The Girl Who Could Move Sh*t with Her Mind (Book Review)

(By Jackson Frost)

I received this novel for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

As much as I can’t stand book titles that use “girl” when the character is clearly a grown woman, the title matched Teagan’s manner of speaking so I let it go.

The Girl who Could Move Sh*t with Her Mind is an entertaining and action-packed sci-fi mystery. Teagan is a psychokinetic/telekinetic working for the US government. As far as she knows, she’s the only one with her powers until a man is murdered in a fashion only Teagan would be able to pull off. It’s a race-around-the-clock story to clear Teagan’s name.

It is a lot of fun. Teagan’s first person POV is easy to follow and get behind, because she’s quite funny and forthright. She’s flawed and often speaks out-of-turn, but not in a way that made me want to strangle her; she grows throughout her journey and I enjoyed being along for the ride. I think she and I would get along quite well. There is no real info dump – we are given Teagan (and the other characters’) pasts as we go along.

The side characters were likeable, with pasts and personalities that build as the story progresses. Not only do we get a female lead, but people of colour are prevalent in the novel. There is a person with a disability who is not defined by said disability, nor is she made to be helpless or pitiable. The diversity was not forced or token, which I appreciated.

The antagonist’s sections, in third person, take a different tone. It’s obvious to the reader that Jake is being manipulated, which is what makes his spiral quite heartbreaking. His sections serve to ramp up the tension. I’m particularly glad this wasn’t a supervillain-trying-to-destroy-the-world scenario; the rather anti-climactic climax did not feel like a letdown but suited the story.

While the pacing is a little rushed overall, it’s a well-crafted novel. Seemingly insignificant minor plot points at the start of the novel tie-in to the mystery in ways that were elegant and fun.

The slight romance was the only component that detracted from my enjoyment of the novel. While the character was necessary to the plot, I didn’t feel the sexual tension, which made one of the final chapters unnecessary and melodramatic. Where Teagan’s abilities were well-explained and logical (as far as superpowers go), an aspect also introduced in this chapter was, quite frankly, silly. It raises more questions than answers, as well as being unbelievable.

Overall, it’s a very fun, entertaining, easy-to-read novel with a fun protagonist, an interesting plot, some funny moments, and action. Recommended!