Mind Games & The Emerald Atlas

I loved Kiersten White's Paranormalcy series, so when I saw that she had a new book, Mind Games, I was excited to read it.  If you read the Paranormalcy trilogy, you'll know that Ms. White is a humorous author...so I was expecting the same in Mind Games.  I did not get what I expected.  This book was much darker and more mysterious than the previous trilogy.  In Mind Games, two sisters, Fia (short for Sophia) and Annie are put in a special school shortly after their parents are killed in a car accident.  Annie is blind, but has the ability to see the future.  Their aunt no longer wanted to care for them and the school promised that it would provide an individualized education that would more than meet Annie's special needs and they would allow for Fia to come along, as well.  From the very first time there, Fia knew that the school was not right - that it was a very bad place.  The school takes in special girls like Annie - those who can see the future (seers), those who can feel the emotions that others are feeling (feelers), and scariest of all, those who can read minds (readers).  Fia doesn't have any of those abilities, but what the school discovers is that she has perfect instincts - she can make the best choice in every situation, whether it be a stock market pick or a dangerous situation.  So Fia is trained to be an assassin.  The school threatens Annie's life if Fia does not go along with them.  The story unfolds as we see how the past and present come together for these sisters and how they try to figure out a way to escape the life they've become trapped in.  This was a very exciting read, but you really feel bad for the sisters and the deep emotional pain they experience because of what the school has done to them.  There will be at least one more book that will continue Fia's & Annie's story.  Check out Mind Games if you're looking for an action-packed thriller.

The Emerald Atlas, by John Stephens is another Truman Nominee.  I don't know why, but I wasn't really that excited about reading this book, but my goal has been to read all the Truman nominees, so I jumped in.  Boy, did this story surprise me.  I ended up loving it and want to read the 2nd book in the series (The Fire Chronicles).  In this story, we meet Kate, Michael, and Emma who aren't exactly orphans, but have spent most of their lives in an orphanage.  Eleven years ago, their parents sent them off in the middle of the night to an orphanage, promising Kate they'd be together again someday, but haven't been seen since.  The kids have gone from orphanage to orphanage, each one worse than the last, when they finally end up in a strange place called Cambridge Falls in an orphanage run by a man named Mr. Pym.  The interesting thing is that they are the only orphans in the place.  One day, while exploring the strange mansion where they're staying, they discover a book.  When they open the book and place a photograph from the past in it, they are instantly taken back to the  moment that picture was taken.  They meet an evil witch, Mr. Pym turns out to be not quite what they expected, and they discover that they have a connection to this amazing and magical book.  This story is a fantastical adventure from start to finish and I can't wait to find out what happens next to Kate, Michael, and Emma in the 2nd book.  There will be a 3rd book as well, but I don't see a title or publication date out there yet.  It will be something to look forward to!