REVIEW: MINDER BY KATE KAYNAK

Series: Ganzfield (Book 1)
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Release Date: June 18, 2010
Pages: 264
Format(s): Paperback, Kindle
Website: http://www.Ganzfield.com

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...

So this book tricked me. When I started reading, I thought, "oh no, not another X-Men type story". In my opinion, those had been done so many times before that this one was going to be no different. It also started so abruptly that I thought the entire book would be unbelievable. I mean, by the second chapter, the protagonist, Maddie, is already in school for her "special abilities".

BUT THEN THE TRICK...I don't know if it was the author's style of writing, the story line, the characters, or what - but this book had me hooked! I actually love Kaynak's writing style because there's not too much description. Sometimes I feel like author's don't give you enough wiggle-room to imagine things on your own. Not Kaynak. She gives you just enough description to have a general idea of what you need to see, but the rest is up to you. As a result, I'm sure that my idea of what Trevor (Maddie's love interest) looks like is different than everyone else's. And I think that's a good thing.

There was also something about the love story in this novel that got me from the beginning. Usually, when two teenagers fall in love really fast, I think it's cheesy. But for some reason, it worked really well here. I actually believed that these two people were in love. And at one point, when something happens to make their love go away, I actually felt sad for them. It was like my emotions were rolling right alongside the characters - very cool.

Kaynak also has a great sense of humor. I'm not gonna lie - at one point, I was extremely embarrassed as I laughed out loud on the subway! People looked at me like I was crazy - but I didn't care. It's been a while since a book made me smile and laugh out loud.

So - my final words to you are: GO BUY THIS BOOK! You will not regret it. I'm actually glad I already have the second one, so I can start it today :)

5 out 5 stars.

Here's the trailer if anyone wants to see it: