What do you think?
Rate this book
The Hypnotists #2
Memory Maze
The second entry in an all-new, mesmerizing adventure from the masterful, #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Gordon Korman! Jax Opus knows he's not like other kids. And it isn't his skill on the basketball court or his test scores that set him apart. No, Jax is different because he can hypnotize people. In fact, he might be the best hypnotist the world has seen in a very long time.You would think Jax would be happy about this. But really? It's ruining his life. He and his family are hiding from a master hypnotist who wants Jax out of the picture . . . forever. And the FBI is also starting to ask questions about Jax and his abilities. Jax thinks life might be getting a little better when a very rich, very powerful man asks him to help out with something. The reward will be great. And the price -- well, the price is that Jax starts taking on the man's memories. And some of them are pretty deadly.#1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Gordon Korman keeps the thrills coming and the adventure nonstop as the past and the present collide to build a memory maze that Jax Opus may never escape. . .
240 pages, Hardcover
First published July 29, 2014
107 people are currently reading
695 people want to read
About the author
Gordon Korman
245 books4,364 followersGordon Korman is a Canadian author of children's and young adult fiction books. Korman's books have sold more than 30 million copies worldwide over a career spanning four decades and have appeared at number one on The New York Times Best Seller list.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
Read
May 18, 2021its the second book in the hypnotists seris, and it spends quite a bit of time in someones memorys. its my least favorite in the seris, but its still pretty good.
October 1, 2018
OK. So after I wrote my review of The Hypnotists, I discovered that it was book 1 of a trilogy. I should go back and change my rating. As it is, I have now read book 2, and I gave it a proper 4-star rating. I can't put Korman's books down. This is excitement and mystery and great characters. Great read for middle schoolers.
February 5, 2016
I am surprisingly attached to the characters in this book and I am sad to see some of them go.
I really liked the storyline and the ending! Plot twist much.
I really liked the storyline and the ending! Plot twist much.
May 3, 2022
3.5 Stars
This book took me a year to read, and it's not a long book. That should give you an idea of how fast paced this is. ;)
This book is very interesting, but the plot is shaky until the end, when a pretty good twist makes you realize all the seemingly kind of unimportant stuff was really important. XD
The end is very sudden and almost unexpected. It didn't feel like an ending at all... it was honestly sort of jarring.
Despite this book not being super engaging, I am pretty excited to read the last book... I mean, after all this build up, it had better be could!
This book took me a year to read, and it's not a long book. That should give you an idea of how fast paced this is. ;)
This book is very interesting, but the plot is shaky until the end, when a pretty good twist makes you realize all the seemingly kind of unimportant stuff was really important. XD
The end is very sudden and almost unexpected. It didn't feel like an ending at all... it was honestly sort of jarring.
Despite this book not being super engaging, I am pretty excited to read the last book... I mean, after all this build up, it had better be could!
July 10, 2014
Review
I read The Hypnotists last year and I really enjoyed it! There is plenty of suspense and action to keep me on edge, plus really awesome characters. So when the sequel showed up on Netgalley, I had to request it! Although I didn't like it as much as the first book, it was still an interesting read.
I think this book suffers from "second-book-syndrome." This novel really acts as a bridge between the first and third books and there isn't much action, which is something I loved about the The Hypnotists. Much of this novel consists of Jax and his family hiding from the antagonist, Dr. Mako and his elite school of hypnotists. I wasn't very interested during the first half due to the fact there wasn't much going on, but things really heated up during the last bit.
At a wealthy elderly man's request, Jax comes by each day and hypnotizes him into sleep in an effort to expand his life so the man can get the necessary treatments for his condition at the hospital. There is a twist (no spoilers!) in the middle of the novel that I never quite believed, which ended up being a problem since everything Jax did from then on was based on this "twist".
The hypnotism aspect of Mirror Maze was actually really cool, though! What would I do if I had the powers to hypnotize people? I would probably hypnotize my sister into giving me all her candy. *ahem* Hypnotism is cool, okay? Moving on...
