Title: The Mind's Eye
Pages: 352 pages
Genre: YA Historical, Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Clean Teen Publishing
Date published: March 30, 2014
Synopsis:
A girl with a telepathic gift finds a boy clinging to his last hope during the war-torn climate of Europe, 1940.
At fifteen, Kit Cavendish is one the oldest evacuees to escape London at the start of the Second World War due to a long term illness that sees her stuck in a wheelchair most of the time. But Kit has an extraordinary psychic power: she can put herself into the minds of others, see through their eyes, feel their emotions, even talk to them – though she dares not speak out for fear of her secret ability being exposed.
As Kit settles into her new life in the North Wales village of Bryn Eira Bach, solitude and curiosity encourage her to gain better control of her gift. Until one day her search for information on the developing war leads her to the mind of Henri, a seventeen-year-old Norwegian boy witnessing the German occupation of his beloved city, Oslo. As Henri discovers more about the English girl occupying his mind, the psychic and emotional bonds between them strengthen and Kit guides him through an oppressive and dangerous time.
There are secrets to be uncovered, both at home and abroad, and it’s up to Kit and Henri to come together and fight their own battles in the depths of the world’s greatest war.
Review
The story starts out with Kit and her brother being shipped off on a train during wartime. You know right away that she is disabled, but the story doesn't revolve around how she isn't normal. Rather, the story revolves around her psychic powers and how she strives to expand those powers while also striving to improve her physical mobility. She's a strong, brave, fighter of a character who does what she can to be useful to those around her.
You also get so emotionally involved in the lives and fate of all the characters, even the ones you may have hated at the beginning. Take Blod and Dr. Bickerstaff; I was convinced I hated them at the beginning of the story, but somehow I became invested in how their story would turn out. It's hard not to become attached to all of them and feel for them when things go awry.
The concept of the story is pretty cool. How often do you read about characters with psychic powers who help out during WWII? It's not an idea I've come across until now, and I must say the story succeeded in thoroughly captivating my attention, so much that I couldn't wait until it was morning so I could finish reading the book.
The relationship between Kit and Henri is a sweet one, and when Kit spoke to Henri for the first time I was laughing just imaging how Henri must have felt having someone talking to him inside his head. They are sweet together, and are an incredible team when they work together, even if they are not together physically. If that makes sense, haha.
I loved this story because of the many different qualities it possesses. It's light and funny at times, romantic and sweet, dangerous and adventurous, and sometimes even sad and heartbreaking. It's a well-rounded story that I feel everyone should read. And because I absolutely adored The Mind's Eye, I give it 5/5 Platypires!