As you may or may not know, one of my goals this year is to read a book a week, and get myself back into the habit of reading. Part of that means I am hoping to have a review a week to post here!
Anyway, the book I read last week was one I've been wanting to read for a couple of years, and I love the cover! I just wish I would have enjoyed it as much as I enjoy the cover. =/
The Mind Readers
~Released: December 7th, 2010
~Length: 238 Pages
~Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy, Supernatural, Romance
Cameron Winters is a freak. Fortunately, no one but her family knows the truth …that Cameron can read minds. For years Cameron has hidden behind a facade of normalcy, warned that there are those who would do her harm. When gorgeous and mysterious Lewis Douglas arrives he destroys everything Cameron has ever believed and tempts her with possibilities of freedom. Determined to embrace her hidden talents, Cameron heads to a secret haven with Lewis; a place where she meets others like her, Mind Readers.
But as Cameron soon finds out some things are too good to be true. When the Mind Readers realize the extent of Cameron’s abilities, they want to use her powers for their own needs. Cameron suddenly finds herself involved in a war in which her idea of what is right and wrong is greatly tested. In the end she’ll be forced to make a choice that will not only threaten her relationship with Lewis, but her very life.
Check out my review below!
For a more professional review, check out my post for it on my PluggedIn blog! This review does have spoilers, but on my other blog, there is a spoiler-free review, if you prefer that.
Be sure to let me know what you think of this book in the comments below before you go!
"This isn’t some high school drama bullshit." Logan, Mind Readers
My thoughts exactly, Logan! It's like he could read my mind!
Ok, so let's just get right into this thing. The first half of the book was just ok. Had that been the entire book, I'd have given it two stars, probably. Actually, if I'm being completely honest, 90% of this book was a 2 star for me. The only things that bumped it up to 3, was the last quarter of the book, minus a few cringe-worthy parts.
Let's start with the veggies first, shall we? Harder to get down, but if we keep in mind the good stuff is coming afterward, it'll go down easier.
My number one issue with this book, was the DRAMA!! So much drama!!
Not only does the main character, Cameron, act like a spoiled brat, she acts like a teenie bopper who's never heard the word "no" before. Why is that such a bad thing? Because she's 17, has heard nothing but the word no from her overbearing Grandmother, and can read minds, meaning she knows every little dark, nasty thing people think.
A girl like that would be tough. She wouldn't be surprised by the dirty side of people. She wouldn't trust people easily, and she'd also know how to handle herself in awkward situations.
Include the fact that she's moved more times than she can count on one hand, this chick should be bad ass and rough around the edges, able to adapt and handle situations exceptionally well.
No.
She's not. She can't. She's pathetic.
She whines all the time, can't handle it when people don't hold her hand through something, and is constantly expecting someone to save her. Then when they try, and give her advice, she basically says "screw you, I'm doing what I want!" and makes a mess of everything, followed by another large dose of whining and expecting everyone else to clean up her mess.
Irritated yet?
Yeah, so was I!
A lot of characters are like that these days, and it's incredibly irritating!
Granted, sometimes the story calls for it, and I get that! If the shoe fits, fine.
My issue with Cameron, is that shoe doesn't fit her. At all. The psychology behind the character and her situations just doesn't fit! For a character like that, she'd have to have come out of a different pot - a different set of circumstances.
Ironically, her "friend" in the first quarter of the book had the perfect upbringing and history to produce the kind of person Cameron was. What's more ironic, is that "friend" drove Cameron nut, and she couldn't stand the little brat. Not even she can stand herself...
For the circumstances presented in her history - moving a ton, over-bearing guardian, dead/dead-beat parents, etc. - humans as a species tend to react the same way - they toughen up, and don't rely on anyone, for anything. Given the added supernatural ability she readily used to ace tests and spy on people, it's safe to assume she'd be a bit thicker-skinned, and smarter than she is.
Nope. She's a weak, stupid little girl.
Her tendency to be overly emotional and dramatic was the worst part. She blew every single situation out of proportion, as though she'd learned of her ability all the sudden, and had never dealt with the kind of stuff she was encountering. The whole thing had a feeling of "Is anyone really this stupid?"
What's worse is, it felt as though the author panicked at the end, and had to figure out why her character was such a wimp. Instead of re-writing it, she simply chalked the stupidity up to a revealed-late-in-the-game, super-secret hidden super-power Logan had. Namely, his ability to mess with emotions, rendering Cameron "helpless" to his whims. Honestly, that felt like crap.
When I got to that part, I literally dropped my Kindle on my lap, rolled my eyes, and said "Are you friggin' kidding me?!" I didn't even want to finish after that, with it being my fourth time having that reaction. However, as my goal for this year is to read a book a week, and it was Saturday night, my determination to reach my goal was bigger than my desire to chuck the book in the bin.
Personally, I don't enjoy stupid characters. I don't enjoy reading about someone who is simply a moron. If I am sitting there yelling at the character, explaining what feels like an obvious situation, that's not entertainment, and there is no point. That's not good storytelling.
I'm not saying every character has to be a genius, but come on! When you've got a 17 year old girl who should be awesome because she can read minds, turning her into a whiny, pathetic toddler of a human being is just cruel!
I kept reading, hoping it would get better, and not wanting to find another book to read for that week. It took until the last quarter of the book for me to actually have my interest peaked past my irritation.
By then, she was hip-deep in self-made shit, and no one was going to help her, and I thought "good, maybe she will finally show some sort of strength here."
NOPE!!
The bit of glimmering hope I had at her redeeming herself at the end, flickered out when she chose to trust Maddox just a little too much.
SPOILER!!
I really did hope that she'd make it away from the creepster before he whiped her memory. It seemed promising, and that was really the best part of the book - her finally growing a brain, and doing something on her own.
Her decision to help the kids was really her downfall. Had she gotten herself out, she could have gotten someone who could help them. If nothing else, raise some sort of awareness that they were there. She knew she couldn't save them on her own, and taking the time to get Maddox to help is what killed her. Bit off more than she could chew, and it was such a disappointment.
The last chapter pissed me off the most though, because it peaked my interest. I actually want to read the second book!!
Why? Because now she's 18, and she's actually grown up a bit. The "six months later" seemed to have done a world of good, and she did seem different in those final pages - a figure I could actually follow, without wanting to throat-punch.
SPOILER!!
Seems like that's a possibility for an interesting set of developments, and if Cameron is out of the forced high school drama crap, this could develop into an interesting story.
Some other good points, now that we've gotten the rotten veggies down.
The author is a good writer. Her story flowed, and I didn't have an issue with that. My issues were definitely limited to content, and not in the writing itself. With a story I can actually enjoy, I think this author would definitely be an automatic "read her stuff" entertainer. I'm hoping to enjoy the second book in the series better than the first, and if so, I'm sure I'd finish the trilogy.
If you can deal with major drama queen attitude and seeing the obvious plot several chapters before the character, I'd say give this book a try. The overall story may be worth it, and the eye-rolling could be worth it.
Do you enjoy books with characters who have supernatural gifts? Let me know in the comments below!
Thanks for visiting! =D
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