Mindwalker

In a post-apocalyptic future, a teen Mindwalker races against the clock. Eighteen-year-old Captain Sil Sarrah is an agent for the Syntex corporation, trained from the age of 8 to use the processor grafted into her brain to rescue field agents by commandeering their minds from afar. It is a difficult job, misunderstood by those who don't appreciate the advanced tech they use--and one that comes with a time limit. When a Walker turns 18, they start to malfunction, dying before the age of 20. Sil starts to experience terrifying glitches just as a mission gone wrong brands her a traitor to the corporation. On the run and desperate to prove her innocence, she approaches Ryder Stone, a member of anti-Syntex activist group the Analog Army, in hopes of finding intel about them that will buy her way back home. But as Sil learns about Ryder, the Analog Army, and their mission, she realizes Syntex may be hiding nefarious actions. Sil's arc leads her to discover the truth behind the lies she has been told in a story full of twists, turns, and betrayals. This engaging, fast-paced story is set in a believable dystopian world in which most of humanity has been destroyed. The absorbing enemies-to-lovers romance and Sil's thoughtful wish to find meaning in her short life enrich the story. Characters can change their physical appearances through aesthetic body modifications; unmodified Ryder has bronze skin and brown hair. Thrilling. (Dystopian. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.