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kameo9's review
4.0
This books is more of a 4 1/2 star book.
I loved the character development, and how the different "abilities" were grouped together by "class". But then Maddie, a telepath, joins the school and throws a wrench into the hierarchy.
There is a great romance, and Trevor is on my list of fictional crushes, and good action. And the kids work great together when they have to go out on their own to rescue one of their own.
Everything seemed too good to be true for me though. Maddie liked Dr. Williamson, and he seemed to be a good guy, and felt bad for not knowing everything that was going on at the school, but I kept waiting for something bad to happen. Like he was not what he seemed, and the school was more than just a place where the kids could further study their abilities. I am still not completely charmed by them all, and am looking forward to reading Adversary to find out what happens next.
I loved the character development, and how the different "abilities" were grouped together by "class". But then Maddie, a telepath, joins the school and throws a wrench into the hierarchy.
There is a great romance, and Trevor is on my list of fictional crushes, and good action. And the kids work great together when they have to go out on their own to rescue one of their own.
Everything seemed too good to be true for me though. Maddie liked Dr. Williamson, and he seemed to be a good guy, and felt bad for not knowing everything that was going on at the school, but I kept waiting for something bad to happen. Like he was not what he seemed, and the school was more than just a place where the kids could further study their abilities. I am still not completely charmed by them all, and am looking forward to reading Adversary to find out what happens next.
foreveryoungadult's review
Graded By: Jenny
Cover Story: The Shadow Knows
BFF Charm: Finally!
Swoonworthy Scale: 4 or 6
Talky Talk: 2 Legit 2 Quit
Bonus Factors: Boarding School, World Building, Fireball
Relationship Status: Looking Forward To Our Second Date
Read the full book report here.
Cover Story: The Shadow Knows
BFF Charm: Finally!
Swoonworthy Scale: 4 or 6
Talky Talk: 2 Legit 2 Quit
Bonus Factors: Boarding School, World Building, Fireball
Relationship Status: Looking Forward To Our Second Date
Read the full book report here.
andye_reads's review
4.0
Sixteen-year-old Maddie Dunn has special abilities, when her emotions get out of control, she has the power to hurt people with her mind. After a very traumatic incident, she is approached by a man who speaks to her in her mind, and claims he can help her control her gift and even make her more powerful. But she has to leave her life behind and go with him to Ganzfield. Ganzfield is a secret training facility full of people like her, people that have all kinds of abilities. But it's not exactly a nurturing place. The "Charms", with their ability to use the power of persuasion, have been reeking havok on the other students. Every social interaction carries the threat of mind-control. A stray thought from a "Spark" 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 Trevor, the man of her dreams...
Kit's Review:
My mom actually got this ARC in the mail for review but she was reading some other books so I stole it :) I LOVED this book, and I know I say that a lot but I really, really mean it this time! It only took me 2 days to read and that's only because we went to DC all day on Thrus. (I SO could have finished it in 1 day) I loved how the conversations she had with people in their heads flowed so well with the normal conversations, it wasn't hard to follow at all. I did think it had some X-men-ish qualities but I still enjoyed it immensly (and honestly I thought it was better than X-men). The whole abilites/powers thing could have been really cheesy but the way she wrote it made me think it could actually happen. Now I'm just waiting for Dr. Williamson and Cecelia to show up at my house, charm my parents, and I'd go in a heartbeat! Absolutely flawless! Now I just have to figure out how I can get my hands on the second one... Maybe I'll have to settle for reading it again.
~Kit
Andye's Review:
I really enjoyed this book as well, but maybe not quite as much as Kit! :) I thought it was a great story, and I love X-Men, so that aspect was right up my alley. There were Charms (people who can make you do what they want by the power of suggestion), Sparks (people who can control fire), Healers (obvious), Minders (people who can read minds), and Telekinetics (people who can move objects with their mind). I love the idea behind this book, and I thought the storyline was really fun and exciting. Maddie was a fantastic character. She was strong and kind, and she wanted to use her ability to help improve the school and stand up to the Charms. Trevor was so sweet and good to Maddie, always putting her first. I love seeing a relationship that is built on unselfishness, and truely knowing each other for who they are, not just how they look.
