YA Book Queen: Kate Kaynak

Showing posts with label Kate Kaynak. Show all posts

Saturday, September 11, 2010

In My Mailbox 36

IMM is hosted by The Story Siren and inspired by Pop Culture Junkie

For Review:

Losing Faith by Denise Jaden

Ascendant by Diana Peterfreund

Adversary by Kate Kaynak (signed) + swag

John Belushi Is Dead by Kathy Charles

From Lisa Schroeder (who is so completely sweet):

Three signed "I Heart You, You Haunt Me" bookmarks

Something special signed for a friend's birthday

(I don't think my friend reads my blog, but I'll keep what it is out of this post and picture -- don't want to ruin the surprise!)

Clear stick-on signed book plate for me

Bought:

Lipstick Apology by Jennifer Jabaley (can't beat $3.05)

Firelight by Sophie Jordan

And that is it! Thank you so much to Kathy, Elyse, Denise, Kate and a very special thanks to Lisa Schroeder for being kind enough to do me a huge favor.

And in regards to 9/11, may we never forget. I'm so very sorry to any of you who lost someone that day.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Giveaway & Guest Post: Kate Kaynak

Today, I have Kate Kaynak, author of Minder (book #1 of the Ganzfield series) here to take over the blog. So without further ado, here's Kate!

The Perfect Book Club

"This is the year. This year we'll actually start that book club."

My neighbor raises a skeptical eyebrow. She's heard me say that before.

"I mean it this time!"

She's probably right to roll her eyes like that. Neither of us has much free time, and we need to work around my husband's business travel and her husband's late shifts at the hospital. Still, the dream refuses to die. I picture a gathering of interesting women sitting in my living room--glasses of wine in hand, since we're all over 21 and live in walking distance--having animated discussions about amazing books.

I step into my actual living room and the dream dribbles away. The kids have made a couch-cushion fort again. The now-abandoned battlements sink into foam-filled ruins. The cat has attacked another tassel on the footstool, leaving a bedraggled wad and little gold threads strewn in front of the fireplace. This will not do. Before I can have those interesting women here, I'll need to clean up.

Or maybe I could just give them more wine. We could hold the book club in the cushion fort—I want to be friends with people who'd be up for that.

The guest list runs through my head. I've even considered the foods I'd ever-so-casually have out on the decorative platters. My husband and I received eight decorative platters as wedding gifts--many of them are still in the boxes from the move. The move was two years ago, but I refuse to let the kids use them--they can eat their chicken-nuggets-shaped-like dinosaurs off of the everyday plates, thank you very much. The platters are for special occasions--like book club.

What should we read? I have a few things to suggest, particularly if they are as passionate about YA as I am. Hunger Games? Beautiful Creatures? Uglies? Wake? How about Jessica's Guide to Dating On the Dark Side? Ooh, and Linger! I also love paranormal stuff written for adults, and there's a bunch of great series, like Peeler's Tempest books, Harris' Sookie Stackhouse, Vaughn's Kitty stuff, Harper's Nice Girls, etc. I melt for anything by Nicholas Sparks. I could also be convinced to do something classic--Jane Austen? Charlotte Bronte? Hey--we could even compare the thematic similarities of Pride and Prejudice and Twilight--they're there, and they're amazing. Don't believe me? Here, have more wine. And next month we'll read Austen's Emma and watch the movie Clueless.

I won't let them pick one of my books for the club, though--I don't want to become the prima donna of book club. Actually, I want it too much, and that's part of the reason I will demurely and modestly say that I don't want it. I get too swept up in my own stories and might say something like, "The characters took over the second half of Adversary, and they wouldn't let me write the climactic scene the way I'd originally planned. I had to re-plot the ending after what Zack did."

People think I've had too much wine when I say things like that.

But wouldn't it be great? Why can’t I spend an evening each month with a bunch of friends, talking about books, drinking wine--and possibly building a cushion fort? Dare to dream.

Ah, it makes me wish I had a book club...

Anyway, onto the giveaway! Kate is being super awesome hosting a contest for one lucky winner from the US or Canada to win a Minder T-Shirt! (don't you love the slogan on the back?!)

To enter, just fill out the form below. You get two extra entries if you comment on this post, and if you comment on my review here (opens in a new window).

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: