Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Perfect lies by Kiersten White

Perfect lies is the sequel to Mind games / Sister Assassin so this review contains ***SPOILERS*** - if you like to read series in order then stop reading this review and read the first book in the series.

Annie is on the outside - she is free from the School.  Fia is also free, without Annie as a hostage the School has no hold over her - but her love for James keeps her tied to him.  Annie was waiting for Fia to join her, but as the months slip by she realises that Fia isn't coming, that their freedom means they are separated.  As long as the Keane Foundation thinks Annie is dead she is in theory safe, but that is only a theory when the Seers and Feelers can operate over great distances and find people through their connections - no matter how tenuous. 

For the first time in years Fia doesn't have to worry about the Keane Foundation controlling her through Annie - she is instead standing beside James as he plots to bring down the Foundation from the inside.  It is a plan they don't talk about, a plan they barely dare to plan - because if you plan the Seers can see it and then their whole plan is blown before it is even thought of.  For the first time in her life Fia feels like she can trust someone completely, and that is a novel experience, but it is also a time of frustration.  Fia wants to move, she wants to do something, her body is telling her to move - and instead she is stuck babysitting "Pixie" and trying to stay unfocused and fuzzy.

The paths are set for both sisters and as the time to act draws nearer the paths begin to shift and turn, changing from solid ground to quicksand.  The only things keeping Fia sane are her faith in James and his plan, and the fact Annie is safe from the Keane Foundation.  Annie is away from the Keane Foundation but the Lerner group is a complicated organisation with its own quirks and pitfalls.  As the time to act draws nearer the sisters each set their own paths - but will they both survive their decisions?

Perfect lies is the sequel to the very cool Mind games / Sister assassin and I was really looking forward to reading the book to see what happens next for Fia and Annie - and I have to confess that I was more than a little frustrated with the book and nearly gave up on it a few times.  One of the biggest frustrations for me is the jumping backwards and forwards between Annie and Fia - this is not a new tool for writers, but the frustration came from the huge time difference between the two stories.  For Annie we are talking months, for Fia we are talking hours.  I know that this is partly tied into the story and the fact that Fia can only plan so far in advance, but it was still an annoyance! 

The world of Fia and Annie is a twisted little world with strangers become friends, friends becoming betrayers, and an undercurrent of fate bubbling beneath the surface.  The cast of characters is still small, but growing a little bit because Annie is now in the real world and Fia is meeting new people too.  Without giving too much away it feels like there is still more to come for Fia and Annie, so I will not be surprised if there is another book in this series - White wrote three books for the Paranormalcy series so maybe this will also be a trilogy.  Hopefully book three will lose some of the quirks of Perfect lies to make a smoother and more enjoyable read.

If you like this book then try:
  • Sister assassin / Mind games by Kiersten White
  • Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
  • Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
  • Every other day by Jennifer Lynne Barnes
  • Unremembered by Jessica Brody
  • Slated by Teri Terry
  • Agent 21 by Chris Ryan
  • Origin by Jessica Khoury
  • Raven's gate by Anthony Horowitz
  • Eve by Anne Carey
  • Adaptation by Melinda Lo

Reviewed by Brilla

No comments:

Post a Comment