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Mind Trace
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.
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.
- GenresScience Fiction
314 pages, Paperback
First published November 15, 2012
17 people are currently reading
484 people want to read
About the author
Holly McCaghren
2 books5 followersI was born and raised in the Houston, Texas area, and have lived in Texas my whole life! (Gotta love humidity!) I currently live in central Texas with my husband and three children.
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.
You can read all about my current/published novels on my webpage, www.hollymccaghren.com, as well as on Goodreads. Happy reading!
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.
You can read all about my current/published novels on my webpage, www.hollymccaghren.com, as well as on Goodreads. Happy reading!
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 22, 2013
I was wary of the initial premise being too trite to carry the novel, but McCaghren presented the phenomenon in such a way that I was able to accept it and move along with the story. In fact, McCaghren's ability to make the story almost believable is what elevates it above other novels that employ supernatural events. She deftly manipulated incredible circumstances into familiar and believable aspects in such a way that I never pulled back and thought "This is ridiculous", or "that would never happen".(Although I know very little about computer hacking, so I don't know if any of that was legitimate.) The characters were multi-dimensional and developed enough that you could understand and sympathize with their actions. The action was fast-paced and exciting. I could barely put the book down! Although there were no jaw-dropping surprises, I did appreciate that it was not predictable in the slightest.
All in all, it was a great read. Holly McCaghren should be proud of her debut novel. I look forward to reading her other books in the future.
All in all, it was a great read. Holly McCaghren should be proud of her debut novel. I look forward to reading her other books in the future.
April 9, 2016
Originally posted on the blog: What the Cat Read
Talk about a surprising and enjoyable read. While admittedly I had a bit of trouble wrapping my whiskers around a lot of the computer hacking aspect of the book, I found the entire plot to be engaging. It definitely kept me reading long past the point where I should have stopped for the day. There’s a little bit of something for every reader in this one. =^.^=
What stood out the most for me with this book was the dynamic characters. Alice was a great individual who not only grows considerably throughout the story, but also proves that women are just as capable as men when it comes to computer technology. It both annoyed and amused me that folks underestimated her capabilities throughout the book. It just goes to show that one should never judge another based on their gender (the same can be said of felines). Garrett was funny and your typical geek. I felt rather sorry for him when I found out what had happened not only to his company but also to his parents thanks to his brother, Gabriel. It was great to see him find hope again. And may I say that I simply LOVED Eric? Honestly, I don’t often glom onto antagonists much, but in Eric’s case he is a fantastic bad guy! He’s so sleazy, ruthless, and just plain mean…he’s perfect. Watching him lose his cool thanks to Alice was just priceless. I really hope that McCaghren brings all three of these guys back for a second book!
Plot wise, like I said I had a hard time getting into all of the computer stuff, but that still didn’t stop me from enjoying the book. Every idea flowed smoothly, to the point where I literally made the comment to my fellow feline reviewer, “This could happen.” Yes, I firmly believe that one day we will be able to process tons of data using nothing more than our minds and as a result, computers will become obsolete. It most likely won’t happen in my time, but you never know. The minor down side that I had with this story was that it did sometimes feel like it dragged in spots, especially when Alice gets caught a second time. But there was still plenty of action and intrigue to keep me interested, so it wasn’t too bad a lag in action.
On the whole I think this is definitely a book worth checking out. At present it is a stand alone novel, but as I mentioned earlier, I do hope McCaghren decides to do more in the future, murr!
Talk about a surprising and enjoyable read. While admittedly I had a bit of trouble wrapping my whiskers around a lot of the computer hacking aspect of the book, I found the entire plot to be engaging. It definitely kept me reading long past the point where I should have stopped for the day. There’s a little bit of something for every reader in this one. =^.^=
What stood out the most for me with this book was the dynamic characters. Alice was a great individual who not only grows considerably throughout the story, but also proves that women are just as capable as men when it comes to computer technology. It both annoyed and amused me that folks underestimated her capabilities throughout the book. It just goes to show that one should never judge another based on their gender (the same can be said of felines). Garrett was funny and your typical geek. I felt rather sorry for him when I found out what had happened not only to his company but also to his parents thanks to his brother, Gabriel. It was great to see him find hope again. And may I say that I simply LOVED Eric? Honestly, I don’t often glom onto antagonists much, but in Eric’s case he is a fantastic bad guy! He’s so sleazy, ruthless, and just plain mean…he’s perfect. Watching him lose his cool thanks to Alice was just priceless. I really hope that McCaghren brings all three of these guys back for a second book!
Plot wise, like I said I had a hard time getting into all of the computer stuff, but that still didn’t stop me from enjoying the book. Every idea flowed smoothly, to the point where I literally made the comment to my fellow feline reviewer, “This could happen.” Yes, I firmly believe that one day we will be able to process tons of data using nothing more than our minds and as a result, computers will become obsolete. It most likely won’t happen in my time, but you never know. The minor down side that I had with this story was that it did sometimes feel like it dragged in spots, especially when Alice gets caught a second time. But there was still plenty of action and intrigue to keep me interested, so it wasn’t too bad a lag in action.
