Book Review - Mindwalker

Mindwalker
Author: A.J. Steiger
Series: Mindwalker #1
Genres: Dystopian | Young Adult
Release Date: 9th June 2015
Source: Review Copy - Knopf Books for Young Readers
Rating:

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.

So yet again we have book that was available from LoveReading4Kids for request, it is yet again one that I had heard nothing about and was completely unaware of until I got the email through about it. I think it would be safe to say that it was another book requested on a whim, one that I wanted to read purely because its a dystopian and everyone must now by now how much I love my dystopian books. When I first read the summary the first thing that caught my eye was just how unique and original the story sounded, it wasn't one I felt like I had read hundreds of times and instantly my expectations were. Everything about it sounded good but it was one that seemed to be relatively unknown throughout the young adult community, so that itself was enough to make me unsure about reading it. LoveReading4Kids is pretty lethal to me at the moment because I can't seem to stop requesting books that I may be on the fence about reading, however it wasn't for them I wouldn't have known about some great books otherwise and I'm happy to say that Mindwalker was one of them.

Mindwalker is a book that is set in a time, way in the future, where its now possible to have all your bad memories erased. Because everyone is able to in essence change the person they are, without all the traumatic things bringing them down, everyone lives in a seemingly peaceful existent without war or social unrest. But having a government that maintains the peace and tranquility by brain-wiping those they see as a far, things can't be as controlled and happy go lucky as they ma seem. Lain Fisher, one of the youngest therapist at the Institute and a Mindwalker in training, is the daughter of the deceased scientist and someone who's goal has only ever been to be a Mindwalker. But when a classmate comes to her for help, she's is torn between what's right and what her father would do, even if it means she will not longer be able to follow her dream.

The first thing I'm going to talk about is something that was without a doubt my favourite thing about this book, the ability to erase peoples memories. In the first chapter Lain's client is a man who trying to forget the horrible things he had to do during the war, something that has haunted him for years and sadly the clients memories aren't the worst Lain has ever had to experience. Being a Mindwalker goes way beyond just having the knowledge of how to take away parts of peoples memories, it also means that while you are mapping out and finding the tainted ones that said client has asked you to dispose of, you are feeling every single thing they felt, you aren't just in their memories you are them. The reason why I love this so much is not the feeling of fear or pain or anything else that Lain has to go through in order to help people, though it was always written really well, it's the idea of helping people move on. Thousands and thousands of people live with something that gives them nightmares, stops them functioning as a basic human being, and the concept of changing that to help is brilliant. It's a bit like in Awaken where Katie Kacvinsky used the concept of everyone using their computer for everything these days.

While reading this story I had plenty of ideas what was going to happen, and even though I was right on a lot of them it never made me like the book any less because I don't feel like it was something that would have been overly obviously to everyone, I'm not saying I can see through things more than others but I just seem to be lucky with seeing plot twists that others don’t. Other than the plot that was constantly keeping me on my toes, I really enjoyed the characters, my favourite thing being how Lain never just changed her views on everything she's been brought up to believe jut because a pretty face is telling her different. Seeing her slowly come to the terms with everything not being as it seems, while still believing deep in her heart that her dad had the right idea, was something brilliant. Honestly, she is such a fantastic character and I can not wait to read the second book.

When I started this book I was unsure, a few chapters into it and I started to get a good feeling about the story and I'm happy to say that it's everything I thought I would be, and more. I am so pleased I've had the opportunity to read it, such a brilliant start to the series and I just hope it stays consistent throughout because I'm not sure I would be too happy if it didn't carry on being as good.