Review: Perfect Lies

Perfect Lies
Author: Kiersten White
Published: February 18, 2014
Hardcover, 232 pages
4 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Annie and Fia are ready to fight back.

The sisters have been manipulated and controlled by the Keane Foundation for years, trapped in a never ending battle for survival. Now they have found allies who can help them truly escape. After faking her own death, Annie has joined a group that is plotting to destroy the Foundation. And Fia is working with James Keane to bring his father down from the inside.

But Annie's visions of the future can't show her who to trust in the present. And though James is Fia's first love, Fia knows he's hiding something. The sisters can rely only on each other - but that may not be enough to save them.

Mind Games was the kind of book that is exactly like its title. The whole time reading it, you're not sure what's real, who's good or what's really happening. It was one big mind game. It's sequel, Perfect Lies, made a lot more sense and helped me figure out just how this story was going to play out. This book was fast paced, full of action, and proved that girl should never be underestimated. When Fia decides not to go through with what the Keane Foundation told her too, she's suddenly on edge and trying to get out of the company. The only reason she stays is to be with James and to protect her sister, Annie. But Annie is seeing things she doesn't like, things that could mean Fia is in danger, and suddenly they are both on the run towards each other ready to end this once and for all.

This story is thrilling, fast, and full of twists and turns. So much happens in these 200 pages and I didn't want Fia and Annie's story to end. Keeping in pace with the first book, this is told from both sisters' perspectives yet happens in very different time lines. In Annie's view, we are counting down to the event that ends this book, while Fia is many months ahead, closer to the event. The girls don't see each other very much throughout the novel, but when they do - it matters. Their relationship is unusual, but they are sisters through and through and the amount of love they have for each other is unbelievable. Both would do anything for the other and both are willing to risk their lives to save them. They can't really trust anyone, but somehow they both find it in themselves to use their powers to save each other. Fia showed how fierce she is in the first book, but this one was all about Annie. She proves that just because she's blind does not mean she's weak. Her character grew so much over these pages that I was just rooting for her the whole time. And while the first book really focused on Fia and her relationship with James, this one was all about Annie finding her own love. It was beautiful and perfect and showed that love isn't about looks at all. It was wonderfully done and the sweetest moment when it was revealed. 

These girls will not leave my thoughts for a long time. This book was unique, fun and full of girl power. Who wouldn't want to live in a world where the girls get mind powers and the men are left with nothing? Well, a girl can dream. Any fans of White's Paranormalcy series will love these new girls, these new adventures, and this new world full of action and adventure. 

“She told me only people we love the most can destroy us, because no one else has that kind of power.”

Review: Endlessly

Endlessly
Author: Kiersten White
Published: July 24, 2012
385 pages
4 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Evie's paranormal past keeps coming back to haunt her. A new director at the International Paranormal Containment Agency wants to drag her back to headquarters. The Dark Faerie Queen is torturing humans in her poisonous realm. And supernatural creatures keep insisting that Evie is the only one who can save them from a mysterious, perilous fate. The clock is ticking on the entire paranormal world. And its fate rests solely in Evie's hands. So much for normal.

Evie's voice has been what's keeping me interested in this series. She is one of a kind and everything she says makes me laugh. When I first met her and her love of pink, I knew I was going to like her. Sure enough, throughout Paranormalcy, she made me laugh and I loved how her story was playing out. In the sequel, Supernaturally, she was still funny, but her personality was disappearing behind all the madness happening around her. By this book, the final in the series, there was no more humour in her voice, for good reason, but I didn't feel any of her personality. She got stuck behind her feelings for Lend, her relationship with her sister, Vivian, and the fact that she is the only one who can send the paranormals back to their own worlds. Maybe it's because I waited too long between books, but for me, this last book lacked what I loved about the series. It quickly turned into a book about faeries that I've read before.

Still trying to live her normal life, Evie is planning out the winter formal when she's thrown right back into the life she's been trying so desperately to get out of. Someone new has taken over the IPCA and Evie is determined to find out what's happened to Raquel. On her way, she encounters the Unseelie Queen, a woman who knows what she wants and she wants Evie. If she has Evie, her sister, the Seelie Queen, can't open the gate to help the paranormals go back where they belong. Thus Evie is tossed between faeries, werewolves and trying to keep in touch with her only human friend. 

