Open Minds Review

Open Minds (Mindjack Trilogy 1)

-       Susan Kaye Quinn

Kindle Book

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...

Wow – just when I was getting a little bored of YA a book like this comes along and just woes me back! What I loved was that at first I thought I was reading a typical story of a teen girl who discovers she has extra-ordinary powers, and while that is the starting point the story then moves rapidly changing direction and leaving me twisting in the gale like a wind chime.

When we first meet Kira, she is a zero – someone who neither projects her thoughts or receives others and is rapidly passing the age when she should have changed. And in this brand new world where everyone can read each other’s thoughts, this means she is isolated and without a future. This world building and what that means for family, technology and society might feel a little slow paced at first but it does ground you in the world and helps to connect to Kira so that when events start to move I was already on her side. Kira is feisty and has a strong moral core but at the same time the isolation she felts at being a zero means she is desperate to fit in. 

There are a number of supporting characters which help and hinder Kira – all of which feel complex and full rounded personalities. I loved Raf who was so fiery and sweet without any ulterior motive – I’d love to have a Raf in my life! There are a few occasions though when I didn’t agree with Kira decisions, but I could completely understand why she made them. The second half of the story moves rapidly with some truly shocking turns that continually surprised me. I was so annoyed when my station arrived as I didn't want to get off the train!

The writing is easy to fall into and flowing allowing quick immersion in this fascinating world. I was holding my breathe right up until the last page. I was drawn into the story and characters and I’m now desperate to know what impact Kira’s actions will have on her world and how she manages to adapt.

Recommended for fans of Suzanne Collins and Julie Kagawa. 9 out of 10

And check back this afternoon for an interview with the author herself, Susan Kaye Quinn and one lucky person will win a copy of Open Minds!