The problems I had with Minder were pretty minor. I thought that the relationship between Maddie and Trevor was way too fast. I wish there had been a little more build up, because that's half the fun of a romance. They fell so quickly that the majority of the book they were just staring at each other thinking how in love they were. So, that made it a little slow in the middle for me. I also wasn't crazy about how much sex was talked about. Maddie can hear people's thoughts, and there were a LOT of sexual ones. I know that teenage boys think about sex a lot, but that's all Maddie seemed to "hear" in anyone's mind, and it seemed like there could've been a little more being thought about by the students than sex :)
Otherwise, I thought this was a really great book. It was a lot of fun to read, and I'm looking forward to seeing where the next books, Adversary(8/20) and Legacy (2011) take us!
Kit's Review:
My mom actually got this ARC in the mail for review but she was reading some other books so I stole it :) I LOVED this book, and I know I say that a lot but I really, really mean it this time! It only took me 2 days to read and that's only because we went to DC all day on Thrus. (I SO could have finished it in 1 day) I loved how the conversations she had with people in their heads flowed so well with the normal conversations, it wasn't hard to follow at all. I did think it had some X-men-ish qualities but I still enjoyed it immensly (and honestly I thought it was better than X-men). The whole abilites/powers thing could have been really cheesy but the way she wrote it made me think it could actually happen. Now I'm just waiting for Dr. Williamson and Cecelia to show up at my house, charm my parents, and I'd go in a heartbeat! Absolutely flawless! Now I just have to figure out how I can get my hands on the second one... Maybe I'll have to settle for reading it again.
~Kit
Andye's Review:
I really enjoyed this book as well, but maybe not quite as much as Kit! :) I thought it was a great story, and I love X-Men, so that aspect was right up my alley. There were Charms (people who can make you do what they want by the power of suggestion), Sparks (people who can control fire), Healers (obvious), Minders (people who can read minds), and Telekinetics (people who can move objects with their mind). I love the idea behind this book, and I thought the storyline was really fun and exciting. Maddie was a fantastic character. She was strong and kind, and she wanted to use her ability to help improve the school and stand up to the Charms. Trevor was so sweet and good to Maddie, always putting her first. I love seeing a relationship that is built on unselfishness, and truely knowing each other for who they are, not just how they look.
The problems I had with Minder were pretty minor. I thought that the relationship between Maddie and Trevor was way too fast. I wish there had been a little more build up, because that's half the fun of a romance. They fell so quickly that the majority of the book they were just staring at each other thinking how in love they were. So, that made it a little slow in the middle for me. I also wasn't crazy about how much sex was talked about. Maddie can hear people's thoughts, and there were a LOT of sexual ones. I know that teenage boys think about sex a lot, but that's all Maddie seemed to "hear" in anyone's mind, and it seemed like there could've been a little more being thought about by the students than sex :)
Otherwise, I thought this was a really great book. It was a lot of fun to read, and I'm looking forward to seeing where the next books, Adversary(8/20) and Legacy (2011) take us!
kayleigh_kbooks's review
5.0
Minder Review on K-Books
"I'm not the swooning type, but right then I felt like swooning - big time."
Wow... That is all I can say right now. One thing is for sure Kate Kaynak is an incredible author. When I first heard about Minder I was intrigued and curious about the book and really wanted to find out what this series was about. I definitely was not expecting to be completely consumed by this series that I couldn't think about anything else. I completely fell in love with this book and I can't wait to read on.
Maddie has a gift. She is a Minder, a Telepath. She can hear people's thoughts, project her thoughts into others and even kill with the power of her mind. But without being able to control her power she is a danger. Maddie doesn't want to be a monster and she is finding it extremely difficult to control her power. After a horrible accident Maddie is taken to Ganzfield. I school and training centre for the gifted. Here she enters the world of Charms, Sparks, RVs and Telepaths. But is it safe to be around all these people when she can't control herself or will she put everyone in danger?
I seriously fell in love with this book. It is just incredible and I couldn't put it down. When I did put it down all I thought about was picking it back up and reading more. I am officially addicted to Kate's books. I was thrown into this incredible world of teenagers with powers and I couldn't put it down. I have read books about gifted teens in a training ceter before (darkest Powers by Kelley Armstrong) but I never got as hooked to those books as I did this one.
Maddie is such an incredible character and I loved her. The main part of my love for this book is my love for Maddie. She's a great lead heroine and everyone can associate with her. She is strong and vulnerable at the same time and that definitely makes her endearing to read about. I just loved seeing everything from her point of view and seeing her journey throughout the book as she discovered what she was and how she came to terms with it.
Maddie is not the only amazing character in this book. She is backed up by a whole cast of amazing characters and I love each and every one of them. Drew is such a fantastic character. When we first met him I instantly loved him, he completely cracked me up and I couldn't stop loving. I really hoped we were going to see more of him and that he would be a love interest in the book...
