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Ganzfield #6
Soulmate: The Sixth Ganzfield Book
The new dangers uncovered in Europe haven't gone away--in fact, some of them
seem to have taken up residence at Ganzfield. As the threats intensify, Maddie and
the team go into the field again, but when supposed allies start seeing them as the
problems, they may find themselves trapped by the very people they are trying to
help.
seem to have taken up residence at Ganzfield. As the threats intensify, Maddie and
the team go into the field again, but when supposed allies start seeing them as the
problems, they may find themselves trapped by the very people they are trying to
help.
180 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 14, 2014
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June 14, 2011This will be the 6th book of the Ganzfield series, and should be released in the October of 2012.
April 6, 2014
Erm okay, what happened?
I feel like I have been waiting forever for this book as I'm a HUGE fan of the series, but seriously... rushed much?
It was good, don't get me wrong, but I feel like she tried to finish this book up as fast as possible.
The massive build up to the Russian mobs? Completely drama free.
Belinda.. well talk about no loose ends.
Why?
Plus what happened to Solitary? I thought that was going to be the last one and now it doesn't even exist :/ I was so looking forward to this book, but I finished it in such a short time because nothing major happened- well at the end it did, but that's not what I mean.
Maybe I'm being harsh, but why did that have to happen? It was such a sad way to finish the series.
I feel like I have been waiting forever for this book as I'm a HUGE fan of the series, but seriously... rushed much?
It was good, don't get me wrong, but I feel like she tried to finish this book up as fast as possible.
The massive build up to the Russian mobs? Completely drama free.
Belinda.. well talk about no loose ends.
Why?
Plus what happened to Solitary? I thought that was going to be the last one and now it doesn't even exist :/ I was so looking forward to this book, but I finished it in such a short time because nothing major happened- well at the end it did, but that's not what I mean.
Maybe I'm being harsh, but why did that have to happen? It was such a sad way to finish the series.
March 25, 2014
So I just finished 'Soulmate', the sixth (and apparently final) installment of the Ganzfield series, and I'm still feeling pretty emotionally raw.
I discovered this series a few years ago, and it quickly captured my heart. As I approached the end of teenagedom and my obsession with YA lessened, I still made sure to buy the latest Ganzfield novels as soon as they were released. I sighed alongside other fans as each release date for 'Soulmate' seemed to be pushed back, but I put it to the back of my mind with the knowledge that when it finally arrived it would be just as good as the previous installments.
There are so many things that I admire about this series, not least Kate Kaynak's determination to keep her readers on their toes. No one was safe from her killer pen, and prior to 'Soulmate' we had witnessed the deaths of many characters, both well-established and minor. It often chafes to read a series where characters repeatedly enter dangerous situations and come out virtually unscathed - the idea that anyone could die made these stories more exciting to read.
However, the finale still knocked me for six.
The plot itself was a little boring, for the first half of the book at least. Maddie, Trevor & the gang travel to Turkey to round up the remaining rogue Russian astrals, accompanied by General Dale and the US Navy. On their return they discover evil bitch Belinda has returned to Ganzfield with a vengeance, and this is where things start to get really ugly.
So much has happened to these characters since 'Minder' - from births and marriages, to deaths and torture, we have run the emotional gauntlet with them.
Maybe it was the knowledge that this was the last time I'd read about these characters, but the number of loose ends and the abruptness of the ending left me pretty shell-shocked.
The real battle arrives suddenly in the last 20% of 'Soulmate', and most of the deaths occur in one brutal scene very close to the end. By the end of the book, we have received little time to process these major losses, and many characters still remain unaccounted for.
The 'realism' of this series, not only where death is concerned but in the plausible scientific premise, meant that a scenario like this was likely. But as the author affirmed that this was the last ever installment, I guess I expected some more closure. After all the crap these guys have been through, I wanted to see how their futures would turn out, or at least how they dealt with the fallout of the devastation. During previous massacre/battles this had been done well, but in the final scenes we don't get a real chance to say goodbye to these characters, and that was what disappointed me the most.
Without being too spoilery (though I will expand on my reactions to the ending below), the lack of an epilogue meant that the fates of all the characters, including Maddie and Trevor, remain somewhat cloudy. While I never expected a cookie cutter ending, I would've found the ending abrupt even if another book was planned. The fact that we will never read about these guys again made the ending confusing and disappointing.
SPOILERS
So many characters' deaths shocked me in 'Soulmate', but I'm probably right in saying that those of Ann & Zack were the most emotional. I just didn't expect it, and Zack's suicide using Maddie shocked me even though I probably should've seen it coming - it was so wasteful and sudden.
