Mind Games (Mind Games, #1)

by Kiersten White

[ladygrey]

This is a quick, short but I was instantly impressed with how much story there was. It's full of character and action and thought and dialog and emotion and only the description that's needed. It engaged me from the first sentence and kept me interested because it was all the things I needed to know about the characters and the story without explaining what chairs looked like before Fia hit someone over the head with them.

If I had liked the characters less I might complain that the story could have gone deeper - but a part of me is glad we didn't spend pages in the training rooms with Fia or through the years the book covers. It was tightly written and I really enjoyed that.

Because it didn't feel hollow or sparse. The flashbacks were effective in giving context to characters I was interested in. All the characters, in fact, were complex and fully formed and interesting and I liked the world she built so quickly and I loved how the ending provided a complete story but also kept the door wide open for a sequel. And I would definitely come back for another round.

And I really loved how she wrapped the ending. Fia's first action defies the Keanes and fills her with fear and uncertainty. But then the last choice she makes sets her free from the Keanes - is more powerful than her initial defiance and all the while she's declaring how she chooses them and that she belongs to them. It's a beautiful narrative parallel.

I also didn't love Annabelle. She was sweet and well meaning but she was also painfully naive. On one hand I liked that the psychic was the weaker character because that's so rarely done but also I'd really like to see her grow and see more from her in a sequel.

This is such a tight, quick read that it reminded me of [a:James Patterson|3780|James Patterson|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1284492096p2/3780.jpg] only with an utterly fantastic world and interesting characters.