Review: Mindbreaker by Kate Dylan

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Author: Kate Dylan
Edition: eARC
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (September 14, 2023)
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction

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Synopsis

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.

Do I Need to Read Mindwalker Before Reading Mindbreaker?

Before I jump into my review of Mindbreaker, let me talk about a question you may be wondering about. Is it necessary to read Mindwalker before reading Mindbreaker? The short answer to this is no, you don’t need to have read Mindwalker to enjoy this one.

However, while I don’t think reading Mindwalker is necessary at all to enjoy Mindbreaker, it does set up the world and the major players in a very satisfying way. Your mileage may vary, but I enjoyed following Indra’s journey all the more for already being familiar with the way technology (and its capitalist evil overlords) function in this world.

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My Review of Mindbreaker

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

I received a free digital eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review

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.

Related: My Review of Mindwalker by Kate Dylan

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.

New Characters, New Perspectives, and Familiar Faces

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’s a Human, Anyways?

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 delightfully and fundamentally human.

Overall…

…Mindbreaker delivered exactly the mixture of tech-powered action and fundamental questions about humanity I was hoping for. While I would’ve liked a bit more character depth from the extended cast, Mindbreaker more than makes up for that with a strong and compelling main character and an exciting plot.

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This book is for you if…

…you liked Mindwalker and want to explore the sci-fi setting through a different perspective
…you are looking for a action-packed YA sci-fi adventure that you won’t be able to put down once you start!