Bitsy's Books
Note: I'm uploading my books from Goodreads and since there are like 200+ it's going to take awhile. The uploading seems a bit wonky too, so hang with me as I fix things. Also there may be spoilers until I can make all the appropriate tags.
I'm an ex-English Major who, sick of reading classics after college, decided to read all the trashy books I didn't before because I was too snobby. Since graduating, I've entertained myself with comics, YA, and romance novels, finding out they can not only be decently written, but superbly written. I've since recovered from my classics aversion, but I'm now more open-minded reader willing to read from any genre. If a book has kick-ass heroines and/or witty banter and/or takes place in a different time or place (including fantasy settings), I will most likely fall in love with it. My favorite authors are Jane Austen, Shakespeare, E.M. Forster, Meljean Brook, Sarah Rees Brennan, Rachel Hartman, Catherynne M. Valente, and Aliette de Bodard.
4.5 out of 5 StarsOrphaned sisters, Annie and Sophia, each have special gifts. Annie is blind – but she can see the future. Sophia has perfect instincts – in the spur of the moment, she always makes the right choice. Both are being used by the Keane Foundation. If Fia doesn't complete her missions, Annie, will pay the price. However, when Fia's latest mission goes wrong, the sisters may have the chance they need to escape, but not before their relationship is tested.Mind Games is a love-it-or-hate-it kind of book. The book starts out with lots of action, but the focus is more on the fucked-up psyche and relationship between the two sisters. Fia and Annie’s relationship is a complex one, with both sisters trying to save and protect the other. In a reverse of usual roles, Fia, the younger sister, feels obligated to take care of Annie, the elder, because she is blind. To protect Annie and keep her happy, Fia is forced to do some terrible things using her perfect instincts. While Fia’s mental health deteriorates and Annie realizes what is happening, which sister is taking care of whom becomes more murky.The voice is in first person narration, and every two chapters switches between the sisters while every chapter switches between the past and present. This was annoying at first - as soon as I was interested in one thread, the narrative would shift. But when I realized this was more of a psychological book than an action book, I didn't mind as much. White uses stream-of-consciousness to illustrate Fia’s need to constantly live in the present. As a survival mechanism and because she knows no other way to live, Fia eventually becomes a creature of instinct. It fit with the character and her mental state, but I could see this really irritating some readers. Fia is probably the more interesting character, but Annie’s parts (and the dips into the past) underscore how Fia’s work for Keane has damaged Fia and her mind. Also, both girls see the world in different ways. One person whom Fia likes Annie hates – and vice versa – and makes it difficult for the reader to know who the sisters can trust (and I still have some doubts even by the end of the book).There is a bit of a love triangle, but it serves to highlight Fia’s feelings and how Fia navigates them, not to detract from (or be) the story. Adam represents the “good” – the girl she could be and the happy life she could have (but doesn't feel she deserves) and James represents the “bad” - the Keane foundation and her messy bloodstained past, but an acceptance of her for who she is, knowing what she’s done. Mind Games is a different type of book. It probably will disappoint those looking for traditional YA, and bore those who were looking for an action/thriller. But those who are willing to go along with the ride will find an intelligently crafted story about two sisters, their violent messed-up captivity, and how their relationship struggles to survive.