Review: The Legacy Human (Singularity #1) by Susan Kaye Quinn

The Legacy Human

Author: Susan Kaye Quinn

Series: Singularity

Publisher: Self

Pages: 412

Release date: 2^nd March 2015

Synopsis (Goodreads)

Spiritual successor to the bestselling Mindjack trilogy… 

When transcending humanity is the prize, winning the Game is all that matters.

Seventeen-year-old Elijah Brighton wants to become an ascender—a post-Singularity human/machine hybrid—after all, they’re smarter, more enlightened, more compassionate, and above all, achingly beautiful. But Eli is a legacy human, preserved and cherished for his unaltered genetic code, just like the rainforest he paints. When a fugue state possesses him and creates great art, Eli miraculously lands a sponsor for the creative Olympics. If he could just master the fugue, he could take the gold and win the right to ascend, bringing everything he’s yearned for within reach… including his beautiful ascender patron. But once Eli arrives at the Games, he finds the ascenders are playing games of their own. Everything he knows about the ascenders and the legacies they keep starts to unravel… until he’s running for his life and wondering who he truly is.

The Legacy Human is the first in a new young adult science fiction series that explores the intersection of mind, body, and soul… and how technology will challenge us to remember what it means to be human.

Review: 3 ½ out of 5 stars

First things first! How awesome is the cover, I absolutely love it and it suits the story within perfectly.

The Legacy Human is the first book in the Singularity series and unfortunately started off quite slowly for me so I originally put it aside and started it again recently when my mood suited which I’m pleased I did because it is an interesting, creative world Susan Kaye Quinn has created.

Seventeen-year-old Elijah Brighton is a legacy human, kept because of his genetic code, he is fiercely loyal and has a passion for art. His dream is to become an Ascender so that he can possibly get the medical assistance that his ill mother urgently needs. Eli was a great character, I usually like my male leads with a little bit more self-assurance and strength but what I felt he lacked here he made up for with intelligence and devotion. There is also something a little ‘different’ about Eli that was hinted at in the beginning that I was quite eager to learn more about, I found this aspect interesting and was explained well.

When Eli is given an opportunity to compete in the creative Olympics, he is more than willing despite the fiercely competitive opponents, as well as political games from the Ascenders. The plot is original and thought-provoking, what started as a slow paced read for me picked up and kept me thoroughly entertained.

The richly detailed world Susan Kaye Quinn has built is imaginative, intense and unique, I enjoy a good sci-fi dystopian, the Ascenders who are part human part machine are now the dominant species and the humans are more or less their slaves, the Olympics that the Ascenders held were competitive and thrilling.

All of the side characters were interesting and played an important role overall, I found the Ascenders and their unusual ways to be interesting but I never quite knew whether or not they could be trusted. I loved the friendship Eli shared with Cyrus.

Susan Kaye Quinn’s writing is crisp and engaging, the world-building is unique and the plot once it took off became an action filled adventure. The Legacy Human is a nice start to this futuristic dystopian series.

About the author:

YOUNG ADULT SCIENCE FICTION
Singularity Series
The Legacy Human (Singularity 1)

Mindjack Saga
Open Minds (Mindjack #1)
Closed Hearts (Mindjack #2)
Free Souls (Mindjack #3)
WATCH the award-winning live-action Mindjack Book Trailer!

STEAMPUNK FANTASY ROMANCE
Third Daughter (The Dharian Affairs #1)
Second Daughter (The Dharian Affairs #2)
First Daughter (The Dharian Affairs #3)

ADULT URBAN FANTASY WITH A CYBERPUNK TWIST
Debt Collector Season One
Debt Collector Season Two
WATCH the Debt Collector Book Trailer

ANTHOLOGIES
Synchronic-13 Tales of Time Travel
Telepath Chronicles-Stories of Mind-Bending Awesome
AI Chronicles

MIDDLE GRADE
Faery Swap
WATCH the Faery Swap Book Trailer

Susan Kaye Quinn grew up in California, where she wrote snippets of stories and passed them to her friends during class. Her teachers pretended not to notice and only confiscated her stories a couple times.

Susan left writing behind to pursue a bunch of engineering degrees, but she was drawn back to writing by an irresistible urge to share her stories with her niece, her kids, and all the wonderful friends she’s met along the way.

She doesn’t have to sneak her notes anymore, which is too bad.

Susan writes from the Chicago suburbs with her three boys, two cats, and one husband. Which, it turns out, is exactly as a much as she can handle.

