Open Minds (Mindjack, #1) in Q&A with Susan Kaye Quinn

Oct 31, 2011 Leah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, paranormal-fantasy, 2012

I have to say it right from the start - beginning with chapter one of Open Minds, Susan Kaye Quinn blew my mind wide-open! The very beginning, her main character, Kira, has a point of view rarely seen in YA Paranormal. She's the one without the power. Even her best friend, Rafael, went through the change and can read minds, except hers. Kira's narration takes you through the grueling experience of trying to get through a day in high school where everyone else can read minds. Imagine not having I have to say it right from the start - beginning with chapter one of Open Minds, Susan Kaye Quinn blew my mind wide-open! The very beginning, her main character, Kira, has a point of view rarely seen in YA Paranormal. She's the one without the power. Even her best friend, Rafael, went through the change and can read minds, except hers. Kira's narration takes you through the grueling experience of trying to get through a day in high school where everyone else can read minds. Imagine not having a single private thought during your teens. No way to filter.....

That is, until she meets Simon, who helps her realize how special she is.

Soon after, Open Minds, takes a 180 twist, sending Kira on a tumultuous action-adventure with a heavy dose of paranormal powers. Due to circumstances out of her control, she turns away from those closest to her in order to protect them all. She can't even share her most life-changing secret with those close to her because it could get them killed. She's never been so alone in her life - never been felt so betrayed. Kira goes from being an insecure, powerless teenager to a Chuck-Norris level hero with her clever plans to rescue the youngest victims of a government conspiracy. Kira uses her uniqueness to her advantage, as well as her own intellect - and that's what I love about her most.

Open Minds forces the reader to open their eyes and look around them and imagine the opposite. What if I was the opposite of who I am now, how would I live my life? What challenges would I face? Susan Kaye Quinn answers those questions for Kira in her non-stop action-packed paranormal-edge-of-my-seat thriller. I could not put this one down until I finished it. Praise is due for her uniqueness in Mindjack slang and in her portrayal of the value of family unit. And to tie a bow on it, she give a most satisfying ending, leaving you ready for book two of the Mindjack Trilogy.

However, the title of book two has me worried - Closed Hearts. What could that mean? Emotional detachment? or has she cooked up a superpower that messes with emotions? Can't wait to find out!

I give Open Minds 5 stars!

If you are a Kindle reader - you are in for a treat. Open Minds is available at Amazon(dot)com for $2.99. Also visit Susan at http://www.susankayequinn.com/. ...more

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Nov 04, 2011 Laura Pauling rated it it was amazing

Kira thinks she is a zero, meaning she can't read minds at all. She lives in silence, scorned, as those around her communicate in their heads, leaving her on the outside.

But everything changes when she realizes she isn't a reader, but a mind jacker. She can control other people with just a thought. Her friend/boyfriend, Simon, leads her into a dangerous underground world of jackers, some criminal.

I loved that Kira never questioned her morals or who she was. She searched for the truth, always tr ...more

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Oct 05, 2011 Ansha Kotyk rated it it was amazing

Open Minds reminded me of Scott Westerfeld's Uglies and then morphed into an awesome Hunger Games-like trial for Kira. Susan Kaye Quinn masterfully draws you into the story of an outcast girl with a secret in mind reading society. I can't wait for the next novel in the Mindjack trilogy (only 3??). ...more

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Dec 09, 2011 Carol Oates rated it it was amazing

I seem to be on another run of good luck with books I pick up to read.

The world building in Open Minds was wonderful. From the first page, I felt as if I'd been picked up and dropped into the future. It is our world but everything ,including the people, is more advanced... well sort of. Human nature hasn't changed much. Teens still want to fit in, there is still bullies and the hotties guys in High School. There is still the very human fear of what we don't understand.

The author has done a won ...more

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Oct 20, 2011 Sharon K. Mayhew rated it really liked it

Open Minds was fantastic! If you like dystopian you'll love this one! I can't wait for the second book to come out. It's like my mind has been jacked! ...more

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Oct 21, 2011 Kelly Hashway rated it it was amazing

Kira thinks her life can't get worse since she's a zero. She can't read minds, and that makes her almost invisible. But when an intimate moment with the guy she likes triggers a change in her brain, Kira discovers she's not a zero after all. But her new ability doesn't exactly make her like everyone else either. Now Kira has a whole new set of problems, ones that will make her a target.

