Media Type: Ebook
Title: We Are Watching
Series: Mindshare Book #1
Author: M. Stephen Stewart
Publisher: Primrose Publishing LLC
Pages: Print; 405
Release Date: December 16, 2014
Source: Xpresso Book Tours
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Content Screening: Mild Violence
HDB Rating: 3 Keys to My Heart
Recommended to: Readers who enjoy science fiction and aren’t afraid to explore deep concepts.
Henry Malone’s childhood was shattered by the unexplained suicide of his father. Now a teenager, his days are spent studying to become a Neural Implant Technician for Planetary Link Corporation, helping them maintain an iron grip over his walled country and every iota of knowledge contained within—but he leads a double life. Henry’s nights are spent helping his mother wage a cyber war against them in her quest to find the truth behind his father’s death.
He’s managed to keep his two lives separate, a delicate balance that’s endangered after he repairs the neural implant of a stranger. He finds she’s in possession of illegal memories from the outside world, unauthorized knowledge of his father, and a message: speak to me later and tell no one. Henry has a choice to make—ignore the message and maintain his double-life, or answer and risk everything to uncover secrets Planetary Link would kill to keep buried.
Truth be told, I’m on the fence about We Are Watching. I’m not sure whether to blame my recent disconnect with Science Fiction, which I’m trying to fix, or the fact that this wasn’t quite what I was expecting. When this book was offered to me for review, I was excited. Anything that has to do with a neural implant, or the idea of living in your own mind, fascinates me. It’s almost truth, in a way. Doesn’t it seem like that’s the way we’re headed? I had high hopes for this book.
Be warned that the reader is kind of thrown head first into this story. There isn’t a lot of explanation of the world, or of any character traits, at the beginning. Instead, Henry’s story is unfolded right from the beginning. I’ll admit that it jarred me a lot. I like to get my footing before diving into a new world. I want to know where I am, and associate myself with the characters. I felt lost for a good third of the book, before I was able to finally start to grasp the whole concept of NEX and pLink.
Luckily, I was drawn in by the action that’s present on essentially every page. This story doesn’t let up. From the moment the book begins, to the last page, there’s always something happening. Although I was still trying to get myself oriented, I still was intrigued. It’s what kept me reading on. Especially because the characters never really caught me up. They definitely could have been a lot more fleshed out.
Overall, this was a pretty quick read considering the size. I’ll offer up 3 stars.
FTC Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. I was not monetarily compensated for my opinion.
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