Mindbreaker by Kate Dylan (audiobook)

Narrator: Stephanie Cannon

Pages: 320 

Publisher: Hodderscape 

Released: 14th of September 2023 

They saved her life. But at what cost?

Born into a religious cult on the fringe of society, Indra Dyer lives a simple, tech-free existence. But when an illicit trip to the city leaves her with a debilitating – and terminal – condition, Indra must make a choice: die faithful or betray her Order and accept the cure Glindell Technologies is offering.

Forced to sign over full ownership of her life, Indra is horrified to learn the true nature of Glindell’s plans. Instead of saving her body, they upload her mind to a first of its kind MindDrive, housed in a fully robotic shell.

On the outside, Indra still looks the same; on the inside, she’s not so sure. More than once, she finds herself in places she really shouldn't be, with no memory of how she got there, and dangerous abilities she can't explain. So when news breaks of an attack against Glindell's biggest rival, Indra begins to suspect the worst.

With help from her one friend at the company, Tian — a research assistant with questionable morals and a smile that won't quit — Indra must uncover the truth behind the procedure that saved her life, before Glindell can use it to change the face of technology, and what it means to be human, forever.

What I Have to Say 

I love Kate Dylan's style of writing so much. I love the imagination that's put into her world, what's different from ours, what's the same, what's changed during the time that they had the apocalypse. I think I've said this in my review of Mindwalker, but it's just so nice to see someone imagining something after we burn our world to the ground that isn't some desperate scramble to survive. 

I found Indra's cult really interesting. There is a line between the tech that they need to survive and what they can do without and it was good to see the character pointing out the hypercritical nature of it all. I also liked that it gave Indra a very different character to Sil from the previous book. It was a very different outlook and especially early on it was interesting to see how deep the programming in her ran. 

This book is really about what it means to be human and it was touched upon multiple times during the book. Indra doesn't feel human anymore because of the tech that makes up her body and it's fascinating to see her journey to accept her new circumstances. 

The narration was really good. I could really hear Indra's voice through it and I liked some of the other voices that were done for the other characters (especially Tien). I read the first book quite a while ago though and so even though it was the same narrator for each character, it didn't jar me. I don't know how it would be if you read them closer together.

With rebellion, evil tech companies and a great deal of heart, both this book and Mindwalker are well worth picking up! 

5 stars 

My thanks goes to Netgalley and Hodderscape for providing me with this gifted copy for review. 

Painted Devils by Margaret Owen

Pages: 512 

Publisher: Hodderscape 

Released: 16th of May 2023 

Let’s get one thing straight—Vanja Schmidt wasn’t trying to start a cult.

After taking down a corrupt margrave, breaking a deadly curse, and finding romance with the vexingly scrupulous Junior Prefect Emeric Conrad, Vanja had one great mystery left: her long-lost birth family… and if they would welcome a thief. But in her search for an honest trade, she hit trouble and invented a god, the Scarlet Maiden, to scam her way out. Now, that lie is growing out of control—especially when Emeric arrives to investigate, and the Scarlet Maiden manifests to claim him as a virgin sacrifice.

For his final test to become a prefect, Emeric must determine if Vanja is guilty of serious fraud, or if the Scarlet Maiden—and her claim to him—are genuine. Meanwhile, Vanja is chasing an alternative sacrifice that may be their way out. The hunt leads her not only into the lairs of monsters and the paths of gods, but the ties of her past. And with what should be the simplest way to save Emeric hanging over their heads, he and Vanja must face a more dangerous question: Is there a future for a thief and a prefect, and at what price?

What I Have to Say 

Despite the fact that my favourite character from the first book was barely in this one, I enjoyed this book a lot. It was a good adventure with the same level of excitement and creativity as the first book. It's a series that takes tropes like hauntings and virgin sacrifices and turns them on their head, making something original and unique. Really this is exactly what I want to see in a book, especially a fantasy book. 

I really like the relationship between Emeric and Vanja and this book was all about them getting ready for the next step in their relationship. In short, they're getting towards the point where they might, maybe be ready to have sex and they need to talk about it. I honestly thought it was a really good portrayal of the awkwardness and need for assurance that comes into these conversations. 

I really liked the ending of the book. I had a wonderful moment just before it was all revealed that it all came together and I figured exactly what was happened, which gave me the fun sense that I worked it out by myself, without it feeling obvious. 

Really looking forward to the next book in the series! 

4 stars 

My thanks goes to Hodderscape and Netgalley for providing me with this copy for review. 

Devoted by Jennifer Mathieu

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 306 

Publisher: Hodder Children's Books 

Released: 10th of Januray 2019 

Rachel Walker's family and community have turned away from the world.

Every part of Rachel's life is controlled, from what she reads to where she goes and what she wears. Her parents dictate how her life must be: marriage, modesty, children and obedience to her future husband. But when a former member of her community, a girl who escaped, moves back to her small Texas town, Rachel's world turns upside down.

She realises that her life is her own. But can she find the courage to fight for it?

What I Have to Say 

This was such a great book. Moxie is still my favourite, but this had a lot of the same things in it that made Moxie so great: A fantastic main character, a well constructed setting and a need to fight back against the patriarchy. 

I loved Rachel so much. She was so easy to get inside the head of and empathise with. I wanted her to get away from her family and out of the community that was confining her so badly. But I also wanted to see more of it. I really wanted to see what Journey of Faith was like. I was torn in two ways, interested to see more but also wanting so much for Rachel to get away and not have to go there. I've never felt so torn while reading a book like this before. 

The community was constructed really well. You could see how everyone was made to believe in the ways that they did things, that the way that they were living was the right way that would take them to heaven. And it was also easy to see where there were holes in their argument, if only Rachel would just figure it out quicker!! 

This was such a great book and it's definitely one that everyone should read. 

My thanks go to Hodder Children's Books for providing me with this copy for review. 

S.T.A.G.S by M. A. Bennett

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 294

Publisher: Hot Key Books 

Released: 10th of August 2017 

Nine students. Three bloodsports. One deadly weekend.

It is the autumn term and Greer MacDonald is struggling to settle into the sixth form at the exclusive St. Aidan the Great boarding school, known to its privileged pupils as S.T.A.G.S. Just when she despairs of making friends Greer receives a mysterious invitation with three words embossed upon on it: huntin' shootin' fishin'. When Greer learns that the invitation is to spend the half term weekend at the country manor of Henry de Warlencourt, the most popular and wealthy boy at S.T.A.G.S., she is as surprised as she is flattered.

But when Greer joins the other chosen few at the ancient and sprawling Longcross Hall, she realises that Henry's parents are not at home; the only adults present are a cohort of eerily compliant servants. The students are at the mercy of their capricious host, and, over the next three days, as the three bloodsports - hunting, shooting and fishing - become increasingly dark and twisted, Greer comes to the horrifying realisation that those being hunted are not wild game, but the very misfits Henry has brought with him from school...

What I Have to Say 

There are few books that can keep me up and reading late into the night these days. STAGS was the first one in a while, but it was just so good. I didn't want to stop reading, even when I knew there would be a while before the action got really good again. 

It was all just so ominous. Even when Greer was trusting Henry and putting the "accidents" that happened down to just bad luck, there was this background sense that they were being toyed with. I'm not sure how much that's because of what it says in the synopsis. If the synopsis left us questioning more over whether they are just genuinely accidents, would it have felt so ominous? It would be something I'd like to know. 

I really enjoyed the relationships between the characters.  The friendship that formed between the three victims and the way that they barely knew each other before, but being in the house drew them closer together. 

After the way it ended, I'm really hoping for a sequel. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Hot Key Books for providing me with this copy for review. 

In the Dark, In the Woods by Eliza Wass

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Pages: 304

Publisher: Quercus Children's Books 

Released: 21st of April 2016 

The woods were insane in the dark, terrifying and magical at the same time. But best of all were the stars, which trumpeted their light into the misty dark. 

Castella Cresswell and her five siblings—Hannan, Caspar, Mortimer, Delvive, and Jerusalem—know what it’s like to be different. For years, their world has been confined to their ramshackle family home deep in the woods of upstate New York. They abide by the strict rule of God, whose messages come directly from their father.

Slowly, Castley and her siblings start to test the boundaries of the laws that bind them. But, at school, they’re still the freaks they’ve always been to the outside world. Marked by their plain clothing. Unexplained bruising. Utter isolation from their classmates. That is, until Castley is forced to partner with the totally irritating, totally normal George Gray, who offers her a glimpse of a life filled with freedom and choice.

Castley’s world rapidly expands beyond the woods she knows so well and the beliefs she once thought were the only truths. There is a future waiting for her if she can escape her father’s grasp, but Castley refuses to leave her siblings behind. Just as she begins to form a plan, her father makes a chilling announcement: the Cresswells will soon return to their home in heaven. With time running out on all of their lives, Castley must expose the depth of her father’s lies. The forest has buried the truth in darkness for far too long. Castley might be their last hope for salvation. 

What I Have to Say 

This book had so much suspense that I was on the edge of my seat for the last few chapters. The world that the Cresswell's live in, that there father has so painstakingly made and taught them to believe in seems so obviously abusive at the start, that it's hard to see why Castley and her siblings don't question it sooner, but his control over them and the beliefs that he's raised them to believe in become more apparent throughout the books, so that the reader has so much sympathy with the characters by the end. 

The sibling relationships were interesting too. It was interesting to see how close they were, but also how much they fought and argued amongst themselves. It very realistic to the bond between brothers and sisters, but also showed how the abuse of their father and fear of the outside world that they know very little about draws them closer together.

I think that some parts of this book will stay with me for a long time. 

My thanks go to Quercus and Netgalley for providing me with this copy to review.