| Title | : | Free Souls (Mindjack, #3; Mindjack: Kira, #3) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle , Hardcover , Paperback , Audiobook & More |
| Number of Pages | : | - |
| Publication | : | First published December 14, 2012 |
Four months have passed since Kira left home to join Julian's Jacker Freedom Alliance, but the hole in her heart still whistles empty where her boyfriend Raf used to be. She fills it with weapons training, JFA patrols, and an obsessive hunt for FBI agent Kestrel, ignoring Julian's worries about her safety and repeated attempts to recruit her for his revolutionary chat-casts. When anti-jacker politician Vellus surrounds Jackertown with the National Guard, Kira discovers there's more to Julian's concerns than she knew, but she's forced to take on a mission that neither want and that might be her last: assassinating Senator Vellus before he can snuff out Julian's revolution and the jackers she's come to love.
TOP 5 FINALIST for 2012 Best Indie Book, Young Adult Fiction - The Kindle Book Review
MINDJACK SERIES READING ORDER
Open Minds (Book 1)
Closed Hearts (Book 2)
Free Souls (Book 3)
Locked Tight (Book 4)
Cracked Open (Book 5)
Broken Wide (Book 6)
Mindjack Short Story Collection (Book 7)
Free Souls (Mindjack, #3; Mindjack: Kira, #3) Reviews
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Thank you to NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.
Saw this one and realized that I was curious enough to finish out the trilogy. Which says something, you know? I mean, there are tons of series that I've dropped over the years, and I don't usually stick with something unless I'm genuinely interested in the outcome. Or maybe I was just out of books to read, and this seemed like a decent option? Whatever the reason, I'm glad I picked up the last book in the Mindjack Trilogy.
Kira and the rebels are trying to get the world in general to accept Mindjackers, but the PR machine that Julian is trying to get off the ground isn't working as well as they'd like. Most Mindreaders are (rightly) terrified by what these people can do, and with the political powerhouse Vellus running a smear campaign against them, things look bleak for Jackertown.
Then there's the problem of Julian being in love with Kira, while she's still trying to get a grip on her feelings with the spoilery thing that happened with Raf.
Time to move on, girl.
Free Souls was a fairly easy read that bumped along at a good pace. But after I finished it, I felt sort of meh about the whole experience.
These guys got their asses handed to them every time I turned the page, and, to make matters worse, it never felt like they were very clever about the way the attacked the Readers.
Which, to me, almost felt like they deserved it.
Or it could just be that I'm an asshole?
Besides, in the back of my mind, I kept thinking that these Jackers were awfully dangerous. Sure, just because you can take over someone's thoughts, or rewrite their memories/personality doesn't mean that you will.
But.
I would have liked to seen some sort of...something...put in place to keep the not-so-scrupulous Jackers in line. Yes, yes. They policed themselves, I guess. But it just didn't feel like enough.
Although, in the end, it seemed as though everyone would be able to somewhat take care of themselves. Ish.
This is a decent book, but the ending went off the rails a bit for my taste. I wasn't terribly comfortable with the solution, and quite a bit of it was anti-climactic, to be honest.
Still, it had that good The End thing going for it, and I'm glad I read it.
Ahhhhh. Feels nice to be able to finish something!
Also reviewed for:
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Susan did it again. Free Souls was WOW! I expected Kira to step up to her role as heroine but not like this. Even though I'm good at guessing, few events turned out anywhere near how I thought they would. The closest I came to a prediction was the romance that started early on and a pattern of setbacks building to the middle crises. Throughout the book, serious action and plot twists kept me riveted. Surprises kept coming until the very end which tied up more loose ends than I knew existed. Whew! Very satisfying.
Sorry, but no more details. Don't want to spoil it for you. Warning: Don't start reading until you have time to finish. I didn't want to put Free Souls down for a second. It's that kind of book. -
I feel conflicted about the ending. It was really not what I expected. Though, as expected, they pulled off the impossible several times. A few details were skimped over- like (spoiler alert!) how was everyone released from the detention wards? Also, the part with her mom seemed way too convenient, a solution tossed up to tie together many complex threads and keep the themes and morals intact. Several ephiphanies felt shoved in at the end so the characters could find a way to win their losing war, though I liked the one about Vellus.
I want to read the short stories from Sasha and Julian's pov's.
