Review: The Eye of Minds

The Eye of Minds (Mortality Doctrine, Book One) by James Dashner
Published by Delacorte Books for Young Readers on June 3, 2015
Genres: Young Adult-Science Fiction/Fantasy
Source: Bought
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Michael is a gamer. And like most gamers, he almost spends more time on the VirtNet than in the actual world. The VirtNet offers total mind and body immersion, and it’s addictive. Thanks to technology, anyone with enough money can experience fantasy worlds, risk their life without the chance of death, or just hang around with Virt-friends. And the more hacking skills you have, the more fun. Why bother following the rules when most of them are dumb, anyway?    But some rules were made for a reason. Some technology is too dangerous to fool with. And recent reports claim that one gamer is going beyond what any gamer has done before: he’s holding players hostage inside the VirtNet. The effects are horrific—the hostages have all been declared brain-dead. Yet the gamer’s motives are a mystery.    The government knows that to catch a hacker, you need a hacker. And they’ve been watching Michael. They want him on their team. But the risk is enormous. If he accepts their challenge, Michael will need to go off the VirtNet grid. There are back alleys and corners in the system human eyes have never seen and predators he can’t even fathom—and there’s the possibility that the line between game and reality will be blurred forever.

James Dashner blew me away with his adventurous yet gripping series The Maze Runner. Now he is back with a new series that I hoped would have the same impact on me. As much as I wanted it to have that impact on me, it didn’t grip me as much. But still I was fully enjoyed by the story and Mr. Dashner still instill me an interest to want more.

The story is set in a futuristic contemporary society where people turn to VirtNet for gaming. A place here you compete and try to be the best. But within this virtual world is a dark force lurking destroying gamers and not in the sense of the game but to the point where they are affected in the reality. The government turns to Michael and his friends as they must use their hacking skills in ways they have never thought possible.

Michael is a gamer who just like one of those typical boys. Wants to enjoy his life in the game, hang out with his friends and live a normal life. But after witnessing something, the idea of the game is forever changed. As a character I feel in this book we are getting to know him and his potential as a hacker as well as a gamer. I would be scared out of my mind knowing that someone had the potential to affect me not only in the game but in real life as well. However, we see him grow to be a likable character that we want to root for to win. Michael has amazing friends who I felt really supported him even when things got rough and those are friends we can only wish for in our lives. I feel like I say this a lot and I most likely do but his friends are on my top lists.

The story went a little slow for me and there were times where I was putting down the book and this is something that I didn’t want happening. However, once I got to the action and the suspense of what could happen next, I couldn’t or I should say I didn’t want to put the book down. I am interested in continuing the series and see what comes next for Michael and his friends.

Overall James Dashner didn’t wow me but he definitely left an impact. I encourage all readers to check out this book and this series. Let me know your thoughts and maybe we can have a book talk about it.

Happy Reading!