On the whole I think this is definitely a book worth checking out. At present it is a stand alone novel, but as I mentioned earlier, I do hope McCaghren decides to do more in the future, murr!
April 23, 2016
"Mind Trace" was an enjoyable story if you can live with the main premise -- that a human can somehow accidentally download everything in a major company's computer network through a short in a cable that she manages to brush against while hacking into the company's network. The protagonist, nineteen year-old Alice, is definitely a computer genius, with both a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree by the time she was eighteen. She receives an email invitation to test EngineerCorp's computer security by trying to "hack" their network -- but the invitation was actually from a competitor that had previously been victimized by EngineerCorp.
She succeeded, however. Too well! When she awakens after being electrocuted by a frayed computer cable, she finds that she has an enormous amount of data in her head and some new skills as a result of the new knowledge. From some of the downloaded data, she realizes that EngineerCorp has some definite evil history and tendencies and that she herself is in danger if and when they track her down. The CEO, Eric Martin, is an Evil Millionaire Megalomaniac™ who is obsessed with tracking down and imprisoning Alice so that he can study her and make use of her new talents. Forever.
The rest of the book details her various bouts of being captured and subsequent eventual escapes (which keep getting harder each time). At times, the progress seemed a little slow, but Alice was just such an enjoyable character to follow, it was mostly good. 4 stars!
She succeeded, however. Too well! When she awakens after being electrocuted by a frayed computer cable, she finds that she has an enormous amount of data in her head and some new skills as a result of the new knowledge. From some of the downloaded data, she realizes that EngineerCorp has some definite evil history and tendencies and that she herself is in danger if and when they track her down. The CEO, Eric Martin, is an Evil Millionaire Megalomaniac™ who is obsessed with tracking down and imprisoning Alice so that he can study her and make use of her new talents. Forever.
The rest of the book details her various bouts of being captured and subsequent eventual escapes (which keep getting harder each time). At times, the progress seemed a little slow, but Alice was just such an enjoyable character to follow, it was mostly good. 4 stars!
December 1, 2013
Alice McArthur is a computer genius. She graduated from high school at age fourteen and by nineteen had her Bachelor's and Master's in Computer Science. She is working for a small computer tech company in Asheville when she gets in intriguing email. The email is calling for hackers to try to get into a specific server. Alice can't resist a puzzle but has no idea what her hacking will lead to.
While trying to break into the server she has an accident - nearly electrocuting herself on a computer cable. When she wakes up, she finds she is different. She seems to have all sorts of knowledge from the server she was trying to hack into. Determined to find out what happened to her, she traces the person who sent the email and finds Garrett Wiggins who is the CEO of Cyberconn - a corporation whose reputation was ruined by EngineerCorp.
She finds that she has accidentally hacked into EngineerCorp's servers and now the CEO Eric Martin wants her. He has immense power because his company is so woven into business and government and the power has caused him to become something of a megalomaniac. He is definitely an "end justifies the means" sort of villain who is more than willing to imprison Alice for life to study her and to use her in his plans to dominate the world.
This was an engaging science fiction thriller that has Alice playing mind games with Eric and trying to get her life back. I recommend it to fans of science fiction.
While trying to break into the server she has an accident - nearly electrocuting herself on a computer cable. When she wakes up, she finds she is different. She seems to have all sorts of knowledge from the server she was trying to hack into. Determined to find out what happened to her, she traces the person who sent the email and finds Garrett Wiggins who is the CEO of Cyberconn - a corporation whose reputation was ruined by EngineerCorp.
She finds that she has accidentally hacked into EngineerCorp's servers and now the CEO Eric Martin wants her. He has immense power because his company is so woven into business and government and the power has caused him to become something of a megalomaniac. He is definitely an "end justifies the means" sort of villain who is more than willing to imprison Alice for life to study her and to use her in his plans to dominate the world.
This was an engaging science fiction thriller that has Alice playing mind games with Eric and trying to get her life back. I recommend it to fans of science fiction.
December 12, 2012
I suspect anyone who was a bright student will identify or want to identify with the main character in this book. And who wouldn't want instantly accessible piles of databases in their head, without degrading other parts of the brain?
That initial premise, while not completely original, was fun.
The plot wasn't terribly complicated. Girl gets stuff she shouldn't have. Bad guys come after her. She works with good guy to try and save herself, and others, from bad guy.
Even so, I read it through and didn't put it down.
Until the very end of the book, nothing was terribly unique. But, the way it was done was fun and had me reading the book straight through. If the author writes another book or a sequel, I'll read it.
The end of the book was a little over the top, or not explained well.
(For me, four stars means "above average and a good read but not mind blowing.")
That initial premise, while not completely original, was fun.