There were so many things I would've loved to have seen explained in the end.
Williamson's death was so unexpected, and the lack of detail regarding his death saddened me, as he was such an important figure in the story.
The hints of romance between Drew and Katya, and even Dimitri and Hannah, were never expanded upon. While I know there was little chance of a romantic Harry Potter-esque ending where everyone is paired up, it felt as though these relationships were set up and never realised.
Belinda's sudden desire to rule Ganzfield seemed to come out of the blue - surely once the authorities learned a hostile Charm was in charge of the school they would've nuked the place? And after spending the first half of the book with General Dale and the military's super technology, their lack of participation in the team's raid made little sense. I know that they were being watched and had to seem normal, but surely a phone call could've been made? Even if they couldn't help physically due to the risk of being burned alive, surely they could've done something useful?
I would've loved to see how baby Sienna turned out, and whether Rachel found someone to love again after Sean.
And Maddie and Trevor, the heart of the story. Did they take charge of Ganzfield, and if so, how did they rebuild the place? Did they ever have kids and live happily ever after, or did something horrible happen to tear them apart just like with so many other characters?
END SPOILERS
The lack of resolution was refreshing in a sense - if that situation went down in real life nothing would be tied up neatly - but it's not real life and after investing so much in these stories I think it was only fair to expect some closure in the end.
There was a sense that the author was getting tired of the series, and maybe rushed a little to finish it off, but this left an ending that didn't do the books justice IMO.
Despite all that, I want to say thank you to Kate Kaynak for creating such an imaginative and original world. It was so great to read a series with believable, non-love-triangle, non-irritating instalove; an intelligent scientific premise; and a cast of well developed supporting characters. Although I was left with a feeling of things being left unfinished, I'm sure I will continue to re-read and enjoy Ganzfield for many years to come. For an indie series that wasn't widely promoted, the quality of the writing and story was excellent, and I can only hope that I find something equally addictive someday soon.
I discovered this series a few years ago, and it quickly captured my heart. As I approached the end of teenagedom and my obsession with YA lessened, I still made sure to buy the latest Ganzfield novels as soon as they were released. I sighed alongside other fans as each release date for 'Soulmate' seemed to be pushed back, but I put it to the back of my mind with the knowledge that when it finally arrived it would be just as good as the previous installments.
There are so many things that I admire about this series, not least Kate Kaynak's determination to keep her readers on their toes. No one was safe from her killer pen, and prior to 'Soulmate' we had witnessed the deaths of many characters, both well-established and minor. It often chafes to read a series where characters repeatedly enter dangerous situations and come out virtually unscathed - the idea that anyone could die made these stories more exciting to read.
However, the finale still knocked me for six.
The plot itself was a little boring, for the first half of the book at least. Maddie, Trevor & the gang travel to Turkey to round up the remaining rogue Russian astrals, accompanied by General Dale and the US Navy. On their return they discover evil bitch Belinda has returned to Ganzfield with a vengeance, and this is where things start to get really ugly.
So much has happened to these characters since 'Minder' - from births and marriages, to deaths and torture, we have run the emotional gauntlet with them.
Maybe it was the knowledge that this was the last time I'd read about these characters, but the number of loose ends and the abruptness of the ending left me pretty shell-shocked.
The real battle arrives suddenly in the last 20% of 'Soulmate', and most of the deaths occur in one brutal scene very close to the end. By the end of the book, we have received little time to process these major losses, and many characters still remain unaccounted for.
The 'realism' of this series, not only where death is concerned but in the plausible scientific premise, meant that a scenario like this was likely. But as the author affirmed that this was the last ever installment, I guess I expected some more closure. After all the crap these guys have been through, I wanted to see how their futures would turn out, or at least how they dealt with the fallout of the devastation. During previous massacre/battles this had been done well, but in the final scenes we don't get a real chance to say goodbye to these characters, and that was what disappointed me the most.
Without being too spoilery (though I will expand on my reactions to the ending below), the lack of an epilogue meant that the fates of all the characters, including Maddie and Trevor, remain somewhat cloudy. While I never expected a cookie cutter ending, I would've found the ending abrupt even if another book was planned. The fact that we will never read about these guys again made the ending confusing and disappointing.
SPOILERS
So many characters' deaths shocked me in 'Soulmate', but I'm probably right in saying that those of Ann & Zack were the most emotional. I just didn't expect it, and Zack's suicide using Maddie shocked me even though I probably should've seen it coming - it was so wasteful and sudden.
