Year: 2013

Dark Guardians is a series of romance novel for teens written by Rachel Hawthorne. It’s been a couple of decades since I read a romance novel; I used to read them all the time. I picked up the first and third books in paperback, at a super low price. However, I had to purchase the second book in ebook format, which I wasn’t happy about as the price was more expensive than the two printed books put together. There is a fourth book, but it’s not available in my area so again I would have to pay a high price for the ebook, which I will NOT be doing as I believe ebooks should be cheaper than paperbacks. No exceptions!

Book 1: Moonlight

Book Description:

“I see him and I know what this turmoil inside of me means: He’s the one. My forever.”

KAYLA is the nature lover, the all-American beauty who can’t understand why she’s so drawn to distant, brooding Lucas. Adopted as a young child, she has no way of knowing that she’s inherited a terrifying-and thrilling-gene that will change her life forever.

LUCAS is dangerous, gorgeous … and a werewolf. As leader of the Dark Guardians, shape-shifters who gather deep within the state park, he has sworn to protect his pack. But when Lucas finds his true soul mate, his love could put them all in harm’s way.

As Lucas and Kayla struggle with their feelings for each other, a greater danger lurks: Humans have discovered the Dark Guardians and are planning their destruction. Kayla must choose between the life she knows and the love she feels certain is her destiny.

Book Review:

Moonlight by Rachel Hawthorne

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

To be honest, the cover did nothing for me. I actually looked at it and moved on straight away. Then two young girls appeared beside me. One of them picked the book up and said, “This is a werewolf romance.” They walked off, book in hand, and I moved back to the pile of books and picked one up to read the blurb.

The blurb interested me. I’m not interested in reading vampires stories anymore, but hadn’t read a romance involving werewolves. The price was right, so I was willing to give it a go.

And I’m glad I did. Yes, it might be a bit cheesy in places. Yes, I groaned and rolled my eyes at a couple of spots where the romance was far from reality (in my honest opinion). But … the book was easy to read and quite absorbing.

I liked the characters, especially the main characters – Kayla and Lucas. Kayla isn’t sure of herself, which was a bit irritating, but she had a lot of baggage and I was able to make allowances for her. Lucas is the mysterious one. We know he’s a werewolf, but Kayla doesn’t. They are well suited, but then there’s Mason; smart, good looking and attentive.

The setting was particularly interesting. The group were hiking and camping through a forest, which presented its own dangers. I enjoyed the fact that whilst I had a clear idea of their surroundings, the author didn’t go on and on with long descriptions. Top marks for that.

The other thing I liked about the book was the fact that it is written in a way that shows werewolves (or shifters as they prefer to be called) as the good guys and a small majority of humans (or statics) as the baddies. It is refreshing to read about a topic (meaning werewolves), which is usually connected with death and violence, and have it approached from a different angle that shows it can be totally different to what is expected. If werewolves really existed, these are the type I’d like to see in the world.

I really did enjoy this book.

Book 2: Full Moon

Book Description:

“I may be promised to another . . . but thoughts of Rafe consume me. I don’t know how much longer I can resist.”

LINDSEY is wild and reckless, a natural rebel – maybe because her entire life was laid out for her even before she was born. Her parents are among the most powerful members of the Dark Guardians, an ancient tribe of werewolves, and they arranged Lindsey’s betrothal to Connor long ago. The next full moon is coming all too soon, and then her commitment to Connor will be final – no turning back. She should be happy … so why can’t she stop thinking about gorgeous, brooding Rafe?

When a dangerous threat on the pack escalates, so do tensions between Connor and Rafe. A fight over Lindsey is imminent, but will it be to the death?

Book Review:

Full Moon by Rachel Hawthorne

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Having enjoyed the first book, I had to purchase this one and continue reading. By now, I understood what I was in for and accepted the cheesiness and “roll of the eye” moments and just enjoyed the story.

This book basically picks up from where book one ended, but is told from the point of view of one of the other characters. It took me a while to let go of Kayla and Lucas and turn my attention to Lindsey, Connor and Rafe, but once I managed to do that I was again drawn in and held.

In this book we learn more about the Dark Guardians and their history as we are taken into their secret village. We continue to have glimpses of Kayla and Lucas and see how their relationship in progressing, but Lindsey has issues of her own.

