Author: Holly McCaghren
Source: A Book Obsession
Genre: New Adult, Science Fiction, Contemporary
Release Date: November 16, 2012
Reviewed by: Jasmyn
What would you do to possess unlimited knowledge and power?
Nineteen year-old Alice McArthur never had a choice. A shy girl from a small town, Alice has gained a reputation for her near-genius programming abilities, even getting the attention of EngineerCorp, a rising electronics empire. With her unique skill-set, she is hand-picked to test their network security by hacking into their global mainframe.
But something goes terribly wrong.
The next thing Alice knows, she wakes up on the floor with a migraine, unnatural powers, a server's worth of data in her head and the realization that this job was not what it seemed.
Now a fugitive from justice and on the run from the evil leader of a corporate empire, Alice doesn't know who to trust or where to turn. She must find a way to secure her freedom and stop those who would keep her prisoner for life -- or worse.
Mind Trace is a contemporary science fiction - which can be difficult to do correctly. It's hard to mesh an unheard of "technology" without leaping ahead many years. Holly McCaghren has set the stage perfectly to make it work. It almost has an X-Men like spin on her super-human, super-computer ability. But it has come at quite a cost. The CEO of the company she accidently dumped into her brain is out to find her, and he has the resources to leave no stone unturned.
The beginning of Mind Trace was a little slow for my taste. There was a lot to develop, but it dragged a little long. Parts of the storyline seemed to be repeating with just small differences in the details. A little over half way through things began to get extremely interesting as Alice begins to explore the full extent of her abilities.
Alice herself is a fun character. I loved the way the computer part of her brain was portrayed - almost like it was another person at times. It really emphasized how strange the situation was and made her reactions very believable. I give the story 3 stars, but if the beginning had moved along a little better it would have been four.
Author Bio:
I was born and raised in the Houston, Texas area, and have lived in Texas my whole life! (Gotta love humidity!)
Nothing makes me happier than settling down with a good book, but they aren’t always easy to find! Some of my favorites (in no particular order) include: Jane Eyre, The Blue Sword, Dracula, Ender’s Game, Heir to the Empire, and the Harry Potter series. I love a good scifi/fantasy book, but it certainly isn’t limited to that genre.
My first book was just published via Createspace, called “Mind Trace.” It is a science fiction/adventure novel, appropriate for all ages! It is currently available through Amazon.com (paperback and Kindle), Barnesandnoble.com (paperback), and the Createspace store.
Excerpt from Mind Trace
As she was closing the side cargo compartment on her Ducati, a deep, velvety voice spoke behind her. "Going somewhere, Alice?"
She spun around so fast that she tripped over the wheel on her bike and fell down onto gravel. As fast as she could manage, she stood up and found herself backed against the opposite sidewall under the carport.
It's him!
Eric stood there, on the edge of the opposite wall. He was dressed in a perfectly fitted, expensive-looking suit, leaning casually against the wall as if he had every right to be there. A smirk teased the corner of his lips, and his eyes glittered menacingly down at her. She quickly glanced around, trying to assess her chances of escape. She didn't see anyone else around, but she had to assume that there were others, currently hiding out of view.
How did this happen? I should have known better. I should have been prepared! What am I going to do? I have to stall him until I figure out a plan.
"Wha-what are you doing here?" she finally managed to ask him.
Eric smiled; a confident look on his face.
"Alice, dear. Let us not feign ignorance. You know very well why I am here. You took something from me, and I want it back. It's really quite simple."
"How could I possibly have anything that you want? I don't even know who you are!"
"Oh, I think you know exactly who I am. That is irrelevant though, because I know for a fact that you gained unlawful access to a large amount of data that did not belong to you. You are going to take a little trip with me, so we can discuss all of this in great detail."
He paused, and then turned his head, glancing behind him, mouth opening as if to speak. She saw four men dressed in black tactical uniforms seemingly materialize, fanning out behind Eric.
You have to be kidding!
Alice looked around, rapidly calculating the best possible route of escape.
Now or never.
Without hesitating, she bolted around the edge of the carport, running as fast as she could in the direction of the forest surrounding the cabin.
Tour Schedule:
12/3 - A_TiffyFit's Reading Corner - Excerpt
12/4 - The Reading Obsession - Spotlight
No comments:
Post a Comment