This trilogy was free or mostly free with amazon prime. -
Reader thoughts: I was quite pleasantly surprised to discover how much I enjoyed this end. Usually I have major issues with ends, esp of series (too many die, no one dies, the MC acts OOC, the MC acts weak, there's deus ex machina, etc). None of that happened here.
Kira is torn between keeping the jackers safe, keeping her family safe, keeping the changelings safe, and keeping herself safe. She has conflicting loyalties and dangerous secrets. Can she let herself love Julian when her heart still has a hole from Raf? Can she stop the senator if it means helping Kestrel? Should she follow orders or take the opportunity to take down the enemy?
I love the moral dilemmas Kira faces in these three books. Should she jack someone? Was it only right in situations of self-preservation? Was it only right against another jacker? Even then, it's not fair because she can't be jacked. It's a little like Cinder's issues in
Scarlet, and when she struggles with the morality of mind-controlling others.
I loved the growing relationship between Kira and Julian. It gets mushy only twice, and only briefly. I love that they both see past each others' looks to personality. Kira and Julian inspire people, work hard, and would sacrifice anything to save the jacker community.
The ending was better than I first realized. How do you end a book where 90% of the population is afraid of the other 10% and wants to imprison or poison them? What, do you write up a treaty? Send them to the moon? Make everyone play nice with new laws? No, think of the end of the
How to Train Your Dragon movie.
I also loved all the new words in this trilogy. Tru-casts? Ultra-lights? Mindjacking? Demens? It blends perfectly with the new technology.
My only real complaint about the books is that they could be more, longer, even without more povs. With conflicts this massive (world shattering), I'd expect the actual narrative/story to build more, to feel more epic. I've read
Wheel of Time and
Brandon Sanderson's massive tomes and expect a page of banter or cultural background or setting now and then. I can handle books with more tension building and world building (and whatever other buildings the author might want to throw in, just so nothing is rushed).
I suppose SKQ trusts her readers' imaginations to supply those details themselves. Maybe I've gotten lazy. (It helps that we have
Mindjack Short Story Collection to give us scenes from other characters.)
Writer thoughts: The scenes are packed on top of each other very well without breaks. We start in media res on page 1, and none of the scenes end without packing a hook or new conflict into the story. Here are the first few.
Scene #1 (Attacking electrical plant) starts with an explosion and ends with passing out to blowback.
Scene #2 (meditation with Ava) shows off epic mindjacking, has an argument, and ends with a siege.
This is one of the hardest things for me to do, as an author, and one of the subtler writing tricks that readers don't notice unless it's done wrong. -
Though this was a good conclusion to the series, I wasn’t as happy with Free Souls as I was with Open Minds and Closed Hearts. It was slower in pace and really only focused on Kira. She was basically acting alone in everything she did. She was too independent. Almost to the point where she shut everyone out most of the time. And though I know she was burned in the previous novels, I think it would have been more intriguing if she had a true partner in Free Souls to work with. Maybe even someone to give her a hard time once and a while. Keep her in line. ;)
Another thing I wasn’t thrilled with was the detail in the ops. I feel it slowed the pace of the action quite considerably. And with Kira being able to see into other minds, it sometimes felt dragged out with things that weren’t necessary happening to her.
The last thing that bothered me were the inconstancies from the previous novels. There were a few things in Free Souls that I didn’t understand, nor did this novel explain how something was one thing in one book, yet something else entirely in the next. A good example was Senator Vellus. Though the odd twist (one I won’t spoil) was definitely an awesome concept, it was weird to me how no one even noticed his true identity. Not even Julian, who mindjacked the Senator in the second novel.
The best part was the ending, in my opinion. I think it was perfect in its own way, even though it was definitely not what I expected or even wished for all the characters in this series. I will miss Julian and Kira! Mostly Julian. I really wish he was more involved in this novel. In any event, I highly recommend the series, because this is definitely a Sci Fi keeper!
For more book reviews, you can also visit my website over at
Ketch’s Book Nook. Thank you.
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Wa-hoo! The final installment of the Mindjack Trilogy! I've been loving this series and I'm so happy that Susan allowed me to read and review Free Souls for her. She has done a remarkable job with these books. I just love them. Oh. Have I said that already?