There are some books you read that you can tell are well-written. This is one of them. The plot, pacing, character development, everything was frabjous. You have to give it to Mr. Korman: he is a whiz with words.
Something else to note was the ending. There is a cliffhanger, naturally. I haven't been able to find any mention of a sequel on the Internet but since this is a new release, it might be too early to look for news on that. I hope there is, since there is so much potential for a sequel and the ending wasn't satisfying. Hmm...I wonder.
GIF Verdict
July 22, 2015
I'm a big Gordon Korman fan, as are my students. Son of the Mob and Masterminds are reliable hits with my seventh graders, so I've been reading up on the Hypnotists series in preparation for next week's release of The Dragonfly Effect.
Whereas the first book started with a bang and developed slowly until a dramatic (if extremely expected) reveal, I felt that this book has an overly detailed middle where Jax becomes a part of an eccentric billionaire's memories with a hasty twist ending that involves the Sentia Institute and Dr. Mako. I could see students going either way here: students who have invested themselves in the series with book one might enjoy reading this book even with all of its trodding or they might give up on the series. Or maybe it's just me and maybe they'll enjoy this book for its plot.
While a reader could start the Hypnotists series with this book, I wouldn't recommend it -- book 1 was much stronger.
Whereas the first book started with a bang and developed slowly until a dramatic (if extremely expected) reveal, I felt that this book has an overly detailed middle where Jax becomes a part of an eccentric billionaire's memories with a hasty twist ending that involves the Sentia Institute and Dr. Mako. I could see students going either way here: students who have invested themselves in the series with book one might enjoy reading this book even with all of its trodding or they might give up on the series. Or maybe it's just me and maybe they'll enjoy this book for its plot.
While a reader could start the Hypnotists series with this book, I wouldn't recommend it -- book 1 was much stronger.
March 14, 2015
Memory Maze was not as good as the first, but Korman knows how to work a trilogy. He's definitely setting things up for a book three and left the reader with many questions. At the risk of leaving spoilers, I will say I did NOT expect him to take a couple of the twists he did. In this book Jaxson Opus is on the run from Dr. Maco and Sentia. He has moved from New York to a tiny Connecticut town and changed his name to Jack Magnus. Axel Braintree lives with them and is attempting to help Jax develop his talent to fight Maco in the confrontation they all know is coming. Jax feels guilt that his family has had to give up so much in their life. An opportunity comes to earn great amounts of money when a rich multi-billionaire roots out Jax to ask him to put him into hypnotic hibernation to save his life, but this untried procedure comes at a great cost to Jack himself. The sessions with the old man were interesting at first, but after a while I wanted to just read through them quickly and get back to the main arc of the story. I knew they were overwhelming Jax and robbing him of health and sanity. That was enough. As always, Korman leaves me wondering, "What next?"
June 6, 2015
I liked the book. The author did most of what I expected at the beginning the characters lied low from Maco until Jackson found someone who worked with Maco and hypnotized Jackson to come to Maco. In the end Jackson Opus and Axel Braintree escape but at a small price .
July 21, 2025
This book was originally published in 2014. According to Goodreads there are 14 editions of this second volume in this series, including editions in English, French and German editions listed. My introduction to Korman’s works was the 39 Clues back in 2009. Since then I have read over 85 of his books including this volume, a few of them more than once. I set the goal of reading all his books about 2020. I am now down to 23 left in his canon, and have completed all the stand alone books and am now just working my way through the remaining series. Not counting omnibus editions I believe that as of the summer of 2025 Korman has published 109 books. With each that I read I am entertained and often challenged, and I am always entertained. My son, who is 17 often, reads these books to me or with me, and he still loves them. When I posted my review of book 1 in this series a few weeks ago, several people commented they read it in school, but did not know it was part of a series. Looking forward to hearing their feedback because I loved book 2 and look forward to the final instalment. But back to the work at hand.