I wish the main characters stuck out more for me. Evie used to be charming, but this time I found her somewhat annoying. Lend didn't do much and I felt more for Reth this time, he was quite swoon-worthy in this book and he redeemed himself for everything he's done to Evie in the previous books. Jack was also hilarious, keeping me on my toes and wishing for more scenes with him. There were a lot of things that seemed strung together and didn't really get resolved. I liked the concept for the finale, having Evie need to open the gate, but it all seemed rushed and I feel like it could have made more of an impact if there was more detail about it. 

I'm glad everyone got their happily ever afters, a bittersweet ending for some, but it turned out how I thought it would. I wish I had been more into this one, as I was with the previous books, but I sort of just wanted it to be over with and I hated that feeling. It was predictable and cliche and I wish White had stayed away from the Seelie/Unseelie aspect. There are enough books about faeries out there already. I liked that this one was different from the rest. I'll remember Evie for her pink Taser and high heels and witty charm. 

“Sometimes it takes a little chaos for things to work themselves out. When we make it through the chaos, we can use it to shape the world around us into something better than it was before” 

Review: Mind Games

Mind Games
Author: Kiersten White
Published: February 19, 2013
237 pages
4 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right. Her sister, Annie, is blind to the world around her—except when her mind is gripped by strange visions of the future. 

Trapped in a school that uses girls with extraordinary powers as tools for corporate espionage, Annie and Fia are forced to choose over and over between using their abilities in twisted, unthinkable ways…or risking each other’s lives by refusing to obey.

In a stunning departure from her New York Times bestselling Paranormalcy trilogy, Kiersten White delivers a slick, edgy, heartstoppingly intense psychological thriller about two sisters determined to protect each other—no matter the cost.

Oh boy, does the title for this book ever suit it! From the first page, my mind didn't quite get every detail and I got confused over events very quickly, but this is exactly what the author intended. With two very different view points, Fia, a bold femme fatale who risks everything for a guy who decided to pet a dog, and Annie, her blind, seer older sister whom she is sworn to protect. Two different girls living two very different lives, yet connected by each other. Flashing between both girls and the past and present, Mind Games left me questioning everything at the end of each chapter with no idea as to how everything would pay out in the end.

The sisters live at a school for girls with abilities. There are seers, feelers, and readers, and then there's Fia. She is one of a kind and her instincts are perfect. She knows exactly what to do and when to do it to get what she wants, and that's why Keane is so keen on keeping her around. By keeping Annie locked up in her own little apartment, Keane knows Fia won't go far because she would never leave her sister. The mystery behind these girls kept me on the edge of my seat. I didn't know for sure what Fia was really capable of, but I knew she was bad ass. She knows how to hold her own and I never knew how she'd react in a situation (and yes, that was the point, she had to be unpredictable) Though she pissed me off with some of the things she did (most of which involved James, Keane's son) Fia was a strong character who was just really messed up. considering how she's been living most of her life, it's understandable and White wrote her extremely well. Annie is kind but powerful, and though people try to take advantage of her because she's blind, she's smart enough to know when to keep some of the things she sees secret.

The book flowed perfectly, and even though I kept getting a little confused since White was only letting out so much information at a time, it just made me want to read more. Fia and Annie have been trying to plot their escape from the school for so long, without actually plotting. Both their lives are complicated and not easily described in one sentence. What I loved most was how slowly we learned about each girl's life through their individual chapters. I think this book could have been longer just so I could get to know the sisters better. There is easily room for more books and I would love to see what happens with the school after the events of the book.

White wrote that this was originally meant to be a femme fatale book, which is definitely was, but it turned out to be more about choices and how far you would go to save the ones you love. Fia and Annie have to make many tough choices throughout the book and some were good and some were very sad. Responsibilities and loyalties are put to the test as both sisters face their own challenges. Their relationship was realistic, heartbreaking and touching. Mix that in with supernatural powers, and I'm sold.

(This is going to be a series!)

“Still, I will protect Annie. She is the only person in the world who loves me. She is the only person in the world who would never use me. She is my anchor, the chain around my ankle, the thing that means it doesn't matter what James does or who he is - I will still be his because I will always be Annie's.”

Review: Supernaturally

Supernaturally (Paranormalcy #2)
Author: Kiersten White
Published: July 26, 2011
336 pages
4 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be...kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees.

But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself.

Just when Evie finally gets her normal life together, she gets thrown back into her old, paranormal life just in time for things to take a turn for the worse. White doesn't make us wait either. Taking place six months after Paranormalcy, we find Evie going to high school and trying to fit in but feeling a tad bored with it. Evie being Evie, gets herself into a situation no one can really explain. Before she knows it, she's back in the IPCA Centre tagging vampires and jetting through the faerie paths once more. Trying to keep a normal relationship with her boyfriend, Lend, and keeping her new job under wraps, Evie soon discovers that being normal isn't all it's cracked up to be.