This series has all the great elements that I look for in a book. There is action and suspense, good character development, believable relationships and dialogue and that bit of romance that my heart craves. The constant action and energy in this book is just consuming. The whole concept of the mind abilities is so cool. I've not read anything quite like this before. These books are clean and that makes me so happy. It means that I can recommend them to anyone, including my daughter, and not worry at all.
I love to hate Kestrel. I just love to love Julian. I've been so torn up over Rafe. And Kira? I just want some happily ever after for that girl. All her strong and brave stuff needs some relief. In this last book, I'm happy to say that I got so much resolution without it becoming some pat ending in a box with a bow. Love this series. Love.
Another thing I love about this series is all the short stories that go along with it. These give you a glimpse into the characters minds individually. They are like little snacks in between the meat and potatoes. Really yummy snacks. I've been reading them all along but if you haven't read these books yet, you can get them all in one place along with some deleted scenes and some other fun bonus material. -
WHY DID I READ THIS?
There are few authors that can get me as angry as Miss Quinn.
The only reason I read this was because I wanted to know how things went down with Julian. And because Ms. Quinn writes good kisses.
Kira continues to find new skills including public speaking. Who would’ve thought? She gets manhandled into the PR side of the revolution because Julian suddenly gets all overprotective of her. It’s a bit cruel on the others because Julian loves Kira the newbie and she’s such a troublemaker. His followers don’t like her much because she’s pulling down their leader by her antics and he’s making decisions based around her well-being. Not smart. Kira is full of big ideas that never ever work. Her defeatists statements drove me up the wall.
At every bad choice that Kira made I wanted to put the book down. She’s impulsive and useless and just doesn’t think with her head at all. I was so disgusted when Julian went all, “You should be our leader." Seriously? Hell to the no.
I suffered through the formula that Kira and her jacker friends seem to enjoy going through. They engage in countless failures repeatedly. It was horrible to see them embark on all these missions and know that there’s no way they’re going to come out on top because that’s just not how this author works. I didn’t want to believe it but as they lose, get pushed around, and captured over and over, I couldn’t stop myself from shouting at the book. Someone give me a medal for finishing this.
Let's hope I leave the crap books behind in 2013. Happy New Year everyone. -
The end was kind of anticlimactic but a mind blowing kind of. It was amazing! The action scenes always had me holding my breath.
I don't have words to describe the book except it was mind blowingly amazing! I highly recommend this series.
It has action suspense and amazing plot line with great characters.
I want more and I'm excited there are novellas. -
Such a well written series! I think Kira is a fantastic character and I absolutely love Julian and Sasha. Definitely recommend reading all three books and novellas.
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I enjoyed Free Souls and thought it an excellent conclusion to the Mindjack trilogy that includes only
Open Minds,
Closed Hearts, and Free Souls. I recommend the series. I think it is entertaining and thought provoking. The trilogy explores real life concepts with some imaginary parallels in this science fiction world where mind reading is normal and "not mind reading" is abnormal.
I found some minor things about the book where I struggled to suspend disbelief. These were related to Kira, the protagonist, primarily. To me, there were times she behaved inconsistent with what I believed about her character and the reason I did not rate it five stars. I doubt many readers would notice.
I do think some reviews of the books in this trilogy are absurd, way out of line, and unfair to the writer and potential readers.
I can understand the aversion to invasion of privacy and the idea of people knowing what you are thinking, but the story takes place in that imaginary world where those things are a fact of life. Some reviews treat the story as if the mind reading were part of their reality in today's real world. It is unfair to the story to judge it solely based on elements of the environment where the story takes place.
This is good story writing for the most part and ought not be judged because of the imaginary world of the book. Sure, mention that the setting is difficult and effects your feelings about the story, that is fair. Despite that, this is a very good story about "good vs evil" fundamentally.
Conflict is essential in story telling. Good verses evil is common and is much what this trilogy is about.
The terrific and thought provoking twist in this trilogy is the minority turn out to be massively more powerful than "just mind readers" (the majority). Free Souls is the final book in the trilogy and concludes a number of conflicts
Susan Kaye Quinn sets up in her earlier books in the trilogy.
I think the book is interesting and thought provoking on multiple levels and the more you think about the overall story the more you realize how significant it is in comparison to many of today's current affairs and the affairs we've struggled with throughout history.
I didn't really address this book specifically at all. I assume if you read the first two books you will read this third book.
