Mind Games
Shana Silver
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: August 27th 2019
Genres: Romance, Science Fiction, Young Adult
A teen programmer at a school for geniuses must join forces with a boy she can’t remember to stop a hacker from deleting their memories in Shana Silver’s action-packed YA debut, Mind Games.Arden sells memories. Whether it’s becoming homecoming queen or studying for that all important test, Arden can hack into a classmate’s memories and upload the experience for you just as if you’d lived it yourself. Business is great, right up until the day Arden whites out, losing fifteen minutes of her life and all her memories of the boy across the school yard. The boy her friends assure her she’s had a crush on for years.Arden realizes that her own memories have been hacked, but they haven’t just been stolen and shared… they’ve been removed. And she’s not the only one: her mysterious crush, Sebastian, has lost ALL of his memories. But how can they find someone who has the power to make them forget everything they’ve learned?
My Review
Mind Games is a fascinating YA sci-fi novel with hints of romance that will keep readers guessing until the very end.
Arden is a tech genius at a school founded by her mother. She's created a program called HiveMind, where people can upload their memories. As a hacker, Arden likes to "steal" these memories and sell them to other students at the school so they can experience whatever it is they want. From winning an award to knowing the answers to an upcoming test, Arden can provide whatever a student needs.
But when she wakes up one day with memories erased, she finds it a bit odd and confusing. And when a boy she can't remember comes to her claiming to be a blank slate (all memories gone), Arden will have to put her hacking skills to the test if she's going to uncover the mystery behind what's really going on.
I found this to be a really fun, unique, fast-paced thriller. It kept me on my toes, and even though what I suspected (and who) was partially true, there were still so many twists and surprises that I found myself absorbed in it all. Color me impressed.
The characters are well-written and likable enough, although there are a few who may frustrate readers at times. I felt really bad for Sebastian because he seemed to struggle the most with everything that was going on.
The overall plot is kinda crazy, and there's a lot of technical stuff going on, but it's easy to keep up with (and you don't need to be a tech genius).
The only downside I can really find within the story is that it was a little bit too easy to figure out the who (even though there's more to it than that) behind it all. But even that's not really a bad thing.
If you enjoy sci-fi mysteries/thrillers with a dash of romance, you'll want to check out Mind Games today.
4 stars from me!

Arden is a tech genius at a school founded by her mother. She's created a program called HiveMind, where people can upload their memories. As a hacker, Arden likes to "steal" these memories and sell them to other students at the school so they can experience whatever it is they want. From winning an award to knowing the answers to an upcoming test, Arden can provide whatever a student needs.
But when she wakes up one day with memories erased, she finds it a bit odd and confusing. And when a boy she can't remember comes to her claiming to be a blank slate (all memories gone), Arden will have to put her hacking skills to the test if she's going to uncover the mystery behind what's really going on.
I found this to be a really fun, unique, fast-paced thriller. It kept me on my toes, and even though what I suspected (and who) was partially true, there were still so many twists and surprises that I found myself absorbed in it all. Color me impressed.
The characters are well-written and likable enough, although there are a few who may frustrate readers at times. I felt really bad for Sebastian because he seemed to struggle the most with everything that was going on.
The overall plot is kinda crazy, and there's a lot of technical stuff going on, but it's easy to keep up with (and you don't need to be a tech genius).
The only downside I can really find within the story is that it was a little bit too easy to figure out the who (even though there's more to it than that) behind it all. But even that's not really a bad thing.
If you enjoy sci-fi mysteries/thrillers with a dash of romance, you'll want to check out Mind Games today.
4 stars from me!

Author Bio:Rachel Shane (writing as Shana Silver) studied creative writing at Syracuse University. She’s been a computer animator, an e-book creator for a major publisher, and now works as a Project Manager in digital and TV advertising where she enjoys telling people what to do. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, young daughter, and the characters she dreams up.
Great review! This sounds like a fun read and exciting from the start! Glad you liked it! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! :)
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