Book Review – Perfect Lies by Kiersten White (Out Today!)

Annie and Fia are back in this excellent sequel to Mind Games!  (You can read our review of it here.) If you haven’t read Mind Games you should go do that now and stop reading this review, since there is literally no way to do Perfect Lies justice without giving excessive spoilers for Mind Games.

Perfect Lies picks up directly after the ending of Mind Games, with Annie lying on the ground pretending to be dead after Fia has faked murdering her. Annie, who is ‘gifted’ with visions of future events, walks into the situation at the end of Mind Games believing that Fia will kill her. Because she loves her sister, she goes willingly to what she believes will be her death (and what everyone from the evil Keane Foundation sees and believes to actually be her death.) Fia, however, who is ‘gifted’ with perfect instincts, has other plans that Annie didn’t see in her vision. She orchestrates Annie’s ‘murder’ to eliminate her use as a bargaining chip by the Keane Foundation. And she expertly manipulates the situation to engineer her sister’s protection, leaving her in the capable hands of the Learner Group.


While Annie believes that Fia is going to join her, Fia again has plans that she cannot see. Fia returns to James and the Keane Foundation in order to bring down the organization from the inside. Much of her point of view in the novel illustrates her growing distrust of her own instincts as she begins to doubt James’ motives and her own abilities. We are treated to the introduction of the marvelous ‘Pixie’ (as Fia refers to her) – a reader who is working as Mr. Keane’s secretary who may or may not be on Fia’s side.

Just like Mind Games, each chapter opens with a point of view designation (Annie or Fia) and a time designation. Each time designation is in reference to the climactic event of the book, and it is spectacular – you will not be disappointed. There are more plot twists, secret motives, murders, and lying liars who lie than ever in this gripping conclusion to Annie and Fia’s nightmare.

Honestly, the thing I was most impressed with was White’s ability to use descriptive language (or lack thereof) to give the reader a real sense of what it is like to be blind. As I was reading the passages told from Annie’s point of view, I was startled to realize that I wasn’t getting my usual clear ‘inner mind’ vision of her surroundings, just a sort of nebulous feel for who and what might be around her. It was startling and effective. Similarly, as I read the passages from Fia’s point of view, I found myself growing somewhat paranoid thinking that everyone around me had a secret ulterior motive. Clearly, White is a gifted author.

Perfect Lies By Kiersten White

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