Review: Great short stories plus several extras that you won't get buying them separately!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 28, 2014
The three main stories that are in this collection are available to purchase separately (Mind Games, The Handler, and The Scribe), but there are several extras included in this collection as well- a very short scene involving Xander that is set between Open Minds and Closed Hearts, a Jackertown slang list, an imaginary conversation between Raf and Julian that would have taken place in Closed Hearts, and deleted scenes from the final chapter of Free Souls.  If you are a fan of this series, I highly recommend this collection as it really adds to the experience of the stories.Mind Games is in Raf's point of view and is actually a prequel to Open Minds.  It's interesting to get Raf's perspective as well as to see a bit of the life of a mindreader in the series.The next piece in the collection is called Leaving Gurnee and is the scene involving Xander and Kira's parents.  The events are referenced in the opening chapter of Closed Hearts, but it's a chance to see how they unfolded.Afterward is Jackertown Slang, a list of slang terms that Susan Kaye Quinn thought up while creating Jackertown.  Not all of them are in Closed Hearts, but some of them explain terms that are used in the book.Next is the imaginary Raf and Julian scene, which would take place after Kira and Raf are brought to Julian's headquarters in Jackertown.  It's a fun scene if you enjoy the romance aspect of the series at all.The Handler is in Julian's perspective and is my favorite of the three main stories in this collection.  The events take place between Open Minds and Closed Hearts.  The story describes the start of recruitment for Julian's group of jackers and shows a bit of how his handling ability works.  If you like Sasha and Anna, they are also present in this story.The Scribe is in Sasha's perspective and immediately follows The Handler (both in the collection and in terms of placement in the storyline).  We see how he feels about his abillity as well as Ava (she joins the group in this story).  We also find out about a clan Sasha and Ava were involved with before joining Julian.Finally, we have the two deleted scenes from the final chapter of Free Souls.  The first is Kestrel's Interrogation, which as you might guess, shows Kira interrogating Kestrel.  The second scene is Drinking the Water and involves Kira and Julian.  Both scenes are referenced in the final chapter of Free Souls.  I especially enjoyed the Drinking the Water scene because I'm a fan of Kira and Julian.In conclusion, even though this collection doesn't save you money from buying the three stories separately, I found the extras to be well worth buying the collection instead of the separate stories.