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Book Review: Perfect Lies

PERFECT LIES (#2 Mind Games) by Kiersten White
5 Stars
Verdict: Great if you’re tolerant and yearn for some fast-paced action.



Annie and Fia have escaped the Keane Foundation, the ruthless institution for those with abilities, with the help of their new allies. Now that Fia pretended to kill Annie so that she could go into hiding, the girls continue their fight against Keane without each other to rely on and without knowing who to trust.

It’s everything I hate, but I loved it anyway.

Fia has perfect instincts and a dark attitude, and will do whatever it takes to protect her sister - including killing. Annie is blind yet sees the future, and is frustrated with needing protection. Their storylines are separate yet class together, the timeline leading up to the day where Fia is predicted to make fatal choices.

At first I felt like I was being handed an anchor and told to sink or swim. If that doesn’t sound like the greatest reading experience for you, maybe try WITHER by Lauren DeStanfano which has beautiful imagery, poetic prose, and vivid descriptions...

PERFECT LIES is something different.

I can tell you now that I detest books that use a stream of consciousness as the narrative. They are hard to follow. They ignore conventions put in place that help you process the sentence. They often lack necessary descriptions which are vital to following the novel. This wasn’t much different, except I somehow latched onto the narrative and found each new twist utterly thrilling.

It’s face-paced and commands your attention. If you zone out for a second, you’ll probably lose who’s speaking – I wouldn’t recommend stopping anywhere other than the chapter breaks, even if someone’s at the door.

Premonitions are an overused premise in my opinion. I did manage to fully predict the ending mostly for that reason. Near the end of the book, there really was only one solution to all their issues, and although there’s wriggle room for book 3, the ending isn’t open. I’m a little bit fed up of sequels which are really just half a story, so for me it was a refreshing change. And if book 3 comes along, it’s definitely going to go on my reading list; this book was good enough to entice me to read on without a frustrating cliff-hanger.

So, maybe it wasn't smoothreading. Maybe it lacks description in places. The trouble was, I struggled to care. Once I was caught up in it, I was away from the world until the end. If you can grab onto White’s wavelength, you’ll enjoy this fiercely entertaining ride.

But yes, you need to grab on, and therefore I completely understand the mash of 1 star and 5 star reviews that are already circulating for this novel. This not being everyone’s cup of tea. All I can say is that it was definitely mine.

Source: NetGalley.com

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