Reviews

GUARDIAN OF THE GATE, Michelle Zink


Reading Level:              Young Adult
Hardcover:                     340 pages
Publisher:                       Little, Brown for Young Readers, 8/1/10
Bookmarks:                   4

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• This book starts with a bang.  It takes place directly after the events of Prophecy of the Sisters.  Lia has traveled to England with Sonia in search for the missing pages of Book of Chaos to hopefully bring an end to a deadly prophecy that is tearing her family apart.
• From stately country manors to ethereal mystical places, Zink keeps our blood pumping with this installment.  One thing I noticed was her growth as a storyteller.  This book is tightly wound and you go though all the bumps and bruises with Lia.  Alice is a terrifying figure.  This book  is stuff of nightmares.
• You have everything in this book-- intrigue, betrayal, romance (and oh, the romance is hot!) and scary wraith-like beings.  
• I really couldn't put this book down.  I really enjoyed the direction we are going to and I'll be sad to see this trilogy end.  
• I'm going to say one name and when you read the book, swooning will commence. Dimtri Markov
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• RADIANT SHADOWS, Melissa Marr 
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  Reading Level:              Young Adult
  Hardcover:                     352 pages
  Publisher:                       HarperCollins, 4/20/10
  Bookmarks:                   2
  
  
  
  
  
  
  This one disappointed me.  I'm not exactly sure where Marr is going with this series and her off tangents are a bit confusing.  This story has to do with Ani who is part hound/part faery.  She lives for the touch and if she uses it too much it can be deadly.  But when Ani realizes that she was originally destined to die, she goes off with her would-be assassin Devlin.  Who was created by coolly organized Sorcha, aka Peace and the weirdly crazy Bananach, aka War. 
  
  
  This was a story that went nowhere.  Ani and Devlin are attracted to each other, they go on a cross-country tour to get away from Bananach who wants Ani's powers for herself.  There is very little mention of Keenan and Ashling.  Even Seth is becoming a caricature of himself.
  
  
  I want to see how she ends this series, so I'm invested in it.  But the way these books are released is confusing.