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kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
First in The Disillusionists Trilogy, an urban fantasy about vigilante psychics in Midcity near Lake Michigan.
My Take
Mind Games is an incredibly well-done story that sets us up for the rest of the series. Crane introduces us to the characters, the gifts they wield, and their backgrounds with the attendant issues, even as she resolves old conflicts while creating new ones. It's a combination of hope and ambition with wariness. I am so looking forward to reading Double Cross!
Oh, man, I just wanna smack Justine one! I don't feel at all sorry that she can't afford pretty things because she has huge medical bills. She can't even set her hypochondria aside to enjoy a celebratory dinner with the boyfriend of her dreams. The idiot. Although, Crane is doing a lovely job of setting us up for Packard's seduction. Who wouldn't want to be rid of those fears?!
Part of me wonders about my own obsessions, and if they would look as ridiculous to others as Justine's obsession appears to me. Would I also be frustrated when others couldn't empathize with my "very real" issues?
Supposedly celebrating Cubby's success at work, Justine is obsessing about the vein star syndrome that she's sure is going to kill her tonight. It's her last moments on earth and…well…she just knows that man with that sweet, young couple is the same man who conned her family. And, if it's the last thing she does, before she dies, she intends to help them!
Oh, the desire to help others impresses Cubby, but not her obsession with her dying. Right this minute…! His inviting Justine to come with him to Belize seems to bring her around. Until she starts to think of "dirt-floor clinics and bright tropical bugs darting across rusty surgical instruments".
Then Justine finds the couple she tried to help on her doorstep. It seems Justine had it all wrong.
It's the demonstration Packard provides that changes Justine's mind. Oh, it's not an immediate acceptance…not for this illness-obsessed woman, for she's certain her current diagnosis is a ruse.
The Characters
Justine Jones is a raving hypochondriac obsessed with vein star syndrome. To be fair, her mother did die of it after years of doctors not believing her. Of course, her father had his own obsessions — he knew an outbreak of Ebola was coming any minute. Cuthbert "Cubby" Montgomery is a comfortable, well-off young man Justine sees as her salvation.
Sterling Packard owns Mongolian Delites, a restaurant and his prison; he's also a psychology highcap. He sees people's psychological structures and uses his ability to run a psychological hit squad. They disillusion people. Break 'em down so they can reboot. The members of his team include Shelby, a Russian emigré whose gift "sucks the sparkle out of desire", although she claims she simply gives people the knowledge that what you want will not make you happy; Carter's gift is the ability to rouse anger; Helmut helps "people see that they live in dangerous and threatening times"; Strongarm Francis is a detective, who discovers all he can about a target; Simon is the gambling specialist, who encourages the target to gamble which ends in their losing all their worldly goods; Monk destroys people's faith; Jordan is the therapist who "delivers the truth that other therapists try to…minimize"; Enrique is ennui; and, Jay is the alcoholic who is friends with everyone.
Chief Otto Sanchez has sworn to clean up crime in Midcity, but it seems a losing battle. Yet, Justine has complete faith in him. Melanctha is Jarvis' private nurse. Jarvis was a functioning disillusionist until he thought he could do without Packard's ability. The Mandlers are clients who tried to renege on their contract with Packard.
Ben Foley is a con man who bilked Justine's father out of most of their savings 15 years ago. The Silver Widow loves to watch people suffer; what she did to her husband…erk. The Alchemist targets women at dance clubs. Henji can kill with a thought and works with infrastructure and force fields, a very dangerous gift, and is the reason for Packard's imprisonment. Diesel was imprisoned by the same nemesis as Packard. Only he didn't make it.
The Cover and Title
The cover is night and fast paced — there's no time to lose. It's jeans and a black leather jacket for Justine, one leg braced while the other is bent with her foot up against what appears to be a subway wall, one hand holding a gleaming knife. The blurring lights of the space-agey building hovering over all and the raised traffic lanes rushing to and fro.
Mind Games is exactly what Packard and his team are up to. Destabilizing their targets, playing on their fears until they crack.
My Take
Mind Games is an incredibly well-done story that sets us up for the rest of the series. Crane introduces us to the characters, the gifts they wield, and their backgrounds with the attendant issues, even as she resolves old conflicts while creating new ones. It's a combination of hope and ambition with wariness. I am so looking forward to reading Double Cross!
