This was an ok read. I don't think I would recommend it particularly, especially when I could recommend Mindwalker instead, which was a 5 star read for me. I found Mindbreaker more superficial, the characters weren't really delved into the same way and it was a bit repetitive being told about the cult over and over, it didn't need so much reminding. The plot was pretty good, but again I feel like it could have gone deeper into it and it ended fairly abruptly, maybe to set up for a future book? Generally fine, but not great overall.

One thing that immediately struck me about Indra was how different she is to Sil. It's this intense clash of technology and anti-technology grounded in a religious fervor. I already loved the world from Mindwalker, but watching it in an entirely new life was incredibly special. Mindbreaker explores similar themes of bodily control and choices in this tech world through a different lens. A way which has us questioning our dreams and nights, the ownership of our body when we have no other choices, and the violations of our own mind.

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!

Fast paced, well written YA scifi fantasy novel that can be read as a stand alone. This book is action packed and exciting with excellent world building! Kate Dylan could definitely become an autobuy author!

Wowow. Sequels are hard to really nail down but Kate Dylan hit a huge home run with this one for me!! It had all of the great stuff from Mindwalker (cool and easy to read tech, great banter, explosive plot and action, characters you love) and made it all feel fresh and exciting again with a whole new angle.

If you like:
- cults (and ex-cult members)
- body horror in the form of tech
- sapphic romance
- evil megacorporations
- anything Marvel, especially Bucky Barnes
- Ghost in the Shell and Battle Angel vibes
- anything remotely cyberpunky
- slightly dystopian New York City
- rag tag group of misfits fighting the man
- great writing that's also fun/easy to read
- SCIFI of any flavor

Then you will probably love this book! (I did!)

A very interesting read, that had me hooked. I thoroughly enjoyed the fast pace, and felt very much attached to the characters.

Mindbreaker by Kate Dylan is about a young lady who was part of a religious cult who became ill after some kind of storm in their increasingly digitalized world and was on the brink of death. Her father signed a contract with a technology firm to save her life. Little did anyone know that this firm would turn Indra into a cybot and they would use her for illegal activities. When Indra gets suspicious, she breaks free and allows all the horrors of the tech firm to unfold in front of her. Before rescuing her father, she meets her old friend Nyx, her technician and crush Tian and the analogue army.

This was a really gripping book which kept me awake at night reading. This is a book which is full of action and unique ideas which I have not read about before. We look at topics like friendships, the law and technology and how different this world is from our own. It was a very exciting read which just kept getting better and better.

The one thing I was a bit disappointed about was the romantic relationship/crush between Tian and Indra could have been developed much more and potentially has a side plot as it would have been interesting to see them develop, potentially as a couple. Other than this, it is a very exciting read which I have no further complaints about.

I rate this book 3 stars because it is a good book and is very gripping, making me want to read on for ages. I fully recommend this book, particularly to the young adult market and those interested in some fiction which is very much based on technology. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) in return for an honest book review. I look forward to the next book!

I picked up Mindbreaker from Netgalley mostly due to the cover and the blurb, but didn't realize that it was part of a series. So I picked up the first book 'Mindwalker' to have a more cohesive understanding of the book.

That being said, I love the world-building, the post-nuclear NYC and cyperpunk/dystopian feel definitely adds character to the characters. The book itself is a good sequel, but can be enjoyed as a standalone novel. The story itself takes place shortly after the first novel, with only recurring characters that take up a supporting role.

I'm also glad that Kate Dylan toned down on the 'Christ-that-was' meme, there's still a bit of it here, but not enough to roll my eyes after every other page.

In short, it's a great story - a fun, quick read and definitely one that I'd recommend reading. I do enjoy the first book a little bit more, but that's mostly due to my own personal preference of sci-fi archetypes.

Thanks to Hodder and Stoughton, Netgalley and Kate Dylan for letting me read through the ARC

So enthused to be back into the intriguing world of one of the best books I read last year: Mindwalker!
Dylan certainly delivers an action packed sequel with new characters and a bit more of an expansion on the dystopian world we enjoyed so much in the first book!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.

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

TW: murder, mass murder, abuse, violence

Indra lives in a tech-free cult, but when she catches a deadly disease she's forced to choose to live and accept what the Glindell Technologies are offering her. That means uploading her mind into a MindDrive into a robotic shell. Indra isn't sure she's really herself anymore, after finding herself in places she doesn't remember and with no memories and more abilities she thought she had. With help from friends, she's determined to understand what's happening to her and what they did, before Glindell hurt more people.

In this brilliant and snarky book, Kate Dylan explores what it means to be human and have your own indipendence, being truly yourself in a tech world. Indra fights constantly between her cult upbringing, her fondness for computers and what Glindell did to her body and autonomy. She's a brilliant and complex character, unsure of who she can trust, even of herself, fighting back to get her own indipendence and for the right thing.

Mindwalker is filled with action, a lovely sapphic sloooow burn, amazing friends like Nyx and an even more incredible tech! Not to spoiler anything, but I truly love the relationship between Indra and Tian and how slowly changes in the book.
I was so blown away by this story and I can't wait to hug my copies!

One hell of a ride! Mindbreaker is just as much fun as Mindwalker, with a breakneck cyberpunk plot and dark, brain-bending conspiracies. Dylan is a master of balancing strong characters with so-tense-you-can-barely-breathe action, and I adored every minute.

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, that everyone will have that opinion.

To be honest, I think the synopsis of the book tells way too much. I did go into this book a bit more blind because I didn’t read the back of it, but after finishing, I would say that it should have been more vague.
Second of all, I don’t know how I thought that this book could be read without reading Mindwalker first. You definitely should read that one first so you understand certain aspects of the world better.

So let’s get started with the book!
I liked this one a bit less than the first book, but it’s still a nice Sci-Fi book in my opinion.
I enjoyed the characters and the whole „coming out of a tech-free cult and now I am a cyborg“ thing. Also, the critic of capitalism and tech firms? Love it.
Sometimes, I couldn’t understand everything to its fullest. I read an early draft of this so maybe some sentences will be edited for clarity, or maybe because English isn’t my mother language, I had some hiccups.

The plot and the plot twist are very cool. Some plot twists I guessed right away, but others surprised me.
The love story was also a nice touch but could have been a bit more teased early on for my taste.

Overall, I enjoyed my reading time, and Kate Dylan is an author I would read again!

Conclusion
A nice Sci-Fi book, which I enjoyed!

I absolutely adored Mindwalker so when I saw a second book set in the same universe I was super hyped for it however I found this one just hit below the mark for me. I didn't enjoy it as much as Mindwalker sadly however I did still like the book but the main character, Indra, annoyed me a little bit but I think it's because I'm slowly growing out of the YA books to be honest but the plot I found interesting and was intriged by it, I think the book was well written and thought out so I'm intrigued to see what Kate Dylan will bring out next!

Great YA Sci Fi dystopian adventure. I didn’t realise this was book 2 in a series until the end, can absolutely be read as a standalone.

In a post apocalyptic future a dying girl from an anti-tech cult is saved by a tech company that uploads her consciousness to a cyborg body. But their motivations may be sinister…

This was a really enjoyable cyborg / resistance story. My only issue was that occasionally the MC seemed to have revelations when the reader already knew the thing that was being revealed. Thus these dramatic moments fell flat. But in general, great book for fans of The Matrix, AI etc.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this title in exchange for this honest review.

This book just wasnt for me sadly. I tried to read it, but ended up skimming most of it, since i just wanted to be done with it. Probably more a case of it being me rather than the book.

Kate Dylan, the woman that you are. She really went and wrote a book that includes one of my favorite discussions: if you transfer a copy of of the human brain to a robot body are you still human? She even included a dash of sapphic romance as a treat.

Mindwalker is one of my favorite reads of 2022 and Mindbreaker is just as good. I love the world, I love the characters. I especially love a book that can surprise me every time I think I’ve got a twist figured out. This one had me gasping.

Mindbreaker can be read as a standalone but I highly recommend picking up Mindwalker before diving in!

*Thank you so much to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the eARC!

“A robot soldier dressed in human skin.”

I loved Mindwalker—the set up, the story, the world. Mindbreaker, however, I liked a little less. I had a harder time connecting with Indra than with Sil. I think Mindbreaker would have benefitted from a stronger focus on character rather than plot. The main characters felt un-nuanced and the side-characters a little undercooked. Which is jarring in comparison to Mindwalker.

I was delighted, however, to see that Mindbreaker had a sapphic romance.

Overall, Mindbreaker was great, just not as great as its predecessor.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC copy of this book, in exchange for this honest review.

I seriously loved Mindwalker, the futuristic, post-apocalyptic world Kate created was something that felt scarily possible, and Mindbreaker is of a similar nature and in the same world, though instead of our main character being a human with tech, it’s someone who is given no choice but to have her body destroyed and her mind uploaded into a ‘cybotic’ body.

Indra was a brilliant main character, a girl who has never really been allowed to be herself even before the evil tech corporation got their hands on her. And the two main side characters? Nyx is an absolutely adorable friend, you can tell he’d really do anything for Indra, and I loved Tian so much but I won’t say why in this review.

Both Mindwalker and Mindbreaker are full of brilliant twists, but Mindbreaker had even more moments within that tugged on your heartstrings. Sil’s journey was difficult and not without loss, but Indra… I honestly would just like to hug her after finishing this book.

And, if you also enjoyed Mindwalker… absolutely go grab this book right now because you’ll get to say hi to some of the cast!

I honestly loved this book
Is fast paced, thrilling, it reads almost like watching an action movie.
I think the choice of writing not exactly a sequel but a companion novel was a risky one but one that majorly paid off.
The balance of the super High tech world with important and relevant dialogues and questions about bodily autonomy, humanity and human rights is extremely well done and it doesn't come off as preachy nor it distract from the plot of the book

Mindbreaker is a nuanced and electric YA sci-fi novel exploring humanity and agency soaked in cool tech and brimming with rebellion.

It’s hard for me to talk about this book without also talking about Mindwalker, one of my favourite books of the last year and possibly all time! Mindbreaker is somewhat of a companion novel, set in the world readers know and love from the first book, but following a new core cast. Overall, I simply loved getting to revisit the world Kate Dylan has created through a new perspective.

What makes Mindbreaker truly unique is Kate Dylan’s signature blend of tech-fuelled action extravaganza and nuanced exploration of identity and bodily autonomy. These are themes and concepts I’ll never get tired of exploring in fiction and Kate Dylan does it extraordinarily well!

In many ways, Mindbreaker cracks open the bones of this world to dive deeper, explore new perspectives and ultimately, create a much more nuanced experience for readers who’ve read both books.

Indra is, in many ways, a fish out of water. While she is in no way the innocent cult girl Glindell believes her to be, she is ultimately still navigating a world that is largely unfamiliar to her. Subsequently, she is a lot more wary of technology, an internal battle that follows her throughout the book. In my opinion, this personal journey and Indra’s relationship too technology (and her own humanity or lack thereof) is the strongest part of this book and the heart of what makes it stand out.

At times, I think Mindbreaker would’ve benefitted from a stronger focus on character rather than plot. Mostly, because I know that Kate Dylan can do both, something she proves with Indra’s development throughout the book. Ultimately, I just wish we had gotten to know all the other characters on a deeper level, too.

As excited as I was to meet some familiar faces from Mindwalker again, I was ultimately a little disappointed. A lot of the secondary characters felt less complex and nuanced than I expected, something that was particularly jarring when it came to characters I knew from Mindwalker.

Lastly, I cannot talk about the characters without also talking about the delightful sapphic romance in Mindbreaker! I will always root for the gays and, without giving anything away, the development of this relationship was one of my favourite parts of the book. There’s something incredibly satisfying about seeing the themes and internal conflicts Indra struggles with being reflected in and worked through within a personal relationship. I think this is how all romances should be done, honestly. Sweet and nuanced and yet so incredibly thematically aligned? I love to see it!

What would a Kate Dylan sci-fi book be without pondering the nature and boundaries of humanity, right? Indra’s existence and identity relies on a computer, her brain is pure code, her body has been replaced by non-organic parts. It begs the question if she’s even a person anymore. Where does a person end and the code begin?

Mindbreaker also explores themes of consent and bodily autonomy as Indra gets used to her new body and reclaims her agency in how she chooses to use it.

A thread that’s woven throughout the plot and that I found particularly fascinating is a discussion around emotions, pain and limitations as a necessary part of being human. As a bot, Indra can turn off her senses. She can choose to not feel pain (or anything, for that matter), which allows her to make her body achieve impossible feats. However, leaning into this non-human side of her identity comes at a price and the threat of losing her humanity in substantial and permanent ways.

I cannot stress enough how much I love Kate Dylan’s handling of these themes. She draws us in with cool tech and characters with superhuman powers but never avoids the hard questions about the cost of those powers. For all the shiny cyberpunk technology, Mindbreaker is fundamentally and delightfully human.