Evie is her usual fun self. She is one of my favourite characters to read. Her sense of humour is great and the way that White writes her suits her perfectly. She reacts to the crazy situations in her own way and it's nice to see that aspect kept throughout the books. Lend, on the other hand, isn't as vibrant as he was in the first book. He's turned into the pesky boyfriend that doesn't approve of anything Evie does. Mind you, she does lie to him throughout the whole novel so it is understandable, but I preferred him when he was the captured paranormal that lived to figure Evie out. Reth, her faerie ex-boyfriend, also looses some o his charm. He only shows up a few times, but he doesn't seem threatening anymore and that's sort of what I loved about him. We do get to meet a new boy, Jack, who is chalk full of mysteriousness and adorability. He reminded me of Tod from Soul Screamers, annoying and loveable all at once. He added a nice touch to the story. 

I enjoyed the plot in this book. Evie is still trying to figure out what being an Empty One means and now that she has felt the depth of having souls inside of her, she just wants to feel it again, even if she knows it's wrong. The way she acts and the thoughts that go through her mind are so realistic that you fall right into it with her. You understand why she wants to do what she does. How do you give up such great power after feeling what it can do? I'm also so glad that even though faeries are a very large part of this series, Evie will never be their queen, she is not really a faerie, and nor does she even like them. It's refreshing to see a new take on the faerie lore since they all seem to go the same route these days. Because it's true, faeries want nothing more than to ruin human's lives.

I can't wait to read the final chapter (which is sitting on my bookshelf already) so I can see what will become of Evie. Will she fill her soul at the cost of others? Will she finally rid herself of the nuisance of faeries? Will she get her happily ever after? Thankfully I don't have to wait a year to find out!

“Sometimes I wanted to take a memory - one perfect memory - curl up in it, and go to sleep.” 

“Yeah I know you're a creature of the night. Bringer of death, sucker of blood, needer of tans, so on and so forth. And oddly enough, I'm still unimpressed.” 

Review: Paranormalcy

Paranormalcy
Author: Kiersten White
Published: August 31, 2010
335 Pages
4 Gold Stars

(summary from Goodreads)

Evie's always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours.

But Evie's about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.

Evie Green is a breath of fresh air in a sea of boring, frigid heroines. She's funny, sarcastic and has a mean sense of fashion. Plus, she kicks serious paranormal butt. The opening lines to this book says it all - 

“Wait- did you-- You just yawned!” The vampire’s arms , raised over his head in the classic Dracula pose, dropped to his sides. He pulled his exaggerated white fangs back behind his lips. “What, imminent death isn’t exciting enough for you?”

“Oh, stope pouting. But, really, the widow’s peak? The pale skin? The black cape? Where did you even get that thing, a costume store?” 

This was hilarious! And it certainly set the pace for the rest of the novel. Evie deals with some serious stuff and deadly beings but she hardly shows any fear. In fact, the only thing that scares here is Reth, her ex-faerie-boyfriend-thing. And you can't blame her because he has some serious mojo over her and I'd be scared to sleep too. But even with that fear lurking around her, she doesn't let it stop her from working and making friends, especially with the new kid that broke into the centre (the IPCA, which helps keep paranormal beings stabilized). Lend, a shape shifter, catches Evie's attention immediately. He is a supernatural being that she's never met before and he feels the same way about her. 

See Evie isn't entirely human. She can see through glamours, the mist that paranormal beings use to make themselves look normal to humans. She has always been able to see whats underneath, but she thought it was just a gift. Soon, with the help of Lend, she realizes she's much more than that. And with someone out attacking paranormals, Evie isn't sure what's safe and what's not anymore. The centre has forever been her only home and she's desperately wants to be a normal teenager. but by the looks of it, that's not going to be happening anytime soon. 

As Evie tries to live a normal life, hell breaks loose around her. Reth is still trying to take her heart and this rampaging paranormal showing itself to her. Add in Lend, vampires and werewolves and Evie's life is far from normal. This book was super easy to read and it threw me into a world that I didn't want to leave. I can't wait to pick up the next instalment, Supernaturally, to see what will happen next in Evie's crazy life. 

“Tasers are a one-size-fits-all paranormal butt-kicking option. Mine’s pink with rhinestones.” 

“I hate the vamp jobs. They think they're so suave. It's not enough for them to slaughter and eat you like a zombie would. No, they want to be all sexy, too. And trust me: vampires? Not. Sexy.”