Open Minds Blog Tour ~ Review and Giveaway

Welcome to today's stop on the Open Minds Blog Tour!

Today, I have a review & ebook giveaway of Open Minds (Mindjack #1)

(To hit all the stops on the tour, click the badge)

When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep.

Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can’t read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can’t be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf’s mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she’s dragged deep into a hidden world of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her. (From GoodReads)

I'll admit, I was excited to read Open Minds. From the moment I got the request to read and review Open Minds, I was curious to learn about this new reality where it is the norm to read minds and those who can't are considered freaks. Now, having read Open Minds, I have to say that I was not disappointed.

From the very first line "A zero like me shouldn't take public transportation." I was pushed into main character Kira's world. Her reality is isolation, being shunned, invisibility. Those who are "readers" do not become involved with zeroes, those who can not read minds. Zeroes are designated to the bottom ranks of society. They cannot go to college, have good jobs, because, since they cannot be read, they have the ability to lie. Quinn gives a complete look at what Kira goes through each day, the hostility and aggression she must face.

I loved reading from Kira's perspective. She seems to be resigned to the life ahead of her, but doesn't become whiny. The two boys in her life Raf and Simon both seem to be great choices for her, at first, but I can't really explain what I mean about that without getting spoil-ery. I thought Raf was sweet and the ideal guy. Simon is a little dangerous and deceptive, but I enjoyed him all the more for it. I really didn't get her mom at first, but that issue resolves itself quite neatly. Let's just say that the theme of the book could be "Nothing is what it seems"! Deception and betrayal run rampant throughout Open Minds. Kira can not trust anyone, really.

The best part of Open Minds, in my opinion, is the world-building. I have a problem with world-building sometimes, especially in the first book of a series. Sometimes the author just hands out an info dump and to me, that' s overwhelming. Quinn did it right. She doles it out small chunks at a time, until you have a whole complete world without feeling overwhelmed.

Open Minds is about the power of one girl to control her destiny, and ultimately, the destiny of others. It's all about accepting your destiny, control of your life. It's a great, fun, action-packed read.


Favorite Quote:
"I started to ask him what he meant, but his hands were on my cheeks, and he crashed his lips onto
 mine. My entire body stilled, every sense focused on the contact between us."

Paperback, 326 pages

Published November 1st 2011

Purchase Open Minds  (ebook) at:

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  |  Smashwords  |  iBooks

Purchase Open Minds (paperback) at:

Amazon  |  Createspace

Susan Kaye Quinn grew up in California, where she wrote snippets of stories and passed them to her friends during class. She pursued a bunch of engineering degrees and worked a lot of geeky jobs, including turns at GE Aircraft Engines, NASA, and NCAR. Now that she writes novels, her business card says "Author and Rocket Scientist" and she don't have to sneak her notes anymore. All that engineering comes in handy when dreaming up paranormal powers in future worlds or mixing science with fantasy to conjure slightly plausible inventions. Susan writes from the Chicago suburbs with her three boys, two cats, and one husband. Which, it turns out, is exactly as much as she can handle.

Now for the GIVEAWAY!

Susan is generously offering an ebook of Open Minds to one lucky winner.

The only mandatory entry is Name & Email Address.
You can earn two extra entries.

• Subscribe to Susan's newsletter.
• Like Susan's Facebook page.

Open Internationally

Giveaway ends 11:59pm on November 24, 2011.

This giveaway has ended. The winner of an ecopy of Open Minds is:
Kara D!
(I have emailed Kara. If she does not respond w/in 48 hours, I will choose a new winner.)