Shattered Minds

This intriguing novel is a futuristic sci-fi thriller where technology rules people’s daily lives, even manipulates their dreams.

Carina is a former neuroscientist with a massive drug problem, and to compound matters further, she also has uncontrollable urges to kill. To counteract these urges, she takes a drug called Zeal that enables her to satisfy these homicidal urges in her dreams - rather than physically killing in the real world.

Carina's mind was damaged when she worked on a brain mapping experiment for Sudice Inc, and this is where her compulsion to kill others originated. When she starts to have visions of a girl who was also involved in these experiments, she discovers that her old colleague Mark has planted this vision as part of his plan to expose the evil corporation named Sudice Inc.

To access data that has been planted in her mind by Sudice Inc, Carina bands together with a group of hackers who are also intent on bringing down this corrupt corporation. The hackers work together gathering evidence needed to shut down Sudice, but they're up against some extremely violent people, who have no moral compass (and will kill without fear of the consequences of their actions).

Lam paints a dark and malicious futuristic world with a strong (if sinister) female lead in Carina. The storyline however is convoluted and complex as it flips between past and present, as well as between a large array of characters.  I found it hard to care about the characters; making it difficult to connect with the narrative as a whole. However the author is clearly comfortable in her chosen sub-genre and it does show in the vivid portrayal of a terrifying future, where technology becomes something to fear.