I was very confused regarding the "Mindjack universe" because the author released a number of "Mindjack world" stories that may or may not be related to this Kira Moore trilogy.
It reminds me of the
Divergent series where
Veronica Roth writes primarily about "Tris" but meanwhile writes some Divergent stories from "Four's" viewpoint. Another example is
Diana Gabladon writing her Lord John Grey books that are related to the
Outlander series quite separately from the Claire and Jamie story line.
My issue at this point is I have NOT read any other "Mindjack" books outside this primary trilogy. I have read all of the Divergent and Outlander books and their "side trips". So, as is common, I fear the things I do not know or understand in Susan's Mindjack world.
Fortunately, for me, I do intend to remedy my lack of knowledge and have already obtained all the Mindjack books and audiobooks where available. -
Inzwischen hat sich Kira der JFA angeschlossen und kämpft seit vier Monaten an Julians Seite um die Freiheit der Jacker. Doch dieser Kampf gestaltet sich schwieriger als zunächst angenommen, denn Senator Vellus möchte an Kira ein Exempel statuieren.
Kira hingegen erwägt alle Möglichkeiten, indem sie bereit ist, alles zu geben. Sie will ihre neuen Freunde nicht in Gefahr bringen, gleichzeitig aber auch ihre Eltern und Xander beschützen. Sie versucht den Spagat und riskiert dabei alles. Kann sie gewinnen?
„Gefährliche Träume“ beschreibt den dritten Teil der spannenden Sci-Fi-Reihe um die smarte Kira, die in einer Welt voller Gedankenleser aufwächst.
Da es sich bei diesem Werk um den dritten Teil einer Reihe handelt, bietet es sich an, die ersten beiden Bücher vorweg zu lesen, denn andernfalls könnte es zu Verständigungsproblemen kommen. Doch wer die ersten Bände kennt, kann sich hier entspannt zurücklehnen und sich auf ein weiteres Abenteuer der jungen Heldin einlassen.
Die Autorin Susan Kaye Quinn hat es bereits in den ersten beiden Bänden geschafft, den Leser durch ihre lebendige Erzählweise an die Seiten zu fesseln und mit jedem Teil wird die Erzählung noch aufregender und fesselnder.
Der dritte Teil ist so dramatisch und gefühlvoll, dass es ganz leicht ist, sich auf die Handlung einzulassen.
Nachdem Kira sich nun der JFA angeschlossen hat, ist sie ein ganz neuer Mensch geworden. Wer sie noch aus dem ersten Teil kennt, erinnert sich gerne noch an die schüchterne, teilweise depressive Kira zurück, die sich nicht wohlfühlte. Heute ist sie eine ganz andere Person. Ausdrucksstark, mutig und kompromisslos. Sie ist eine wahre Anführerin geworden, die neben Julian brilliert. Außerdem kämpft sie um ihre Gefühle, denn nach Rafs Manipulation glaubt sie kaum noch daran, jemals wieder lieben zu können. Doch Julian zeigt ihr ganz deutlich, dass sie sich da irrt.
Es bereitet in jedem Fall Freude, Kiras neue Entwicklung mitzuerleben und sich auf ihre Erlebnisse einzulassen.
Die Handlung selbst ist erneut realistisch und mitreißend beschrieben worden. Von Beginn an ist die Dynamik zu spüren, die diese Romanreihe so erfolgreich gemacht hat. Kira ist eine sympathische Person, und auch die anderen Charaktere lassen den Leser nicht kalt. Vielmehr ist es inzwischen ein Ensemble, dass den Leser begeistert und zum Weiterlesen verführt.
Noch besser als die ersten beiden Bände!
Mein persönliches Fazit:
Dieser Teil ist großartig. Von Beginn an fühlte ich mich perfekt unterhalten und konnte das Werk kaum aus der Hand legen. Es ist so spannend und dramatisch, dass ich einfach wissen musste, wie es weitergehen würde. Kira ist mir inzwischen richtig ans Herz gewachsen und zusammen mit Julian gefällt sie mir gleich doppelt so gut. Ihre Zusammenarbeit ist so herrlich erfrischend, dass ich mich in dieser Geschichte ideal aufgehoben gefühlt habe.
