Designed to read memories through skin to skin contact, the genetically engineered experiments would have been the perfect spies... if their abilities weren’t driving them insane. “Maybe the mind just isn’t capable of holding more than one set of memories without breaking.” Stephanie knows that the only way to get treatment is to report the second symptoms appear.... but when the voice of a dead girl lingers in the back of her mind, she hesitates. What if she isn’t going crazy? What if the voice is real? A ghost, haunting the memories she took. Then she learns that the corporation is on the verge of scrapping the experiment, if any more of them become incapable of completing the job they were created for. After all, what’s the point of a mind-reading spy who can’t tell the difference between reality and a paranoid hallucination? But is it really paranoia when your very existence is the result of illegal genetic experiments? And the corporation who created you would do anything to cover its tracks?
I feel like the best phrase to describe this book is 'less is not more'. There was definite skill involved in writing this book, but I was left always craving more, and not always in a good way. The worlds the characters lived in were interesting, but never explored in much depth. The same goes for the plot and the characters themselves. All interesting on the surface, but never are we able to explore them more than that. I also felt that the pacing was a bit off at times - scenes often cut away too early, sometimes even in the middle of action sequences. Suddenly the characters were somewhere else, and it was a bit jarring.
The fact that I still enjoyed this book despite its flaws shows the potential this book and author have. Polish off the rough edges and there's some real quality to come.
Fantastic! Couldn't put it down! I don't like many books in this genre but I LOVED this. If you like Lois McMaster Bujold this is definitely for you! 100% Recommend.