Suspicious Minds - Book Review

Suspicious Minds (Stranger Things Novels #1)
by Gwenda Bond

What is it about:
A mysterious lab. A sinister scientist. A secret history. If you think you know the truth behind Eleven’s mother, prepare to have your mind turned Upside Down in this thrilling prequel to the hit show Stranger Things.

It’s the summer of 1969, and the shock of conflict reverberates through the youth of America, both at home and abroad. As a student at a quiet college campus in the heartland of Indiana, Terry Ives couldn’t be further from the front lines of Vietnam or the incendiary protests in Washington.

But the world is changing, and Terry isn’t content to watch from the sidelines. When word gets around about an important government experiment in the small town of Hawkins, she signs on as a test subject for the project, codenamed MKUltra. Unmarked vans, a remote lab deep in the woods, mind-altering substances administered by tightlipped researchers . . . and a mystery the young and restless Terry is determined to uncover.

But behind the walls of Hawkins National Laboratory—and the piercing gaze of its director, Dr. Martin Brenner—lurks a conspiracy greater than she could have ever imagined. To face it, she’ll need the help of her fellow test subjects, including one so mysterious the world doesn’t know she exists—a young girl with unexplainable, superhuman powers and a number instead of a name: 008.

Amid the rising tensions of the new decade, Terry Ives and Martin Brenner have begun a different kind of war—one where the human mind is the battlefield.

What did I think of it:
I really enjoyed the Stranger Things series on Netflix, so when I ran into this prequel novel I couldn't resist.

And this is a cool and suspenseful story even while knowing some of what the future will bring.

I was soon totally engrossed in the story and was rooting for Terry and her friends to figure out what was going on and to get out of this story alive. I especially liked Alice and wouldn't mind if she gets her own book.

I did think that Bond kept the story on the surface. There are emotional moments, but it doesn't go deep. The storytelling is more on the events than what people are feeling most of the time.

All in all I really enjoyed this story and might pick up more Stranger Things related books.

Why should you read it:
It's a cool read for Stranger Things fans.


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