Review: Mind Games by Kiersten White

Title: Mind Games

Author: Kiersten White

Publisher: HarperTeen

Release Date: February 19th, 2013

Source: Borrowed ARC

My Rating: 5/5

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, heartstoppingly intense psychological thriller about two sisters determined to protect each other—no matter the cost.

Um, holy cow. Like HOLY COW. THIS BOOK. 

Look, I knew I would like this book. It has a great concept, I adore Kiersten White, and it just sounds like the kind of book I would like. But, I didn't expect this. I didn't expect it to sky-rocket onto my all-time favorites list. I didn't except the characters to blow me away. I didn't expect to love it THIS MUCH. But I do, I seriously, truly, genuinely love this book. It is absolutely brilliant.

If you're thinking that this is going to be similar to Paranormalcy you are dead wrong (not that that would be a bad thing. That series rocks something fierce). This book is dark, disturbed and twisted and my goodness was it awesome. There's a bit of a foreboding air about the novel. I constantly felt on edge, waiting for everything to come crashing down.

I've said this time and time again and you'll no doubt hear it from me a million times more but I love broken, messed up characters. And Mind Games is chalk full of them. From an accidental assassin, to a blind seer, to a not-so prodigal son, the characters in this book have broken hearts and fierce wills. 

Can I just gush about my love for Fia? What a superb character! What a brilliant, beautiful, broken character. She absolutely blew me away. I felt like she reached right into my chest and stole my heart from me. She was unflinchingly honest, almost daring me to try and ignore her. She commanded the page and she moved me to tears. She was fierce firecracker, willing to push herself to the limit to help those she cared about. Entering her dark and twisted mind was a scary place and one I desperately wanted to fill with hope. One of the things I thought was so brilliant about this book was how Fia was portrayed. I have read so many books about strong female characters, fighting the good fight. About girls kicking butt with no thought about it. And that's okay. Because that makes sense for those characters. They are never completely unaffected by their actions, but it usually is not the main focal point. It's not such a huge thing. But in Mind Games, the things Fia has done, the things she's been forced to do, have permanently scarred her. She can't brush it off, she can't forget it. It pounds into her head, it breaks her down, it destroys her from the inside out. But still she fights. She still tries to do the right thing. She tries to survive in this world that has taken almost everything from her.

Her sister Annie I had mixed feelings about. I blamed her for what was going on with Fia and it infuriated me. I knew it was irrational. I knew that but it didn't stop me from being so angry with her. I wanted her to step up. To protect and help her sister. And I knew she tried to help, she tried to be strong, but it just wasn't enough. I hope to see her progress in the next installment, to really come into her own. I think I could grow to like her, and I really want to.

And with such an unconventional book, we have to have one of the most unconventional love interests. As soon as James popped onto the page, I was fascinated. Behind the confident face was a boy cracked to pieces. A boy who loved a girl just as destroyed as he was. James was complex, intriguing, captivating, and one of the most interesting characters I've read about in awhile. His banter with Fia gripped my heart, and loved them the most when they were together.

The writing at times was really frantic. Kiersten White really showed Fia's desperate and distraught state and made the reader feel exactly what Fia was feeling. My eyes were jumping across the page and my head was filling up with her destroyed voice. I couldn't pull my eyes away from the words, even as they were ripping me apart. I was so caught up in the world, and so entranced by the characters. This book absolutely messed with my mind, and I love it more than I can possibly say.

I hope you give this book a chance. I hope you love it as much as I do. It's without a doubt one of my favorite books ever. I can't wait to have my own copy and read it again and again.

- Ciara (Lost at Midnight)

Find This Book: Amazon | Chapters | Goodreads | Kiersten White's Website