Then we met Trevor and I fell head over heels in love with him. Yep, I'm a hopeless romantic and this book definitely satisfied that part of me. Trevor made me swoon with the things he did and said to Maddie. I swooned... A LOT in this book. I just love Maddie and Trevor's relationship. In a way it kind of reminded me of those instalove relationships in other books as their relationship got very serious very fast but in Minder it just seemed right and didn't irritate me in the slightest. To me that just shows how incredible talented Kate is. She's amazing and I plan on reading every other book that she has written.
One of my favourite parts of the book was how well Kate explained everything. She explained all the powers in terms of science and I loved that. Yes the powers are a magical thing within the book and obviously doesn't happen in real life but I loved that Kate explained them in such terms that it seems completely scientifically possible. Call me biased but I adored the psychology in the book. Yes, I study psychology so naturally I got slightly excited to see the psychological aspects in the book. You don't often find a lot of psychology references in this genre so it made me very happy that that was in the book.
This book is an incredible start to a series I can't wait to finish. I definitely was not expecting to love this series as much as I did. I am becoming obsessed with this series. I think this showed by the fact that within minutes of finishing Minder I has downloaded book 2, 3, 4 and 5 to my kindle. I have so many books to read but I can't not start book 2 now. It's just amazing and I am so excited to see where this book goes.
To me it has a kind of superhero feel to it with all the teens having powers and I love that.
If you are looking for a good YA series to delve into and become completely obsessed with then this is the series for you.
"I plan to cherish her for the rest of my life, sir."
"I'm not the swooning type, but right then I felt like swooning - big time."
Wow... That is all I can say right now. One thing is for sure Kate Kaynak is an incredible author. When I first heard about Minder I was intrigued and curious about the book and really wanted to find out what this series was about. I definitely was not expecting to be completely consumed by this series that I couldn't think about anything else. I completely fell in love with this book and I can't wait to read on.
Maddie has a gift. She is a Minder, a Telepath. She can hear people's thoughts, project her thoughts into others and even kill with the power of her mind. But without being able to control her power she is a danger. Maddie doesn't want to be a monster and she is finding it extremely difficult to control her power. After a horrible accident Maddie is taken to Ganzfield. I school and training centre for the gifted. Here she enters the world of Charms, Sparks, RVs and Telepaths. But is it safe to be around all these people when she can't control herself or will she put everyone in danger?
I seriously fell in love with this book. It is just incredible and I couldn't put it down. When I did put it down all I thought about was picking it back up and reading more. I am officially addicted to Kate's books. I was thrown into this incredible world of teenagers with powers and I couldn't put it down. I have read books about gifted teens in a training ceter before (darkest Powers by Kelley Armstrong) but I never got as hooked to those books as I did this one.
Maddie is such an incredible character and I loved her. The main part of my love for this book is my love for Maddie. She's a great lead heroine and everyone can associate with her. She is strong and vulnerable at the same time and that definitely makes her endearing to read about. I just loved seeing everything from her point of view and seeing her journey throughout the book as she discovered what she was and how she came to terms with it.
Maddie is not the only amazing character in this book. She is backed up by a whole cast of amazing characters and I love each and every one of them. Drew is such a fantastic character. When we first met him I instantly loved him, he completely cracked me up and I couldn't stop loving. I really hoped we were going to see more of him and that he would be a love interest in the book...
Then we met Trevor and I fell head over heels in love with him. Yep, I'm a hopeless romantic and this book definitely satisfied that part of me. Trevor made me swoon with the things he did and said to Maddie. I swooned... A LOT in this book. I just love Maddie and Trevor's relationship. In a way it kind of reminded me of those instalove relationships in other books as their relationship got very serious very fast but in Minder it just seemed right and didn't irritate me in the slightest. To me that just shows how incredible talented Kate is. She's amazing and I plan on reading every other book that she has written.
One of my favourite parts of the book was how well Kate explained everything. She explained all the powers in terms of science and I loved that. Yes the powers are a magical thing within the book and obviously doesn't happen in real life but I loved that Kate explained them in such terms that it seems completely scientifically possible. Call me biased but I adored the psychology in the book. Yes, I study psychology so naturally I got slightly excited to see the psychological aspects in the book. You don't often find a lot of psychology references in this genre so it made me very happy that that was in the book.
