Monday, August 16, 2010

Minder by Kate Kaynak

Book: Minder
Author: Kate Kaynak
Release: out now
Source: Author
My Summary:
When Maddie Dunn starts hearing people's thoughts after a horrifying encounter, she doesn't know what to do. Luckily for her, she's come to the attention of Dr. Williamson, the man in charge of a school called Ganzfield.

Arriving at Ganzfield, it's nothing like she expected. Some students can literally "charm" their way through anything, controlling you completely. Others are quick to start fires in their sleep by accident. And almost everyone distrusts Maddie for her own mind-reading ability, right from the start.

It can't get any worse, until she meets the right guy for her, and then everything seems to be going perfect...At least, until everything goes wrong.
Review: Minder is an exciting debut, and an wonderful start to a series.

Starting off with a bang, Kaynak jumps right into the story with a very intense first chapter. Maddie, our protagonist, is the loner at her school. But after this frightening interaction, she taps into some special abilities that rightfully scare her. It was easy to sympathize with her in these beginning stages, and to really want her to be okay.

In Ganzfield, Maddie is a bit of an outcast still because of the rarity of having a "Minder" (minder-reader). Most of the students are "Charms", and with Maddie's addition to the school, they start to have a power struggle. The Charms are used to running the show, but Maddie is one pawn they can't control.

The description of the other abilities at Ganzfield had to be the best part, along with the ending chapters. The suspense really kicks into full gear, and once you reach the end, you'll be wishing for the sequel in hopes of discovering more about the questions it leaves you with.

Highlights: This story really is addictive, I could barely get enough of it. The abilities are all intriguing, and the overall story is very creative. Sure, a school for people with special abilities (Hello, X-Men) isn't entirely new, but the people and abilities Kaynak populated it with are all fresh and interesting.

Lowlights: The romance aspect felt very rushed. If "love" wasn't introduced quite as quickly, then it wouldn't have bothered me. It would have been nicer if such a declaration could have been saved for further in the series, especially considering how quick their relationship is. And at times, it felt just a touch too informative at times when explaining things (instead of feeling natural, these explanations could come across textbook-like).

Rating:    

Trailer: 



Lea

14 comments:

  1. great review, lea! sounds like this one is really good :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love to read people with special abilities. Great review =)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sounds like an awesome book. But I do have to admit that the cover isn't that fab. Is that really the cover?? I do like the school with all these kids that have all these great powers. btw love x-men. ;)
    Great review!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for reviewing, Lea!

    Sorry you don't like the cover, Nina--people seem to either love it or hate it. It's actually based on the old Gestalt psychology test which either looks like a white vase or two black faces in profile (e.g., there's more to it than the first impression). All the books in the series have a similar theme. Personally, I love the way it looks, and it's been instantly recognizable on the shelves, as well.

    - Kate

    ReplyDelete
  5. Great review, Lea! The cover fooled me there for a wee bit, too haha

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nice review! Sounds like a cool book to read. Too bad about the romance, though! It's never good for it to feel rushed like that.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This book sounds GREAT! I can;t wait to read it :)
    Awesome review!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I enjoyed the review and the book sounds interesting!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Wicked review. I can't wait to read this one.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The concept of this book sounds great! If it is anything like X-men, I'd love it. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm excited to read this book. It looks very interesting. :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. I loved this one and can't wait to read Adversary!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oooh! Addictive, huh? I've got to read this then :D I admit, the cover doesn't quite catch my attention but reading about it truly captivates me! And the trailer is cool ;D

    ReplyDelete
  14. I said more or less the same thing about the romance aspect in my review! Anyway, I found Minder really intriguing and I'm reading the second book right now! ;)

    Great blog! I'm a new follower! :)

    ReplyDelete