I read this as an ARC and the premise hooked me in. This reminded me in parts of The Circle by Dave Eggers in its premise, and yet this stands up on its own as well. The basic premise of taking down the evil capitalist, even if it’s, quite literal mind-control is nudging mankind to be better is an intriguing one that keeps you questioning your own morals and values as you read on. At times things got a bit too techy, but they were mostly necessary to keep the story moving along. I enjoyed this and would definitely recommend it!

Review of 2042
4.5/5 stars

2042 is a smart, slow-burning speculative thriller that left me both disturbed and fascinated—in the best way. It imagines a future where media consumption isn’t just part of life, it is life. The concept of “casting” as an all-encompassing form of media, monetized and monopolized by a single megacorporation (Artemis), feels eerily plausible, especially in the way it seeps into everything: entertainment, education, even our love lives.

Katherine Tanaka is a compelling lead—sharp, polished, and just naïve enough to make her unraveling feel human. Her journey from loyal corporate communicator to someone questioning the entire structure she's helped uphold is tense and emotionally layered. She’s caught in a web of manipulation—by Artemis, the government, and her unnervingly charming boyfriend Harbrinder (who might be the nicest sociopath I’ve ever read). Their dynamic alone could carry a whole book.

What really stood out to me was how 2042 manages to critique modern media, consumerism, and government overreach without ever feeling preachy. It asks the reader to consider who really controls the narratives we consume—and at what cost. The FDA regulating advertising? Sounds wild, but in this world, it somehow makes perfect sense.

This isn’t a book that rushes. The pacing is deliberate, but the payoff is worth it—especially once the deeper conspiracies begin to unfold. If you enjoy speculative fiction that reflects our current trajectory a little too well, this one will stick with you long after the last page.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit! It was really interesting meshing all of the big, up and coming technological innovations and their potential impacts in this fictional future. The ending did feel a tiny bit abrupt but it was still very enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

First and foremost big heartfelt thank you to Netgalley and IBPA for this eArc, as well as M.A Mitchell for their time dedicated to writing this book.

This book was not something that I enjoyed. The first chapter was an easy thing to get through and it was interesting enough that I wanted to know what happened next.

Unfortunately the next few chapters felt like a slog that I had to wade through and 24% into the book, for my sanity, I had to call it quits.

The premise ultimately the parts I read is something that I was fascinated with, the more I read the more I wanted to know where everything was leading, it was just difficult encouraging myself to get there. It was too technical for my tastes and maybe I am the one wrong in this scenario for choosing a Sci-fi book and complaining about the technical part.

If big corporate conspiracies are a thing that excites you with personal betrayel and the under dog winning then this really is the book for you.

It had so much potential! Ultimately it will be a no from me for now.

DNF at 26%

Unfortunately, this book didn't resonate with me. It contained numerous descriptions of future technology from various perspectives. However, it wasn't what I was looking for in a science fiction novel. I'm sure many others will still enjoy it, as it was well written.

One of the common challenges I encounter with science fiction is the plausibility of the technology, but M.A. Mitchell handles this aspect impressively in 2042. The technical elements are presented in a convincing and accessible way. The story is well-paced and engaging, making for an enjoyable read overall.

Disclosure: I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review of my own opinions.

I was really excited to read this when I first read the blurb. It seemed right up my alley. However, I have to say it was quite disappointing. Despite being categorized as a thriller, this book really wasn't all that thrilling, in my opinion. Most of the 'thriller' stuff happened in the last 2-3 chapters, and was very much glossed over.

There was a lot of tech speak as well, which I expected given that this IS a scifi. Unfortunately, it made up most of the book and was honestly a little boring at times.

While I did finish the book and found it enjoyable enough to give 3 stars, it fell flat to me and I found myself wondering when the plot was going to pick up.

The ending was also rather disappointing. It felt sudden, and it seems like there should have been more story, but there isn't.

I was really looking forward to reading this book, the blurb sounded really promising. The tech speak went over my head though and I just couldn't get into the story. I'm sorry but this one is not for me.

Predictable plot, weird cardboard characters, poor worldbuilding, lack of stakes and actual action plague this book that has a good idea at the heart of the book. The biggest plothole is that the main character supposedly knows the big secret and isn't morally secure enough to actually stop it. Even the sociopath is more redeemable.

this is one of those unputdownable books!!! completely right up my alley. i absolutely love these sci fi thrillers that take place in the future and make you think. 5/5 stars

I found the overall story very compelling, but I was frequently pulled out of it by trying to work out details of what was going on. While the tech was believable, the explanations felt a little overdone and distracted from the story itself, while other times there was no explanation at all. Perhaps it could have done with a glossary.
That said, I was very interested in the overall premise and I liked that it was a shorter story.

2042 paints a believable portrait of the state of social media in seventeen years. Moving beyond text and video, media is transmited directly to the brain. With all the experimentation going on with companies like Neurolink, it's easy to picture this coming and question who controls the messaging on these new channels.
The novel presents these issues, but does not preach. Instead, we get the story of characters set within this new reality. At just over 200 pages, it made for an enjoyable and relatively compact read. The story arc was satisfied, however it came across as the potential first book in a series. If so, I'd likely read the follow-up.

2042 - Artemis Rising by M. A. Mitchell

I had a chance to read an advance copy of 2042 - Artemis Rising. It is a science fiction novel set in the near future where scientists develop a new method to bypass the optic nerve and give visually impaired people the ability to see. This technological miracle becomes a device to transmit information to everyone who can afford it.

As with all technology their ethical and moral issues. It reminded me of the current debate around AI and how do you balance creating an AI model with compensating content creators. The book is a bit slow to start as each chapter focuses on a different individual's part in this story but picks up about midway thru the book as the characters have been fully developed. It is a good read and intriguing premise. I look forward to what I expect will be several books on this theme.

This book was so promising. The premise is super cool. The new form of media known as “casting” is something like VR but more. It gives you all the senses of the person’s cast you are watching( except smell, they haven’t figured that one out yet). It does this by stimulating different parts of the brain. They were also able to cure many medical issues using this tech. I feel like this book would’ve been so much better had it been longer. There were so many different perspectives for such a short book. It made it really hard to get into or connect with any of the characters. The other issue I had with it was the science part was pretty heavy for me. I say this as someone who was never great at science, and tech is a foreign language to me. So this may not be an issue for most, but a lot of the tech speak went over my head. If the story had been a bit longer, and we’d really gotten to know all of these people, or if they’d skipped the pov’s of people that didn’t really matter as much to the story, I feel like it could’ve been a 3.5-4 star read for me. I really appreciate Net Galley for sending me the book, and while this one wasn’t for me, I hope it finds it’s readers out there.