Review: Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1)

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1)
Sarah J Maas


Publication Date: August 2, 2012
Date Finished: May 31, 2012
Source: Review Copy from Bloomsbury Publishing
Format: Paperback
Pages: 416

From Goodreads:
After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

"Everything has a purpose. You were meant to come to this castle, just as you were meant to be an assassin, to learn the skills necessary to survive."


Wow! That is the first word that comes to mind when thinking of this book. I have spent so long just sat here wondering what I can write in this review to do this book justice. The answer is nothing. Nothing that I can say can possibly explain the extent of how phenomenally amazing this book is so you'll just have to take my word for it and go read it.


Celeana was the best assassin in the country. But something went terribly wrong, she got caught. Now faced with a lifetime working in the salt mines she jumps at the chance of freedom when she is given a lifeline. The king is holding a deadly competition, the prize, to be his champion and then freedom. Celeana will do anything is takes to gain her freedom back, even if it means serving the one person she hates the most. But when entangled emotions get in the way Celeana starts to realise that freedom may not be everything.


I think I am one of the very few who had never heard of this book. I know a lot of people who are so excited for this book and read the first draft online before this got signed for publication. I am not. I had never heard of this book or author at all until I got an email about it from Bloomsbury Publishing. Well after reading it I have one thought: Where the hell have I been living? Under a rock? This book is phenomenal and Sarah is now up there with my favourite authors. She is fantastic and she completely blew me away with this book! I am definitely surprised and even though I thought yea this book sounds pretty good nothing prepared me for the rollercoaster ride that 'Throne of Glass' is. This book is not good. It's phenomenal. Without a doubt the best fantasy book I have ever read in my life!


Celeana is a character that is really hard not to like. At first look she's tough and comes across as someone who believes her freedom is the most important thing and she has no qualms about killing anyone to get it. But there are so many more layers to her. The more you read the more you love her. You start to really get a feel for her back story and you really start to feel for her and what she's gone through the more you read. I didn't read the prequels to this book before reading so my opinion on Celeana and how much you feel for her is based on this novel alone but by the end I love her and she's one of the stongest YA heroine's I have ever read.


Well guys, prepare to be completely torn between two total swoon worthy guys because I love them both. I have always been one to choose sides in love triangles in books but with this book, well I don't know why she can't just have them both because these two guys are amazing. You have the dashing Prince Dorian who isn't at all what he first seems. He isn't the cool prince you first think him to be and find out a lot about his character and how he doesn't agree with his father and how he's running the country. I really loved him more and more the more of the book I read and I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens with him in the next book. I still think we have a lot of Prince Dorain to come and I can't wait for it. So you're asking, he's swoon-worthy, he's amazing, he's a Prince, why are you torn? Well enter the amazing, equally swoon-worthy Captain Chaol. He is so amazing and I loved seeing his and Celeana's relationship grow. I felt like Chaol was the character that actually had the biggest growth within the book, how he felt like he couldn't trust Celeana, after all she is the world's best assassin but how he saw a side of her nobody else really saw and you could see his very conflicting feelings. I adore Chaol and I just thought he was so sweet and there's so many moments where you just want Celeana to love him because they would be perfect together. But then there'll be scenes when Dorian shows his feelings and you totally love him so yea I can't choose between them they are both just perfect swoon-worthy characters so I say keep them both... or I'll take one of your hands.


This book is amazing and I am so excited to see what happens next. 'Throne of Glass' completely drew me in from the first page and I couldn't put it down. This is the first book I have read in a while where I've had that Unputdownable feeling from it. I was constantly sat reading thinking just one more chapter the next thing I knew two hours had past. I am genuinely really sad that I have finished this book. Call me weird but I actually feel like I am parting with a dear friend by putting this book down because I have grown so attached to this book and this story and it's incredible characters. And I was only reading it for 2 days. It's just that good. 'Throne of Glass' gave me that 'blown away' feeling and I can't wait for the next book.


If you are looking for an Unputdownable fantasy book that you will be sucked in from the first page then this is the book for you. To me it was a perfect mix of fairytale and adventure. Think Maria V Snyder's Study series mixed with Cinderella and that is 'Throne of Glass'. It's fast-paced and action-packed and it guaranteed to leave you breathless and sitting on the edge of your seat with bated breath wondering what is going to happen next.


Throne of Glass is a 2012 Must-Read and I would recommend it to everyone. You definitely do not want to miss out on this one.


"He loved her, and no empire, no king and no earthly fear would keep him from her."

БЕЗКРАЙНОСТИ

Когато всеки от нас реши, че е една безкрайна вселена, изпълнена с уникалност, изпадаме в парадокса на социалната ентропия. Защото няма нищо по-лесно от това, да се изгубиш в собствената си безкрайност, в чиято необятност няма място за другия, а опорните точки на себе си са илюзията за едно отдавна отсъстващо аз.

Стефан Пеев

ПРОЧЕТЕНО В МИСЛИТЕ

Чувството за модерност се измерва със силата на самоиронията, която си в състояние да понесеш.

Стефан Пеев

On My Kindle (#10)

On My Kindle is a weekly meme where we show what e-books we got this week.

Books:

Try Me (Take A Chance #1) by Diane Alberts *Review HERE*

Kiss of Midnight (Midnight Breed #1) by Lara Adrian

Banshee Charmed (From The Files of The Otherworlder Enforcement Agency #1) by Tiffany Allee

Succubus Lost (From The Files of the Otherworlder Enforcement Agency #2) by Tiffany Allee - For Review*

Thanks To:

*Entangled Publishing

Books:

Entangled (Spellbound #1) by Nikki Jefford

Review: Second Chances

Second Chances
Rita Oberlies

Publication Date: May 15, 2012
Date Finished: May 28, 2012
Source: Review Copy from Entangled Publishing
Format: E-Book

From Goodreads:
Will the past keep them apart…

High-powered attorney Luke Braden knows that perfection only comes once in a lifetime, and for him it came and went in the form of his college girlfriend, Brenna Morgan. Circumstances beyond his control separated them before, but now that she’s back in Boston, Luke won’t let her slip away again.

…or give them a second chance at love?

For Brenna Morgan, returning home is the very last thing she wants, especially when it means facing the man who once became her salvation—and then dumped her at the first sign of trouble. But Luke is determined to make up for his past mistakes, and Brenna finds herself weakening against him. A decade of deceit lies between them, and he’ll have to fight if he wants to keep his second chance at love.

"This time I'm keeping you forever."


This is possibly one of the cutest, adorable romance books I have ever read. There were so many times when I just sat here going "Awwwww." It was incredible and I really enjoyed every moment of it.


Brenna is returning home to Boston after everything has gone wrong. But seeing her ex-boyfriend Luke is something that she doesn't want to do. Luke has always regretted his behaviour in the past, especially causing the love of his life Brenna to run away. When she comes back he is determined to show her that they are meant to be together but will Brenna be able to give Luke a second chance?


I really enjoyed reading this story and I just couldn't help but love every moment of it. It was such a cute story and it had me racing through it to see what was going to happen and if everything was going to work out between them.
I officially have a new book boyfriend. Luke is one of the most adorable fictional boys I have ever read about and through most of the book I wanted to just slap Brenna and shout what the hell is wrong with you! I just wanted things to work out so bad and Luke is so amazing you cannot help but love him.


The thing I loved most in this book is that you really saw Brenna develop as a character. As she come to terms with all of her relationships, those with her family and her friends and she really grew as a character and developed into such a great strong heroine who wouldn't run but stay and solve through her problems.


If you love romance book then this is for you. It is adorable cute and adorable and will make you swoon so much. 


"That's why I can't let go. You were everything, and when you left I felt nothing."

Review: Too Hot To Handle

Too Hot To Handle
Aleah Barley

Publication Date: May 15, 2012
Date Finished: May 28, 2012
Source: Review Copy from Entangled Publishing
Format: E-Book

From Goodreads:
She was playing with fire...

Honey Moore has made her pledge: no more stealing cars and no more lusting after Jack Ogden. But when an arsonist torches her house and chases her all over Los Angeles, she’s forced to throw herself on Jack’s mercy. No one will look for a convicted felon in an LAPD detective’s apartment, right?

…and he didn't want to get burned

Jack doesn’t need a woman like Honey in his life. She might be sexy, but trouble follows her everywhere. But it’s hard to walk away from someone who lives at full throttle—and even harder to keep her safe. Now he’ll have to sacrifice everything to protect Honey from the arsonist determined to kill her.

"He was a double fudge sundae with whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and cookie crumbles. Beautiful. Rich. Bad for her."


Wow. Another totally hot short book for romance fans to swoon over. I really enjoyed 'Too Hot To Handle' and I was plesently surprised by it. I had never heard of Aleah before so when I was offered the chance to read this for Entangled Publishing I jumped at the chance. I have read quite a few Entangled Romance titles and loved so many of them. This isn't one of my favourites from their line but that in no way means I didn't enjoy it. It was so good and made me swoon as good romance books should.


Honey is a petty thief. After coming from a criminal background she knows there is no chance for her to be with her childhood crush. No matter her feelings, she is a criminal and Jack is a honerable cop. But when they meet again sparks fly and can two people from very different backgrounds end up with a happy ending?


I really enjoyed Too Hot To Handle and found myself really sucked into this story of the doomed love between a petty criminal with her life in danger and the cop who has always loved her and will do anything to protect her. Both main characters were incredible and I really enjoyed seeing their relationship develop throughout the book.


I really loved that the two of them were so different. One a petty criminal and one a cop and I love how their relationship was so close and they both meant so much to each other. The thing that really irritated me was that they were both so totally in love with each other and it just took so long for them to get their act together and I just knew it was going to happen and was just sat waiting for it to happen.


This is a great storyline and I really enjoyed reading this story. If you are a romance fan then you will definitely enjoy this story.


"You stole my heart a long time ago, and I never really got it back."

КНИГАТА НА МИРЯНА ЯНАКИЕВА „ОТ РОДНИЯ КЪТ ДО ГРОБА. ПЕНЧО СЛАВЕЙКОВ – „СЪН ЗА ЩАСТИЕ“ (издателство КОНТЕКСТ) ПОЛУЧИ ЛИТЕРАТУРНАТА НАГРАДА „ДЪБЪТ НА ПЕНЧО“

На 28 май, в деня на стогодишнината от смъртта на Пенчо Славейков, учредителят на отличието проф. дфн Светлозар Игов обяви за шести път литературната награда "Дъбът на Пенчо", която се присъжда за приноси в съвременната българска литература и литературознание.
Наградата за 2012 година се присъжда на Миряна Янакиева за книгата "От родния кът до гроба. Пенчо Славейков - "Сън за щастие" и на Борис Минков за книгата "Градът - междинни полета".
Досегашните носители на наградата са Златомир Златанов (2007), Антония Велкова-Гайдаржиева и Пламен Дойнов (2008), Елена Алексиева и Милен Русков (2009), Владимир Сабоурин и Катерина Стойкова (2010) и Георги Господинов и Палми Ранчев (2011).

Източник: ЛИТЕРНЕТ

СБЪДНАТОСТ

„Мислителят“ на Огюст Роден (1888)

Да сбъднеш една красива мисъл, означава да докоснеш някого с любов.

Стефан Пеев

It's Monday What Are You Reading? (#34)

Currently Reading!

Too Hot to Handle by Aleah Barley

Finished!

Shadows (Lux #0.5) by Jennifer L Armentrout
Obsidian (Lux #1) by Jennifer L Armentrout
Onyx (Lux #2) by Jennifer L Armentrout
Minder (Ganzfield #1) by Kate Kaynak
Try Me (Take A Chance #1) by Diane Alberts

Up Next!

Second Chances by Rita Oberlies
City of Lost Souls (Mortal Instruments #5) by Cassandra Clare

Showcase Sunday (#5)

Books:

Shadow Bound (Unbound #2) by Rachel Vincent *Review Here*

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Other Life (The Other Life #1) by Susanne Winnacker

The Catastrophic History of You and Me by Jess Rothenberg

Here Lies Bridget by Paige Harbison

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J Maas (For Review)*

Of Poseidon by Anna Banks**

Thanks To:

*Bloomsbury Publishing

**Anjana @ Kindle and Me

Some other Book-ish things I got

Worth The Risk, signed card and t-shirt from Robin Bielman

2 signed Daimon bookmarks

1 Deity bookmark

2 Half-Blood guitar picks

2 Pure guitar picks

2 signed Obsidian bookmarks

2 signed Onyx bookmarks

1 Deity Island sticker

2 Lux stickers

A huge thanks to the awesome authors, Robin Beilman and Jennifer L Armentrout for sending me this.

Review: Try Me (Take A Chance #1)

Try Me (Take A Chance #1)
Diane Alberts

Publication Date: May 24, 2012
Date Finished: May 25, 2012
Source: Bought
Format: E-Book

From Goodreads:
What happens in Vegas…can lead to romance.

It took one wild night for Sergeant Jeremy Addison to realize that Vegas? Was a bad idea.

Bloody. Bruised. Dehydrated. Abandoned in the desert, and left to stagger down the road. The only way this leave could get worse was if his savior was his ex-best friend’s sister…and the girl he’d loved since childhood.

The last person Erica expected to find on the roadside was her high school crush. She hadn’t seen Jeremy in seven years—ever since the night he said he loved her, and she ran away. Losing him then had been a mistake, but wanting him now could be catastrophic if he discovered the secret that chased every other man from her life. But with a tall, tattooed Marine determined to prove he’s always been faithful, can Erica resist his advances…or will she surrender ground and give love a try?

"It's about helping the person you love when they need a hand to stand straight. Love is about never giving up on the person you care about."


Well we had the lady herself on the blog a few days ago and here I am again gushing about another one of Diane's books. Ever since reading On One Condition months ago I have been obsessed with Diane's books. They are just phenomenal and Try Me is no different. You will be falling head over heels in love within the first couple of pages. As soon as I heard of this it was on my kindle and I was lounging in bed with my kindle and a cocktail. Perfect night in. Yes, this happens all the time, especially with my favourite authors like Diane. Nothing could possibly be better. Okay, the characters actually coming to life could be better but... never mind back to the book.


Jeremy is a marine taking his leave in Vegas. When he wakes up in the middle of nowhere with no idea how he got there he knows he's in trouble. When he sees a car coming he thinks his look is in. He's wrong. The person to find him is the only person who he ever loved and the very person who broke his heart. But Erica is just as shocked at finding Jeremy than he is. Why did he reject him all those years ago and is this fate giving them a second chance to find love? 


I loved this book. I mean I adored this book it was just fantastic and I read it in one sitting. Anyone who loved tortured heroes who need saving? Yes? Well this is the book for you. Within a page I was in love with the book. Duh, of course I was. Diane wrote it, I already loved it before I even read a page. (Psst, if you haven't read any of Diane's books go.... NOW!) Well I love the guys in her other books but I'm sorry guys you have got nothing on Jeremy. 


Oh. My. God! That is all I can say about Jeremy. He is amazing. He is a super hot marine. Enough Said! *fans self* Not only is he amazing but he is the most stubborn, sweetest guy ever! Definitely my kinda guy. It's fair to say I fell head over heels in love with him straight away and all I wanted was to give him a hug. I kinda hated Erica because of him. Who would reject him? I was hellllooooo are you crazy? Then I read on.


Erica is a great heroine. Yes she irritated me to no end at first. I wanted to slap her or hit her across the head to knock some sense into her or something! Then we saw her point of view and I loved her just as much as Jeremy. Okay... that's a lie. But there's a valid reason why I love Jeremy more. Why? Have you been paying attention? Hot marine!!!! Okay back to Erica. I loved finding out more about Erica and you find out her secret (No I'm not telling you what it is!) and you just want to hug her and tell her everything is okay, but we let Jeremy do that instead. Not bitter and jealous of a fictional character or anything. Honestly! (Okay it's a lie). As much as Erica irritated me at the beginning of this book I did love her in the end and I just loved the ending. It was perfect.


If you love sappy love stories like me this is definitely the book for you. It's amazing and it had me swooning a whole lot throughout. Jeremy is so a new book boyfriend for me and you have no idea how excited I am to find out this is the first in the Take A Chance series. I'm hoping we get to see a whole lot more of Jeremy. ;)
I would definitely suggest this book to anyone. Fantastic!


"I love you. I've never stopped loving you. Will never stop loving you, no matter what you do or say."

ЕТЮДИ ПО УНАМУНО

Мигел де Унамуно (1864–1936)

Всемирното и космополитичното

Цялото творчество на Мигел де Унамуно е пронизано от духа на копнежа по всемирното или божественото. Но всемирното Унамуно разбира като противоположно на космополитичното. Всемирното е вглъбеност в собствената ти индивидуалност, в дълбините на твоето неповторимо аз, което, дирейки най-яркото, най-ценното, най-трайното у себе си, достига до безсмъртието, а безсмъртието е докосване до всемира или сливане с всемира. Космополитизмът е противоположност на всемирното. Той е разпиляване на индивида в света около него, в света на екстериорното време и пространство, в света на другите, отвъдните на аза. Там личността потъва във външното и губи себе си в очертанията на нещата, които не е могла да овладее, защото нищо не може да бъде овладяно чрез външното притежание на вещта, а само по пътя на вътрешното проникване (в духа на аза).
“Колкото повече принадлежи един човек на една страна и на една епоха, толкова повече той принадлежи на всички страни и на всички епохи” (Унамуно).
Странна диалектика наистина - да разбираш общото само като максимално сгъстено индивидуално. Хората имат нещо общо помежду си само доколкото са неповторими индивидуалности или личности.


За идеала и реалността

Цялата книга (творчество) “Животът на Дон Кихот и Санчо Панса” е пронизана от патоса на утвърждаването на идеала като най-висша реалност, реалност сама по себе си ценна и несъотносима с простия ред на нещата в живота. За Унамуно нищо вън от очертанията на идеала не притежава същността на реалност, а само привидността на някаква действителност. За да вървиш в пътя на идеала е нужна вяра. Вярата е онова, което ни отправя към или свързва с идеала. Никой обаче от земните хора не въплъщава в себе си идеала. Идеалът е някъде пред нас и ние сме вечно устремени към него в търсене на единението с него, в стремежа за неговото постигане и осъществяване. За Унамуно Дон Кихот е онзи литературен образ, в който идеалът е въплътен в най-пълна степен след божественото му въплъщение в Христос. Оттук се ражда и вниманието на Унамуно към героя. Да носиш в себе си идеала означава да бъдеш истински. По този начин дори художествено условните персонажи могат да се превърнат според философа в хора от плът и кръв.


Вярата

Трябва да се вярва. Да се вярва искрено, чисто, от цялото сърце и душа, със страст. Да се вярва в духа и идеала. Вярата е, което ни прави хора. Тя дарява с топлина всекиго от нас, вдъхва смелост в сърцата ни, изправя ни срещу вятърните мелници и превръща бръснарските легени в шлемове. Вярата е, която ражда истинските чудеса на света - не чудесата на Дисниленд и увеселителните паркове, а чудесата на духовното, на онова невидимо добротворно начало, което кара бедни пенсионери да отделят стотинки от мизерните си пенсии, за да спасят не по-малко болни от самите себе си.
Нужна ни е вяра. Вяра, която осветява пътя ни и чертае пред нас контурите на култура на човека като антитеза на културата на вещите.


Дон Кихот

Дон Кихот се ражда винаги във време на духовна криза в обществото. Подобно на птицата Феникс и той възкръсва изпод пепелищата на епохите, за да влезе в битка с великаните, които се изпречкват на пътя му, и да срази джуджетата, които пълзят около него. Всеки от нас носи в душата си един Санчо Панса и един Дон Кихот. Въпросът е в кого от двамата се вслушваме, чий глас ни проглушава отвътре. Времето не може да убие Дон Кихот, защото хората имат нужда от идеали, имат нужда от духовни ориентири.

Стефан Пеев

БЕЛЕЖКИ ЗА КАНДИНСКИ

Василий Кандински, Композиция VII – според Кандински това е най-многопластовата творба, която е създал някога (1913)

Цялата естетическа концепция на Кандински е проникната от духа на телеологизма. Телеологична е гносеологията на изкуството, телеологична е онтологията на изкуството; телеологизъм откриваме и в процеса на филогенезата на човека, и в процеса на онтогенезата на човека. Основната схема е съсредоточена върху следните оси: примитивно изкуство - класическо изкуство - модерно изкуство; ранно детство - съзряване на личността - духовно извисяване на индивида; примитивно общество - класическо общество - съвременно общество.
Фигурата, чрез която нагледно се изобразява това движение, е пирамидата. Движението на пирамидата е неотклонно насочено нагоре. Това неминуемо поражда вътрешен оптимизъм у твореца; усилва съзнанието му, че е създател на значимо ново изкуство.
Основен принцип на новото изкуство е принципът за въздействието върху душата, но не със средствата на грубо материалното, защото подобно въздействие може да има чисто физически, но не и психологически измерения.
Единствената абсолютна ценност за Кандински е душата. Сама в себе си и за себе си тя е прекрасна. Изкуството няма друга цел освен самоизразяването на душевното начало. Като парадигма за художествено изображение вече служи не външната реалност с отнесените към нея индивидуални настроения на твореца, а вътрешния мир на художника, неговото съкровено и напълно независимо от действителността “аз”. Освободената от бремето на телесното душа обаче съдържа в себе си само чистото траене на жизнения порив или иначе казано абстрактното усещане за времето като континиум. В такъв смисъл пространството се осмисля като прекъснатост, като делимост, като крайност или материалност (Шпенглер, Бергсон), а времето е чистата безкрайност на нещата.
С това, че външната действителност престава да бъде обект на изображение, отпада и критерият за художественост на творбата. Кандински решава проблема като премества критерия от външно правдоподобното съответствие към вътрешната хармонизираност на душата и формата. Хармонизираността има за резултат “вътрешното звучене на формата”. Макар и да отбелязва, че става дума за психически, а не за физически процес, Кандински в действителност разглежда изкуството в чисто феноменологичен аспект, търсейки ейдетическата му структура. При това звученето се разбира в неговия питагорейски план, като съотнесеност, като съзвучие (armonia) на различните отделности - душата и предмета на изкуството.
Идеята, че развитието на човека е подчинено на някакъв ясен и неотвратим смисъл, при който все повече и повече намалява влиянието на материалното за сметка на усилването на духовното начало, не дава възможност на Кандински да гледа на собствените си теоретически построения като на завършващ и изчерпващ етап в естетическата теория. Художникът е убеден, че се намираме още в самото начало на сложния процес на трансформиране на изкуството изцяло върху принципите на новата хармония и новата красота . Затова говори за необходимостта от култивиране на чувството на художника, тоест вярва, че става дума и за дидактика, за целенасочен процес на обучение, в резултат на който ще се оформи изцяло новият творец.
За Кандински красотата не е самоцел, тя не е ценност сама за себе си и сама по себе си, затова и не се свежда до цвета и формата, а до композицията.
Възгледите на Кандински са заредени с оптимизъм. По своята същност те са коренно противоположни на Шпенглеровата концепция за упадъка на Запада.

Стефан Пеев

Източник на илюстрацията: УИКИПЕДИЯ

ЗА ДОБРИТЕ УЧИТЕЛИ И ЗА ОЩЕ НЕЩО...

Проф. Алексей Лосев (1893–1988)

Невинаги животът може да те срещне с твоя най-добър учител на живо. Преди много години като възторжен и ентусиазиран студент се осмелих да пиша на проф. Алексей Лосев. Изпратих писмо до издателството, в което беше публикувана последната му книга и помолих да му го предадат. Не очаквах отговор. Просто се молех писмото да стигне до проф. Лосев. То беше изпълнено с любов, с признателност и... със страхопочитание. С усещането, че се опитвам да докосна тайнство, в което не съм посветен. Изумлението ми беше огромно, когато получих отговор от професора. Последва кратка кореспонденция. Един от най-милите, най-скъпите спомени в живота ми. Професор Лосев ми изпрати някои от книгите си, които не бяха достъпни в България. А когато ме покани да участвам в честването на юбилея му в Москва, се уплаших. Та аз ли... незначителният и недоказал себе си студент ще тръгна към Москва за среща с човека, който е цяла епоха в човешката култура. Така си мислех някога, стисках в ръката си поканата и... треперех.

Когато се съберем с приятели от ученическите години, си говорим за обичайните неща – за живота, за миналото, за добрите и лошите учители. Всъщност за лошите никога не говорим. Споменаваме ги, но не говорим за тях. Говорим за хората, които са оставили диря в нас. Защото добрият учител, е съавторът на собствения ти живот. Не можеш да го откъснеш от себе си. Дори и да искаш да го направиш насила.

Ако животът ти не те срещне на живо с най-добрите ти учители, това не означава, че си ощетен. И няма място за оправдания. Защото най-добрия си учител можеш да срещнеш в книгите и чрез книгите. Важното е да разбираш, че знанието завинаги остава интимност на споделянето. Истинската интелектуална сила се измерва не с проникновеността в непознатото, а в дълбочината на споделеността на своя свят с другите. Защото истинното знание изключва егоизма и е най-прекият път към благородството на духа.

Стефан Пеев

Review: Minder (Ganzfield #1)

Minder (Ganzfield #1)
Kate Kaynak

Publication Date: June 10, 2010
Date Finished: May 22, 2012
Source: Bought
Format: E-Book

From Goodreads:
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...

"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."