Title: Mind Games (Mind Games #1)
Author: Kiersten White
Year Published: 2013
My Mind Games Pre-Reading
Synopsis: Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right. Her sister, Annie, is blind to the world around her—except when her mind is gripped by strange visions of the future.
Trapped in a school that uses girls with extraordinary powers as tools for corporate espionage, Annie and Fia are forced to choose over and over between using their abilities in twisted, unthinkable ways…or risking each other’s lives by refusing to obey.
In a stunning departure from her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy, Kiersten White delivers a slick, edgy, heart-stoppingly intense psychological thriller about two sisters determined to protect each other—no matter the cost.
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Review: WOW. That basically sums up my reaction to this book. I was pleasantly surprised by most of this book, and I am so glad that I gave it a chance. It's been a while since I've read a good psychological thriller, and I loved that this one had a super-power thing going on. I also really enjoyed that it was written from both Fia's and Annie's perspectives - I think it really helped to figure out what was going on.
At first, I had a little bit of trouble getting into this book because of the writing style. It's written as if you were in the minds of Fia and Annie, and is literally their stream-of-conscience thoughts. It's a little jarring at first, and it took me a few chapters to get into. Once I was finally able to get past that though, I fell into the rhythm of this book and was able to really appreciate it. I liked all of the subtle things that you don't realize until later - like why Fia always does things and says things in patterns of three. I think it also really helped convey the panic the girls felt when they thought their sister was being threatened or could possibly be harmed.
Besides jumping from Fia to Annie, this book also jumps from the past to the present. It really helped me to discover who the girls really were and to figure out why they act the way they do. And seeing the sisters through each others' eyes helped me to learn more about them than I would have otherwise. Fia isn't allowed to visit Annie whenever she wants, and so she doesn't know what happens most of the time. Annie can only see glimpses of Fia, but never knows what will happen because Fia never plans ahead. It's very interesting, and I would imagine incredibly frustrating for the girls. I know I would be frustrated if I were in either of their positions.
Although there are romantic relationships in this book. the main focus is on the relationship between the sisters. They are each others' weakness, and neither wants to see her sister hurt in any way. Annie comes across as the weaker, helpless sister (since she can't see and her visions are only of Fia and even those are unreliable) and Fia is always taking care of her. But honestly, I felt like both girls had their weaknesses and really needed to learn to stand on their own. They both rely heavily on each other and while I appreciated that their sisterly bond is crazy strong, I thought that it was almost to strong.
The plot moves quickly despite the time jumps, and I found myself not wanting to put this book down. I wanted to keep reading to the very end just to find out what happens to Fia and Annie and how they protect each other. The ending was kind of what I expected, but some of the details surprised me. I can't wait to get my hands on Perfect Lies to find out how the story continues/ends. I want to know more about The Keane Foundation and about James. I want to know what Annie is doing. I have so many questions!
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fast-paced psychological thriller with hints of the X-Men. I wouldn't really recommend it to a younger audience though, because there are some scenes that I don't really think a younger audience would handle well. I want to read the next book ASAP! 4/5 for this one.
--Ashley
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