The description of this volume states:
“Jax Opus knows he's not like other kids. And it isn't his skill on the basketball court or his test scores that set him apart. No, Jax is different because he can hypnotize people. In fact, he might be the best hypnotist the world has seen in a very long time.
You would think Jax would be happy about this. But really? It's ruining his life. He and his family are hiding from a master hypnotist who wants Jax out of the picture . . . forever. And the FBI is also starting to ask questions about Jax and his abilities.
Jax thinks life might be getting a little better when a very rich, very powerful man asks him to help out with something. The reward will be great. And the price -- well, the price is that Jax starts taking on the man's memories. And some of them are pretty deadly.
#1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Gordon Korman keeps the thrills coming and the adventure nonstop as the past and the present collide to build a memory maze that Jax Opus may never escape...”
About the author at the back of this volume we are informed:
“is the #1 bestselling author of four books in The 39 Clues series as well as six books in his Swindle series: Swindle, Zoobreak, Framed, Showoff, Hideout, and Jackpot. His other books include This Can’t Be Happening at Macdonald Hall! (published when he was fourteen); The Toilet Paper Tigers; the trilogies Island, Everest, Dive, Kidnapped, and Titanic; and the series On the Run. He lives in New York with his family and can be found on the web at his website.”
I was always hesitant to give this series a try, it was the second to last series for me to start from those still in print. I have to admit I was greatly surprised by this story and the series. I made the mistake of judging a book by its cover, and I feel this is a pretty cheesy cover. From what I have read this story is about the middle of the road for intensity among Korman’s books, but there are some pretty dark events or attempted events in this work, and things in volume two amp it up a level from book 1.
Jax Opus has a strong pedigree, one he is completely unaware of until some surprising events take place and bring him to the attention of meeting Dr. Elias Mako and his institute. Now he and his parents are hiding out, under different names, and with a friend trying to come to teams with their family history. Jax’s powers, and living in a small town after the move from New York City. Soon Jax is giving a chance to turn their life around financially but trying to use his gift to help someone out. But things are not as they appear. And once they start going sideways they really jump the curb.
This book and series has wonderfully written characters, a great pace, and the is an excellent second volume in a wonderful series. This story is another great read from Korman’s masterful pen.
The description of this volume states:
“Jax Opus knows he's not like other kids. And it isn't his skill on the basketball court or his test scores that set him apart. No, Jax is different because he can hypnotize people. In fact, he might be the best hypnotist the world has seen in a very long time.
You would think Jax would be happy about this. But really? It's ruining his life. He and his family are hiding from a master hypnotist who wants Jax out of the picture . . . forever. And the FBI is also starting to ask questions about Jax and his abilities.
Jax thinks life might be getting a little better when a very rich, very powerful man asks him to help out with something. The reward will be great. And the price -- well, the price is that Jax starts taking on the man's memories. And some of them are pretty deadly.
#1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Gordon Korman keeps the thrills coming and the adventure nonstop as the past and the present collide to build a memory maze that Jax Opus may never escape...”
About the author at the back of this volume we are informed:
“is the #1 bestselling author of four books in The 39 Clues series as well as six books in his Swindle series: Swindle, Zoobreak, Framed, Showoff, Hideout, and Jackpot. His other books include This Can’t Be Happening at Macdonald Hall! (published when he was fourteen); The Toilet Paper Tigers; the trilogies Island, Everest, Dive, Kidnapped, and Titanic; and the series On the Run. He lives in New York with his family and can be found on the web at his website.”
I was always hesitant to give this series a try, it was the second to last series for me to start from those still in print. I have to admit I was greatly surprised by this story and the series. I made the mistake of judging a book by its cover, and I feel this is a pretty cheesy cover. From what I have read this story is about the middle of the road for intensity among Korman’s books, but there are some pretty dark events or attempted events in this work, and things in volume two amp it up a level from book 1.
