Monday 28 October 2013

Review: Mind Games

Mind Games
Author:

Publication Date: February 19th 2013        
Publisher: HarperTeen   


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.





Mind games is either cleverly executed, or a damn right crazy mess with the most ironic and appropriate title.
It's hard to summarise, so I'm not even going to try. It's also the most confusing to get a hold of. You're thrown into the thick of it and it moves so fast with little explanation that can drive you insane, and I was about to give up within the first couple of chapters because pretty much all the characters are unlikeable. Really, really unlikeable.
It's in two perspectives, Fia and her older blind sister, Annie, keep that in mind it's also in now, and past, so, that's enough and then you add in the writing style, It's not one I favour. It's an in-your-head, which does go perfectly well with the rest of it, but it can and does get really hard to get into, and for good reason, too. It also doesn't mean it's good, because it's not, it's actually everything I hate about a book. It's juvenile, the characters sound juvenile, and that usually ends up being a DNF. BUT I FINISHED IT. It's a total accomplishment. Know why? Despite the 17+ old characters sounding juvenile, it was a really short book, for one, and it was just the right amount of dark and insanity to keep me compelled. Was it worth it? I'm not 100% sure, but I'm on the side of yes.

Being inside Fia's head, is like a really bad trip. It's not fun, it's dark and painful...and just dark and painful. It  zigzagged and spiralled, and matched her perfectly.
Out of control.
She is, and no matter how much she wants to be in control, to stay in control, it doesn't happen and when she thinks she has it, it slips out and the facade they had placed is over, with the cold truth.
She never had control.

And she clearly, really needs it.
She's vulnerable, and fragile, and it's driving her crazy. Now, I'd be worried if it hadn't.

Annie, the 'seer', she's a weak one at best, but it was more of a relief being in her head, than anything else because she didn't add anything to the story. it was a much calmer one, and it was nice seeing things through her eyes, since she's blind. Which isn't an excuse, to be honest. She's blind, yes, but for her blindness she should have impeccable other senses, she doesn't, and she is really freaking blind to everything around her. You wouldn't think she'd be easy to manipulate, but she is, and you know what? I would feel bad about saying this to a blind person, but since she isn't real and all that... she's fucking selfish. She is. She messed up so badly, and though Fia says Keane broke her, he never. Annie did.

Fia did everything she done to protect her sister, whatever the cost, even if she lost herself, and Annie was selfish, she never did what she could have to save Fia. She sat back and wanted to play make believe because she was safer that way.
And Fia wasn't.

At the end, I suppose you'd say she redeemed herself. No. She never, she really never because she didn't sacrifice herself. She may not have known, but she never. Fia does the sacrificing, while Annie now get's to be happy, happy, happy.


We're told that they have this huge strong unbreakable bond, and that they'd do anything for each other, and we get  a few examples, but only from Fia. Annie.... except for crappy lying that doesn't work anyway there was nothing from Annie. Fia did the sacrificing and the bad things for Annie, so, what did Annie do for Fia?
That was my biggest problem with Mind Games, the potential was there, but it wasn't solid, and it had serious issues that weren't addressed. Also, the romance was superstantial and the love interests were a little...weird. Kind of forced just because they were there. It kind of messed it up a little because it really wasn't needed when it was suppose to be focusing on Fia and Annie's relationship. I think, if the focus on that was tighter then the potential it had would've been met.

It's really, really strange and just.... really strange.


Actual Rating: 2.7/5