“A State of Mind” was actually the first Libby Drew novel that I read, after which I became an instant fan. I still remember staying up at four in the morning on a school night, loathing myself because I simply couldn’t summon enough willpower to put it aside for later!The story follows the Organization, a secret agency consisting of "gifted" men and women with paranormal, psychic powers of persuasion and telekinesis. "A State of Mind" thrives on several strengths, including a riveting plot and a clever concept that is an entertaining nod towards other secret agent and superhuman novels. However, I think its biggest strength lies in its amazingly well-developed characters.One such character is Nicolas – one of my favourites. He is an egotistical brat, a jealous bitch, with borderline ambiguous motives, but at the same time remained a reliable friend. I thought this combination of flaws and strengths really humanized him to the point that I felt sorry for him being third-wheeled. Both protagonists were similarly well-fleshed out. Grier is a brooding, cynical, at times socially awkward, wisened, deadly warrior with a sad childhood who eventually becomes quite devoted to Alec. Alec is archetypically blond and stubborn to the point of irritation, but he’s also quick witted, reserved yet flirty, with enough loyalty and good heart to make him both a relatable and an admirable character.Another thing that I enjoyed is how Libby balances the romance with the action. It was simply perfect. The unresolved sexual tension keeps on growing and doesn’t get in the way of their pulse-racing escapes, nor does the action subvert the chemistry between them – it enhances it. Libby builds up their relationship through several sweet (and life-threatening) moments until that one, explosively huge, satisfying bedroom scene. I usually skip over sex scenes in novels, or I observe them with the detached manner comparative to how an entomologist might regard the dissection of an insect specimen, but this scene worked for me because of how well it was planned. I remember screaming into the air:“Well ABOUT F*CKING TIME!” (pun intended)Now regarding the action. Libby’s prose is vivid, without a touch of purple, and she knows how to structure her sentences to amp up the adrenaline. The most memorable scene of the entire novel I thought would have to be Alec and Grier’s confrontation with Kay at the restaurant. I was hanging on every single bloody word, and the way the situation was resolved I thought was very clever. Libby’s characters were proactive, and their autonomous thinking/actions impressed me on numerous occasions.One area that I wasn’t entirely convinced was regarding the villains. In contrast to the protagonists, I felt that they weren’t very well developed and were rather stereotyped. In particular, the way Kay dismissed Alec’s friendship was unrealistically abrasive, and she quickly faded from being a source of intrigue. I thought if she had suffered from more ambiguity it would have humanized the antagonists a little more and made them more interesting. Another thing that I noticed is that Libby sometimes uses the mirror technique to describe character appearances, which kind of makes me go “oh I see what you did there…”… and now I’m just being nitpicky.Although I can’t seem to think of any deep-rooted themes that correlate to this book, I honestly don’t really care. "State of Mind’s" primordial purpose was to entertain, and it more than delivered. I laughed, bit my knuckles in anticipation, fell in love with Alec, with Grier, with Nicolas, pumped my fist in the air when Kay fell to her death, and didn’t regret going to school the next day feeling like death because I had stayed up all night reading.And typing up this review.Overall, I really enjoyed "State of Mind." Thank you so much Libby Drew for writing it! I have to say that, first and foremost, rating this book is a bit hard. Certainly there were aspects of the book that really appealed to me, like the concept of the Gifted as well as the mental connections the characters formed with each other, whether intentionally or not. But some of it fell flat as well, like the main relationship and the conspiracy plot.Now, don't get me wrong, I cared for Grier and Alec. But it seemed to me that the romance slowed down a bit towards the second half of the book. Sure, the tension was there, but for me it was just drawn out for too long. There was an immediate attraction and they almost had sex but after that we go back to the build-up of the relationship. In some ways I appreciate the fact that they didn't have affections for each other five seconds after they meet, and that Grier and Alec actually engaged in verbal banter, but stretching the build-up actually caused me to slowly lose my connection with the characters. Anyway, there were good points to this as well, though. Like I said before, I loved their initial banter and I love how they don't really mention the word "love" - I felt that, given the pace and timeline of the book, it was much too soon. I appreciated them not talking about their feelings, because honestly? Men, especially the hard-assed ones, don't do that a lot.The plot honestly confused me a few times. We were given explanations and information but not being a very political person myself, I couldn't follow the conversation and often I got confused as to who the bad guys really were. Also, I thought the final confrontation and resolution was a bit too tidy even with the few consequences our protagonists and their allies faced. However, I want to say again that the concept of the Gifteds was really interesting and while there was little to no world-building at all, I didn't feel lost. It was really just the confusion I felt regarding the politics and organizations.I did like a few of the characters, though. Nicolas and Nora, while they both may seem either a bit too over-the-top or stereotypical, were actually very intriguing. At least, for me, they were. Despite choosing one side over the other, I felt that they both emphasized the presence of shades of gray not only in politics, but also in the whole world in general. I heard that there was going to be a sequel for Nicolas soon, so I'm definitely looking forward to that. He needs to do a lot of growing up, but I want to see him truly happy for once.Overall, I had a few problems with this book but I still liked it. I'm looking forward to reading more this author's books.
What do You think about State Of Mind (2010)?
i forgot the story but remember i sort o like it -shrugs-
—faith
The only character I cared about was Nicolas...
—Hrishikesh
