. It’s a unique kind of dystopian book in that it’s set in a society where psychological differences separate people. There it a Type system. Type 1 is most stable, type 4 and 5 least stable mentally. Lain is type 1, Steven is type 4. Steven was kidnapped when he was younger and wants Lain to erase those memories because she is a Mindwalker. It’s Lain’s job to help rid people of disturbing memories. When Lain begins helping Steven against the rule, she starts to uncover something big. And a romance develops between them.

This it such an entertaining read. Steven’s lines are often funny and memorable. Lain’s a great narrator. The romance is funny and kind of good-girl/bad-boy. It’s not as cliché as it sounds. These are some great memorable characters and we get to discover their pasts. There’s a lot of mystery too them. There are quite a few twists in the story too.

The whole idea of Mindwalking is really interesting. This device called a Gate enables you to see and feel what a person is thinking and experience their memories. It’s like virtual reality, but real events.

There’s just such a great story here. It’s a kind of under the radar book. There are similarities to other series here, but it’s pretty unique. Minder by Michelle Jaffe and Uninvited by Sophie Jordan and Elusion by Claudia Gabel and Cheryl Klam are the closest comparisons.

Cover Art Review: Beautiful colors and title treatment.

The Death Code by Lindsay Cummings

Genera(s): Dystopian Sci-fi/Thriller

Subjects: murder, death, love, mystery, action, assassins

Setting: in the future, in Florida, near the everglades in a place called the Shallows, and then the Ridge in Washington

POV/Tense: 1^st person POV, present tense, rotating between Meadow and Zephyr

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 496 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: HarperTeen: Greenwillow

Summary/ product description: “With short, fast-paced, alternating point-of-view chapters, The Death Code starts several weeks after The Murder Complex ended. Zephyr keeps the secret about Meadow close—that if she dies, The Murder Complex will be destroyed, too. Meadow, desperate to find her brother, father, and little sister, is determined to fearlessly fight to the end, even if it means sacrificing herself and her friends, new and old. The Death Code introduces a memorable cast of secondary characters and delivers a vivid and scary thrill ride read.”

My Review: The Death Code, the sequel to the Murder Complex is a fast-paced thrill ride. It’s set in Florida’s everglades and then Washington state at the Ridge. The story alternates between Meadow and Zephyr’s point of views. Meadow is very badass and was trained by her father. Zephyr is a patient of the Murder Complex programmed to kill, but would prefer not to.

The Initiative has captured Meadow and is torturing her to get information about the resistance and the whereabouts of her mother. Meadow is strong and doesn’t tell then anything. She doesn’t know where her mother is and doesn’t really care since her mother is the reason why the Murder Complex exists. They decide that using Meadows sister Peri might get Meadow to do what they ask.

When Meadow finally escapes, stuff happens. Around page 150 things are really set into motion by a tragic event that actually may have been good. (If I tell you anything else it would be a spoiler.) Then Meadow and Zephyr head across country to the Ridge, another testing site where Peri and the rest of her family is being held. The Ridge is crazy. It’s the testing site for genetic mutation where the Initiative is hoping to find something called the “Death Code” or the cure to the The Cure (nanites). It’s full of dangers that Meadow never experienced in the Shallows. Can Meadow rescue her family and bring down the Murder Complex before it’s to late?

I love the characters. Meadow reminds me so much of Tris Prior from Divergent. She makes lot of sacrifices and is truly brave and Zephyr is kind of like Four. The world building is scary. People get murdered daily in the Shallow. The murder rate is higher than the birth rate. This story is full of murder and horrible event, sometimes gruesome. I wouldn’t recommend it to the younger kids. This book is bloodier than the Hunger Games. Like Katniss, Meadow has a younger sister that she cares for: Peri. I recommend this to fans of Divergent, The Hunger Games, Legend, Reboot, The Maze Runner, and other action-packed YA dystopian book about survival.

Cover Art Review: I know it’s supposed to by Zephyr. Kind of wish the cover was more interesting.

Deadfall by Anna Carey

Series: Blackbird Duology (bk. 2)

Genera(s): Mystery Thriller/Realistic Fiction

Subjects: suspense, action, memory, amnesia, murder, identity,

Setting: New York City

POV/Tense: 2nd person POV, present tense: a girl with amnesia named Lena who went by Sunny

Age/Grade Level: Teen

Length: 243 pgs.

HC/PB: Hardcover

List Price: $17.99

Publisher: HarperTeen

Summary/ product description: “In the compelling sequel to Blackbird, Anna Carey delivers a gritty and adrenaline-filled story of a girl desperate to escape her mysterious and terrifying assailants. Told in second person, this heart-pounding thriller puts the reader in front of the target.

A week ago, you woke up in Los Angeles with no memory of who you are. The only thing you knew: people are trying to kill you. You put your trust in Ben, but he betrayed you and broke your heart. Now you've escaped to New York City with a boy named Rafe, who says he remembers you from before. But the two of you are not safe. The same people who are after you are tailing Rafe as well. As the chase heats up, your memory starts to return, but your past cannot save you from the terrifying circumstances of your present, or the fact that one wrong move could end this game forever.

With enemies on every side, and not a reprieve in sight, Deadfall will grab readers and refuse to let go. Perfect for fans of the Maze Runner series and the Legend series.”

My Review: Deadfall, the sequel to Blackbird is a fast paced book filled with non-stop action, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped. It’s a little like Born Identity because our main character had no memory of her life before waking up on subway tracks in L.A. Now she’s starting to get memories back. She doesn’t know her name until Rafe, a boy from the island, tells her it’s Lena on page 8. Not much of a spoiler, but Sunny is Lena Marcus. She’s been calling herself Sunny. This guy, Ben, helped her when she told him about her predicament and there was some romance. Now Rafe claims than they were together on the island and she has some memory that confirms this. I liked Ben a lot better than Rafe. I didn’t grow to love the characters very much.

The one extremely unique thing about this book series is that it’s written in the 2nd person (and present tense). I have not read a 2nd person book since elementary school, and that was a choose-your-own-adventure book. All the You’s didn’t annoy me in the first book, but it started to feel annoying in this sequel since we now know the main character’s name. This is a duology (2-book series) and is just too short. I wish we got to see the story of being hunted on the island. It’s a great backstory, and I honestly think it would make a great novella prequel. It would probably be more interesting because a island is a more exotic setting than New York or L.A.

The whole hunting-teens-in-the-city-for-fun thing just didn’t feel believable. It made it seem like The Purge movies meets the Hunger Games. I want to relate this book to other things, and I hope they’re not spoilery. It made me think of Arrow, how they we on an island. And then The Forsaken series by Lisa M. Stasse. Also if you like action thrillers in YA, like Don’t Turn Around by Michelle Gagnon or Find Me by Romily Bernard, then give Blackbird a shot.

Cover Art Review: I love the title treatment and the girl photo. I wish is had the animal symbol on it instead.