Mind Games and Perfect Lies by Kiersten White
Genre: Sci-fi, Thriller
Published by: Harper Teen
Pages: MG: 237, PL: 232
Format: e-book
Rating: ★★.5
Where to Find: Goodreads | Amazon

I read these books back to back because I had to know what happened next. I practically didn’t put them down! Thank goodness they’re each less than 250 pages because I could finish the series in one sitting. The first book Mind Games reminded me of a Saoirise Ronan film ‘Violet & Daisy’, which, although it’s a bit weird, I still really enjoyed. This was probably why I liked the first book so much because the sisters’ relationship in particular was reminiscent of the film.

My main  concern with this series is that I’m not sure what the point of the whole story was. So, only girls have powers. Even then their powers are limited to being a Seer (read futures), a Reader (read minds) or a Feeler (read emotions) and why this has occurred is never explained, neither is it explained why boys are not included in this world. All we know is that Annie is blind and a Seer and Fia is impulsive and hard to be Seen. Fia feels like she needs to protect her older sister and when they go to this school that’s supposed to help the powerful girls Fia is drafted into combat training so she can basically become an assassin for this guy Keane’s enemies. (Guess what else isn’t explained? Why this guy wants to kill people!)  Also what’s never explained is what Fia’s power is. They think she has one because she’s perceptive and hard to track, but what ever she has there isn’t a name for it yet. The whole story that stretched over both Mind Games and Perfect Lies felt narrowed to the main characters and didn’t discuss long term effects or how the powerful girls affect the world. Why do they need to be put in this school if they’re harmless anyway?

I think, because it’s only a duology all the relationships that were created felt very insta-lovey, which is pretty much everyone’s pet peeve, am I right? Fia relationship with Adam especially was ridiculous, they met and within five minutes he was in love with her! There wasn’t much chemistry between Fia and James, either, and I had a constant sense of foreboding. If you’re psychic sister says he’s not good for you, surely you should listen. So, I can’t say that the love triangle was executed well. Annie didn’t really get her love story until Perfect Lies, making the sequel more romance heavy.

However, what I can commend Kirsten White on was the narrative in general. It flips between the Fia and Annie’s POVs and jumps back and forth between different time lines, which was so impressive and really effective. When I plan novels I find it hard to write something in chronological order let alone trying to consider a bunch of different time lines! It must have been so confusing! I would love to know more about the writing process for this series. Both girls had compelling stories to tell. Fia and her questionable morals and Annie with her innocence and naivety. Everything slotted together really well and I liked seeing how their relationship progressed through the series and also over the timeline we were given.

I liked the first book more than the second, although I really loved Pixie/Mia who was introduced in Perfect Lies. I also appreciated the fact that the author didn’t try and stretch this story into a trilogy. Admittedly, it probably could have been one book, but I’m not going to complain about another small book adding to my 2015 Goodreads Challenge!

Overall, I think this series could have been so much more successful if it had a clearer motive. The ending was unsatisfying and the whole thing didn’t seem to have a clear objective or purpose. The enjoyment I had from reading this series in a few hours makes up for my grievances, though I’d still only give the series as a whole 2.5 stars.