Mind Games

by Zofia von Huck

Infamous hacker Kristoph and his best friend, wealthy heiress and art student Elene barely escape with their lives after Kristoph is hired to download a top-secret file known as Plan43 from RamCo, the world’s most powerful Mega-Corporation.

In a bid to protect Elene from those who seek to use her name and her fortune, Kristoph urges her to run and hide. Too late he realises that he has inadvertently given her the file. Now he must find her and the plan before RamCo, and whoever set him up do.

Kristoph is aided in his search by Ariel, a drug-addicted spy who has been watching him for the past year and has fallen madly in love with him. Now that she has him, Ariel will go to any lengths to keep him, going so far as to take liberties with the truth. After all, now that he has her, why should he need another woman in his life?

As Kristoph delves into the workings of the Mega-Corps, trying to distinguish accurate information from Corporate propaganda, he finds that there are others searching for Plan43, others who seem to know a lot about him, making his search all the more urgent.

All the while Ariel’s obsession and manipulation grow ever more extreme and toxic, leaving Kristoph doubting himself and all that he thinks he knows.

How can he differentiate the truth from what others want him to believe? How can he find Elene and Plan43 when he cannot trust those who are supposedly helping him?

Mind Games expolores themes of loyalty, friendship, and romance, in a world of corporate corruption and media manipulation.

591 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 30, 2024

About the author

Zofia was born in Poland, lived in Mexico, grew up in New Zealand, and now lives in Sydney with her partner, two children, and four cats. She studied screenwriting, and after graduating wrote and directed a stage play Super Creeps, that played to sold out audiences in the Wellington Fringe Festival. She works at a prominent Australian university providing teaching support to students. When she is not working or writing, she is a breastfeeding counsellor, and sometimes fosters kittens.

Reviews

[Dari Malaunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review! 👾🌏🌐🔗👥🔏

Reading Mind Games has been an intriguing journey. It’s a massive book—over 1,000 pages in the electronic version—which can feel daunting, especially for a sci-fi novel. At times, the pacing felt stretched, and some dialogue sequences became repetitive, focusing heavily on the plan everyone was searching for and the ghost everyone was chasing. These moments occasionally caused my attention to waver.

However, the unexpected plot twists pulled me back in each time. I genuinely didn’t see them coming, which is rare for me as I often find modern books predictable. Mind Games kept me guessing until the very end, making the journey well worth it. Because of its unpredictability and the suspenseful turns, this book is a solid 5-star read for me!

⚠️ Spoilers Ahead – Proceed at your own risk!

Let’s dive into the details:

Ariel and Christopher’s Relationship: This dynamic was heartbreakingly bittersweet. Their inability to understand each other was incredibly frustrating (I’m not a fan of the miscommunication trope, though I know some readers enjoy it for the drama). Ariel’s toxic love and overbearing care drove Kristoph away, pushing him toward another woman. While he insisted that Elena was just a friend, come on—we all know better! Their unresolved feelings and silence were maddeningly relatable, capturing the messiness of real-life relationships.

The Dark Lady's Reveal: Wow. Just wow. This plot twist floored me. I was absolutely blown away—my jaw literally dropped. It was such an unexpected and brilliant turn! Definitely one of the book's high points.

Ariel’s Pregnancy: This revelation was another curveball I didn’t see coming. While surprising, it added depth to Ariel’s character. Her fierce determination to protect her child, even to the point of being willing to kill for them, showcased her strength and maternal instincts. Major respect!

Kristie, Howard, and the Rest of the Scoundrels: They frustrated me to no end, but their motives were layered and compelling. Kristie's actions to protect her child made sense, even if they were infuriating. And now I can’t stop wondering—could the child actually be Kristoph's? If so, that would be an epic twist!

In summary, Mind Games is a masterfully crafted sci-fi story that combines intricate relationships, shocking plot twists, and emotional depth. While the pacing and repetitive dialogue could have been tighter, the sheer unpredictability and strong character arcs made it an unforgettable read. I’m eagerly anticipating the second installment of this trilogy.
Bravo, Zofia Von Huck!

My rating system (explained):
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐: It touched my heart and soul in some sort of way. Satisfied in all means.
⭐⭐⭐⭐: I loved it.
⭐⭐⭐: Neutral - not good, not bad.
⭐⭐: It was not my cup of tea.
⭐: I was unwell while reading this book, obviously I didn't like it.

[AsherMaximum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting read.

My initial thoughts at the beginning were 3 stars, but the writing improved about a third of the way in.

The story is captivating, even though you come to hate at least one of the main characters. It's that perfect type of dislike that just makes you want to see them get better, or get what they deserve.

The exploration of relationship dynamics, abuse, drug abuse, and Stockholm syndrome is pretty well done. Not what I was expecting from this book, but it was very interesting.

The writing style could be improved. There's a rather excessive use of commas, and the overall style is rather unpolished.

The biggest problem though is the head switching. While the book is in the 3rd person, we switch from one character's perspective to another's within a single scene, based on seemingly nothing. While multiple perspectives is good writing, this was a bad implementation of it.

I would have liked to see a little more acknowledgement of a certain character's flaws by at least one of the other characters, but hopefully that will come in the next book.

The world building was… adequate. Could have been a little more fleshed out, but it was at least there. Some sections we vastly more polished than others, leading me to guess where the author spent more of their revision time. Would have been nice to see that throughout, but it was nice to see that the author can write like that.

Overall, it was a great read.

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I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Meg Bozarth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book! Full disclosure it did take me around 3 weeks to finish from start to finish because of the books very large page count. On my phone it was just under 800 pages. The book was very entertaining at some parts and other parts the pace did slow down dramatically, but then pulled you back in due to various plot twists and action packed scenes! All and all is was a very good read and I recommend it!

[Tia Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this sci-fi book - it was packed with entertaining moments! There's lots of twists and action that kept me hooked. The plot kept me interested even though I wasn't always reading and enjoyed everything from beginning to the end. Great for anyone looking for a fun and exciting sci-fi adventure! Thanks to Zofia Von Huck for the ARC! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Makayla Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only reason it wasn’t a five for me was there were some parts of the story that felt slow and/or repetitive. It’s hard to state what I really loved about it considering I don’t want to give anything away. For the most part it was written well, and I loved the thought that was put into it. I’d recommend it!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.