Review! Mind Games by Carolyn Crane

Mind Games 

(Disillusionist Trilogy, book 1)

Carolyn Crane

Spectra

March 23, 2010

ISBN-10: 0553592610

ISBN-13: 978-0553592610

JUSTINE KNOWS SHE’S GOING TO DIE. ANY SECOND NOW.

Justine Jones has a secret. A hardcore hypochondriac, she’s convinced a blood vessel is about to burst in her brain. Then, out of the blue, a startlingly handsome man named Packard peers into Justine’s soul and invites her to join his private crime-fighting team. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime deal. With a little of Packard’s hands-on training, Justine can weaponize her neurosis, turning it outward on Midcity’s worst criminals, and finally get the freedom from fear she’s always craved. End of problem. 

Or is it? In Midcity, a dashing police chief is fighting a unique breed of outlaw with more than human powers. And while Justine’s first missions, including one against a nymphomaniac husband-killer, are thrilling successes, there is more to Packard than meets the eye. Soon, while battling her attraction to two very different men, Justine is plunging deeper into a world of wizardry, eroticism, and cosmic secrets. With Packard’s help, Justine has freed herself from her madness—only to discover a reality more frightening than anyone’s worst fears.

Not a lot of books make me incoherent with glee but Mind Games did! In a genre where at times I feel like I'm reading the same thing over and over again, Mind Games was a breath of fresh air. The heroine, Justine, is far from perfect but instead of letting her hypochondriac tendencies fracture her life further, she decides to try to fix it. She's not a "woe is me, my life sucks boo hoo" heroine waiting for her hero to save her and even though she's pretty much a nutso thinking that something called Star Vein Syndrome is going to kill her, I could relate to her (Side note: Oh, wow, what does that say about me? On second thought, never mind that). 

 

So she meets Packard, who is the boss of this group called the Disillutionists - men and women who use their neuroses to disillusioned others in a messed-up therapy sort of way and he offers her a job and a way to make her hypochondriac go away by giving it to other people temporarily. At first, Justine is hesitant about this and pretty much think Packard, while cute, is out of his ever-loving mind. However, she decides to take a chance because her delusions about the syndrome are getting worse and anything is better than constantly living with the fear of dying any second.  

I absolutely loved Mind Games! A lot of times, even if I really like a book, there's always something about it that bugs me and honestly, nothing about this book bugged me. The characters are so well-developed that they feel alive, the storyline is edgy and fast-paced and I would not be surprised if this series soon becomes one of my favorites!

Mind Games is an insanely awesome story and I cannot wait to read the next book in this trilogy, called Double Cross.

Lush Rating: 5!