Series: The Mindjack Trilogy (#1)
Author: Susan Kaye Quinn
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 326
Published: November 1st, 2011
Summary: When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep.
Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can’t read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can’t be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf’s mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she’s dragged deep into a hidden world of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
“It was after lunch, and no one had died yet, so I took that as a good sign.”
I finished "Open Minds" last night, and immediately jotted down some of the things I liked. This was the second free book I've gotten on my Kindle, and since I enjoyed the first one I was scared that this one would be a disappointment. I was scared it'd be free for a reason. I had no real reason to worry, since I enjoyed "Open Minds" as a nice summer read. It was sort of similar to Maximum Ride of X-men once it got running, and I love well-written science fiction.
I was not sure whether to label this review science-fiction or dystopian. It takes place in the near future, where due to contaminated drinking water, the entire world has gained the ability to read each other's minds (with a few exceptions known as zeroes). Once I got into it, although there's some injustice and paranormal aspects, the world seemed to have adapted to it's new powers quite well. It was just like the modern world, just with mind-reading and slightly better technology.
Some things I loved. . .
Kira, the main character, was a high point of the book. She wasn't the perfect Mary Jane character you see in most books, with lots of cool powers (although she's got those) and a perfect personality. Kira messed up. A lot. Big time. She was flawed. But she stuck by her choices a managed to keep a level head in lots of terrible scenarios when most of us would be screaming in the corner. If she was real I'd love to meet her.
I liked the concept. A society where everyone can read each other's minds? That would be a nightmare. You wouldn't have a single secret. At least in other books you have some privacy.
I also appreciated how Susan Kaye Quinn took her time developing the world around our characters before getting into the action of it all. She managed to let Kira explore the ranges of her abilities without making it drag, and in the meantime we learned more about the characters, like their lives, secrets, and fears. We also got insight on exactly how this world where everyone knows each other's deepest thoughts functions, and how all readers communicated directly through each other's minds.
Some things I disliked. . .
There was this one character called Laney that appeared part of the way through the book. I can't tell you quite how Kira comes in contact with her, but she does, and Kira comes to think it's her responsibility to care for Laney. Now I know that Laney's young and pretty much a helpless little doe all things considered, but I hated it. She had no character development, and Kira was too protective of her, since she spent very little time with her and knew very little about her. "Oh, Laney's in trouble? I've only had 2 conversations with her, but I better put it all on the line for her!" No.
The most exciting part of the whole book came too early and left too soon. I expected the climax to be woven into this, but it wasn't. Kira goes to this place about halfway in the book, which was so interesting and exciting, putting me on edge, and Quinn blew it. She could of spent more time with it. Plus, once they leave the place a very important plot point comes, too early for it to be worth it! Maybe that plot point was for shock value, because I took a step back when I realized what was going on. If Quinn made it a bit longer, I'd be a lot more excited. (Just read that back, wow I'm too vague. At least there's no spoilers. If you read the book, You'll get it.)
The book itself was a very good book, and I'll gladly pay for the next book in the series.
PS. check out this awesome live-action trailer for the trilogy this book's in! It's pretty cool.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgArhJLOr5w
-Claire
Some other reviews for "Open Minds" (may contain spoilers)
Dear Author
There's A Book
Annette's Book Spot
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