Lindsey and Connor have been together forever. They’ve been through a lot together and as far as everyone is concerned, including their parents, they will be bonded as mates at the next full moon. Neither of them fought against it because it felt right … until Rafe started to haunt Lindsey’s dreams; and she wasn’t always asleep when it happened!

Lindsey’s confusion and inability to make a decision was irritating, but in reality I could accept her situation and understood her confusion. Sometimes it’s difficult to know what the right thing to do is.

Once again, we returned to the forest and did some hiking and camping. The overall threat of Bio-Chrome wasn’t resolved in book one and is revisited in this book. Of course, this thread gives an element of danger, which mixes up the tension a bit more.

I gave this book three stars instead of four (which I gave the first book) simply because the freshness wasn’t there. I still enjoyed it, but the impact wasn’t as great; hence, the rating is lower.

Book 3: Dark of the Moon

Book Description:

“I’ve loved him forever, but he can never be mine.”

BRITTANY is determined to prove herself to the Dark Guardians. And yet she’s been keeping a devastating secret: She hasn’t experienced any of the intense, early signs of change that mark a Dark Guardian’s transformation. The only intense feelings she has are for Connor—and she’s kept that a secret, too. But she knows she’ll never truly have Connor’s love if she’s not a Shifter like him.

At the first full moon after her birthday, her greatest fear is realized: She doesn’t transform. Brittany is so desperate to become a wolf that she’ll go to extremes she never thought possible … and put all the Dark Guardians in incredible danger.

Book Review:

Dark of the Moon by Rachel Hawthorne

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

The third book in the series. This time we back-track to the night of the full moon (when, in book 2, Lindsey finally made her chose between Connor and Rafe) and we see how Brittany copes with transforming alone. Remember, Dark Guardian legend foretells that when a female faces her first transformation, she will not survive if she doesn’t have a male with her.

The book starts at the point just before the transformation is to happen. Brittany is terrified as she knows she may not be alive to see the sun rise again, but she waits and waits and waits.

Nothing happens and she’s devastated.

Because of the opening to the story, I believe I managed to swap characters to Brittany’s point of view quite easily. I felt sorry for her. And because of that, I think I tolerated her story more than I did Lindsey’s. She had more reason to act the way she does in the book. And there weren’t as many cheesy bits, or maybe I had just become more accepting of those too.

My biggest complaint with the book was how swiftly Connor went from Lindsey to Brittany. The explanation is viable, but it was too quick in my opinion and there were not enough hints of how Connor might have felt in the second book for me to accept it so readily in this one. Yeah, I know it’s just a story, but still…

There was less hiking and camping in this book, which by now I was glad of. However, the Bio-Chrome threat was ever present. More so, as the threat became a bigger part of the story and is resolved by the end of the book. I was pleased with this.

The thing I liked most about this book, it that it felt closer to reality where emotions were concerned. I’m not talking about the romance side of things, I mean the feelings we hold much deeper and often keep secret from others – our fears. Often we do stupid things to be accepted and Brittany is no different when she makes her decisions.

I give this book 3.5 stars. I enjoyed it more than the second book, it ‘spoke’ to me, drew me right in, and even made me shed a tear. However, I still feel the first book’s freshness made it stand out from the rest, even with the cheesy parts.

In Conclusion:

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, there is a fourth book Shadow of the Moon. If the paperback was available locally or if the ebook was more reasonably priced, I would have purchased it. However, all threads have been resolved to my satisfaction in the three books I’ve read and I don’t feel the need to continue reading, so this is where I stop reading the Dark Guardian series.

If you like romance, if you want something easy to get lost in, and if you can overlook the cheesy parts, I recommend these three books.

Quentaris is a fantasy world filled with magic. The stories written in this world are by various Australian authors. The books are stand-alone adventure stories written for young adults. Recently, I’ve read three books in this series. They are:

The Murderers’ Apprentice by Pamela Freeman

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The title attracted me to this story. I’d read other Quentaris books some years ago and enjoyed them, so decided to purchase this one. It wasn’t until I got home and examined the book more closely that I realised it was written by Pamela Freeman, author of The Castings Trilogy, which I loved.

The main character of The Murderers’ Apprentice is named Merrith. She is apprenticed to become an assassin with the Murderers’ Guild. But Merrith doesn’t actually like killing people and she’s not doing too well in her lessons as a result.

But she can’t just walk away from the guild as a prophecy has everyone else convinced that she’s going to save Quentaris. Unlikely as it sounds to her, she goes through the Rift Caves and attempts to do her job.

The book is easy to read and easy to absorb. I enjoyed the story line and liked the characters. Whilst I wouldn’t consider the book ‘deep’, sometimes that’s not what I want when reading. I accepted the book for what it is and should be — entertaining.

Nightmare In Quentaris by Michael Pryor

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book in the series is written by one of the editors and concerns a well-known character in the series, Nisha, who is accompanied by her friend, Tal.

I remembered these two from the other books I’ve read in the series, so it was nice to return to them and read another of their adventures.

This time, something strange is happening at the Old Tree Guesthouse–where the pair live with the guesthouse owner, Arna. The other employees are acting weird and wondering off, deliveries are not turning up, and there are not many patrons or guests coming to the guesthouse either.

Yet when Nisha and Tal wander the city there is plenty going on elsewhere. Could it have something to do with the scary looking guest who checked in a few days beforehand or is there another reason? Nisha and Tal are determined to find out.

I would say this book is a mini-mystery book. It’s not too complex, which again makes the book easy to read and digest. There’s plenty going on to keep the reader’s interest. And, a few twists and turns have been thrown in to throw the reader off the track.

Beneath Quentaris: Quentaris Chronicles by Michael Pryor

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is another Nisha and Tal adventure, written by one of the editors of the series.

In this one, Nisha is sent on a quest to learn more about her ‘fire’ ability. At the same time she is helping some old residents who are trapped Beneath Quentaris and is hoping to obtain an amulet that she can use to hone her skills.

This book is the simplest story I’ve read in the series. There’s no real danger or urgency. The characters are on a quest and are learning more about themselves, their world and the magic that surrounds them. The story may be simple, but that doesn’t translate to boring. It’s well written and enjoyable.

What I like about these books is that they are easy to read. Sometimes, I have so much going on in my life that I can’t get my mind around complex stories. To just sit and read and enjoy is important. No effort is required for the Quentaris Chronicles and for me that’s a good way to relax on any day.

The Dead by David Gatward

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description:

Lazarus Stone is about to turn sixteen when, one night, his normal life is ripped to shreds by a skinless figure drenched in blood.

He has a message: The Dead are coming.

Now Lazarus is all that stands in their way. To fulfil his destiny, he must confront not only the dark past of his family, but horrors more gruesome than even Hell could invent. And it all begins with the reek of rotting flesh…

Review:

Whilst browsing the shelves of my local second-hand bookshop (the only bookshop in town) I came across this young adult series—all three books, in good condition too!

The dead are coming!

Well, what can I say, this one sentence provided my imagination with lots of images and I immediately picked up all three books and purchased them.

The Dead is book one of the series. It starts out strong and carried me right through to the last page. It’s fast-paced and interesting. There’s no time to ponder or get distracted or to check what’s on television because something is happening all the time to demand your full attention.

If you’re looking for deep and meaningful, then this isn’t the book for you. This book is fun, vivid and entertaining. Yes, it’s classed as horror, but there’s no need to be scared—blood and guts are definitely a part of the story—unless, of course, you are of a timid nature, in which case there will be plenty to cause you fear.

And the characters? We are introduced to Lazarus and Craig, best mates, and Arielle (you’ll have to read the book to find out more about her). They are likeable and work well together. I’m looking forward to reading where the author will take them in book two, The Dark.

Recommended.

The Borrowers Avenged by Mary Norton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I finished reading this book on 19 February 2013.

Description:

Escaping from an attic where they had been held captive over the long, dark winter, a family of tiny people sets up house in an old rectory. They soon discover their captors are looking for them.

Review:

This is the fifth and final book in the series. Firstly, after the disappointment of the previous book, I started this one with low expectations. However, it turned out to be much better than I thought it would be and I enjoyed it.

The story picks up where the previous one left off (as do all the books) and we follow the family to their new life at the rectory. Arrietty’s aunt and uncle have moved into the church next door and we meet a new character, Pea Green, who is already living in the rectory (and seems quite lonely so it was good to see the family move in and provide companionship for him).

There is mention of Arrietty planning her future with Spiller, who isn’t in this book very much. There’s also a strong bond developing with Pea Green. And we get a strong notion that the family will settle in their new home and be happy.

The book ends … in a way that felt to me that the author planned on writing a sixth book, but never had the chance before her death. I suppose the ending allows the reader to fill in the blanks. This means what I think will happen is purely up to my imagination. And that is the case for any reader. And there’s always the truth—there is no real end to a story.

The series is good. The concept is brilliant and easily accepted. The author did a good job yet there were many flaws, unresolved plots, out of whack timelines and little things that really should have been fixed because of consistency issues. However, if the reader can get passed all this and just accept the story, the characters and the plots for what they are then they are in for a treat.

Recommended.

The Borrowers Aloft by Mary Norton

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Description:

Life in the miniature village at Little Fordham seemed ideal for “the Borrowers,” the family of pencil-sized people, especially for Homily, who had always longed for a proper house with proper furnishings. Then Arrietty committed the indiscretion of making friends with a human being, Miss Menzies, telling her all about their secret world. Before Pod or Homily was aware of what was happening, the three of them were kidnaped by a greedy couple, Mr and Mrs Platter, who owned a rival miniature village in which they were going to exhibit the tiny trio as a live attraction the following spring. Imprisoned in the Platters’ attic through the winter, the Borrowers’ initial despair gave way to plans for escape. There was not much hope of success until Arrietty, poring over old issues of the Illustrated London News, discovered the article of ballooning.

Review:

The fourth book in the series.

Honestly, while the story was fine, I did not enjoy this one as much as the others. The main reason is because we did not join the borrowers until Chapter 10.

Nine chapters to set up the scenario? Nine chapters without the main characters? *shakes head*

I didn’t care about the ‘big people’ or how the two small villages came about. The nine chapters could have been condensed considerably. I began reading the series for the borrowers and expect to read ‘their’ story. I felt cheated.

Once we finally got back to the borrowers, there was an excessive amount of time describing exactly how they were going to escape. No, I didn’t enjoy this book. It felt like a filler; apart from the kidnapping, nothing exciting really happened until the escape.

I can’t say you shouldn’t read it because I haven’t finished the last book yet. I really have nothing else to say.

The Borrowers Afloat by Mary Norton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Description:

Pod, Homily, and Arrietty are off on new adventures when the threat of famine drives them from their home in the wall of an old cottage. Their escape down the drain of the washhouse, under the guidance of the wild Borrower boy Spiller, is harrowing enough. But when the leaky teakettle in which they are resting on the riverbank is swept away downstream, then their peril is even greater. This is the story of their strange voyage in search of a home.

Review:

This is the third book in the series. The biggest let down was that the beginning of the second chapter was almost word for word of the last chapter of the previous book. I found it distracting and a bit annoying…and even alarming, to some degree, as I don’t agree that an author should do this. It’s fine to ‘remind’ the reader of what’s gone before, but to literally copy and paste such a large section of text is not acceptable (in my opinion). However, once I got passed that bit I was happy to settle back into the story of the Borrower family.

Spiller has become a main character now. He is only young but he is worldly and knows how to survive out of doors. The Clock family learn a lot from him. And he saves them time and time again—from one thing or another.

The point of view jumps from one person to another, which I’ve gotten used to, but I did notice in this book that the point of view was mainly with the mother, Homily. She can be a bit annoying, but we were also shown the strong side of her, which I found endearing so I didn’t mind seeing things through her eyes.

The adventures continue. The story and the characters are delightful. And I’m still enjoying the books.

The Borrowers Afield by Mary Norton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second book in the Borrowers series. Although I enjoyed the story immensely I have given only four stars simply because there is a flaw in the story, which cannot be overlooked.

The first book is narrated by Mrs May, who is telling Kate (her young niece) about her brother’s claims of borrowers living in an old house he stayed in when he was recovering from an illness as a child. The second book brings us back to Mrs May and Kate one year later, but the story of Pod, Homily and Arrietty continues from where it left off. But suddenly Arrietty is a year older too. Suddenly the pillowcase that Mrs May left in the field a year after the borrowers had fled the house turns up a few months later.

This is a flaw that distracted me for a while. I had to let it go, however, so that I could enjoy the rest of the story.

Description:

Driven out of their cosy house by the rat catcher, the Borrowers find themselves homeless. Worse, they are lost and alone in a frightening new world: the outdoors. Nearly everything outside—cows, moths, field mice, cold weather—is a life threatening danger for the tiny Borrowers. But as they bravely journey across country in search of a new home and learn how to survive in the wild, Pod, Homily, and their daughter, Arrietty, discover that the world beyond their old home has more joy, drama, and people than they’d imagined.

Review:

I found the timing of this book compared to the first one distracting, because of the obvious flaw in the timeline. (For the narrator, Mrs May, and her niece, Kate, a year has passed, but for the Clock family the story picks up where it left off. However, suddenly Arrietty is a year older and the pillowcase shows up a couple of months after the family flee the house, instead of a year as mentioned by Mrs May in the first book.)

But once I was able to put that aside, I was quickly drawn back into the world of the little people. Arrietty and her parents must venture out into the great unknown. Everything is big and scary, but also refreshing and exciting. Arrietty is happier despite the dangers because there’s so much to see and experience. Her parents, on the other hand, fear the dangers and haven’t a clue how they will get on.

It’s interesting to see the family find a home for themselves—an old boot. Then they must learn new skills to survive. There’s no more borrowing, so they have to forage for food. And what will they do in the winter?

The second book had the same effect on me as the first. I was unable to put the book down and literally read for hours on end…and at regular interviews. Any book that does that is certainly one worth reading.

And I will mention the ending of this book as well, without going into specifics. The ending was appropriate, but I felt as disappointed as Arrietty. And, in this case, that means the author has done a fine job with her writing because it also means that the reader is attuned with the character and that’s exactly how the reader should feel.

There is a flaw, but that doesn’t mean the book isn’t worth reading because it is. Again, I highly recommend this book to everyone who has an imagination.

The Borrowers by Mary Norton

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I must live a very sheltered life because I had never heard of this set of books…until recently. I vaguely remember seeing the advertisements for the movie with John Goodman in it, but I don’t think I actually watched the movie. And now I am told by a very reliable source that there was a TV series too!

*shrugs*

Honestly, I don’t know how this happened. However, one of my Christmas presents was a DVD called The Secret World of Arrietty. I love animated movies. They feed my inner love for fantastical themes. What can I say, I’m a child at heart who really wants to believe in magical things, and little people living in my house is right up there, so the premise of the story is perfect for me.

Anyway, after watching and enjoying the movie I set about finding out if there were others planned and to my pleasure discovered the book set. I brought myself a late Christmas present or early birthday present or whatever else sounds acceptable and started reading immediately.

Description:

Underneath the kitchen floor is the world of the Borrowers—Pod and Homily Clock and their daughter, Arrietty. In their tiny home, matchboxes double as roomy dressers and postage stamps hang on the walls like paintings. Whatever the Clocks need they simply “borrow” from the “human beans” who live above them. It’s a comfortable life. Comfortable but boring if you are a kid. Only Pod is allowed to venture into the house above, because the danger of being seen by a human is too great. Borrowers who are seen by humans are never seen again. Yet Arrietty won’t listen. There is a human boy up there, and Arrietty is desperate for a friend…but then Arrietty is seen. Suddenly it seems everyone in the house-hold is after the Borrowers—except the one person who can help them. And so the desperate Clocks must trust their fates to the most dreaded of creatures…a human bean.

Review:

I want to believe in magic. It’s a life line out of a sometimes dreary life. But sometimes it’s hard to grasp and I find myself saying that I have to ‘grow up’ at some stage. But then The Borrowers came along and I can easily believe that little people exist who ‘borrow’ things. How often have you put something down and a moment later it’s gone? And what about all those times when you’ve gone to retrieve something, and you know exactly where you put it, only to find it isn’t there? This happens to me all the time.

It’s not hard to imagine how a story like this could create a world of imagination and excitement for children—the age group the story was written for. I’m not a child but I found the story and the characters delightful.

I literally couldn’t put it down. I would tell myself, “just one more chapter,” but would read three more instead. I wanted to know what would happen next. I didn’t want to leave their world. I was enjoying it too much.

The book was first published in 1952, so the wording is a little old-fashioned, but that doesn’t distract from the reading. It enhances it to some degree. I’m not a lover of long descriptions but in this book the descriptions are different because they are showing us the uses of the items that have been borrowed and used by the Clock family. It’s brilliant. The author plants scenes in your mind and allows you to live the life of the borrowers. And I see this as a talent because children will want to keep reading, and isn’t that a good thing?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It’s recommended to all readers—young and old, and everyone in between.