Kiras Erlebnisse haben mich bewegt und einfach nicht mehr losgelassen, weshalb ich das Werk auch ohne Einschränkungen empfehlen kann! Aber Achtung! Hier besteht Suchtgefahr.
Beginnt am besten mit dem ersten Teil der Reihe und erlebt die gesamte Entwicklung der jungen Protagonistin. Eine Geschichte, die sich einfach zu lesen lohnt. -
This series were ok. But I won’t be reading anymore from this Author and I truly regret that I bought all the mindjack books and here is why:
My first problem is that Kira is not the strong leading character that I had hoped for. She really doesn’t care about anyone other than her family and Raf (the guy she supposedly loves). If it weren’t for Julian (who is by far the best character of this series), Kira wouldn’t have helped the revolution at all. Even then it took her long enough. She was totally inconsistent. A lot of people died or got hurt because of her.
Kira’s affections are not believable at all. First there was Simon, who she dated simply because she couldn’t be with Raf and because he was teaching her how to be a jacker. Then, there was Raf who supposedly is her childhood love but is just a mindreader. There was nothing that made their relationship that special other then the fact that he was the only one who treated her as a human being when everyone thought she was a zero. In my opinion, that’s not reason enough to be madly in love with someone. Not that Kira really was with Raf as the Author tried to force us to believe.
After she loses Raf (thank God the book moved on from that drama) there was Julian. I loved Julian! He was kind, charming, strong, smart, honest and compassionate. He was the best. After months and months she finally gets together with Julian but only mentions in passing that she doesn’t want to lose the people she loves, alluding he was one of those people. Even though he was always by her side.
Then, I discover the author kills Julian in the Second Series about mindjack. WHATTT? WHY IN HELLL WOULD YOU DO THAT? KILL THE BEST CHARACTER YOU HAVE! R u nuts? That’s when I’ve decided it was it for me.
I ignored all of the gaps this series had because I truly believed in its potential. However, I now know it was a waste of my time and money.
It is just sad seeing a story with this much potential go to waste. -
I loved this series more than Divergent. In fact, I love all of Susan Kaye Quinn's books. She has well-crafted characters, fascinating story worlds, and plots that keep you on the edge of your seat. All six books in the Mindjack series, her Debt Collector series and her bollypunk Royals of Dharia were all devoured in one day, two at most. She has excellent story worlds, strong character, and plots that keep you turning pages. In Mindjack there is a world where everyone can read minds and communicate telephathically, but Kira is a zero, one who seemingly can't communicate, but she finds out she is something far more powerful - a mindjacker who can not only enter another person's mind, but control them. Wonderful dystopian novel. Read them all. Mind Jack 1 Open Minds, 2 Closed Hearts, and 3 Free Souls. Then move onto 4 Locked Tight, 5 Cracked Open, 6 Broken wide which follows Zeph, who can break open the toughest minds—or lock the weakest—which only means every Clan leader wants to own him. Buy them all and enjoy the binge. There are related Novellas as well.
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The third installment! After everything that Kira has gone through and she keeps on going. How do you do it Susan? I hope there are more stories in this world. A whole new world is opening up and Kira and Julian and Anna are on the beginning. Will Raf be a part of it now? Will more people join or will they come out of Jackertown? What will happen now? Great writing style. I have read all the other novellas and short stories that fill in some of the gaps and she is one of my new best authors! I can imagine the world and how many stories you could have in it. It is limitless! Each person has there own story!
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Loved the twists
Kiras romantic connection with Julian finally came to be. The parts that got me were how this evolution started and Vellus' real plan and what an ass Kestrel really was. A lot worse than Kiras worst nightmare. The action picked up even more intense than the second book and surprised me in a few ways with the introduction of new characters and the way that the poison backfired and actually squashed Kestrels plans. Yay. The nice part of the ending was how Kiras dream of being a doctor came about in a different way than she had imagined.
Recommend this book since it was the perfect sequel to the last one.
Kudos -
Really enjoyed it! Would love one more short ending when they are older.
Interesting ending. Not what I expected but it was good. Would be nice to have just one more book to close it out even more. Really enjoyed the characters and I was able to keep up with all of them! I've read other books where I've gotten lost or have had to write it down, but not with this series. I loved and hated all the characters as the story was designed to do. -
Good ending
This story was wrapped up pretty nicely. It did get a bit tense there for awhile and I was worried about the ending. -
long live the jackers!
