Mind Readers by Lori Brighton

Product Description

#Free on Amazon

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. 

Best for ages 14 and over.

REVIEW:

I am currently stuck in bookie limbo. Should I take a chance on the second installment or no?

 I am a huge of the YA Paranormal/Fantasy genre, but finding the perfect series sometimes means reading an imperfect debut to the series. I've read several slow starter books and I've read books where the author doesn't take time to finely tune her talents. I'm not sure which this will be.

Minder Readers does have something of an X-Men vibe, which of course is awesome, and I did enjoy the snippets of romance. The repetitious innermonologue is what gave me a lot of long pauses. The primary protagonists choice of running scared whenever she was faced with controversial or frightening situations can be excused. She'd been taught that behavior and punished her entire life if she even thought of taking a different route. So, I don't actually see that particular aspect of her character underdeveloped. It's not terribly intriguing to read in an Era of strong heroines, but if she had suddenly grown a backbone over night, then yes, THAT would be considered a character flaw.

(I may have read a reviews that mentioned this in particular. No worries, I can agree to disagree.)

As for the male protagonist, I'm honestly not a fan of his. In the beginning he appeared more mysterious and charming.  Toward the end he was something of a bipolar jerk. Teen angst?

Also, too many scenes were predictable. The saving grace, however, is there are a few plot twists I rather enjoyed. They weren't explosive, but I do tend to be a picky reader. I actually enjoyed the ending, but realized that throughout the entire story close to nothing had actually been solved and the big secret at the end was rather obvious.  If I had read this when I waa around 10 years old I probably would have enjoyed it more. It is a YA book after all.

2 Stars