Review: Mind Games by Kiersten White

Goodreads Book Description: 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.

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

My Review:
I've had this book on my to read list for a while, and I know White's Paranormalcy trilogy is hugely popular, so I knew I had to pick this one up. And with any book that induces me to want to chuck it across the room and snuggle it to my chest simultaneously, I gave it the only rating it deserved... a full 5 stars.

Mind Games by Kiersten White has boys in it, but the heart of the story is the relationship between two sisters, Fia and Annie, who are fighting to exist in a terrible situation. In alternating perspectives and timelines, we learn more about these two sisters-- Fia is the younger, but has taken it upon herself to take care of her sister, Annie, who is blind. They are orphans after a terrible accident, and seem to have hit the jackpot when they are wooed to start at a prestigious school to help train their "talents." Annie is immediately won over, but Fia knows that this situation is not all what it seems. As they both get sucked into working for a nefarious organization, these two girls fight tooth and nail to keep a semblance of self as well as save each other.

Like I said above, I had a love/hate relationship with this book. I was angry at both characters for a long time, especially Annie. They are deeply flawed and many times unpleasant characters. But they have a good reason for being that way. Having both two points of view and jumps in time could have been really difficult to read, but White makes the transitions seamless. The prose is pitch perfect and the pacing just right. The book ends the only way it could and sealed its fate to stay on my favorites shelf for all of time. I'm not sure that people who don't have a sister, or even a similar relationship with a sister such as in this book, will understand or love it as much as I do. Some days you hate each other, some days you can only tolerate each other because no one else UNDERSTANDS. But above all, you love and protect each other fiercely no matter what-- and that's what this book is about.

Overall, a heart wrenching and ultimately satisfying depiction of two sisters caught in a web of deception and evil, fighting against impossible odds-- but with pitch perfect prose, White masterfully pulls the story together. I will be watching White's career for a long time-- she is an amazing writer.

What did you think of this book? 

Addendum: I've seen that this book has gotten mixed reviews, and I get that. I feel like you have to have had a similar relationship as these two girls for this book to pack that emotional punch.