CONTACT SUSAN
Susan's Website/Blog | Susan's twitter | Susan's Facebook Page
Susan's Email: susankayequinn@comcast.net

All images/blurb/author details etc. have been copied from GoodReads

Cover Reveal + Giveaway: Free Souls (Mindjack Trilogy #3) by Susan Kaye Quinn

I am pleased to be able to share with you today the cover for the third book in The Mindjack trilogy, Free Souls by Susan Kaye Quinn.

Free Souls by Susan Kaye Quinn

(Book Three of the Mindjack Trilogy) Now Available!

When your mind is a weapon, freedom comes at a price.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.

Amazon– Goodreads

(Note Free Souls is not yet available on Kobo or iTunes)

 

 Available on Amazon, Barnes&Noble

Mindjack Origins Collection

Want more Julian? Wondering how Sasha’s ability really works? Looking for EXCLUSIVE DELETED SCENES from Free Souls? This collection of novellas, scenes, and other goodies is for those craving a bit more of the characters and drama of the Mindjack series.

Includes:

Mindjack Novellas

Mind Games (Raf’s story)
The Handler (Julian’s story)
The Scribe (Sasha’s story)

TWO EXCLUSIVE DELETED SCENES from Free Souls (published nowhere else!)

PLUS Mindjack flash fiction, an (imaginary) conversation between Raf and Julian, and other goodies for readers who want just a little bit more of Kira, Julian, Raf, and the Mindjack crew.

Available on Amazon, Barnes&Noble

ENTER TO WIN

one of FIVE ecopies of the Mindjack Origins Collection

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Open Minds (Mindjack Trilogy #1)
by Susan Kaye Quinn

Published November 1st 2011 by CreateSpace

When everyone reads minds, a secret is a dangerous thing to keep.

Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can’t read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can’t be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf’s mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she’s dragged deep into a hidden world of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her.

Mindjack Trilogy (novels): Open Minds, Closed Hearts, Free Souls
Mindjack Origins (shorts): Mind Games, The Handler, The Scribe

Recommended Reading Order
Mind Games (prequel short story to Open Minds)
Open Minds
Closed Hearts
The Handler
The Scribe
Free Souls - coming soon

For more information, see MindjackTrilogy.com

Amazon– Goodreads

Closed Hearts (Mindjack Trilogy #2)
by Susan Kaye Quinn

Published May 23rd 2012 by Createspace

When you control minds, only your heart can be used against you.

Eight months ago, Kira Moore revealed to the mindreading world that mindjackers like herself were hidden in their midst. Now she wonders if telling the truth was the right choice after all. As wild rumors spread, a powerful anti-jacker politician capitalizes on mindreaders’ fears and strips jackers of their rights. While some jackers flee to Jackertown—a slum rife with jackworkers who trade mind control favors for cash—Kira and her family hide from the readers who fear her and jackers who hate her. But when a jacker Clan member makes Kira’s boyfriend Raf collapse in her arms, Kira is forced to save the people she loves by facing the thing she fears most: FBI agent Kestrel and his experimental torture chamber for jackers.

Mindjack Trilogy (novels): Open Minds, Closed Hearts, Free Souls
Mindjack Origins (shorts): Mind Games, The Handler, The Scribe

Amazon– Goodreads

 

Susan Kaye Quinn is the author of the bestselling Mindjack Series, which includes three novels, three novellas, and a trailer. She’s currently writing a steampunk fantasy romance and has plans to start the New Year by writing Singularity, an androids-of-the-future series that will appeal to fans of the Mindjack novels.

In her prior life, Susan pursued a bunch of engineering degrees and worked a lot of geeky jobs. Now that she writes novels, her business card says “Author and Rocket Scientist.” All that engineering comes in handy when dreaming up paranormal powers in future worlds or mixing science with fantasy to conjure slightly plausible inventions. Susan writes from the Chicago suburbs with her three boys, two cats, and one husband. Which, it turns out, is exactly as much as she can handle.

Website - Twitter - Facebook - Goodreads

Blog Tour - Closed Hearts (Mindjack trilogy #2) by Susan Kaye Quinn (Review/Interview/G!veaway)

I am so pleased to be able to participate in Susan Kaye Quinn’s blog tour for the sequel to Open Minds, Closed Hearts.

(Book Two of the Mindjack Trilogy)

Author: Susan Kaye Quinn

Series: Mindjack Trilogy
Pages: 

Genre: Young Adult

Amazon: Barnes & Noble

Synopsis 

When you control minds, only your heart can be used against you.

Eight months ago, Kira Moore revealed to the mindreading world that mindjackers like herself were hidden in their midst. Now she wonders if telling the truth was the right choice after all. As wild rumors spread, a powerful anti-jacker politician capitalizes on mindreaders’ fears and strips jackers of their rights. While some jackers flee to Jackertown—a slum rife with jackworkers who trade mind control favors for cash—Kira and her family hide from the readers who fear her and jackers who hate her. But when a jacker Clan member makes Kira’s boyfriend Raf collapse in her arms, Kira is forced to save the people she loves by facing the thing she fears most: FBI agent Kestrel and his experimental torture chamber for jackers.

Now available (released 5/23)!

$2.99 Ebook at Amazon (and Amazon UK) and Barnes and Noble

Paper copies available at Amazon or get signed copies from the author (see sidebar)

Early PRAISE for Closed Hearts

"Closed Hearts was a gripping read and I never knew what would happen next, I was hooked from the moment I started reading." - Michelle Smith, Much Loved Books Blog

"This is really a great followup to Open Minds. It's exciting, it advances the plot, it's heartbreaking, it perfectly sets up the next book, and it pushes Kira into the position of heroine once again ... whether she wants to be, or not." - Rhiannon Frater, author of As The World Dies

"The twists and turns kept me guessing and chuckling in delight; I love to be surprised. Kira is forced to come to grip with some heavy issues in this book, and she has to make hard choices." - Carol Riggs on Goodreads

Looking for more Raf? Try this short prequel to Open Minds from Raf's point of view:

Raf, a regular mindreader, is in love with Kira, the only girl in school who can't read minds. Raf struggles to keep his thoughts about her private, but secrets are something that only zeros like Kira can keep. As he works up the nerve to ask Kira to the mindware Games, his friends have other games in mind for him. 

PRAISE FOR MIND GAMES
"I loved Kira in Open Minds ... but getting Raf's POV in Mind Games was a real treat." -TwiMom101 Book Blogger

Available for $0.99 at Amazon and Barnes and Noble or FREE at Smashwords (which has formats for all e-readers).

Susan Kaye Quinn, Author 

Susan is the author of the bestselling YA novel Open Minds, Book One of the Mindjack Trilogy, which is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes. The sequel Closed Hearts was just released 5/23. Susan's business card says "Author and Rocket Scientist," but she mostly plays on Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

INTERVIEW

Welcome to Obsession with Books Susan, Are you able to tell us a little bit about your Mindjack trilogy and yourself?

I’m a mom of three boys, engineer, and life-long geek. The Mindjack trilogy isn’t my first novel, but I feel like it’s the first series I’ve written that combines all of my geekiness (in the scifi elements) and my love of action/adventure stories, while still having a couple good kisses in there. :) The story itself is about a future world where everyone reads minds except one girl. She soon discovers she can control minds and is dragged into a hidden underworld of mindjackers.

When and why did you begin writing?

I just began writing fiction in a serious way a few years ago, inspired by the amazing middle grade and young adult stories my kids (and nieces) were reading. I had written a lot of stories as a teen myself, but went on to do serious things like work for NASA and get my Ph.D. in engineering. It’s been a revelation to come full circle to my creative side again.

What is your ideal day as an author?

I get obsessed with my writing. A day of nothing but eat-sleep-write is bliss. I’m having one of those weekends coming up - a writing retreat will a fellow Indelible author (The Indelibles are a group of 25 Indie authors that I’m a member of) - can’t wait!

Do you mind telling us how long it took for you to write Open Mind and Closed Hearts?

Open Minds took 2 years, concept to completion, although I wrote a couple other novels during that time as well. Closed Hearts was 6 months, and that was just about all I did - eat-sleep-write Mindjack#2!

Are you able to describe what your writing process is like?

When I first started writing, I was a pantser - writing by the seat of my pants as I figured out the story. I’m now an avowed plotter. My process continues to evolve, but right now I’m plotting Mindjack#3 with a cork board, pins, and little scraps of paper. I’m very much a tech kind of girl, but I’ve found writing by hand inspires my creativity. Once I have a story plotted, chapter by chapter, I’ll start drafting (on the computer)- then I write very quickly, getting through the first draft as fast as I can. Subsequent drafts can take as long as the first, but serve different purposes (craft, voice, story, etc). I usually go through 4-6 drafts before I’m done.

Is there a book you are reading at the moment? And do you tend to favor a particular genre?

I’m a huge SF fan from my youth, but now I mostly read YA and MG. I’m trying out Barry Eisler’s Rain Fall (an adult novel) next, just to see if I can still enjoy adult stories! I recently read the third book in Holly Black’s Curseworkers series (Black Heart) and just adored it.

If your series was to be made into a movie, who would you chose to play the roles of your main characters Kira and Raf?

I would love to see the Mindjack Trilogy as a movie, but I’m horrific at casting. I will leave that up to the movie people, who surely know what they’re doing better than I do.

What special ability, if you could chose would you have?

I would like to be able to heal people - I think that’s one of the greatest gifts a person can have.

Quick Questions:

Fave band / television series / movie? Green Day/ Big Bang Theory/ Star Trek The Reboot

Coffee or tea? Tea, always. Strong, straight, no sugar or cream. None of that sissy stuff.

E-reader or hardcopy? Usually ereader, but hardcopy if I’m getting it signed!

Cats or Dogs? 2 cats who like to chew my electrical cords.

Ideal travel destination? Italy. Someday I’ll get there. Meanwhile, my husband travels there every year for business, scoping out all the romantic spots he’ll take me to someday. Or at least that’s what he says. :)

Thank-you so much Susan for taking time to talk to us today!

Thank you for having me!

 

REVIEW: 4 out of 5 stars

What a wonderful thrill ride we are taken on in Closed Hearts, the second book in Susan Kaye Quinn’s Mindjack Trilogy.

I was instantly mesmerized by this amazing tale about Kira Moore who is what is known as a Mindjacker, after the events which took place in the first book Open Minds, Kira and her family are now in witness protection with new identities and utilizing her father and her abilities performing mindguard security work for a billionaire.

Kira is a strong character, I love her determination and the way she has now accepted and embraced what she is. She grew for me as a character from the first book and had more of an understanding of what she could actually do; she had her weak moments but considering what she was going through it was certainly understandable.

Kira’s boyfriend Raf plays a bigger role in this book, when he is kidnapped and taken to Jackertown, Kira finds herself working closely with the resistance leader and a unique Jacker known as a Mage, Julian to try to not only save Raf but also Julian’s sister who is being kept in a detention centre.

The Mind Jacking concept is certainly captivating and fresh and the world Ms Quinn has created unique yet scary all in one. We still have our villains from the first book Molloy and Kestrel but added to the mix is Senator Vellus with a political agenda of his own, I am eager to see how everything pans out in the next installment – each of these guys are completely evil and written perfectly.

I literally devoured Closed Hearts, it is a book filled with danger, action, mystery, romance and a great deal of suspense. The ending had me gaping so the next book in the series is a definite must-read for me.

Ms Quinn’s writing is absolute perfection and the world and characters she has created are amazing. Closed Hearts is a sequel that took me on an amazing thrill ride; it’s a gripping read that I didn’t want to end.

I am definitely anxious to get hold of Book three in this trilogy, Free Souls.

GIVEAWAY

Author, Susan Kaye Quinn has kindly offered one very lucky follower a chance to win an ebook copy of her novel, Closed Hearts (or book 1, Open Minds if you have not yet read it) as well as a copy of Mind Games.

The lucky winner will be randomly selected through random.org and announced on Monday 4th June 2012.

This giveaway is open to everyone.

GOOD LUCK!! and thanks again to Susan.

Cover Reveal - Closed Hearts (Mindjack Trilogy #2) by Susan Kaye Quinn

I recently read Open Minds (see my Review) by the wonderful Susan Kaye Quinn and absolutely loved it so I am excited to be able to participate in the cover reveal for Closed Hearts, the second book in the Mindjack trilogy.

Author: Susan Kaye Quinn

Series: Mindjack Trilogy

Pages: 326

Genre: Young Adult / Sci-Fi / Dystopian

Publisher: CreateSpace

Release Date: 23rd May 2012

Amazon: Closed Hearts

Susan's Website/Blog | Susan's twitter | Susan's Facebook Page

Coming May 23rd...

Closed Hearts (Book Two of the Mindjack Trilogy)

When you control minds, only your heart can be used against you.

Eight months ago, Kira Moore revealed to the mindreading world that mindjackers like herself were hidden in their midst. Now she wonders if telling the truth was the right choice after all. As wild rumors spread, a powerful anti-jacker politician capitalizes on mindreaders’ fears and strips jackers of their rights. While some jackers flee to Jackertown—a slum rife with jackworkers who trade mind control favors for cash—Kira and her family hide from the readers who fear her and jackers who hate her. But when a jacker Clan member makes Kira’s boyfriend Raf collapse in her arms, Kira is forced to save the people she loves by facing the thing she fears most: FBI agent Kestrel and his experimental torture chamber for jackers.

Release Date: May 23rd, 2012

Click Here to sign up for the Virtual Launch Party on May 23rd! There will be prizes, reviews, bonus content, did I mention prizes? Come join the fun!

PRAISE FOR

Open Minds (Book One of the Mindjack Trilogy)

“Being a fan of dystopian and sci-fi in young adult books this was exactly the type of book I was hoping to fall in love with and absolutely did ...YA readers who love authors like Ally Condie, Veronica Roth, Lauren Oliver and others would be missing out if they failed to pick up Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn. Join Kira on her journey to save her fellow mindjackers and potentially change the landscape of her world forever.”

— Danielle Smith, book blogger at There’s a Book

“Susan plunges readers into a compelling and frightening world where nearly everyone can read minds when they come of age. The very idea makes me shudder. This is easily one of the best books I've read not only this year, but in recent years.”

— Heather McCorkle, author of The Secret of Spruce Knoll

"Susan Kaye Quinn's Open Minds is an edge-of-the-seat YA sci-fi, where 16 year-old Kira dodges psychological bullets from all sides."  — Catherine Stine, author of Fireseed One

Open Minds $2.99 on Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes&Noble, and iTunes

Susan Kaye Quinn, Author

Susan Kaye Quinn grew up in California, where she wrote snippets of stories and passed them to her friends during class. She pursued a bunch of engineering degrees and worked a lot of geeky jobs, including turns at GE Aircraft Engines, NASA, and NCAR. Now that she writes novels, her business card says "Author and Rocket Scientist" and she doesn't have to sneak her notes anymore. All that engineering comes in handy when dreaming up paranormal powers in future worlds or mixing science with fantasy to conjure slightly plausible inventions. Susan writes from the Chicago suburbs with her three boys, two cats, and one husband. Which, it turns out, is exactly as much as she can handle.

Susan’s Other Works

Open Minds

In His Eyes Anthology (includes Mind Games, a short prequel to Open Minds)

Life, Liberty, and Pursuit (a teen love story)

Full Speed Ahead (short afterstory to Life, Liberty, and Pursuit) 

REVIEW: Open Minds (Mindjack Trilogy #1) by Susan Kaye Quinn

Author: Susan Kaye Quinn

Series: Mindjack Trilogy

Pages: 326

Genre: Young Adult / Sci-Fi / Dystopian

Publisher: CreateSpace

Amazon: Open Minds

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is a zero, someone who can’t read thoughts or be read by others. Zeros are outcasts who can’t be trusted, leaving her no chance with Raf, a regular mindreader and the best friend she secretly loves. When she accidentally controls Raf’s mind and nearly kills him, Kira tries to hide her frightening new ability from her family and an increasingly suspicious Raf. But lies tangle around her, and she’s dragged deep into a hidden world of mindjackers, where having to mind control everyone she loves is just the beginning of the deadly choices before her.

REVIEW: 4 out of 5 stars

I was pleasantly surprised by Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn, the first book in the Mindjack Trilogy.

Sixteen-year-old Kira Moore is what is known as a zero, someone who can’t read minds or be read by others; she is low in the social rankings and not considered trustworthy or befitting of any important roles within society.

Her only friend is Rafael Santos, who has already gained his reader ability but when she inadvertently controls his mind and almost kills him, their relationship changes and she is shocked by her new found, scary ability.

Thinking she is alone in what she is going through, she is surprised when Simon Zagan befriends her and ‘knows’ her secret, for he too is what is known as a Mindjacker (a person who can more or less control someone’s mind) but has learnt to fit in with other readers. When he tries to recruit her into a group of Jackers known as the Clan, Kira’s life becomes completely unraveled.

I really enjoyed Kira as a main character, she was fiercely loyal to those she loved but was really torn with what she was learning; I truly felt for her. Raf was dreamy and Simon a bit of a mystery, I wasn’t too sure of his intentions; whether he was sincere in his feelings for Kira or using her to learn more about her unusual ability.

The journey Kira undertook to save others like herself was certainly noble and outing the baddies knowing what the possible consequences would be to not only herself but also to those she loved showed the strength she had as a character, she always thought before she acted which I liked, I am keen to see what comes of the Jackers now the readers know of their existence.

Open Minds was a page turner, I was constantly surprised by what was happening; the world which Ms Quinn has created is fascinating yet also terrifying; imagine your every thought and emotion available to everyone – scary!

Open Minds is certainly a unique and intriguing story, Ms Quinn’s writing was engaging and  entertaining and I am quite eager to learn more about Readers/Jackers in the next installment.

All in all, Open Minds is a wonderful YA with a futuristic setting that would certainly appeal to anyone who enjoys Sci-fi with a touch of romance.