There were so many things I would've loved to have seen explained in the end.
Williamson's death was so unexpected, and the lack of detail regarding his death saddened me, as he was such an important figure in the story.
The hints of romance between Drew and Katya, and even Dimitri and Hannah, were never expanded upon. While I know there was little chance of a romantic Harry Potter-esque ending where everyone is paired up, it felt as though these relationships were set up and never realised.
Belinda's sudden desire to rule Ganzfield seemed to come out of the blue - surely once the authorities learned a hostile Charm was in charge of the school they would've nuked the place? And after spending the first half of the book with General Dale and the military's super technology, their lack of participation in the team's raid made little sense. I know that they were being watched and had to seem normal, but surely a phone call could've been made? Even if they couldn't help physically due to the risk of being burned alive, surely they could've done something useful?
I would've loved to see how baby Sienna turned out, and whether Rachel found someone to love again after Sean.
And Maddie and Trevor, the heart of the story. Did they take charge of Ganzfield, and if so, how did they rebuild the place? Did they ever have kids and live happily ever after, or did something horrible happen to tear them apart just like with so many other characters?
END SPOILERS
The lack of resolution was refreshing in a sense - if that situation went down in real life nothing would be tied up neatly - but it's not real life and after investing so much in these stories I think it was only fair to expect some closure in the end.
There was a sense that the author was getting tired of the series, and maybe rushed a little to finish it off, but this left an ending that didn't do the books justice IMO.
Despite all that, I want to say thank you to Kate Kaynak for creating such an imaginative and original world. It was so great to read a series with believable, non-love-triangle, non-irritating instalove; an intelligent scientific premise; and a cast of well developed supporting characters. Although I was left with a feeling of things being left unfinished, I'm sure I will continue to re-read and enjoy Ganzfield for many years to come. For an indie series that wasn't widely promoted, the quality of the writing and story was excellent, and I can only hope that I find something equally addictive someday soon.
July 8, 2014
Originally posted on my blog: Tangled Up In Books
Since I started reading this series, this will be the first time I have ever given a Ganzfield book anything below a 5 star rating. I'm feeling a bit numb right now. I'm also worried that I've felt the need to immediately put my thoughts down, instead of taking a couple days to process this. Which is why I find myself sitting here at 2am typing this out just moments after reading the line "END OF BOOK SIX". But really I don't see how I can feel any better about what I've read even if I'd had a month to let it simmer.
A note from the beginning of the book, I added that to understand some things coming up. See, I'm confused... About many things, so it's hard to know which thought to pull up first and expand on.
This book felt very rushed. As you can see it was only, according to my book, 163 pages. We've been waiting for a very long time for this book to come out. At one point Kate Kaynak had stated it was expected to be released back in Oct of 2012. Trust me, I understand better than anybody the fact that no matter how hard you plan, life doesn't always allow things to happen when you want them too. So that is NOT me complaining about the wait. I get it. I understand. But I would hope with all the waiting we've been doing that we'd get a finish that was worthy of the Ganzfield series and I just feel like...this wasn't it.
Reading this series up until now has been like watching a really, really, really good action/romance/paranormal/comedy movie all rolled into one. Seriouisly! There's explosions and helicopter crashes and people who can kill with a simple thought of their minds and the love...oh the love stories. And all this stuff has just been building and building for five books only to have it just sort of taper off like it was being swept under the rug. Honestly I would have waited another year, hell I'd have waited a couple more years, with no complaints what so ever, if it meant giving this series the send off it deserved.
Do not get me wrong. I was enjoying it up to a certain point. I laughed a lot, Kate Kaynak has this really great sense of humor laced through her writing. So this isn't a matter of me raging through the whole thing. I mean, I did keep thinking to myself 'this is all going too easy and too fast' like I said I felt the rush of it all from the very start of the book. But then the last 50 or so pages hit and deep in my gut I just knew...I was not going to be happy. It's not even that people got killed off. It's the freaking Ganzfield series and by book 6 I'm almost numb to Kate Kaynak ripping people away from us. Though I will admit the round of deaths by the end of this one really threw me for an emotional loop. The feels are in overdrive at the moment.