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Really good
I'm still loving this series. After the first two books I was left unsure as to what would happen and I was not disappointed. -
A nice wrap up ofthe trilogy
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I started reading this series for two reasons. One, the covers are amazing. Seriously, look at all three of them. The covers hooked me and made me squirm with possibilities. Yes, I'm a sucker for a good cover.
Two, I'm pretty sure the virtual box set was on sale and I saw an ad for it. I say that because if Susan Kaye Quinn happens by I want her to know that the sale, and the ad, worked. I'd never heard of her until I saw the ad, with that cover, and clicked the link which brought me to the sale. Of course I read the description too which was enough to pull me the rest of the way into the boat.
So how is the story? Fascinating. Gripping. Exciting. How many other -ing words can I come up with? Too many, so let me give you some details. This is YA science fiction, set in the not-too-distant future. Society has changed a lot, due to all those drugs and chemicals we dump into the water without thinking. It messed with people's minds and made everyone into mindreaders. That's right, everyone can read each other's thoughts. Constantly. Can you imagine? I think I'd go insane.
On the one hand, how cool would it be to have that sort of communiction but on the other hand, do you really want to know exactly what the person next to you on the bus is thinking about your outfit, your hair, your face or your body odor? Some things are better left un-communicated.
Society has adapted to the new way of life to the point where anyone who can't mind read is a zero. A nothing. Less than dirt. A sub-citizen not to be trusted. So what happens when evolution steps it up a notch and some people can guard their own mind while being able to "jack" into someone else's? What happens when some people can control other people's thoughts, rather than just reading them? That, my friends, is what this trilogy is about. Change, and society's reaction to it, with a dose of mind powers. The story centers around one girl who starts out a zero and ends up a leader of the revolution to bring equal rights to everyone, even those with scary mind talents.
There's a ton of social commentary going on here, but beyond that it's a solid story with good pacing and a heroine I rooted for the entire way. She's smart, and trying to save her family and friends and change the world while dealing with changing hormones.
First Line (book one):
"A zero like me shouldn't take public transportation.
The hunched driver wrinkled a frown before I even got on the bus. Her attempt to read my mind would get her nothing but the quiet of the street corner where I stood. I kept my face neutral. Nobody trusted a zero to begin with, but scowling back would only make the driver more suspicious.
I gripped my backpack and gym bag tighter and climbed the grime-coated steps. The driver's mental command whooshed the door closed behind me. Yeah, junior year was off toa fantastic start already."
Look at all the wonderful things happening in the first couple of paragraphs! We know she's in high school, we know the world is very different from ours, and we know she's an outcast. The bus driver can read minds, but can't read our protagonists? Oh, yes, I'm hooked. I was hooked by the first sentence. It engaged, delighted, intrigued, and insisted I read on. That's a lot to pack into such a short sentence. And this was just the first book.
I didn't even pause between book one and two, and I barely took a breath between book two and three. To me, this was one long story that I loved from beginning to end. The world building is rich and full of detail but not overly done. It all made perfect sense to me. The fear of change or anything new, the distrust of anything unknown, the need to quarantine or neutralize the perceived danger from the unknown rather than understanding it...that all fit with what I know of our society today. I think you could remove the mindreading and insert any other societal norm you like and still have a solid story. But it wouldn't be nearly as fun, because I found the whole mind reading/mind jacking world fascinating.
This story feels a lot like The Hunger Games, without the starvation or forced tournament to the death. If you like realistic light science fiction give this a try. Get the boxed set, because you won't want to stop once you get started. -
Full review:
https://jessreviews877169955.wordpres... -
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After the second book, I got hooked on the Mindjack Trilogy. So I quickly bought the next book, eager to find out what happens next. Free Souls didn’t disappoint, but it could have been better. A few months have passed since Closed Hearts. Kira is now an active member of Julian’s Jacker Freedom Alliance. She’s also discovered new powers derived from her mindjacking ability. In the previous two books, Kira showed that she could jack into her own mind. This led her to unlock some pretty handy abilities.
Kira shows one of these new skills right at the beginning. During a mission, she goes into a hyped-up state. That’s what Kira calls going into her mind to dose herself with adrenaline. She also converts her muscles from slow-twitch to fast-twitch. Not sure how plausible that last bit is, but I chose to suspend disbelief. The conversion lets Kira run at superhuman speeds. This skill has a side effect, though. Kira refers to it as a blowback, a short period in which her entire body is completely sore and tired.