Jax Opus has a strong pedigree, one he is completely unaware of until some surprising events take place and bring him to the attention of meeting Dr. Elias Mako and his institute. Now he and his parents are hiding out, under different names, and with a friend trying to come to teams with their family history. Jax’s powers, and living in a small town after the move from New York City. Soon Jax is giving a chance to turn their life around financially but trying to use his gift to help someone out. But things are not as they appear. And once they start going sideways they really jump the curb.
This book and series has wonderfully written characters, a great pace, and the is an excellent second volume in a wonderful series. This story is another great read from Korman’s masterful pen.
October 11, 2018
The book I have read is called MEMORY MAZE and the author is Gordon Korman. The book takes place in modern day. The characters in this book are Jax Opus, Axel Braintree, Mr. Quackenbsh, Elias Mako, and Felicity Green. I found this book in the library and I read the back of the book and thought it was a really good book. The reason why Memory Maze interest me is because it's about a boy with powers. I love books with action in them and this book deffently has a lot of action.
Memory Maze started off as this man named Elias Mako trying to kill Jax and his family, Elias Mako knew that Jax had powers that could defeat him so Elias came after Jax and his family. Mako wants Jax and his family dead so he will stop at nothing to make that happen. Jax and his family moved from New York and were on the run hiding from Mako. That's where Axel Braintree comes in he is a man that is part of this group called Sandman Guild that stops people like Elias from abusing their power and hurting other people with their powers, Axel was with Jax Opus to train him incase he had to go up against Elias Mako. Mr. Quackenbush was dying and he found Jax to have Jax slow down his death date by having Jax hypnotize him to relax so it could slow down his metabolism and his death so he could cure himself. Quackenbush had a lot of money so he payed Jax to do this until 4 months. The amount of money he was giving Jax was $500,000 dollars a year. Jax and his family really needed this money so he agreed to do it. Quackenbush set up a trust in case he died before the 4 months got around. Felicity Green was Jax biggest support, "his cheerleader". Jax played chess and she was at every game cheering his on. He and Felicity began to grow close everyday and it hurt her bad when Jax and his family just up and left (they were running for Mako.)
The book ended in a really sad way for Felicity and in a really confusing way for me I mean Jax and his family Just up and left leaving me wondering what happen to Elias Mako and Quackenbush?
My personal opinion on this book is that too much was going on but I mean if you read the back of the book you can kinda tell the book is going to have a lot going on. The similar books to The Memory Maze is called the Hypnotists. That book is also by Gordon Korman it's just the first book he made about Jax Opus. The type of readers that might like this book are the type of people that are into like Superman and books that have people with powers in them.
Memory Maze started off as this man named Elias Mako trying to kill Jax and his family, Elias Mako knew that Jax had powers that could defeat him so Elias came after Jax and his family. Mako wants Jax and his family dead so he will stop at nothing to make that happen. Jax and his family moved from New York and were on the run hiding from Mako. That's where Axel Braintree comes in he is a man that is part of this group called Sandman Guild that stops people like Elias from abusing their power and hurting other people with their powers, Axel was with Jax Opus to train him incase he had to go up against Elias Mako. Mr. Quackenbush was dying and he found Jax to have Jax slow down his death date by having Jax hypnotize him to relax so it could slow down his metabolism and his death so he could cure himself. Quackenbush had a lot of money so he payed Jax to do this until 4 months. The amount of money he was giving Jax was $500,000 dollars a year. Jax and his family really needed this money so he agreed to do it. Quackenbush set up a trust in case he died before the 4 months got around. Felicity Green was Jax biggest support, "his cheerleader". Jax played chess and she was at every game cheering his on. He and Felicity began to grow close everyday and it hurt her bad when Jax and his family just up and left (they were running for Mako.)
The book ended in a really sad way for Felicity and in a really confusing way for me I mean Jax and his family Just up and left leaving me wondering what happen to Elias Mako and Quackenbush?
