[Jade]

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

Ouch.

Glad you liked some of the story and some of the people. I never realized until now how very dark it was. But I have to say that I think the face to face hypnosis with the old man in Book 2 was breath-holding and suspenseful. And not a word about horseback riding into Manhattan?

The ending had to be the way it was because Jax was never going to lose his powers. He had to learn to swallow his impulses and not use them frivolously.

As for Stanley's family -- do you not think it possible that the military might acquire a weapon like him by any means necessary? They grabbed Jax when they found out about him.

Having said that, I see all your points. The very nature of the topic kind of defeated the series before it got started.

Sigh.                                                                                                                                                         --G--

[Jade]

Ouch?! Are you okay?! Even though I wasn't sure how to feel about how dark it was, I really liked it! Trust, you would know if I didn't like it. If it was really that bad I definitely wouldn't have devoured the books at lightning speed. Well, not lightning, but I kept reading because I liked the story. A lot.

Correction. I liked most of the story and all of the people. Even though some felt misplaced, and some filler... they were all pretty darn good. You're good at characters. And I really, really liked Tommy. And Jax. Most of the time, the main character gets on my nerves/lacks personality. Not this guy. Jax was so cool!

The face-to-face hypnosis was very cool. And suspenseful. Even though I don't really see why it belonged there, the D-Day scene was breathtaking. I really like what you did with the "diving deep into hypnosis lore" thing with the mirrors and the memories... it reminded me a lot of Legillimency (mind reading in Harry Potter) and I really, really liked it. Oh, it also reminded me a lot of The Giver by Lois Lowry. Which I absolutely adored and the movie was so awesome.

And you're right. Ugh, the horseback riding! I say this with a huge grin on my face--I could not take Black Quack seriously. I don't know why that is still making me crack up. Or should I say, quack up. (Did you see that?) That was so funny! And so cool! I absolutely adore how Kira came back and had a pretty prominent role near the end. Really shows her girlboss powers. Reminds me of Amber (MASTERMINDS), but more chill.

Oh, the ending was like, good. But I just wish it was a lot more dramatic. Less, "let's zap him at the same time!" and more "as the darkness threatened to encapsulate us it was just me, Stanley, and Mako" type. Remember how when Avery died, the world shattered around them? What if something similar to that happened with Mako? They were hypnotizing him so much that they went inside his mind and it was all crumbling around them? Flashes of each others memories? Something super cool like that.

Also, the "United Nations" meeting thing was a very genius idea. It just reminded me that New York is in fact the home to a world city, one of the, if not the largest cities in the world. It's a whole thing.

I loved everything about the military. I found it very realistic that they kidnap Stanley and Jax and create them to be weapons of mass destruction. I don't just think it's possible, but something very, very likely. 

And I really don't think "defeated" is the right word. THE HYPNOTISTS--for lack of a better word--ate. And I don't think I spent enough time talking about the stuff I liked than the stuff I disliked, because I just got really, really hung up on how dark it was. I really like the hypnotism aspect of the story. Wish you could have delved in on it a little more, but that's kind of because I'm a nerd. The science-fiction-y aspect is probably my favorite part, other than Tommy. Your humor was on point during the series.

And ugh, hate to say it, but it was probably "less emotional" than I wanted it to be because I am, in fact, an emotional girl. Not all girls are emotional, but I am. And most boys--especially not 12-year-olds--are getting hung up on the details of how traumatizing their memories were when they have a megalomaniac on the loose. 

Gord, please don't feel ouch. I really liked the series. If I didn't, I would not have read all three of the books. Book 1 was awesome, Book 3 was great, and even though Book 2 felt like filler, it was still quite good. And I can not take Avery Quackenbush seriously! I was trying to feel bad for him but then I remembered that his name was Quackenbush! And Black Quack! 

Reading back on my message, I sound kind of mean. I'm sorry! You're the greatest author ever! I don't even know if you're capable of writing something less than good! Let me delve into the stuff I absolutely adored, then.

Axel Braintree. Like said, he was an amazing character. Everything about him was so well-crafted. His introduction in the pizza place? Corrado's? Who he was? Some hobo-looking guy with a gray ponytail? He was an excellent mentor character and it made me so, so sad when he died. Which was epic, by the way. It's like losing your queen in chess but still winning the game. That's why it made me so, so sad when he was barely talked about in Book 3. I love how him and Monica did not get along. I love how he was so visibly worried about his sandmen in NY. I love how he left his life behind to take care of the Opuses. Such a great guy.

Also, setting. What the heck! You set it up so well! I could literally see (which doesn't usually happen, since I kind of have aphantasia) New York. The streets. The luxury apartment the Opuses lived in. The taxis, the bus. The basketball court. The people, the fencing, the difference between Connecticut (yeah?) and New York. The army base. The simulation-city. The small city in what, New Jersey? With the horses and police? Gord. Your setting was so, so good! 

The characters also fit very well into the setting. I feel like Jax was made for this story. That Tommy was made for New York. That Kira was made for horseback riding and being a try hard. That Felicity was made for being the smart stalker-girl chess cheerleader of Connecticut. That Gary was meant to be a fencer, or something, and that the FBI guy was the perfect FBI guy. That Colonel was made for that role, that Wilson was the best biggest-baddest bully. And Stanley's a cutie-pie. Oh, and Elias Mako. Dang, was he a great villain! Seriously! With Trey Douglas? That reveal to him being evil was so epic. Even though you probably didn't plot out every character to a T, they felt so, so real. That's why I actually cared when Oscar died. With the D-Day things. With everything that happened to Jax, poor boy! Your characters were spectacular, per usual.

And might I say that Monica and Ashton were written well. I don't usually see authors give the time to the parents in stories but you did and you did a darn good job at it.

Goodness. Looking back at my comment, I want to apologize again, because you really don't know what's going on in my head. Yes, Stanley seemed random, but I will be up a creek if I don't love the little boy! Cute little 8-year-old with hypnosis powers? Yes! I really, really, really liked him. He was so adorable! 

Also. The name, HoWaRDs. That was so goofy. I can not with your names. Steinke Newhouse (THE SUPERTEACHER PROJECT)? That's making me laugh a year later. I don't know how you come up with them.

Also, I don't have just hatred for Book 2, you know. I really like the setting and how it started. Jax with a new life? Jack Magnus? Never shows his eyes, does fencing, kid with constant sunglasses? Oh, and he's a chess prodigy? (Yes! I really like chess.) And then the stalker girl Felicity who's his neighbor and can't leave him alone? Oh, and his parents aren't nearly as rich as they used to be--I really like how you drove that point in. Shows it wasn't sunshines and rainbows for anybody. You really had me squealing over the beginning of Book 2.

Oh, and Book 3. The way I was actually skimming the pages because I was so nervous at the action! The massive Aurora? (By the way, that was some good buildup. From the small Aurora to the big one at the end. Such good plot twists in Book 3...)

Anyways, just give me a topic and I will tell you how much I liked it. I think Tommy was a 100/10. I also think that the friendship with Jax was great.

I'm really sorry that this is so "stream of consciousness." As you can tell, I'm really struggling trying to put these words together in a sequence that makes sense. Ugh. But the goal is not for you to feel an "ouch". Or a "sigh". I liked the stories. Proof: Read 2 of them in 2 days, kept running around because I was so excited about what was happening. I didn't even ditch it for fanfic. You can ask my bestie. I kept telling her that I was "done reading for the day" and then I'd get caught up finishing it. THE HYPNOTISTS was certainly a wild ride. Would definitely recommend to other people.

Gord, please read this message so you know not to feel an "ouch!" Please! I beg of you!

 

Be blessed,
Jade

[E.W.]

Jade is right, it's a great book series!

Even though the story is dark, it's still really good!

The day I read the first book, my mind was thinking about Jax the whole day!

it's a great book!

 

 

 

 

 

Jade, I repeat, ouch. And thanks, E.W.

Seriously, I do appreciate a real opinion. Writers should always be able to count on honesty. So Jade liked it, or didn't hate it, and E.W. is still singing its praises. Fortunately, it takes all kinds to make a world!

Thanks, guys.                                                                                                                                      --G--

[Marlo]

Gordon, I have read a lot of books, and for me, they fit into one of two categories. Good or bad. There is no books that are average for me. The Hypnotists series was an easy “good” category. Your books bring joy to me. Thank you for writing so much.

Hey, Marlo,

I feel like attaching your letter to the end of my nose so I can read it regularly! Thanks for all your support! I appreciate it very much, and hope my stuff can continue pleasing you.                                                                --GK--

[J.R.]

I personally liked the Hypnotists a lot. It was dark at times but I don't see it as a problem. I really enjoyed the weirdness of it!

Thanks, JR. That means a lot!                                                                  ---GK---