Top Ten Tuesday: Most Unique Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature, hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, where we talk about bookish topics and share the love.

This week's topic is:

Top Ten Most Unique Reads

1. Mr Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloane: A mystery involving books that made my love for books even deeper.

2. Mind Games by Kiersten White: Just as the title suggests, this book played games with my head and it stood out from the rest because of it.

3. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi: Juliette's voice is unique one of a kind, that you'll never forget it.

4. Pivot Point by Kasie West: Two completely different worlds and realities playing out at the same time made for a really fun and unique read.

5. Imaginary Girls by Nova Suma Ren: It was hard to tell what was real in this book and as far as unreliable narrators go, this one has the best one.

6. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell: Cute and quirky, this book takes the email world to the extreme and I loved it!

7. The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson: The grief in this book stands out above the rest and the notes and poems scattered through the pages made this book feel very real.

8. Bright Before Sunrise by Tiffany Schmidt: Two narrators, one counting down to something and the other just trying to get through. The titles of the chapters and the way that it played out in one evening gave this book a nice, unique quality.

9. Panic by Lauren Oliver: The concept was cool and different and the writing was very different from what I've been reading lately.

10. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold: I'm a big fan of books written from the stand point of a dead character (morbid I know) and this one was heartbreaking and touching with a bit of mystery involved.

What are some fun, unique reads you've had the pleasure of reading?

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: 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.”