This book is an incredible start to a series I can't wait to finish. I definitely was not expecting to love this series as much as I did. I am becoming obsessed with this series. I think this showed by the fact that within minutes of finishing Minder I has downloaded book 2, 3, 4 and 5 to my kindle. I have so many books to read but I can't not start book 2 now. It's just amazing and I am so excited to see where this book goes.
To me it has a kind of superhero feel to it with all the teens having powers and I love that.
If you are looking for a good YA series to delve into and become completely obsessed with then this is the series for you.
"I plan to cherish her for the rest of my life, sir."
aortiz's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
liliandherbooks's review
5.0
Living a dull life, Maddie is all but eager to get away from her know-nothing town in New Jersey; and from the devastating attack that haunts her, even though her attackers are dead. When she finds out about her dormant abilities, she slowly gets adjusted to the idea of being able to read everybody's thoughts; and even project some of her own. However, the latter seems to be an unconscious, distressing ability during her nightmares and the flashbacks to the attack. Who but the ultimately unique telekinetic would be able to calm Maddie's minder mind? After Maddie and Trevor form a bond that's rare, even among the G-positives--the people with the cool powers--they're connection is put to the test as the book builds up to it's major action scene. (And I say major because there's more than one action scene in Minder!)
Unprepared but nervously excited were just a few of the stirrings in me when I started reading Minder, and now all I can say is...I wish I'd heard about it sooner. Starting from the top and working my way to the end I had nothing but smiles and laughs for the feisty Maddie and her adorable Trevor; not to mention the other G-positives. See, that's what really did me in on this one. Since I have a psychology class, I could actually follow what the genetic aspects of the powers that the G-positives have in their system. I could even understand the terminology. That's when I thought that I would really enjoy this book. What some other YA novels try to grasp in their heroine protagonists can't hold their flame to Maddie's wild fiery. She's, I guess you could say, someone to be reckoned with if you know what I mean; not only does that quality make her realistic but also that's she's a genuinely protective person.
Minder's also had an unsubtle approach to some volatile scenes. I admired Kaynak's forthrightness when it came to some imagery that involved detailed morbid graphics. I really hope to read more of that around this genre. With this book specifically I only had minor disappointments--like the G-positives could have had more of an intricate background story and the relationship between Maddie and Dr. Williamson as a parental figure further explored--but overall I was fairly stunned and satisfied with this book; and I cannot possibly wait to get my hands on the sequel, Adversary.
Grade: B+/A-
Unprepared but nervously excited were just a few of the stirrings in me when I started reading Minder, and now all I can say is...I wish I'd heard about it sooner. Starting from the top and working my way to the end I had nothing but smiles and laughs for the feisty Maddie and her adorable Trevor; not to mention the other G-positives. See, that's what really did me in on this one. Since I have a psychology class, I could actually follow what the genetic aspects of the powers that the G-positives have in their system. I could even understand the terminology. That's when I thought that I would really enjoy this book. What some other YA novels try to grasp in their heroine protagonists can't hold their flame to Maddie's wild fiery. She's, I guess you could say, someone to be reckoned with if you know what I mean; not only does that quality make her realistic but also that's she's a genuinely protective person.
Minder's also had an unsubtle approach to some volatile scenes. I admired Kaynak's forthrightness when it came to some imagery that involved detailed morbid graphics. I really hope to read more of that around this genre. With this book specifically I only had minor disappointments--like the G-positives could have had more of an intricate background story and the relationship between Maddie and Dr. Williamson as a parental figure further explored--but overall I was fairly stunned and satisfied with this book; and I cannot possibly wait to get my hands on the sequel, Adversary.
Grade: B+/A-
stormywolf's review
4.0
Let me first say that I absolutely loved this story. It took a little while to warm into, but once Maddie found her voice, I couldn't get enough. Read the whole thing in one sitting.
Read my full review at The Wolf's Den
Ultimately, I'd recommend this book for anyone who loves a good Young Adult Romance with slight tinges of super-powers and action. Even if you aren't big on romance, but still like YA with a super-powered theme I think you'll enjoy it—I know I did! If you hate romance...yeah, it's probably not for you.
Read my full review at The Wolf's Den
Ultimately, I'd recommend this book for anyone who loves a good Young Adult Romance with slight tinges of super-powers and action. Even if you aren't big on romance, but still like YA with a super-powered theme I think you'll enjoy it—I know I did! If you hate romance...yeah, it's probably not for you.
sammeehicks's review
4.0
The premise for this one really appealed to me – I love anything to do with psychic abilities so this fits the bill perfectly.
After a traumatic incident Maddie begins realises that she may be different to other people. When she meets Dr Williamson and is asked to attend Granzfield she begins to realise just how different she is. But she’s not the only one...
All of the characters in this are wonderful. Maddie really grew on me – she has great inner strength as well as a strong moral compass. I absolutely adored Trevor – he is really sweet and caring and I really enjoyed the romance that develops between the two of them. It does get a bit mushy in places – but it's the kind that left a big goofy smile on my face so I’m not complaining! I also really liked the relationship between Maddie and Dr Williamson – there is obvious affection there and I really enjoyed their interactions. I also liked Seth – he comes off as a bit annoying at times but I’m really interested to see how he features in the future. The rest of the ‘gang’ are fun – and you get to know them all pretty well and there is definitely room for some interesting stories for them all.
I thought the storyline was really good and completely held my interest. It does get quite dark in places and there are some scenes that are uneasy to read – but they ground the story and give it a sense of authenticity. There is also some humour to even it out which works really well and makes the book fun to read. Minder does feel a bit of a world builder for the series, but it also has a great plot in itself. The scenes at the end had me tense and holding my breath - they were superbly written and it really sets up the story and the ‘gang’ for future
I’m really looking forward to reading the next book in the series. Not only am wanting more Maddie and Trevor but I have my suspicions on where Maddie gets her gifts so I am really excited to read more to see if I am correct! A great start to what I believe will be a really addictive series!
After a traumatic incident Maddie begins realises that she may be different to other people. When she meets Dr Williamson and is asked to attend Granzfield she begins to realise just how different she is. But she’s not the only one...
All of the characters in this are wonderful. Maddie really grew on me – she has great inner strength as well as a strong moral compass. I absolutely adored Trevor – he is really sweet and caring and I really enjoyed the romance that develops between the two of them. It does get a bit mushy in places – but it's the kind that left a big goofy smile on my face so I’m not complaining! I also really liked the relationship between Maddie and Dr Williamson – there is obvious affection there and I really enjoyed their interactions. I also liked Seth – he comes off as a bit annoying at times but I’m really interested to see how he features in the future. The rest of the ‘gang’ are fun – and you get to know them all pretty well and there is definitely room for some interesting stories for them all.
I thought the storyline was really good and completely held my interest. It does get quite dark in places and there are some scenes that are uneasy to read – but they ground the story and give it a sense of authenticity. There is also some humour to even it out which works really well and makes the book fun to read. Minder does feel a bit of a world builder for the series, but it also has a great plot in itself. The scenes at the end had me tense and holding my breath - they were superbly written and it really sets up the story and the ‘gang’ for future
I’m really looking forward to reading the next book in the series. Not only am wanting more Maddie and Trevor but I have my suspicions on where Maddie gets her gifts so I am really excited to read more to see if I am correct! A great start to what I believe will be a really addictive series!
pandemoniumpizza's review
5.0
Minder is an amazing read, I'm not just saying that. It is truly fantastic. I started reading Minder and I just couldn't stop. There was something about it that just drew me in.
One thing I really liked about Minder was that there were serious elements, and then there were elements that made me laugh out loud.
I loved the whole idea of Minder, it's not very often that I get to read books about psychics so when I do I really enjoy them. Minder is definitely no exception to the rule. I think one of the things I love the most about Minder is that it has different kinds of psychics. Usually with books they tend to highlight the good things about having psychic abilities and ignore the bad parts but Minder makes it far more realistic by showing that there are both good and bad parts to having psychic abilities.
Kate Kaynak has created a great story with Minder and I devoured the entire thing in no time, because it really is amazing and there were no parts of the book that I got bored. The whole book was really interesting and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.
If you're interested in psychics and looking for a quick, light and amazing read then I definitely recommend Minder.
One thing I really liked about Minder was that there were serious elements, and then there were elements that made me laugh out loud.
I loved the whole idea of Minder, it's not very often that I get to read books about psychics so when I do I really enjoy them. Minder is definitely no exception to the rule. I think one of the things I love the most about Minder is that it has different kinds of psychics. Usually with books they tend to highlight the good things about having psychic abilities and ignore the bad parts but Minder makes it far more realistic by showing that there are both good and bad parts to having psychic abilities.
Kate Kaynak has created a great story with Minder and I devoured the entire thing in no time, because it really is amazing and there were no parts of the book that I got bored. The whole book was really interesting and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.
If you're interested in psychics and looking for a quick, light and amazing read then I definitely recommend Minder.
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