Book Review: Minder by Kate Kaynak

Title: Minder
Series: Ganzfield, #1
Author: Kate Kaynak
Genre: Paranormal Romance, YA
Source: review copy from author
Published: May 2010 by Spencer Hill Press

Sixteen-year-old Maddie Dunn is special, but she needs to figure out how to use her new abilities before somebody else gets hurt. Ganzfield is a secret training facility full of people like her, but it's not exactly a nurturing place.

Every social interaction carries the threat of mind-control.

A stray thought can burn a building to the ground.

And people's nightmares don't always stay in their own heads.

But it's still better than New Jersey. Especially once she meets the man of her dreams...

My Thoughts:

WOW! That’s the first thought that came to mind when I finished reading Minder. I had such an overwhelming feeling of sweet reward and satisfaction from reading this book! I had a silly grin on my face. This book pulled me out of my reading slump.

When I first got Minder, I didn’t know what to expect. I read the blurb but I really didn’t know what I was in for. I wasn’t prepared to be completely absorbed by this fascinating tale. I started reading and I was immediately pulled right in. Just from reading the first few pages I knew this book was going to be good.

The beginning of Minder is gritty, dark and extremely intense. In the opening scene, we find Maddie in a horrific situation. The intensity of this scene and the depth of emotion drew me in. The author’s use of her Psychology degree is put to good use in this book.

The characters are well-rounded. One character I am anxious to learn more about is Seth. We don’t “see” him in Minder; we only “hear” him talking telepathically with Maddie. I think there’s more to Seth and can’t wait to find out what it is.

Minder was a nice, refreshing break from vampires and werewolves. Don’t get me wrong – I love my vamps and wolves! But sometimes I need a breath of fresh air to clear the palate. And even though you don’t find any vampires or werewolves in Minder, you still get a wide range of paranormal powers. If you like Harry Potter, X-Men or Fantastic Four then you will definitely enjoy Minder. (Ganzfield reminded me of Hogwarts.)

The one problem I had with Minder was Maddie and Trevor’s relationship. These two characters instantly fall in love. With the use of their powers, they were able to skip the whole awkward ‘does she/he like me or don’t they?’ phase and jump right in to falling hopelessly in love. Things seemed to be too good to be true for Maddie and Trevor. I kept waiting for conflict to come but it was a long time coming. Their relationship felt too easy, too convenient and it progressed a bit too fast. But what I did like was the deep connection they shared – a strong one at that. Like two magnets being pulled together and nothing can get in their way.

Minder ends very well for a first-in-the-series book. No major cliffhangers but there are some unanswered questions that need answering which makes me want to read the next book in the series. At the end of Minder there is a sneak peek at Adversary, the 2nd book in the Ganzfield series. This short snippet, just a few pages long, will leave you there on the cliff, hanging on by 2 measly fingers. I was left with a gasp. Thank goodness Adversary comes out next month!

Word to the wise: don’t make any plans once you pick up Minder; you won’t be able to put it down once you start reading!

Brianna’s Rating: