Mind Bond (The Interspecies Telepaths #1) by Julie Haydon
Title: Mind Bond
Series: The Interspecies Telepaths, #1
Author: Julie Haydon
Published: Feather in Cap Publishing; 2013
328 pages, kindle edition
Source: Netgalley
Description (from Goodreads):
The year I turned sixteen, the media featured reports of a worldwide phenomenon – the emergence of Interspecies Telepaths, or ISTs."
When Christa Wilder mind-bonds with Magnus, a wolf pup, on a camping trip in Sakima National Park, her life changes forever. As the bond between Christa and Magnus grows stronger, other ISTs befriend them, including teenage Romy and her mountain lion, and Karl, a famous wildlife artist, and his golden eagle.
But not everyone is happy that ISTs exist or that wolves have been successfully reintroduced to Sakima, especially when wolves begin killing livestock on nearby ranches. Suddenly, with the first wolf hunting season about to open just beyond the park's boundaries, Magnus's pack is placed in jeopardy.
Even inside the park there is danger because a lunatic is slaughtering animals while staying one step ahead of the authorities. Next on the hit list: a wolf.
And, unbeknown to Christa, her brother, Josh, who went missing on his fifth birthday, has reappeared, but what sort of man is he? Why is he keeping his identity a secret?
Soon Christa is forced to commit to a new life full of challenges, friendships, learning, love and loss. With her psychic grandmother and her best friend, Ava, Christa will explore her spiritual beliefs, discovering a deep connection with nature and Spirit. But, most importantly, Christa will discover the sheer joy of the Mind Bond.
When Christa Wilder mind-bonds with Magnus, a wolf pup, on a camping trip in Sakima National Park, her life changes forever. As the bond between Christa and Magnus grows stronger, other ISTs befriend them, including teenage Romy and her mountain lion, and Karl, a famous wildlife artist, and his golden eagle.
But not everyone is happy that ISTs exist or that wolves have been successfully reintroduced to Sakima, especially when wolves begin killing livestock on nearby ranches. Suddenly, with the first wolf hunting season about to open just beyond the park's boundaries, Magnus's pack is placed in jeopardy.
Even inside the park there is danger because a lunatic is slaughtering animals while staying one step ahead of the authorities. Next on the hit list: a wolf.
And, unbeknown to Christa, her brother, Josh, who went missing on his fifth birthday, has reappeared, but what sort of man is he? Why is he keeping his identity a secret?
Soon Christa is forced to commit to a new life full of challenges, friendships, learning, love and loss. With her psychic grandmother and her best friend, Ava, Christa will explore her spiritual beliefs, discovering a deep connection with nature and Spirit. But, most importantly, Christa will discover the sheer joy of the Mind Bond.
My Thoughts:
DNF 28%
The reason I joined Netgalley, apart from being jealous that all my fellow Goodreads friends were getting all these fabulous ARCs, was to get access to this book. I was instantly drawn to Mind Bond not only because of its eye-catching cover and its intriguing description but because of the premise it introduced - mind-bonding with animals, wolves for that matter and there isn't anything I love more than a good wolf book. Unfortunately, this wasn't anything that it promised to be. Maybe that's because I set the bar too high and it was never going to be able to reach it but regardless, this was nothing but a disappointment.
The character of Christa bothered me to no end. Not only was she a little too headstrong for my liking she was just... well, weird. Not in a Luna Lovegood way either - not a cute, quirky, set-them-apart-from-everyone-else kind of weird. No, she was more of the peculiar weird. Christa has these visions of wolves. One time of the alphas having sex - which were a little to graphically described for my liking, just on a sidenote - and immediately believes, without a doubt, that the wolf bitch in the national parks that she camps at is pregnant. Is it just me or do most people believe that dreams are just dreams...? I most certainly don't believe everything I dream. My God if I did the most crazy-assed, random things would happen! Anyway, this was completely unbelievable and it was just plain old weird how Christa became way absolutely obsessed with the pact. Yes, we all know she is going to bond with one of the pups but I still didn't believe that it was handled right.
The actually "bonding" didn't have the correct level of emergency to it. If a wolf pup talked to me in my mind I would freak or scream or react in some sort of way. Christa was all too calm and blasé about it. It wasn't a big deal to her and it should have been. We might not know much about ISTs this far into the book but we do know that they aren't that common so she shouldn't have dismissed the notion so readily.
Her relationships with all the other characters managed to piss me off more than anything else. They are so polite to one another! I don't just mean between strangers and it isn't even in a upper-class-manners sort of way either. They speak so formally between one another, between family and to her boyfriend, her friends, her grandparents - its weird! When I am talking to people I am comfortable around I speak casually, as do most people. Christa's politeness and her goody-two-shoes-goodness only managed to annoy me. She came across as some sort of pre-made mould for the perfect child. It wasn't natural.
Overall I have to say that I struggled to make it this far into the book. Not what I expected, not what I wished for. I am disappointed to say the least.
Note: a copy was provided courtesy of Julie Haydon and Feather in Cap Publishing through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process.
DNF 28%
The reason I joined Netgalley, apart from being jealous that all my fellow Goodreads friends were getting all these fabulous ARCs, was to get access to this book. I was instantly drawn to Mind Bond not only because of its eye-catching cover and its intriguing description but because of the premise it introduced - mind-bonding with animals, wolves for that matter and there isn't anything I love more than a good wolf book. Unfortunately, this wasn't anything that it promised to be. Maybe that's because I set the bar too high and it was never going to be able to reach it but regardless, this was nothing but a disappointment.
The character of Christa bothered me to no end. Not only was she a little too headstrong for my liking she was just... well, weird. Not in a Luna Lovegood way either - not a cute, quirky, set-them-apart-from-everyone-else kind of weird. No, she was more of the peculiar weird. Christa has these visions of wolves. One time of the alphas having sex - which were a little to graphically described for my liking, just on a sidenote - and immediately believes, without a doubt, that the wolf bitch in the national parks that she camps at is pregnant. Is it just me or do most people believe that dreams are just dreams...? I most certainly don't believe everything I dream. My God if I did the most crazy-assed, random things would happen! Anyway, this was completely unbelievable and it was just plain old weird how Christa became way absolutely obsessed with the pact. Yes, we all know she is going to bond with one of the pups but I still didn't believe that it was handled right.
The actually "bonding" didn't have the correct level of emergency to it. If a wolf pup talked to me in my mind I would freak or scream or react in some sort of way. Christa was all too calm and blasé about it. It wasn't a big deal to her and it should have been. We might not know much about ISTs this far into the book but we do know that they aren't that common so she shouldn't have dismissed the notion so readily.
Her relationships with all the other characters managed to piss me off more than anything else. They are so polite to one another! I don't just mean between strangers and it isn't even in a upper-class-manners sort of way either. They speak so formally between one another, between family and to her boyfriend, her friends, her grandparents - its weird! When I am talking to people I am comfortable around I speak casually, as do most people. Christa's politeness and her goody-two-shoes-goodness only managed to annoy me. She came across as some sort of pre-made mould for the perfect child. It wasn't natural.
Overall I have to say that I struggled to make it this far into the book. Not what I expected, not what I wished for. I am disappointed to say the least.
Note: a copy was provided courtesy of Julie Haydon and Feather in Cap Publishing through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process.
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