Review + Giveaway: Mind Games (Mind Games, #1)

Author: Kiersten White
Series: Mind Games, #1
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release: Dec 3rd 2013
Source: Borrowed
Pages: 237 (hardcover)
( Amazon | Goodreads )

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.

Before Mind Games, I have never read anything by Kiersten White, despite her reputation and success from the bestselling Paranormalcy series. You see my friends, paranormal fantasy and I have never set well with each other, so much so that I would go out of my way to avoid it sometimes. But now, Mind Games has really shaken me to the core. It's thrilling. It's gripping. And most of all, it's different. I may have thrown out the word "unique" way more often than its weight deems, but if I were to pick one book to recognize for such quality, Mind Games would be my choice.

Psychic abilities such as mind reading and foresight are no news to us, especially if you frequent YA literatures. However, what Kiersten White has presented here is something far more intriguing - perfect instincts. Take a moment and imagine the possibilities a skill like this could bring. No reasoning. No logic. Just gut feelings. Fascinating isn't it? It certainly piqued my curiosity if not yours. 

The story is told in Fia's and Annie's perspectives from both the past and the present. To be honest, dual narratives can be confusing. Not to mention dual narratives on top of dual timelines. The confusion can be easily magnified. In fact, such storytelling can at times downright prevent me from understanding and immersing myself in the story. But the choice to implement this in Mind Games is an act of utter brilliance. Kiersten White clearly knows how to build up suspense and how to draw her audiences' attention. She takes her time unraveling Fia and Annie's past, piece by piece, while proceeding with the ongoing business espionage. Snippets from the past and scenes from the present connect seamlessly in spite of their fundamental discontinuity, just enough to reveal to us these two sisters' true natures and to answer the inevitable questions rising from our minds - how they changed and what changed them.

If you ask me, YA novels should totally portray more of sibling relationships. And not just using siblings as plot devices but actually featuring dual protagonists. Forged by blood, the bond between Fia and Annie is impossible to break. Their trust and responsibility to each other come to them as natural as human nature. They struggle because of it, but they can never run away. Though somewhere down the line, they have suddenly yet gradually become one another's liability, pivoting between the other's freedom and her own life. It was then when I realized that the most powerful is not the grandest of displays, but the simplest depiction of conflicts so intrinsic that will no doubt leave you in awe.

Unfortunately, true perfection is nothing but a splendid illusion and even Mind Games can not escape from this fate. The most unsatisfying aspect of all would be the worldbuilding. Although a villainous organization was introduced in the book, little explanation was offered and even fewer developments were done to the villain himself. But all in all, I see bright future lie ahead for this series and I simply can not recommend it enough.

My Rating: ★★★★☆ (4 and 1/2 stars)

a Rafflecopter giveaway