"Trust no one. Trust only yourself. You're special; you can change things." (Astra to Luna)
Mind Games gives me three types of feelings: deja-vu, confusion and a case of 'It's-not-you-it's-me'. I read Teri Terry's previous series, Slated, about a year ago and it became one of my favourite series to ever exist. My expectations for Mind Games was extremely high. I wanted this book to make me feel exactly the same way Slated did and I was disappointed.
The dystopian aspects of this book fail to impress. Mind Games gave me a deja-vu feeling. I felt as though I had read those exact scenes or chapters somewhere else and knew exactly what was going to happen next. It just didn't sit well with me. Mind Games also made me sick of dystopia. The whole evil corporation that influences the government and is involved in shady dealings which affect people who live in that environment is overdone.
There's also one specific character, the main character, Luna, who is different from the rest and has the power to save everybody. Luna is an unpredictable and angry character. She got me asking the same questions she did and I anxiously waited with her for answers. Unfortunately, Luna is one of those special-snowflake characters who figures things out easily. So many coincidences occur in her life and she learns how to do technological stuff faster than the other characters. Although the reason for this is explained, I just couldn't buy into it.
There is a romance in Mind Games. I appreciate that the romance is subtle and doesn't overshadow the plot. However, the romance between Gecko and Luna is a tad bit insta-lovey and I did not care about the status of their relationship. When the book ended, I didn't even feel anything for their relationship, and I should have.
The one thing that awes me is the world-building. Teri Terry has a knack for mixing futuristic science and technology. The whole idea of virtual worlds and hackers is interesting and original. Unfortunately, I found the whole futuristic technological world difficult to visualize and grasp and the new-world terminology went way over my head.
The ending of this book is a case of 'It's-not-you-it's-me'. I've recently been disappointed by so many books endings. I don't really enjoy endings that seem unfinished or open to interpretation. I like things to be wrapped into a neat little box with tied up strings called "The End". This book leads up to a climax that ends in a super abrupt manner with no proper conclusion.
I had such high expectations for Mind Games and I was extremely disappointed. If you want to read one of Teri Terry's works, I would recommend the Slated series instead of this standalone. I'm feeling really sad and disappointed!