THE HYPNOTISTS (Includes Spoilers)

THE HYPNOTISTS.

 

First of all, I enjoyed these books. The series was good. I don’t think that it’s as good as many of your more recent books, but I think it was overall pretty good. ⅘ Stars.

 

There were lots of pros and cons. The best character by far was Tommy. I’m sorry we didn’t get to see much of him in Book 2, but he was the best character. He was my favorite, he was so witty and so snarky. His attitude. He would’ve been an awesome friend and reminded me in many ways of Ben (SWINDLE). 

 

I think all of your side characters were great and had some pretty good introductions. I liked Kira, Wilson, DeRon, and Felicity. Corporal. The mom and dad. For one, I liked how actively the mom and dad were involved in the story. Ashton and Monica Opus have my heart. Oh, and Stanley! How could I forget him? I liked who he was and how adorable the 8-year-old was.

 

So, for the pros. Loved the introduction to Book 1. It definitely got my attention and I was so confused at why the driver was absolutely crazy. I enjoyed the basketball game and how Jax dominated. (Second of all, I really like the name Jackson “Jax” Opus. That’s such a cool name!)

 

This book series really had your touch of Korman humor. I laughed multiple times throughout all three books. No matter how dire it seemed, it always got a smile or snigger out of me. One time I laughed out loud!

 

In Book 2, you introduced the FBI really well. I felt a serious connection with that guy (my mom had recently been searching for house colors, and I used to be really into architecture and indoor design) and you’re honestly great at writing adults. No wonder. But I like who and how you introduced them in all three books.

 

I really like how active the plot was! Exactly my kind of story, that’s for sure. Constantly doing stuff and learning new things, and always getting into danger. This was very action/adventure-y with the hint of Sci-Fi that I love.

 

So now, for the cons.

 

There wasn’t anything in particular that I disliked about Book 1, but I did notice that overall, the books didn’t have very “satisfying” endings. I feel like you could have tied it all together with a neat little bow at the end of Book 3 but you kind of didn’t, just ending it on a dialogue. I feel like if you had a “slice of life” or a “denouement” it would have been a much more satisfying ending.

 

However, most of my problems are with Book 2. I loved Book 1 and really enjoyed Book 3, but Book 2 really just felt like filler. Nothing was going on for the first 60% of it and then it finally got into the action for the last 25%. I feel like you traumatized Jax for no reason with those war memories, and then never addressed it because it never comes up again! I also think that the “Benders Only” site part was confusing. It was really cool and you could have gone much, much farther with that idea. But then you delegated it to Mako. It was like every single thing revolved around Mako and that didn’t invite any more creative plotlines.

 

Also, Jax was traumatized a lot throughout the series and only had a freakout, like, once. I do like how you addressed him being depressed, though you didn’t call it that or delve particularly deep into it.

 

My biggest issue with THE HYPNOTISTS was how dark it was. It could barely qualify as middle grade! Like, the supposed “deaths” in Book 1 totally caught me off guard! Let me list all the times someone was almost murdered in the series:

 

• The Jumper on the Bridge

• Mr. & Mrs. Opus on the Subway

• Jax on the 15-Story-Building

 

• The Three People in D-Day

• Avery when He was Shot

• Oscar (but he died)

• AXEL BRAINTREE!!

 

• Jax, with the gun TO HIS HEAD in Book 3

 

Which, compared to MASTERMINDS:

 

• Eli’s dad to Eli in the end of Book 3, where he got squashed by a Manta Ray!

 

There was a lot more almost-death and really bad implications in THE HYPNOTISTS. And what it looked like to onlookers? A lot of almost murdering of oneself which is a really, really tough topic. Even more than murder which is something we as humans have been desensitized to. It really rubbed me the wrong way.

 

What also got to me was how overused it was. Like, instead of being dark, it could have been funny! Instead of the Opuses almost dying on the Subway, Mako could have delegated it to Wilson or something! Or maybe he could have hypnotized a bear to attack them! Or hypnotized all the animals in the zoo to be released!

 

He could have hypnotized them to commit crimes that would send them to jail for a while or ruin their lives! The jumper? He could have been hypnotized to try and kidnap Jax from school, or something! It didn’t even have to be dark, he could have been hypnotized to become a salesman for something silly like nerf guns and would only accept a yes from Jax.

 

It could have been so ludicrous! I also feel like the D-Day scene was just… not really unnecessary. I think it was very important to acknowledge but a great way to show that yes, hypnotism is a big deal and it can have drastic effects on the hypnotist. But like… the part with Avery blowing up people felt dark for no good reason, really. And just all the death. It didn’t really fit with the rest of the story.

 

What got me though is how Jax’s trauma from reliving D-Day was just unaddressed… he just “dealt with it” for the rest of the series. Jax needs therapy! Badly! His life was turned upside down! He was kinda losing it!

 

But yeah. Overall, just way too dark for something for middle schoolers, in my opinion.

 

That’s not to say it wasn’t good. The darkness definitely added to the stakes and made me as a reader care a lot. I liked the series.

 

Oh, and here are my cons for execution. First of all, I like the length of all three books. Your style rocks! But like I said, there was a lot of filler in Book 2. The plot also just felt irrelevant. We could have just dropped the “Avery Quackenbush” thing and continued on with Mako. You also could’ve dropped the “FBI” thing, since nothing actually happened with it. Avery Quackenbush being controlled by Mako felt like a cheap excuse to avoid a plot hole. (Why is Mako so powerful?) And for all of Mako’s power, it was really anticlimactic for him to just be beat by a 13 & 8-year-old at the end of the book. It would have been cooler if they had some epic boss battle or whatever at the end. I did like his character though.

 

Elias Mako was a great character. I wish we could have learned more about him! Speaking of, I thought the “Hypnotic History” was amazing. Like, AMAZING! That was so clever, Gord! It also makes tons of sense. So many things in history happened that just… what?! Had to be hypnosis.

 

Oh, another thing that annoyed me. The “Chosen One” thing. I feel like at least once a chapter it said “And since Jax was the convergence of the Opus and Sparks lines, he was the most important in the universe”. Like, okay. It was cool when we first realized it in book one, but you kind of just kept saying it. Chosen one trope is… yucky!

 

Oh, and Stanley! Why did some random kid who also happened to come from a special hypnotist line just appear? No foreshadowing, no nothing? (There wasn’t much foreshadowing for many things, so it just felt random.) A big question, too: What was Stanley doing in the USA? I thought his family was Slavic. Anyways.

 

Your plot twists were on point. Mako being Ferguson? I guessed that and when I realized, my jaw DROPPED. Like, dropped! That was a great twist and it made a lot of sense when I realized! Great foreshadowing there.

 

However, a plot twist I didn’t really like was the “Liam Opus” thing. I know it ended up being a hoax at the end, but what? That just… didn’t make sense. I know it wasn’t supposed to but having a secret brother? It really showed how bro was off his rocker after interacting with Avery’s memories, that’s for sure.

 

Oh, another plot twist. Monica being a Sparks. That one was great and I wasn’t expecting that. It would’ve been cooler if you led up to it though, and made us as readers figure it out. Good job there.

 

I also really liked the Army taking Jax under their wing, but the HoWaRDs being randomly disbanded didn’t make a lot of sense. Anyways.

 

I also loved Axel Braintree’s character. He was just awesome. But after he died, he was only talked about, like, twice? Hello! He’s like, the second greatest of all time Hypnotist! Why was he just forgotten? Whatever.

 

Anyways. I probably have more thoughts, but I have to go get my hair done, and I am getting very off track. Anyways, solid ⅘ story. Good job, Gord.

 

Be blessed,

 

Jade