When I was in the fourth grade my teacher posed a very interesting question. “Think about this long and hard” she said to us while scribbling the question across the chalkboard. “Because…no matter your answer, there are always repercussions.”
The question was: “If you could have ANY super-power, what would it be and why?”
Not such difficult a question right? Wrong. See, the tricky part comes in the second part of her statement, not necessarily the question itself. “There are always repercussions.”
Now, being in the fourth grade I didn’t really concern myself with the inevitable repercussions Ms. Keister was referring to. I picked “Stop Time” because I wanted to check out (very stealthily) the really cute boy in the front of the class, but as I got older I finally started to understand the meaning of the original question, and why she worded it the way that she did. It was to teach a lesson; that regardless of how invincible we think we are, not matter our strength, our abilities or our beauty…everything you do or say will cause and action an a re-action.
The reason I bring this up (besides it being a very convenient tie-in) is because Cameron from “The Mind Readers” (by Lori Brighton) had to learn this the hard way. She was given a gift, and if used incorrectly, this gift had very horrifying repercussions.
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.
First, let me talk about the characters, (cause let’s face it, if they are flat the whole damn book is sure to be a flop.) Cameron was about as solid a character as I have ever had the pleasure of reading. Her exterior dialogue fit well with her inner turmoil, (which is sometimes difficult to do if you have a million things going on at once – aka the mind reading) and though the plot offered up several “opportunities” that could have (very easily) swallowed Cameron’s personality whole (or at the very least morphed it) her original values stood their ground. (This is a mark of solid character development and quality writing.)
As for the 2 men in the story (Max and Aaron) …WOW!
While I’m sure your first thought was, “great…another love triangle” let me assure you that THAT is not the case at all. BUT…that doesn’t mean that the two don’t hold very integral pieces to the plot that surrounds Cameron and what she believe to be “true.” (Let’s just say they add the mystery to the story.)
So…what about the plot?
Well, like I stated above, Cameron is faced with probably one of the hardest questions of all: Does she use her powers for good or evil? The problem however appears when she’s not sure which is which. Her journey to discover the difference is what drives the book and makes it worth the time you’ll spend reading it.
This read spans several genres of literature (paranormal, mystery, romance, sci-fi) so if you are a fan of 1 or all of these, chances are you will like it too. My only warning…it is the first in a series and YES…it ends with you hanging over a cliff. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Happy Reading my fellow Kindle-ites and remember: life is too short to read crappy books.
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[Rating:4.5/5]
downloaded and added to the tbr list 🙂