The plot wasn't terribly complicated. Girl gets stuff she shouldn't have. Bad guys come after her. She works with good guy to try and save herself, and others, from bad guy.
Even so, I read it through and didn't put it down.
Until the very end of the book, nothing was terribly unique. But, the way it was done was fun and had me reading the book straight through. If the author writes another book or a sequel, I'll read it.
The end of the book was a little over the top, or not explained well.
(For me, four stars means "above average and a good read but not mind blowing.")
January 2, 2013
I don't often review books I have read (I tend to pass along recommendations by word of mouth), but felt in this case that I should make an exception.
This book has been described as predictable; I would agree, although that isn't a bad thing. It's the same way I felt reading David Weber's Honor Harrington series-- I don't know how, but the heroine will prevail. Alice MacArthur is the same way, and I feel a sense of intense satisfaction as I see her plans take shape and come to fruition.
All said, i really enjoyed this book! I can see this author going places, and will definitely read her next novel :)
This book has been described as predictable; I would agree, although that isn't a bad thing. It's the same way I felt reading David Weber's Honor Harrington series-- I don't know how, but the heroine will prevail. Alice MacArthur is the same way, and I feel a sense of intense satisfaction as I see her plans take shape and come to fruition.
All said, i really enjoyed this book! I can see this author going places, and will definitely read her next novel :)
January 21, 2013
I was a little skeptical about reading this book at first, just because I normally don't pick up these types of books often, but once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. It really captures your attention and you can really connect to the characters. I've reread it several times since.
For reference, some of my other favorite books include: Ender's Game, The Hunger Games Trilogy, The Harry Potter series, The Blue Sword, The Seer and the Sword, The Last Lecture, The Star Wars books by Timothy Zahn, and Pride and Prejudice.
Overall, very happy with my purchase and I hope the author writes more books.
For reference, some of my other favorite books include: Ender's Game, The Hunger Games Trilogy, The Harry Potter series, The Blue Sword, The Seer and the Sword, The Last Lecture, The Star Wars books by Timothy Zahn, and Pride and Prejudice.
Overall, very happy with my purchase and I hope the author writes more books.
July 2, 2016
Excellent read, great courageous genius heroine
A very compelling story with a plot that pulled me along and had me finish it in a day. The protagonist is a nice, quiet girl with great intelligence and a comfortable life. Her love of challenges then gets her trapped in the midst of industrial espionage. During this, by accident she activates her entire brain and fills it with knowledge, reminiscent of the premise of Chuck. The only complaint I have is there is much left to do in the this world with these characters, so I hope to see more.
A very compelling story with a plot that pulled me along and had me finish it in a day. The protagonist is a nice, quiet girl with great intelligence and a comfortable life. Her love of challenges then gets her trapped in the midst of industrial espionage. During this, by accident she activates her entire brain and fills it with knowledge, reminiscent of the premise of Chuck. The only complaint I have is there is much left to do in the this world with these characters, so I hope to see more.
April 26, 2016
My wife isn't happy
It is very rare for me to write a book review. Mind Trace is one of the most exciting, nail bitting, edge of your seat stories I have read in quite a while. I couldn't put it down until I finished it -- thus the reason for my wife's discontent. Please keep the cliffhangers coming.
It is very rare for me to write a book review. Mind Trace is one of the most exciting, nail bitting, edge of your seat stories I have read in quite a while. I couldn't put it down until I finished it -- thus the reason for my wife's discontent. Please keep the cliffhangers coming.
December 13, 2013
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.
- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/...
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.
- See more at: http://hotofftheshelves.blogspot.com/...
July 12, 2016
Mind Trace was an excellent story with a well thought out plot. Very suspenseful and exciting throughout. The protagonist used different methods to get herself out of each situation with prevented the story from becoming monotonous. The pacing was excellent but I found that it needed some more word building.
I didn't particularly like the ending...not the way it turned out but it just felt a bit rushed to me. I would have liked to see how things worked out more in depth and through their eyes instead of it kind of just being narrated.
Overall an interesting read.
I didn't particularly like the ending...not the way it turned out but it just felt a bit rushed to me. I would have liked to see how things worked out more in depth and through their eyes instead of it kind of just being narrated.
Overall an interesting read.
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December 24, 2013I'm not going to rate this because I didn't finish it. It needs a heavy edit - lots of unnecessary adjectives, adverbs and dialogue tags, stilted dialogue and incorrect word usage. It sounds like a great premise but the writing isn't up to the right standard for a published novel yet.
April 19, 2013
This was just too far-fetched for me. A girl develops super-computer type powers and processes zillions of bits of data in seconds. Her computer powers continue to develop throughout the story. A typical "guy saves girl, fall in love, conquer the bad guys" tale with a weird sci-fi element.
December 19, 2012
Sounds awesome. Definitely would love a copy.
January 21, 2013
While Mind Trace isn't my usual read (more tekky than Fantasy) it was still a really good read. Holly McCaghren really brings you into the book and makes you feel for her characters.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews