There are people in the world who can bend others to their will. This is a story of their inevitable conflict with one another and the "normies" who are Used by them.

My reading notes in lieu of a real review: Melanie is the worst of the mind vampires. The thin veneer of civility she carries is scarier than someone who is always somewhat bristling with aggression and violence. That she can revel equally in Using others as much as she does shopping for absurdly expensive clothing is nothing short of horrifying.

You would think that she's only some sort of wilting Southern belle and then she busts out with lines like this: (on meeting with Anne Bishop, a "defeated female") - "Frequently when encountering these poor slugs, I am tempted to help them stick their hands and arms down their own throats until they choke on their own vomit and have done with it." jfc lady

It's clear that having this Ability did not turn her into a psychopath, as her story of casual childhood cat killing can attest to.

The racism is unsubtle and pervasive, good lord.

Now I personally enjoy tedious descriptions of what foods people eat and what clothes they're wearing or changing into, but I also know it's pretty goddamn unnecessary to add it so constantly. I wonder if this book could be a good 100 pgs shorter just removing those superfluous details.

Simmons killed my favorite character halfway through the book, so I will admit that I wasn't as invested in the story as I could have been after that, despite the fact that the action and intrigue was further amplified.