Jennifer M. (Kaydence) reviewed on 6/23/2014 + 380 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

Summary:
Michael is a gamer and a hacker. He would much rather spend his time in VirtNet (a virtual reality playground) then his real life. He's addicted to this game called Lifeblood Deep. Within VirtNet, the player can do anything they want to and being a hacker is cool. Who needs to follow the rules when you can find so many ways around them? Unfortunately, someone is taking people hostage within the VirtNet and doesn't allow them to leave, causing some of the hostages to go brain dead. After witnessing a particularly horrible event, Michael is kidnapped by the VirtNet Security and recruited to help solve this crime using his hacking skills. With the help of two of his virtual friends, Michael accepts the challenge even though it is dangerous and it involves going off the grid into a potentially deadly environment.

My thoughts:
After The Maze Runner series, there was absolutely no way I was missing another Dashner book. Dashner had me gripped from the first page, and I began The Maze Runner series late enough that I read all three books within a week. It really was a series that could make you fall in the love with the author. The Eye of Minds seemed like a perfect book for me. I'm a bit of a techie nerd. I like gadgets; I play video games, and the thought of virtual reality to this extent is amazing. I would beta test it if I could. Who wouldn't want to be able to hang out in a world that allows you to do whatever you want without being harmed? However, there always has to be a bad guy to screw things up. This book reminds me a bit of The Matrix blended with Tron. The idea of perfection with something lurking behind is prevalent in both those novels and is clear within the VirtNet. While Michael is a typical teenager, I would have liked to get to know him a little bit more. Sometimes I didn't feel like I understood the motivation behind his actions. At other times, I didn't understand why he wouldn't use all of the skills that everyone seemed to believe he had. This made me alternately like Michael and want to smack him upside the head. Finally, the pacing in this story is a little off. When Michael is going through training for his mission, the book slows way down. It has nothing to do with descriptions of the technology, but more to do with the fact that nothing is really happening. His training is kind of boring. I felt like he needed to be doing some "on the job" training so that I could get back into something that was enjoyable. That part of the book is really the only thing that I did not enjoy, which was a let down compared to The Maze Runner series. Altogether, after the training is over and the mission begins, it's full speed ahead. Grab a Tron motorcycle and get ready for a wild ride within the virtual reality world with Michael and his friends. The rest of the book is full of action with a rather surprising twist that will leave you flipping pages to see what foreshadowing you may have missed earlier. The ending leaves me eagerly awaiting the next book in the series!

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