What a first book!!!

I've had this book since it first came out but kept putting it off, I actually couldn't tell you why, it just didn't intrigue me enough I think, plus I thought it was primarily a romance, don't ask me where I got that from!!! Lol. Well what a mistake that was. This book was awesome!!

In a world where everyone can hear your every thought, how do you keep a secret? That's what Kira has to do. Everyone thinks her a Zero, someone whom you can't read nor can they read you, but she has a secret that she has to keep because if it comes to light, it could kill her!

Kira was such an awesome character. She believes herself to be a Zero, someone looked down upon, but she finds out what she is and it could mean the death of her. She is determined, brave, loyal and a great heroine. I loved that she tried her best despite her lack of mind reading. I also loved her friendship with Rafe. He is a true friend to her throughout.

The plot was fast paced and addicting. The world the author created was captivating. I loved the different mind readers and how the author expanded on that. This is a book that will grip you from the very first page and not let go till the very end.

I loved pretty much everything about this!! The world building is unique and gripping. The characters were all well written and developed and the plot was truly entertaining. In fact, this is a must read!! Bring on book 2!

Kelli Shane did a good job, in parts. She had plenty of range and tone, she just didn't give a great performance. I think she needed to become more invested in the story!

*I received this via AudiobookBoom. This in no way affected or influenced my thoughts in any way.*

3 people found this helpful

Lackluster Performance

What did you like best about Open Minds? What did you like least?

I purchased this audible book to sync with the Kindle version. I typically do this because as I get deeper into a story I enjoy I find it hard to put down and having the audible version means I can usually continue the story while I do chores around the house. In this case however, I found myself so annoyed with the narrator that I actually only listened to about 25% of it via audio book.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

As for the story itself....there was not enough character development of Kira (the protagonist) for me to ever really come to like or care about her. Or any of the characters really. Simon seems abusive while Raf seems altogether too ineffectual. To say more would involve spoilers.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

The only word to describe the narrator's voice is "irritating". Perhaps she was chosen because she has a "young" sounding voice and the protagonist of the story is a teenager. Which would be fine if she injected a little enthusiasm for the story and inflection into her reading. Additionally, she manages to mis-pronounce several words and she just sounds plain BORED with the story.

Do you think Open Minds needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

The author does wrap everything up well enough at the conclusion that I could put the story aside and be well with that...It certainly did not leave me wanting more.

1 person found this helpful

Just getting started

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I don't like the Performance. I have fallen asleep three times trying to listen to this book. I think her voice is too monotone. The story though is good so far.

If you’ve listened to books by Susan Kaye Quinn before, how does this one compare?

This is my first book by Susan Kaye Quinn

Would you be willing to try another one of Kelli Shane’s performances?

no I would not.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes I would go see it.

Any additional comments?

I am just the first 5 chapters into the book, I like it. I like the premise and so far it's good. I just have a hard time with the performance.

2 people found this helpful

An easy listen

I liked this book better than I thought I would originally when I purchased it. The reviews were decent enough but I had reservations. The story is easy to follow and deals with topics that I like. There were times that I thought I knew what was going to happen and the author threw a curveball.

With regards to the narrator, I had mixed feelings. At times I enjoyed her performance but at other times she felt very monotone. She often reminded me of listening to my classmates reading aloud in English class in grade school.

I probably will listen to other books in the series since it was good escapism.

A terrific YA fantasy/ dystopian future adventure

Open Minds is a terrific YA fantasy/ dystopian future adventure. While the target audience seems to be teens, this book is good enough to be entertaining for readers of any age.

The narrator of the audiobook does a pretty good job, but gives a slightly monotonous performance. I think her narration could benefit from a larger vocal range to allow for more emotion and character differences.

I received a complementary copy of this audiobook. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Original & Exciting Story

Wow! what an original and exciting story. I really enjoyed the world the author has created for this series. The characters are very likeable and I quickly became invested in their journey. The narrator did a marvelous job bringing the story to life. I look forward to more

Slow starting, but too good to put down...

This book is everything that I expected from a Susan Kaye Quinn novel, great writing, and world building. I felt that it was a bit slow outta the starting gate, takin' me awhile to become fully vested in the characters, and story.
It could have been the narrator's fault, though... Kelli Shane was just too stiff with her delivery of SKQ's work... but, I found that I could deal with the narration, as the story was too good to put down!

Good Story.

I got this audiobook by the author for review.
This is the first book that I read from Susan Kaye Quinn. I really did like it. The characters are good. It was a nice story with a lot twist and turn and action, I enjoy from the start until the end and the narration was great.

High school is hard when you're different.

This was sort of a nightmare situation from my point of view. I guard my privacy and cherish my "head space" where I can be alone with my thoughts. To live in a world where no one's thoughts are private would be unimaginable to me, so thanks for taking me to a place my mind would not have gone on its own.

This was a nice, clean story of young love and angst with no sex or heavy petting. Lots of inner dialogue about coming of age, dealing with the casual cruelty of the peer group, and finding deep inner strengths one never suspected were there. I guess high school sucks everywhere and apparently that doesn't change in the future.

Now, about that narrator. Her voice was actually rather irritating right from the start. Her cadence was terrible, pausing in odd places (maybe to catch her breath as she seemed to be hurrying through the text) and not pausing where it would have made sense to. It was sometimes difficult to be sure who was speaking as she ran things together without enough change in delivery to be able to tell the characters' voices apart.

I received a free review copy of this audio book and the unbiased opinions I have expressed here are mine alone.

Incredible story

The story line kept me on the edge of my seat almost the entire time. Unlike many stories this one had me unsure what would happen next. I love the way this is written and the audible voice is very well done as well. I cannot wait to listen to the next in the series.