Organizing my Netgalley library and I see that this is one I had on a computer disk that stopped working some time ago. Also it is a prequel to a series I have not read so I do not believe or can read it now. Thank you though and I hope you will consider me for future titles if asked.

A good prequel story. It sets you up for the story and gets you into the mindset. A very quick read before starting the actual series.

I received this free eARC novel from NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This has been on my TBR pile for so long, and I'm glad I finally got around to it. I really enjoyed the storyline and seeing the characters change throughout the story was a great character development. The plot was great and kept my attention. I'm glad I got the chance to read this and will be on the lookout for more in the future!

Let's meet Meimi Archer, a high school student, a tech genius who specializes in drft science, caretaker of her mother Rose and who will live the adventure of her life when requesting the help of a being of another dimension to find her lost sister.
This book is the first prequel to Christina Bauer's Mind Drifts series and judging by the ease of its reading and the interesting plot, this new series promises to be a complete success.
A clean and highly entertaining science fiction and fantasy story, highly recommended for young adults and readers of all ages.

This is set in a post-apocalyptic world with the heroine being a genius child around tech and computing. From an early age she could program backdoors into supposedly fool-proof computer programs.

.In theory I should have liked the story and the writing as a. I like stories about computing and b. Christine Bauer - the author.
But I didn't.
some audiences might like it, so I'm being generous with my stars.

Exciting. Entertaining. Leading. Compelling.

The excitement of being able to take of your family at such a young as with the skills of years of experience. The entertaining activities that take place in more than one dimension. The escape of the government. The prospect of doing something dangerous. This was a short read that was leading up to more in the next installment of this series. An introduction in to the world of a kick-ass, play the game, do the job, make it happen, girl in high school.

Christina Bauer gives great visual cue, awesome world building, well developed characters, strong/supported/determine female lead. A fantasy world that I am very excited to sink right in to.

This book just wasn't for me. I didn't end up finishing it. I found the characters to be flat and the plot line boring.

Every once in a while I pick up a dystopian young adult book. Why not more often? Because often the stories are a lot twisted and turned and I have a hard time to keep up. So, when I saw that Scythe was the prequel to a series, I figured, I would be able to follow the story from the beginning.
And I still had a hard time following Meimi and her adventures. She is a young and tough girl, living with her very sick mother. Although she is supposed to go to school, she earns money by selling of techy stuff she designs from scraps. With that money she can pay Scythe (an underground crime scene lord) to keep her and her sick mother of the grid of the government. Because otherwise, they would eliminate her mother.
When Meimi accidentally slips her house into a two dimensional space-time zone (yep, lost me there), she needs Scythe to cover this up, before the government will show up at her doorstep.
As payment, Scythe wants Meimi to finish a dimensional prototype (yep, lost again). And then suddenly she receives help from a classmate, who seems to be not from this world. Does it get any stranger? Yep, definitely. But you should read that for yourself. A nice read, definitely dystopian, but even I could keep up. Four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Let me first state that Scythe is a prequel for the Dimension Drift series coming in 2019. I did not realize this when I first decided to review it. After I had read a bit, I began to notice that it had the feeling of a prequel to a story as opposed to a full story. I decided to look up the story again and my thoughts were confirmed. Lessoned learned, fully check out the book before agreeing to review.

I am not a fan of reading prequels before actually reading the main story because it tends to leave me with a lot of questions (and at times the prequels are more informative than they are enjoyable). Thankfully, Scythe turned out to be quite enjoyable to read. While it was a short, quick read, it left me wanting more of the complete story. In the end, I feel Scythe was successful in giving me a glimpse into this new dystopian world and piquing my interest in what is to come. I look forward to seeing what the Alien Minds will bring to the table in the coming year.

Scythe is a prequel novella. The story seems written more for a younger audience. It's okay but not fantastic. The romance is very shallow. The premise is typical. I recommend for young readers like high school. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

When I saw that the book I had previously reviewed had an extended version, I kind of let out a big sigh. After all, why re-release a book with added content? Was it not finished before you put it out? However, reading this book, I realized that it's not just an extended version, but a completely different version of the original novella, and one that I like a lot more than I thought I would. Basically the same story, just told in a better way.

Meimei Archer is breaking into a government warehouse. She and her mentally unstable mother live far off the grid, away from the people who want to put her down, and after already losing her sister, Luci, she's not going to let that happen. Self sufficient, she's an amazing hacker and inventor. She makes her money stealing and inventing, even though she's just a teenager. However, this trip to the warehouse ends up a lot different than her usual trips, because after hacking into a robot, it tells her that her sister has recently visited it, and she's working for the government.

This gives her hope that she's still alive, and even though she gets caught by the guards and intimidated by some kind of creature called The Lacerator, she's able to escape and make it home in time to finish her new gadget. Every night, however, she has visions and dreams about an alien boy named Thorne, who she's never met before. Her dreams are informative and unsettling, but she's convinced herself that they're just dreams. But are they really?

I loved this version a lot more than the first one, because I got to know about the characters and the world they live in so much more. The original was so straightforward that I could almost see exactly what was going to happen, but this one had me guessing at every turn. I can't wait to see what happens in the next novella, and the first novel.

I really enjoy the writing from the author, and I'll continue to try and keep up to date with most of her series. They're so different from each other, there's no way that you could get bored trying to read them all. Definitely check out this book if you're into a dystopian world with an alien twist, and a young genius behind the wheel.

Thanks for reading!
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

this book is completely amazing I was hooked from start to end it was such an exciting and fun read! I cant wait for the sequel to come :D

„Scythe” is another good start for an awesome series. There are many reasons why I liked it, but at the same time, there are a couple of reasons why I did not enjoy it as much as I would have wanted.

Starting with the positives, I like the universe, with the political system, the dimensions and all that alien stuff. It sounds complicated, but the author has a way with words that makes everything natural. And this is another reason why I like it. I have also read/listened to “Angelboud” by this same author. While in case of „Angelbound” I was not a fan of the narration, the author did an amazing job with the writing. So I know what to expect. I even like the heroine and how she does her best to set the things on the right path, trying to correct her own mistakes. She is not perfect at all, but this makes her more real.

Now on the negatives. The romance was too quick. These two have barely been introduced and one cannot live without the other. Not my cup of tea. No, not at all. I wanted to see a “bigger” evil. I wanted the negative characters to be more evil, but to be honest, this is a short book, so …. No room for much development here.

However, I do see this series as so much more and I cannot wait to see what happens next. “Schyte” opens a lot of doors and I cannot wait to see what’s next J Happy Reading guys! Oh, 4 stars here !

I just realized this was a prequel~ omg, this was absolutely amazing! I got so into it from the start and couldn't believe how fast it ended.

Can’t wait to read more!

Scythe is a prequel novella set in the Dimension Drift Worlds series by Christina Bauer. Now, while the actual series hasn't come out yet, you can pick up a copy of Scythe to get an idea of what will be in store come spring of next year (yay!).

It's the story of a teenage girl named Meimi Archer. She happens to be a science/tech genius who lives with her mom. The world she lives in, though, frowns upon certain types of people, and her mom happens to be one of those. However, Meimi works for a mysterious figure who is able to keep her and her mother under the government's radar...as long as she does his bidding.

But when something goes really, really wrong one night, it sets off a chain reaction of, well, craziness that will have Meimi wondering if she might just be in over her head.

I really liked the prequel. It's fun, snarky, and sets up events that will intrigue readers and have them eager for the main series. I thought Meimi was a typical teenage girl, save for the fact that she lives in a dystopian world where she can fuss with dimensions and meet an alien prince. So, yeah. Just your normal, average teenage girl.

I'm really looking forward to Umbra, which is another prequel from Thorne's POV. Who is Thorne, you may ask? Why, he's the alien prince Meimi comes into contact with. Also, I'm super excited about Alien Minds and ECHO Academy. I love the world building already, and I can't wait to dive into the main series next year.

If you enjoy dystopian fiction with kick-butt female characters, geeky tech, hot aliens, and more, then you'll definitely want to get your hands on Scythe.

4.5 stars from me!

Meimi is a girl with a lot on her shoulders. She believes that her sister Luci is dead, as she has gone missing over a year ago. Her mother's condition is also worsening, and she is only lucid a few times every couple of days. On top of all of this, she is supposed to be attending school. Luckily, she has found a way to hack her school system so that it says she's always there. When her hacking gets her on the government's radar, she has to find a way to protect both herself and her mother. 

Meime is a strong main character. This book isn't about romance, even though it does have it's scenes where it hints at romance for future novels. She is determined to protect both herself and her mother in this messed-up world, even if she has to commit crimes to do it. She is an amazing hacker and can get into almost anything. Without her mother, she may have been able to escape her situation entirely, but it is up to her to protect her mother.

Her mother's illness is not explained in the book, but it makes it so that she sometimes can't really walk, talk, or function. Without anyone else in their lives, Meime must take on the role as the family breadwinner. She has several heart-to-heart moments with her mother when she is lucid, and her mother tries to apologize for not being there. But Meime is just that strong, and she knows that she will be able to support her family. Her older sister isn't around anymore to do it, so it is up to her.

The plot of this book starts off really slow, and then it ends a bit abruptly. It is a short story, but with the amount of information packed into this book, I had felt as if I had read a complete novel. This was the only thing that bothered me a bit about the story. It just felt a little too fast. But I can't wait to read the next novella in the series, I'm sure I will love Meime's character even more!

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a new YA dystopian series to start. 

I received an advance copy of this book, and this is my voluntary review.

I liked the idea of this story and I think younger teen readers will love it. Meimi is a student whose mother is a scientist. The society they live in control education and science. They summon an alien being to search for Meimis older sister who has been miss for a year. This is a prequel for a new series and a short story that is a quick and easy read. I received a copy of this arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

**Reviews can be found at https://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com/ **

Meimi has been trying to hold her life together after her sister Luci went missing a and her mother just shut down a year ago. But holding everything together is hard when you live on the fringes of a society where science is outlawed and you are forced to do small jobs for a crime lord the Scythe to pay the pills. But when her mother unexpectedly shows enthusiasm for a project, Meimi jumps at the chance to get involved- especially if it means finding her sister. What she didn't count on was the explosion of science that will cause the Merciless (aka the govt) to take notice and for a stranger to appear...

Firstly, thanks a lot Christina- I thought we were friends! And yes, I read the disclaimer in the front of the book that this was a cliff hanger- and it was, it really really was! Which would be ok, except for the fact I can't get my grabby hands on another story for months. Sniff, sniff! This was so good, and as per all of Christina's books, I am hooked. Side note for you, I am a total fangirl over Ms. Bauer's magical creations (aka books aka random stories filled with great characters, snark and mayhem!) so I will read whatever she wants to write at this point- but that means the bar is set pretty dang high....and I was not disappointed.

Scythe is the first Dimension Drift prequel novella, just a snippet really to introduce the characters and hint at the destructed world, and then BAM it is over and I have so many questions! Expect a quick read when you pick this up, roughly 100 pages, so you can blow through the book in a short period of time ( ...and then attempt to patiently wait for the next.) There is so much going on in this novella, I was kept on my toes the entire time. Be it random science, opening portals to new dimensions, evading capture, doing shady deals with crime bosses, betrayal, the humdrum of school with Lead Camper Dave (snicker), to a hot (alien) man-candy sent to help save the day. Yep, this was quite the ride and I highly enjoyed myself. Pick this up and expect to get sucked in to the Dimension Drift.

OMG, this was absolutely amazing! I got so into it from the start and couldn't believe how fast it ended. And it's only a prequel 😲, this series is going to be amazing. :)

Meimi's mom is catatonic almost all the time, ever since her sister left. The world she lives on is a dangerous one, the sick are not tolerated, so she takes care of her and hides her from the government. Meimi is a genius, she works on high tech gadgets and sells them to... bad people. She goes to high school sometimes too. :) Until one time, when her latest freelance job goes horribly wrong and everything goes to hell.

Meimi is such an amazing character, she is bad-ass, brilliant and very snarky. :) And the setting, the world described is very dark, technically very advanced and very interesting. And the is all this amazing sciency stuff and aliens and a lot of mystery. :) It sounds very interesting and I look forward to more to come.

4.5 stars

Wow. Just wow. If Scythe is any indication, the Dimension Drift series is going to be a corker, hands down.

Meimi is only 16 years old but she's much older than the usual teenager, having lost her father and sister, acting as caretaker for her emotionally and mentally fragile mother and living in a world where monstrous beasts are created to "dispose" of undesirables as defined by the Authority. Meimi supports herself and her mother by doing freelance scientific work for the local crime lord, Scythe, and becoming beholden to him for their very survival is not a choice she would have willingly made, had she actually had a choice.

From the first few words, I was completely hooked on this story and its characters. The plot is full of nonstop action and tension while the characters, Meimi as well as others, are vividly drawn, even the exceedingly dangerous Lacerator, the newest of those killer monsters. Beyond all that, though, Ms. Bauer is a master craftsman of worldbuilding and that alone would have kept me fascinated.

There is only one thing wrong with Scythe---it's a prequel and by the very nature of the beast (so to speak) that means the story ends way too quickly and leaves you hanging, swinging in the breeze. I really hope the next prequel, Umbra, will be out soon, followed by the first full-length novel, Alien Minds ;-)

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, November 2018.