Another skill Kira shows is combining her powers with those of another jacker. She does this with Ava, which greatly extends their reach. Kira has been doing this to track down Agent Kestrel, the series main antagonist. He’s an FBI agent who has been doing horrific experiments on mindjackers. During their mental search, Kira and Ava detect Senator Vellus—another antagonist—miles away. He’s the most outspoken anti-jacker politician. Senator Vellus will prove a huge threat for the JFA. He orders the National Guard to surround Jackertown, their base of operations.
With Jackertown surrounded, the JFA finds itself between a rock and a hard place. Julian and his team will need to enlist Kira's father's help to get close to Senator Vellus. Patrick Moore has been working as Vellus’s mindguard (mental protection against jackers). The mission is soon rendered unnecessary when Vellus arrives at the perimeter of Jackertown. Did he just hand himself on a silver platter? Or will Kira and Julian face an unpleasant surprise?
The rest of the book keeps the excitement going. One thing I noticed is that the pace never seems to slow down. It almost appeared that Free Souls takes place over a single day. This makes some stuff seem hardly believable. For instance, Kira activates her hyped-up state several times. Knowing that she experiences hard blowbacks afterward, you’d think she would need a lot of rest. Mindjackers are just humans with special mind powers. Kira should have all but killed herself halfway through the book. One day is also nowhere near enough time for the multiple missions Kira and the JFA execute. I'll have to re-read to get a better sense of how much time the story takes.
All in all, Free Souls was a satisfying conclusion to the Mindjack: Kira Trilogy. The book could have been better, but it didn’t disappoint me. The ending was unexpected, although there were few ways the mindjackers could succeed. The way it happened, while questionable, was rather fitting.
My rating: ★★★★
4 stars - Definitely enjoyed it! -
FREE SOULS (Mindjack Trilogy #3) by Susan Kaye Quinn
ABOUT THE BOOK: When your mind is a weapon, freedom comes at a price.
The final installment of the Mindjack Trilogy is here!
Four months have passed since Kira left home to join Julian’s Jacker Freedom Alliance, but the hole in her heart still whistles empty where her boyfriend Raf used to be. She fills it with weapons training, JFA patrols, and an obsessive hunt for FBI agent Kestrel, ignoring Julian’s worries about her safety and repeated attempts to recruit her for his revolutionary chat-casts. When anti-jacker politician Vellus surrounds Jackertown with the National Guard, Kira discovers there’s more to Julian’s concerns than she knew, but she’s forced to take on a mission that neither want and that might be her last: assassinating Senator Vellus before he can snuff out Julian’s revolution and the jackers she’s come to love.
REVIEW:
The Mindjack Trilogy and its novellas are one of my favorite YA series this past year. Susan’s take on the Urban Fantasy/Dystopian genre delves into a world of what ifs-what if our drinking supply was so polluted with poisons that the human population developed various forms of mind-reading, mind altering and mind controlling abilities. And to complicate matters, those without any special ability declare everyone with altered minds as an enemy of the state. Big Brother never looked so evil.
Susan’s final instalment-FREE SOULS (released December 14, 2012) in the Mindjack Trilogy follows our heroine Kira-a young woman with abilities that far outreach many of the mind controlling powers of most of the people on earth-as she endeavors to reveal the truth behind the missing people and the involvement of government at every level. As part of the Jacker Freedom Alliance, Kira and the others risk their lives and the lives of the people they love to stop the politicians from wiping out the entire population of mindjackers-one person at a time-only now-the politicians have found a way to attack thousands of people all at once.
FREE SOULS and the MINDJACK TRILOGY is a well written, fascinating and wonderful series by Susan Kaye Quinn. There is plenty of action and reaction, suspense, and mystery. Many of the questions from previous storylines have been answered, but it wouldn’t hurt if Susan added a couple of novellas that tie into a few more of the members of the Jacker Freedom Alliance. Resolutions surrounding previous and new loves was anticipated and I liked how Susan didn’t complicate the ‘love-triangle’ potential-Kira is finally with the man who will cherish and treasure her for the rest of their lives-I love a happily ever after.
see all of my reviews at : thereadingcafe.com
