OPEN MINDS

Get Mindjacked! Review and Special Sale!

Hi there! I’d love to share a review for a newly-published set stories from Susan Kay Quinn’s Mindjack universe. As you know, I devour books. Really. And, still, there are often times when I don’t have a large chunk of time to dig into a hearty novel. In those cases a novella or short story will tide me over. I especially love novellas that give me insight to books I’ve loved, so I was really glad to get a copy of the MINDJACK STORIES, which is a collection of novellas, short stories, vignettes and behind-the-scenes glimpses from Chicago New Metro in the near, and disturbed, future.

Mindjack Short Story CollectionMy Review:

This collection of short stories, vignettes and novellas in the Mindjack universe is a perfect companion for readers of the Mindjack series. For those who have read the trilogy (OPEN MINDS, CLOSED HEARTS, FREE SOULS) it is great to get insight from other characters in this world.

The book opens with the bittersweet MIND GAMES featuring Kira’s childhood friend Raf, who is desperately in love with Kira but cannot express his feelings for her, due to her inability to read minds. His kind of love, that for a “zero” which Kira is, is considered wrong and unhealthy, and is turned against him to pressure him into being someone he is not. It’s definitely melancholy!

There are some great flash fiction and world building elements added here, with excellent insight from the author regarding the world she has detailed. I naturally enjoyed THE HANDLER, because I pretty much love Julian. Watching him build his army of Jackers from the beginning is a thrill. I’ve always wondered about quiet, reticent Sasha, and his mind-overwriting power. It was a fearsome thing to consider, and his aversion to his own gift is acutely rendered in THE SCRIBE. In KEEPER, Kira’s obsessed with being on the strike force for the next JFA mission: attacking Kestrel’s stronghold and rescuing trapped jackers from experiments and torture. Julian won’t let her go knowing that Kira’s secondary objective is to kill Kestrel–and it’s clear Julian doesn’t want Kira in harm’s way. So, Kira develops her new talent in secret, hoping to make herself invaluable as a strike force member. And, in THE LOCKSMITH we get another game-changing jacker who has really difficult decisions to make.

All these kids are unique, but wonderfully written, and their moral compass is definitely pointing due North. I enjoyed these little bites of Mindjack, and wonder if we’ll get to read a post-Kestrel Mindjack book any day… *crosses fingers*

Interested? You can find MINDJACK STORIES on Goodreads and Amazon.

mindjackHonestly, these stories are best enjoyed after (and between) reading of the MINDJACK trilogy. I have thoroughly enjoyed all the books in this series, and luckily enough, this three-book set is on SALE. A crazy sale, actually, because it’s $.99 this week on Amazon, Barnes & Noble iTunes, Google Play and Kobo. Ms. Quinn musta lost her mind.

Or, perhaps the mindjacking kitty got ahold of her…

MJ-KittenAnywho, it’s a great series, totally appropriate to teen readers, as well.

Thanks for popping in, and keep reading my friends!

Cephalopod Coffeehouse March 2014–Featuring OPEN MINDS

Welcome one and all to the Cephalopod Coffeehouse, a cozy gathering of book lovers, meeting to discuss their thoughts regarding the tomes they enjoyed most over the previous month.  Pull up a chair, order your cappuccino and join in the fun.

This month I want to share a great book I’ve loved for a bit, but revisited recently. It’s a dystopian YA, near-futuristic novel where everyone reads minds. Well, everyone except for Kira.

OPEN MINDS is a suspense-filled journey into science, prejudice, and morality from best-selling indie author Susan Kaye Quinn.

Open Minds (Mindjack Trilogy, #1)What’s goin’ on here:

In this world, all the drugs and chemicals that leeched into the water systems caused changes in neural development allowing for pubertal-onset telepathy. Years ago the first telepaths, called Readers, were ostracized, but now it’s so commonplace that big cities have been largely abandoned and houses must sit at a minimum distance so the neighbors can’t overhear what’s happening next door. At sixteen, Kira’s passed the point where she would transition into a Reader. Considered a Zero, Kira’s in the minority and destined for the menial jobs assigned to those with closed minds. Not the future she envisioned. And it troubles her would-be boyfriend Raf, as well.

But Kira soon learns that she isn’t a Zero after all. While her mind isn’t open, she has a different ability–the ability to “jack” into others’ minds and cause them to obey her commands. One can imagine the incredible potential of her power. In fact, one does, and he’s a gangster.

See, there are a fair amount of Jackers out there–hidden in plain sight–and they are being sought by two contingents: the Mafia, and the Government. While trying to save Raf from certain death, Kira blows her Jacker cover and is rounded up into an internment camp where government scientists study the “jacker problem”.  Much like the internment camps of World War II, Kira and her fellow refugees have no rights, no help, and no recourse against the potentially fatal ‘treatments’ they endure.

In order to survive, Kira must team with adversaries who would just as soon kill her. Good thing she’s a Super-Jacker, and her skills may be strong enough to free them all. But, even if she does escape where can she go? Her family will undoubtedly become targets. And, the agents running the camp will surely track her down. The resolution is a pell-mell race for Kira to save not only herself, but young Jackers in the government testing labs.

Kira is a strong MC, and her steadfast commitment to doing the right thing, even if it’s hard, gives readers a protag worthy of respect. It’s a super-fast read that tackles real societal problems with grace and confidence. I read this book in a day. Mostly because I couldn’t stop until I knew Kira was safe.

The great thing? OPEN MINDS is a FREE eBook on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. OPEN MINDS is the first in a trilogy, but has a satisfactory ending that resolves completely while leaving some room for the companion books.

Thanks for popping by! Please click the links below to catch up with my fellow Coffeehousers. And, as always, keep reading my friends!

1. The Armchair Squid 2. I Think: Therefore, I Yam
3. A Creatve Exercise 4. this and that…
5. The Random Book Review 6. The Writing Sisterhood
7. Read, Write, Review 8. StrangePegs — Dead and Moaning in Las Vegas
9. Quill or Pill 10. Trisha @ WORD STUFF
11. Huntress 12. MOCK!
13. Words Incorportated 14. Hungry Enough To Eat Six
15. Ed and Reub 16. V’s Reads
17. StrangePegs — The Sparrow