Oh, man, I just wanna smack Justine one! I don't feel at all sorry that she can't afford pretty things because she has huge medical bills. She can't even set her hypochondria aside to enjoy a celebratory dinner with the boyfriend of her dreams. The idiot. Although, Crane is doing a lovely job of setting us up for Packard's seduction. Who wouldn't want to be rid of those fears?!
Part of me wonders about my own obsessions, and if they would look as ridiculous to others as Justine's obsession appears to me. Would I also be frustrated when others couldn't empathize with my "very real" issues?
Because even hypochondriacs get terrible diseases—The Story
Supposedly celebrating Cubby's success at work, Justine is obsessing about the vein star syndrome that she's sure is going to kill her tonight. It's her last moments on earth and…well…she just knows that man with that sweet, young couple is the same man who conned her family. And, if it's the last thing she does, before she dies, she intends to help them!
Oh, the desire to help others impresses Cubby, but not her obsession with her dying. Right this minute…! His inviting Justine to come with him to Belize seems to bring her around. Until she starts to think of "dirt-floor clinics and bright tropical bugs darting across rusty surgical instruments".
Then Justine finds the couple she tried to help on her doorstep. It seems Justine had it all wrong.
It's the demonstration Packard provides that changes Justine's mind. Oh, it's not an immediate acceptance…not for this illness-obsessed woman, for she's certain her current diagnosis is a ruse.
The Characters
Justine Jones is a raving hypochondriac obsessed with vein star syndrome. To be fair, her mother did die of it after years of doctors not believing her. Of course, her father had his own obsessions — he knew an outbreak of Ebola was coming any minute. Cuthbert "Cubby" Montgomery is a comfortable, well-off young man Justine sees as her salvation.
Sterling Packard owns Mongolian Delites, a restaurant and his prison; he's also a psychology highcap. He sees people's psychological structures and uses his ability to run a psychological hit squad. They disillusion people. Break 'em down so they can reboot. The members of his team include Shelby, a Russian emigré whose gift "sucks the sparkle out of desire", although she claims she simply gives people the knowledge that what you want will not make you happy; Carter's gift is the ability to rouse anger; Helmut helps "people see that they live in dangerous and threatening times"; Strongarm Francis is a detective, who discovers all he can about a target; Simon is the gambling specialist, who encourages the target to gamble which ends in their losing all their worldly goods; Monk destroys people's faith; Jordan is the therapist who "delivers the truth that other therapists try to…minimize"; Enrique is ennui; and, Jay is the alcoholic who is friends with everyone.
Chief Otto Sanchez has sworn to clean up crime in Midcity, but it seems a losing battle. Yet, Justine has complete faith in him. Melanctha is Jarvis' private nurse. Jarvis was a functioning disillusionist until he thought he could do without Packard's ability. The Mandlers are clients who tried to renege on their contract with Packard.
Ben Foley is a con man who bilked Justine's father out of most of their savings 15 years ago. The Silver Widow loves to watch people suffer; what she did to her husband…erk. The Alchemist targets women at dance clubs. Henji can kill with a thought and works with infrastructure and force fields, a very dangerous gift, and is the reason for Packard's imprisonment. Diesel was imprisoned by the same nemesis as Packard. Only he didn't make it.
The Cover and Title
The cover is night and fast paced — there's no time to lose. It's jeans and a black leather jacket for Justine, one leg braced while the other is bent with her foot up against what appears to be a subway wall, one hand holding a gleaming knife. The blurring lights of the space-agey building hovering over all and the raised traffic lanes rushing to and fro.
Mind Games is exactly what Packard and his team are up to. Destabilizing their targets, playing on their fears until they crack.
brendalovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
2nd time through: Liked this just as well as the first time I read it, although knowing what happens in later books makes this first book a little less exciting.
1st time: I wasn't expecting to like this as well as I did. I'm not sure why. Carolyn Crane's blog is highly entertaining, so why would I expect any less of her book?
I liked the concept of the disillusionists (the psychological hit squad), which is different from anything else I've read. There were a few things that were predictable, but the plot was complex enough that I was interested in what was going on throughout the whole book.
I thought Justine was a great character. I don't remember reading anything else with a hypochondriac as the main character, and it definitely added an interesting dimension. I like that she wasn't a pushover, and she had quite a strong personality. She was maybe a little too quick to jump into bed at times, but I guess it's forgivable, since I liked her in every other aspect. I also really liked Shelby, who was also a disillusionist. There's something about characters with Russian accents that I like.
I would recommend this to fans of the urban fantasy genre. It wasn't too heavy on the romance, and it didn't use the same old plot ideas that you'll find in a lot of urban fantasy. I'm very much looking forward to the next book, which I've already got on hold at the library.
1st time: I wasn't expecting to like this as well as I did. I'm not sure why. Carolyn Crane's blog is highly entertaining, so why would I expect any less of her book?
I liked the concept of the disillusionists (the psychological hit squad), which is different from anything else I've read. There were a few things that were predictable, but the plot was complex enough that I was interested in what was going on throughout the whole book.
I thought Justine was a great character. I don't remember reading anything else with a hypochondriac as the main character, and it definitely added an interesting dimension. I like that she wasn't a pushover, and she had quite a strong personality. She was maybe a little too quick to jump into bed at times, but I guess it's forgivable, since I liked her in every other aspect. I also really liked Shelby, who was also a disillusionist. There's something about characters with Russian accents that I like.
I would recommend this to fans of the urban fantasy genre. It wasn't too heavy on the romance, and it didn't use the same old plot ideas that you'll find in a lot of urban fantasy. I'm very much looking forward to the next book, which I've already got on hold at the library.
katyanaish's review against another edition
4.0
I thought this was surprisingly fun. It was an interesting world, with interesting powers and rules. I thought the story was fast-paced and not entirely predictable, and I liked the cast of characters. Looking forward to the next one!
aliceboule's review against another edition
4.0
Altogether it was a fun twist on the whole supernatural/superhero plot: Justine intills her fear of medical danger into others- no magic or bad ass assassin skills; no just good old fear.
Crane's idea was refreshing and provided a caboomboom story that gave me a pause from all the usual- meet boy * danger * sexual attraction * great battle *conflict with love interests * sex *sex *sex * final battle *happy ending sex
In fact in Mind Games the sex is barely there and is basically an undercurrent in the book- sexual tensionnn
I was delighted to read this book and cannot wait to read the following.
BEWARE if you are one to judge a book by its cover: this cover has absolutely nothing to do with the actual content of this book. Nothing whatsoeverr. (Justine never actually fights anything)
Crane's idea was refreshing and provided a caboomboom story that gave me a pause from all the usual- meet boy * danger * sexual attraction * great battle *conflict with love interests * sex *sex *sex * final battle *happy ending sex
In fact in Mind Games the sex is barely there and is basically an undercurrent in the book- sexual tensionnn
I was delighted to read this book and cannot wait to read the following.
BEWARE if you are one to judge a book by its cover: this cover has absolutely nothing to do with the actual content of this book. Nothing whatsoeverr. (Justine never actually fights anything)
mellhay's review against another edition
4.0
Justine our main character has vein star syndrome, or so she thinks. She's a hypochondriac. While Justine is having dinner with her boyfriend of two months, who seems to handle the hypochondria pretty well. The restaurant they are in was a spur of the moment place because she saw a man go inside who hustled her father for all his money, causing her father to go broke when she was younger. Justine being a strong, upstanding citizen walks up and confronts the young couple he is with, telling of his habits with stealing money. The restaurant owner stops to the table and Justine returns to her table to prevent any problems. Later when she is paying the bill, the restaurant owner saves her from this mans' torments. At this time the restaurateur offers to help Justine with her other personal problem, of hypochondria.
Justine goes back to the restaurateur out of curiosity as she knows her friends all go through stages then leave because of her health obsession, and not wanting to loss her current boyfriend Cubby. Once Justine makes this visit she finds herself with a whole new view of the world she lives in. We get a better insite into the Highcaps , who have mental powers to do things such as telepathy, and many other things. And there are energy barriers, and Disillusionists who try to help recondition evil people by breaking them down to rock bottom so they can build up in a better way.
I have to admit I was very curious about this story, and a little weary with the hypochondria angle. I was afraid it would be over done. To me it was NO where near being over done. Yes, Justine had her moments where she was overboard on her worries, but this hit home the worries she really has and the condition she lives with. These episodes helped give contrast to when she wasn't worried or living in fear. Then her anxiety moments became a tall-tail for when she needed to zing someone. I loved the idea of using mental worries to help or hurt us, to help break someone down to understand what they take advantage of and abuse in others and have them grow from this broken state to a better person in the end. These are a great weapon, to manipulate with.
There were only two times I was concerned the section was going to turn technical and doctory on me. When the characters started talking of Disillusioning people I was afraid I would get lost in a lot of technical terms, but didn't. It never went over my head in speech or terms and was very easy to understand, or as we say in lame-mans terms.
I found the book to be a quick, easy read. I had a hard time when I had to put the book down, as I didn't want to. I felt I really connected with these characters from the word go. It had me hooked to see what Justine, Packard, and the other characters where going to do. And yes, there is that sexual tension between Justine and Packard. I enjoyed the secondary characters just as much as the main characters. There is loads of room for these characters to grow in future books.
The world here, is falling apart. I started to see there were gray areas in what caused this world to be the way it is, and even in fixing it. There really are two sides to every story. And sometimes you need the bad to balance the good.
Justine goes back to the restaurateur out of curiosity as she knows her friends all go through stages then leave because of her health obsession, and not wanting to loss her current boyfriend Cubby. Once Justine makes this visit she finds herself with a whole new view of the world she lives in. We get a better insite into the Highcaps , who have mental powers to do things such as telepathy, and many other things. And there are energy barriers, and Disillusionists who try to help recondition evil people by breaking them down to rock bottom so they can build up in a better way.
I have to admit I was very curious about this story, and a little weary with the hypochondria angle. I was afraid it would be over done. To me it was NO where near being over done. Yes, Justine had her moments where she was overboard on her worries, but this hit home the worries she really has and the condition she lives with. These episodes helped give contrast to when she wasn't worried or living in fear. Then her anxiety moments became a tall-tail for when she needed to zing someone. I loved the idea of using mental worries to help or hurt us, to help break someone down to understand what they take advantage of and abuse in others and have them grow from this broken state to a better person in the end. These are a great weapon, to manipulate with.
There were only two times I was concerned the section was going to turn technical and doctory on me. When the characters started talking of Disillusioning people I was afraid I would get lost in a lot of technical terms, but didn't. It never went over my head in speech or terms and was very easy to understand, or as we say in lame-mans terms.
I found the book to be a quick, easy read. I had a hard time when I had to put the book down, as I didn't want to. I felt I really connected with these characters from the word go. It had me hooked to see what Justine, Packard, and the other characters where going to do. And yes, there is that sexual tension between Justine and Packard. I enjoyed the secondary characters just as much as the main characters. There is loads of room for these characters to grow in future books.
The world here, is falling apart. I started to see there were gray areas in what caused this world to be the way it is, and even in fixing it. There really are two sides to every story. And sometimes you need the bad to balance the good.
serru's review against another edition
3.0
I think urban fantasy is just not my genre. This book has rave reviews from even the pickiest UF readers, and while the premise is intriguing and the plot is fast-paced with many twists, I just wasn't super into it. I liked it, but not enough to make me want to keep reading the series.
amber1989's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this. It was a nice change to read an UF that's not about Vamps or Werewolves.
jeremybost's review against another edition
Too much romance. MC kinda wimpy I think.
porgs's review against another edition
4.0
Very unpredictable with some intense romance. It asks some questions about human morality, particularly “When does good become bad?” My only qualm was that it was written in first person POV, ugh
vikingwolf's review against another edition
Oh I was gutted about this book! It sounded so good, it was different from the other urban fantasy books that I had read, it had interesting quirks, was well written-then it jumped straight into the genre cliche of love triangle and ruined itself. I was so disappointed after such a great start.
Lets start with those positives. I really liked Justine as an MC. Her obsession with this imaginery bursting blood vessel made her very interesting and entertaining in a twisted way. She is convinced, wrongly, that she is about to die at and second. A slight headache causes her to freak out because the end is nigh, and it makes a normal life impossible. I really liked this idea and I was curious to see where the author was going to take this. It is nice for the MC to have flaws especially something intriguing like hypochondria. I liked the idea of the crime fighting team and the way that they used their 'disabilities' to take on the human filth in the city. They find peace of mind from their conditions by turning it against these criminals and using it to destroy them. This was pretty cool. It was such a different concept that I was pretty excited to see what was going to happen.
I'm never keen on books that are slow to get moving but in this case I could forgive it because it was a bit different. I could forgive the whiny side of Justine because I have experience with anxiety conditions and know how people can react with those issues weighing them down. So far so good!
And then came the love triangle nonsense which destroyed the book for me. Why does it always have to go this way? Why can the female MC not get through a story without loving every new man she meets? It is not what happens in reality and with such a strong story developing, it is not needed! So the story gets dead slow as we delve into her love life and we get less of what engaged me with the book in the first place. Justine goes from intriguing to pathetic hormonal girl from a bad YA novel and I start finding her annoying. I found Packard to be slimy, not charming, manipulative, not kind and there was as much chemistry between them as planks of wood. I always felt he was a dangerous guy who only cared about his own interests and this is not a guy that I want as a romantic hero. Otto wasn't any better and having her leaping into bed with him was so stupid and pointless that I got mad at the author.
Justine stops being the MC I like when you realise that she's going to be cheating on the poor boyfriend who has somehow stood by her in spite of all her crazy behaviours and episodes. What thanks does he get? Our heroine thinking about which of the line up of men she plans to jump into bed with, not caring about loyal boyfriend. Great, potential whore alert. In fact is it a love triangle or love square? Plus she starts treating other people badly and becoming a bit of a cow. That feels like betrayal when you liked her at the start. Her whiny and selfish traits get worse as the book progresses. The bloody boyfriend is the one I have sympathy for. Run for the hills boy!
This book had such amazing potential and if it had stuck to being about Justine's ability, it could have been a great urban fantasy. Instead the love trianle and hormonal crap plunged it into poor paranormal romance territory and I lost all interest in it. What a damn pity!
Lets start with those positives. I really liked Justine as an MC. Her obsession with this imaginery bursting blood vessel made her very interesting and entertaining in a twisted way. She is convinced, wrongly, that she is about to die at and second. A slight headache causes her to freak out because the end is nigh, and it makes a normal life impossible. I really liked this idea and I was curious to see where the author was going to take this. It is nice for the MC to have flaws especially something intriguing like hypochondria. I liked the idea of the crime fighting team and the way that they used their 'disabilities' to take on the human filth in the city. They find peace of mind from their conditions by turning it against these criminals and using it to destroy them. This was pretty cool. It was such a different concept that I was pretty excited to see what was going to happen.
I'm never keen on books that are slow to get moving but in this case I could forgive it because it was a bit different. I could forgive the whiny side of Justine because I have experience with anxiety conditions and know how people can react with those issues weighing them down. So far so good!
And then came the love triangle nonsense which destroyed the book for me. Why does it always have to go this way? Why can the female MC not get through a story without loving every new man she meets? It is not what happens in reality and with such a strong story developing, it is not needed! So the story gets dead slow as we delve into her love life and we get less of what engaged me with the book in the first place. Justine goes from intriguing to pathetic hormonal girl from a bad YA novel and I start finding her annoying. I found Packard to be slimy, not charming, manipulative, not kind and there was as much chemistry between them as planks of wood. I always felt he was a dangerous guy who only cared about his own interests and this is not a guy that I want as a romantic hero. Otto wasn't any better and having her leaping into bed with him was so stupid and pointless that I got mad at the author.
Justine stops being the MC I like when you realise that she's going to be cheating on the poor boyfriend who has somehow stood by her in spite of all her crazy behaviours and episodes. What thanks does he get? Our heroine thinking about which of the line up of men she plans to jump into bed with, not caring about loyal boyfriend. Great, potential whore alert. In fact is it a love triangle or love square? Plus she starts treating other people badly and becoming a bit of a cow. That feels like betrayal when you liked her at the start. Her whiny and selfish traits get worse as the book progresses. The bloody boyfriend is the one I have sympathy for. Run for the hills boy!
This book had such amazing potential and if it had stuck to being about Justine's ability, it could have been a great urban fantasy. Instead the love trianle and hormonal crap plunged it into poor paranormal romance territory and I lost all interest in it. What a damn pity!