Open Minds pulled me in from page one. The writing jumps off the page, and Kira's world comes to life. Being ab ...more

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Oct 19, 2011 Leigh Moore rated it it was amazing

First, I loved the tense open: main character Kira Moore is boarding public transportation on her way to school, and she's a total outcast. She lives in Chicago at a time in the future where humans have evolved to the point that everyone can see into each others' minds (hence the title).

The only problem is Kira's mind has never opened. In the book it happens to kids around puberty, but if it doesn't happen, you're labeled a "Zero" and treated like a pariah. You can't go to college, you can't get First, I loved the tense open: main character Kira Moore is boarding public transportation on her way to school, and she's a total outcast. She lives in Chicago at a time in the future where humans have evolved to the point that everyone can see into each others' minds (hence the title).

The only problem is Kira's mind has never opened. In the book it happens to kids around puberty, but if it doesn't happen, you're labeled a "Zero" and treated like a pariah. You can't go to college, you can't get a professional job... For example, Kira wants to be a doctor, but she can't. Everyone mistrusts her because they can't see her thoughts.

(It's such a cool trick because if you think about it, nobody can do that in real life, yet we all trust one another--even total strangers--based on what? Nothing! But I digress.)

Quinn sets up Kira's alienation and her desire to fit in and be accepted so well that when things do start to change for her, she faces a serious moral dilemma. Kira has the ability to control everyone's behavior by planting thoughts in their heads.

She's totally freaked, and she thinks she's the only one with this ability until she meets Simon, a boy at her school who shares her power. He explains that she can fit in by mindjacking everyone and causing them to believe she's become a "Reader," too. (Pariah problem solved!)

Even though she knows it's wrong, Kira goes along with Simon and the two begin manipulating the entire school and beyond. Until ultimately, she's forced to decide how far she'll go with Simon, and whether she'll live a life of lies and manipulation or if she's brave enough to tell the truth.

I'll say no more. Except, totally awesome, right?

Not only is the story fresh, but Quinn does a fantastic job exploring themes like honesty and privacy rights and how far people will go to be accepted. There's even a part where Kira has the chance to take a little revenge on a boy who always tormented her before, and I found myself pondering the thin line between justice and revenge.

I also loved the cool slang she invented for the book. Personally, I hope "mesh" (cool) and "demens" (crazy) get incorporated into the regular lexicon. So I highly recommend this book. It's perfect for readers of all ages who love great stories that make you think. ...more

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Oct 03, 2011 Rick Daley rated it it was amazing

Kira's world is not too different from our own. Sure almost everyone is a mind-reader, but high school bullies, romances and gossip are still the norm. It's just quieter when people don't have to speak out loud anymore.

But Kira is not part of that ordinary world. She begins below it, as a zero who can't read minds, and then quickly rises above it when she grows into her own special ability: while most people can simply read minds and hear thoughts of others, Kira can control them. And people in ...more

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Oct 19, 2011 Lynn Kelley rated it it was amazing

I LOVE this book so much that I had to re-read it right away. The last novel that affected me like this was The Hunger Games.

Open Minds gets more than a 5-Star Rating in my book, and I predict it's going to sky rocket to the top of the charts. No kidding. It's that intriguing, amazing, and compelling.

This first book in the Mindjack Trilogy will entertain and thrill you as you follow the dilemmas and dangers 16-year-old Kira faces. First, she grapples with the fact that she'll never fit in at sc ...more

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Oct 11, 2011 Jessie Harrell rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I probably would have given this book 5 stars except for 1 little detail... I don't really "get" dystopian novels. I know, I'm the only person on the planet apparently. So if you're among the millions who seek out dystopian novels, you won't want to miss OPEN MINDS.

The book starts off typically enough -- Kira has some problems: she's kissing one boy but crushing on another, she can't read minds like everyone else. But then she discovers she's special, meaning, not only can she read minds, she ca ...more

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Dec 01, 2011 Elle Strauss rated it really liked it

Open Minds is a unique YA suspense/thriller that has youflipping pages as you root for the mc to do the impossible. I recommend.

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Nov 30, 2011 Diane rated it it was amazing

I love this book, the concept is awesome and new!!! I totally recommend. Can't wait for the follow up!! What an amazing story.. Susan Kaye Quinn, going to take the writing community by storm.. ...more

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