Reviews of The Mind Readers, Book 1

Good, but not the best.

I know Lori Brighton as I have read some of her books before, although not in the YA genre, so I was willing to give this a go. I am pleased to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book with all its twists and turns and cliffhanger ending!

The characters are all fully dimensional and have their own individual flaws which just makes the read more pleasurable. Cameron is hard to define as there were parts in the beginning where I didn't really like her but as the story unfolds and you see how she deals with her power and how hard she is trying to fit in, the things she does and says start to make more sense.

Lewis is also a great character and the two sides of him were perfectly described. I found myself completely alongside Cameron as she tries to discover more about herself, Lewis, Aaron and the whole "mind reading" business in general.

So many interesting characters who I want to know more about, the red herrings, the continuing story ... I want it all. Books 2 and 3 added to my wishlist!!! Wonderful writing.

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!

Loved the series.

I do love a book that sucks you in and leaves you wanting more!

Good read. would have loved a free continuation

My thoughts:
I just finished reading this and wish book 2 was already out!
The author does a great job of building suspense and leaves you wondering throughout the whole book - Is Aaron really the "good" guy that Lewis believes he is? I, always the cynic, thought from the start there was something fishy with him - but of course that seed was planted when Lewis and Cameron get to the mansion and there are armed guards at the "gate" to the property - - - that is never a good sign.
I really enjoyed the characters. The high school friends that Cameron has are well done and totally believable. The grandmother is great, not super mushy but you get the impression that there is so much more that you don't know yet. Cameron is a great character - searching for the answers to many of life's questions.
I fell as fast for Lewis as Cameron did - and I am sure I was just as disappointed later in the story. I wasn't sure what to think of Maddox - still not...
This is a wonderful story about what is right and what is wrong - - and what a person is willing to do or sacrifice for what they believe.

I was very taken by the books blurb, and I was eager to see what Brighton had done with mind reading. Also the cover is purely gorgeous.

Even though I enjoyed the story, there was several things I disliked in it. Right in the beginning I had a hard time relating with Cameron, and understanding why she even wants to be friends with Emily. All the possible reasons are shallow, and it doesn’t make her any more likeable.

The beginning of the book had a lingering feeling on it and I would have liked it to continue to the end of the book. Unfortunately after Cameron leaves with Lewis, the pace speeds up, and I felt like missing lots of potentially interesting stuff. In my opinion it would have done the book good, if Cameron being with the other mind readers and learning her skills would have gotten more space in the book. The amount of happenings in the end makes it feel a bit rushed and we’re introduced to characters we never really get to know at all.

At first I got a bit Edward vibes from Lewis, but he proves to be a bit more crookier than that. I did like the complexity of the character, and I felt sorry for Cameron for falling for him. I loved how Brighton made it all make sense later, why Cameron had so easily trusted him in the beginning. What it comes to other characters, I think Brighton is a bit too fond of stereotypes. But I think the antagonist was relatively well done, and I liked the twist at the end.

I don’t know really. I want to read some reviews from true teenagers about this one, since it seems to me, that there’s some YA books that I like very much, and then there’s some like this, that doesn’t do it for me at all. I found Cameron to be shallow and childish most of the time, and actually the only character I found likable was Caroline, and her we don’t really see that much. For me there was also lots of things, that I just couldn’t believe, for example why didn’t her grandmother teach her how to shut others out (wouldn’t that have saved them from a lot of trouble?), and then the “dorm” in the cellar (can’t say more without spoiling).

Mostly this book made me frustrated, since the story had so much potential, but it ended up just annoying. I had no trouble finishing the book though, since even with all the things that annoyed me, the story itself kept me reading, and I wanted to know how it ends. I liked the “Six Months After” bit, and I might read the sequel, if it ever gets published. Apparently the first book takes rounds in N.Y. with editors at the moment, so might be a while if it goes to traditional publishers.

I think this is a nice book for teenagers who can really relate to Cameron, but others might have some difficulties to truly enjoy it.

The first half of the book had me a bit dubious. Cameron was a bit too accepting of anything these perfect strangers told her and, having never been a big fan of romance or teenage obsession and girls falling for guys solely because they're beautiful, that also put me off it a bit. However it's all explained and it was quite a revelation to both me and Cameron what comes next.

The main characters are quite well fleshed out, and I loved the struggle of emotions between Cameron and Lewis in particular. However it got a bit trivial trying to discern who's truly the bad guy and who you can safely trust, and I feel that the mind reading capabilities were also over-used. Maybe I just expected differently, but it suddenly almost felt like I was reading an X-Men comics, where people can do all sorts with their minds, rather than just being "limited" to reading the thoughts of others.

Some weak points throughout the book, but overall I really liked it and the final cliffhanger just hooked me utterly. There'd better be more coming!

http://boroughofbooks.blogspot.com/2011/02/mind-readers-by-lori-brighton.html

Cameron can read the mind of others and her grandmother can too but its been drilled into her from a young age that she can’t reveal her ability and not use her power to intervene. But the murder of a fellow student and the appearance of a mysterious boy in town pulls Cam into the world of the mind readers where she finds out that there others with powers like hers and they are being hunted.

Cam has this amazing power yet instead of using it to help others and do the right thing she uses it to blend in, make friends and keep her attention seeking best friend Emily happy. That really bugged me about her because she knew what kind of person Emily was yet was friends with for all that time. It isn’t until Lewis comes to town that she starts breaking out of her shell.

So basically there’s two sides vying for the mind readers and they both seem like they have ulterior motives. SPI is supposedly hunting and going after mind readers while Aaron is taking them under his wing and “protecting” them. Both sides seem shady and Cameron doesn’t know anything--just what she’s been told so hard for her to trust either side. Like Cameron I didn’t know which side was good and which side was bad but I definitely think there’s more to SPI than meets the eye.

The ending’s a cliff-hanger and well it keeps the reader hanging. I have no idea whats to come but I hope we get some answers in the next instalment. If you’re looking for a lighter paranormal read with mystery, suspense and romance then I suggest The Mind Readers.

The Mind Readers is the first young adult novel by Lori Brighton and the first book by Brighton that I have read. I was immediately drawn into the story of Cameron when I first heard her voice describing the thoughts of the people in the diner she was sitting in. She hears one man describing how he wants to kill his girlfriend and another is thinking about robbing the diner. Before either man does anything, knowing that only one of them will actually proceed with his plan, she gets up and walks away.


After years of living with her grandmother, Cameron knows when to use her mind reading ability and when to keep it a secret. Exposing her abilities had only caused problems for her before and she kept them hidden from everyone. But when Cameron and her friend discover the body of another friend washed up on the beach, Cameron must use her abilities to find out who killed her friend and help protect whoever may be next. At this same time Lewis, a mysterious new guy, comes to town and he may just have a few dangerous secrets of his own.


The story opens with the mysterious murder but lends itself to so much more. In exposing the murderer, Cameron's abilities become common-knowledge in her school and instead of becoming the hero, she is ostracized by her friends and classmates. In what seems like a rash decision, Cameron leaves town with Lewis to learn more about her powers and find solace with those who are like her. This is where the story really begins. Not knowing who to trust and what to believe, Cameron begins to question if she has done the right thing by leaving her grandmother. Who are these people she is has chosen to live with? Is she ready for what may be coming her way?

Brighton has written a fantastic story about paranormal abilities. Every face-paced moment is filled with tension as I, like Cameron, questioned is this really happening? Who is lying? Who can be trusted? The Mind Readers, likely written as a first of a series, allows for so many possible ways for this story to continue. Filled with characters who definitely have their own stories to tell, I cannot wait to read what will happen next.