There's also no closure for at least one of the characters. This person is just...like...missing. With the last line of the book being an email from Maddie to this person saying "Let me know that you're still alive, okay?" and BAM that's it. End. So for a few minutes there I was slightly hopeful. I mean I know the author states in the note at the beginning of the book that this would be the final installment of the series. But at one point there had been a total of 7 books listed in the Ganzfield series, the last one titled Solitary. Which, if you knew anything about the series, you could easily speculate like I did that this would have been the perfect title for a book centered around our missing person. It's perfect! I thought okay this isn't it! There will be more! I'll get closure! But as I went on Goodreads...that book is gone. And with that my hopes were crushed.
I know this has just been one giant rant, so for now, I need to just let it go. I never set out to be mean. This will still always be one of my absolute favorite series I've ever read. Period. Sorry if this was all harsh and such, but like I said, Kate Kaynak I really wish you would have delayed it even longer and not rushed through to the end because we can feel it in the story. And I hate having unanswered questions. Now I'm going to go wallow in my emotions. Does anybody have any chocolate?...
Since I started reading this series, this will be the first time I have ever given a Ganzfield book anything below a 5 star rating. I'm feeling a bit numb right now. I'm also worried that I've felt the need to immediately put my thoughts down, instead of taking a couple days to process this. Which is why I find myself sitting here at 2am typing this out just moments after reading the line "END OF BOOK SIX". But really I don't see how I can feel any better about what I've read even if I'd had a month to let it simmer.
A note from the beginning of the book, I added that to understand some things coming up. See, I'm confused... About many things, so it's hard to know which thought to pull up first and expand on.
This book felt very rushed. As you can see it was only, according to my book, 163 pages. We've been waiting for a very long time for this book to come out. At one point Kate Kaynak had stated it was expected to be released back in Oct of 2012. Trust me, I understand better than anybody the fact that no matter how hard you plan, life doesn't always allow things to happen when you want them too. So that is NOT me complaining about the wait. I get it. I understand. But I would hope with all the waiting we've been doing that we'd get a finish that was worthy of the Ganzfield series and I just feel like...this wasn't it.
Reading this series up until now has been like watching a really, really, really good action/romance/paranormal/comedy movie all rolled into one. Seriouisly! There's explosions and helicopter crashes and people who can kill with a simple thought of their minds and the love...oh the love stories. And all this stuff has just been building and building for five books only to have it just sort of taper off like it was being swept under the rug. Honestly I would have waited another year, hell I'd have waited a couple more years, with no complaints what so ever, if it meant giving this series the send off it deserved.
Do not get me wrong. I was enjoying it up to a certain point. I laughed a lot, Kate Kaynak has this really great sense of humor laced through her writing. So this isn't a matter of me raging through the whole thing. I mean, I did keep thinking to myself 'this is all going too easy and too fast' like I said I felt the rush of it all from the very start of the book. But then the last 50 or so pages hit and deep in my gut I just knew...I was not going to be happy. It's not even that people got killed off. It's the freaking Ganzfield series and by book 6 I'm almost numb to Kate Kaynak ripping people away from us. Though I will admit the round of deaths by the end of this one really threw me for an emotional loop. The feels are in overdrive at the moment.
There's also no closure for at least one of the characters. This person is just...like...missing. With the last line of the book being an email from Maddie to this person saying "Let me know that you're still alive, okay?" and BAM that's it. End. So for a few minutes there I was slightly hopeful. I mean I know the author states in the note at the beginning of the book that this would be the final installment of the series. But at one point there had been a total of 7 books listed in the Ganzfield series, the last one titled Solitary. Which, if you knew anything about the series, you could easily speculate like I did that this would have been the perfect title for a book centered around our missing person. It's perfect! I thought okay this isn't it! There will be more! I'll get closure! But as I went on Goodreads...that book is gone. And with that my hopes were crushed.
I know this has just been one giant rant, so for now, I need to just let it go. I never set out to be mean. This will still always be one of my absolute favorite series I've ever read. Period. Sorry if this was all harsh and such, but like I said, Kate Kaynak I really wish you would have delayed it even longer and not rushed through to the end because we can feel it in the story. And I hate having unanswered questions. Now I'm going to go wallow in my emotions. Does anybody have any chocolate?...
September 2, 2014
So.... Notice above that all of the rest of the series got 5/5 stars from me. And that is not just because I was newer at blogging or that I used to give out 5 stars more easily. I love the books, I love Maddie and Trevor. The books are fun, swoony, filled with action, and I loved every second. I had been waiting for this one for quite a while. I know that Kate manages Spencer Hill Press and that she's had a lot of amazing titles that have come out. On top of that she is such a sweet heart.
So, I still loved how strong and fair Maddie is. She is one of my favorite main characters, because she still expects the best from her friends and the others at Ganzfield and even though she sees their dark, inappropriate, mean or any other negative kind of thought that each of them has. She still helps them to be better, to make the best choices and to try and share the good that she sees with each of them in hopes that they'll do what she does, try to make the right and best choices and to give others the benefit of the doubt.
Now, when it comes to people trying to hurt her friends or getting away with treating the others with g positive abilities, she is scary as all get out. She can fry people's brains, read their thoughts, cause them to black out, go into seizures and more. But she hates that she has to hurt people at times. She only uses when really needed. She has good discernment and she has a huge heart.
And Trevor, oh my goodness. Still one of my favorite book boyfriends ever. He is attentive to Maddie, takes care of her when she doesn't take care of herself. And he thinks the world of her. Maddie can read his thoughts and he is just good. A good guy, a good friend, and an amazing husband to her. I love how their abilities merge and they can talk to each other in their heads and she can share his telekenisis.
The plot of this one was very fast paced... and it probably would have gotten another 5 stars, making it the whole series.... But the ending. It felt so rushed and I couldn't believe the people who were killed off or injured just to give it closure. I wish there would have been another 100 pages to handle the threat on the homefront and to make their overseas mission have a bit more flesh too. I just felt like so much was a neat little bow or that they died. And that was the end.
Maybe Kate will reconsider this being the last installment and give us more closure and more fullness to the end of some of the ones dead....
Bottom Line: Great up until the end which was rushed and felt like people died just to make it easier to end. But Maddie and Trevor are still wonderful and love their characters and relationship.
So, I still loved how strong and fair Maddie is. She is one of my favorite main characters, because she still expects the best from her friends and the others at Ganzfield and even though she sees their dark, inappropriate, mean or any other negative kind of thought that each of them has. She still helps them to be better, to make the best choices and to try and share the good that she sees with each of them in hopes that they'll do what she does, try to make the right and best choices and to give others the benefit of the doubt.
Now, when it comes to people trying to hurt her friends or getting away with treating the others with g positive abilities, she is scary as all get out. She can fry people's brains, read their thoughts, cause them to black out, go into seizures and more. But she hates that she has to hurt people at times. She only uses when really needed. She has good discernment and she has a huge heart.
And Trevor, oh my goodness. Still one of my favorite book boyfriends ever. He is attentive to Maddie, takes care of her when she doesn't take care of herself. And he thinks the world of her. Maddie can read his thoughts and he is just good. A good guy, a good friend, and an amazing husband to her. I love how their abilities merge and they can talk to each other in their heads and she can share his telekenisis.
The plot of this one was very fast paced... and it probably would have gotten another 5 stars, making it the whole series.... But the ending. It felt so rushed and I couldn't believe the people who were killed off or injured just to give it closure. I wish there would have been another 100 pages to handle the threat on the homefront and to make their overseas mission have a bit more flesh too. I just felt like so much was a neat little bow or that they died. And that was the end.
Maybe Kate will reconsider this being the last installment and give us more closure and more fullness to the end of some of the ones dead....
Bottom Line: Great up until the end which was rushed and felt like people died just to make it easier to end. But Maddie and Trevor are still wonderful and love their characters and relationship.
September 25, 2014
Overall, Soulmate was enjoyable, but I have to agree with the other reviewers, the ending felt rushed. I don't mind character deaths (and there was one pair that left me staring at the page), but Soulmate didn't feel like it had the closure the series needed. A decent semi-cliffhanger ending for a book in mid-series, no problem. But at the end of the series? It feels like we should have gotten at least a little more idea of what was happening.
My problems with the ending:
The book felt like it was a little slow to start, and I'm personally not a huge fan of the romance (mostly because I'm not a romance fan), but I really enjoyed the powers and seeing how they were used, as well as seeing the characters again. The interactions between characters were fun to watch. I will say that the "seamen" joke got old quickly, but that's just personal preference.
That aside, I enjoyed the book. It just felt like we needed another hundred pages, or another book to complete the series.
My problems with the ending:
The book felt like it was a little slow to start, and I'm personally not a huge fan of the romance (mostly because I'm not a romance fan), but I really enjoyed the powers and seeing how they were used, as well as seeing the characters again. The interactions between characters were fun to watch. I will say that the "seamen" joke got old quickly, but that's just personal preference.
That aside, I enjoyed the book. It just felt like we needed another hundred pages, or another book to complete the series.
April 4, 2014
This was a great book, but the last book in the Minder series contained some very sad events.
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