My personal opinion on this book is that too much was going on but I mean if you read the back of the book you can kinda tell the book is going to have a lot going on. The similar books to The Memory Maze is called the Hypnotists. That book is also by Gordon Korman it's just the first book he made about Jax Opus. The type of readers that might like this book are the type of people that are into like Superman and books that have people with powers in them.
July 14, 2017
Okay...
Having reread The Hypnotists, I had wanted to read this sequel for a while now. I'm not saying that it fell flat, but that it wasn't extremely riveting either. Our main character, Jax, takes on a super sketchy deal to use his hypnotic abilities to slow down the aging of the billionaire Avery Quackenbush in order to earn money for his parents.
This screamed sketchiness to me. There are so many things wrong with this.
1. A billionaire finds you, despite the fact that you're no longer Jackson Opus, but Jack Magnus?
2. You're offered money to do something seemingly impossible.
3. It's just so "perfect"... Jax's family needs money to properly start up. A billionaire offers it to him in return for his hypnotic gift.
It wasn't great watching Jax slowly going insane. It was hard to actually relate to him anymore because of all his weird, snappish, stupid thoughts that were caused by his stress. His first person perspective at this time was just a bother to read through. It was like reading through the mind of a five year old. Yes obviously your parents have been hiding a secret hypnotic brother your entire life. That makes sense.
Mako's scheme was pretty well done, though I still wonder what the purpose of kidnapping the sandmen were. Just to keep Braintree on edge, or for something more sinister? His idea to make a fake website under the name Penelope was also smart, I'll give him props for that.
Ahhhh, Braintree! Why do the best mentors always sacrifice themselves for their student... Jax is screwed without him, honestly. I can't wait to see what the army has in store for him though.
Having reread The Hypnotists, I had wanted to read this sequel for a while now. I'm not saying that it fell flat, but that it wasn't extremely riveting either. Our main character, Jax, takes on a super sketchy deal to use his hypnotic abilities to slow down the aging of the billionaire Avery Quackenbush in order to earn money for his parents.
This screamed sketchiness to me. There are so many things wrong with this.
1. A billionaire finds you, despite the fact that you're no longer Jackson Opus, but Jack Magnus?
2. You're offered money to do something seemingly impossible.
3. It's just so "perfect"... Jax's family needs money to properly start up. A billionaire offers it to him in return for his hypnotic gift.
It wasn't great watching Jax slowly going insane. It was hard to actually relate to him anymore because of all his weird, snappish, stupid thoughts that were caused by his stress. His first person perspective at this time was just a bother to read through. It was like reading through the mind of a five year old. Yes obviously your parents have been hiding a secret hypnotic brother your entire life. That makes sense.
Mako's scheme was pretty well done, though I still wonder what the purpose of kidnapping the sandmen were. Just to keep Braintree on edge, or for something more sinister? His idea to make a fake website under the name Penelope was also smart, I'll give him props for that.
Ahhhh, Braintree! Why do the best mentors always sacrifice themselves for their student... Jax is screwed without him, honestly. I can't wait to see what the army has in store for him though.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 5, 2021
Gordon Korman has quite a way with series books and keeping his readers attention. This one, the second of the Hypnotist series, is expected if you read the first. Readers expected that the leader of the group that tried to get a candidate in the presidential election was a person that would search for the boy who managed to stop him. If we think about the people in witness protection, we understand why the choices that were made were made: moving where they they live, wearing glasses-even in school, changing names and careers, and being careful to not be in the news makes sense. The way that they reconnect is interesting and grippingly nervewracking. Hypnotism is an intersting skill and experience, if you have been hypnotized. I like the way this series uses that fascinating magician technique to engage us as readers. Worth reading.
I listened to it on Epic Books for Kids and the narrator was excellent.
I listened to it on Epic Books for Kids and the narrator was excellent.
February 9, 2018
This part of the series was not as good as the first or 3rd book, but still kept me turning pages. The main character is likable and little more flawed than some of Korman's other MCs, which I would chalk up as a plus. The plot twist was obvious enough that I saw it coming about half way through, but I still wanted to know how it would all play out.
I really like Korman's mix of humor, thought-provoking tidbits, and action and would reommend this to anyone who liked the first book, The Hypnotists, or Artemis Fowl.
I really like Korman's mix of humor, thought-provoking tidbits, and action and would reommend this to anyone who liked the first book, The Hypnotists, or Artemis Fowl.
January 8, 2018
Gordon Korman, the author, had some descent characterization going on with the protagonist and another major character but I felt like he slipped a bit with the other characters, creating a flakey vibe at times that was tolerable though because of a solid plot with some good twisting. The protagonist’s conflicts as well as the theme of the book were woven around ESP. The last few chapters had me turning pages quickly. The ending was abrupt though, leaving a lot to the imagination.
October 1, 2018
OK. So after I wrote my review of The Hypnotists, I discovered that it was book 1 of a trilogy. I should go back and change my rating. As it is, I have now read book 2, and I gave it a proper 4-star rating. I can't put Korman's books down. This is excitement and mystery and great characters. Great read for middle schoolers.
December 30, 2020
This is a great story about Jax, who is a hypnotist in training (at the beginning of the novel); although, by the end, he has logged enough hours and virtual years of experience to become one of the worlds greatest experts in the art. Unfortunately, the skill and talent he develops does not protect Jax from those who want to use him and do him harm. This is an exciting story of Jax growing into a master hypnotist.
December 10, 2023
MY FAVORITE SO FAR IN THE SERIES LIKE... you don't understand.
it's TOO GOOD FOR ITS OWN GOOD.
the chess scene was really well done by mr gordon korman so KUDOS TO HIM!!!!
it's just... really good. dives DEEPER into the whole hypnotist thing. kira having a CRISIS. JAX HAVING A CRISIS. EVERYONE HAVING A CRISIS.
bottom line: CRISIS
it's TOO GOOD FOR ITS OWN GOOD.
the chess scene was really well done by mr gordon korman so KUDOS TO HIM!!!!
it's just... really good. dives DEEPER into the whole hypnotist thing. kira having a CRISIS. JAX HAVING A CRISIS. EVERYONE HAVING A CRISIS.
bottom line: CRISIS
February 23, 2018
The book memory maze by Gordon Korman is a good fantasy novel. The main character Jax has hypnotic abilities and finds himself in a situation helping this man. I recommend this book to people who like fantasy and superhuman abilities.
August 6, 2019
I read the first and second book of this series and I really like it! It was kind of sad at some parts, If you have read the book you would understand. I gave it a 5 star rating but I kind of wish you could give a book at 4.5 star because that's what I would have gave this book.
May 27, 2024
I remember picking this book up once before I'd read #1 and didn't get very far. So glad I started with The Hypnotists this time. Ready for book 3. Korman is a masterful storyteller. This series does not disappoint.
May 28, 2025
Great continuation. I was actually kind of surprised by this. It had a different feel from the first story. He didn't just rehash the same story but instead added a new perspective on what hypnotism could be used for.
June 26, 2017
Amazing!!!
A few years ago I read the first book "The Hypnotist" I love it but never got around to the second one until now!! I really suggest it !
A few years ago I read the first book "The Hypnotist" I love it but never got around to the second one until now!! I really suggest it !
August 30, 2017
Not Gordon Korman's best book, in my opinion, but still a thoroughly interesting read.
September 21, 2018
AMAZING
October 15, 2018
B rates it a 5!
October 18, 2018
Very nice book! I didn't really like the end because Jax didn't really sound sad about Alex's death it seemed like.
November 12, 2018
A great action and adventure about Jax hiding from mako who tried to kill him in the 1st book.
May 8, 2019
I really enjoyed the author. This book is second in its series. I would get the whole series and place it in a third grade classroom. It switches between perspectives so it is kinda hard to differentiate.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews