Book Review: The Guardian

The Guardian: A Dream-Hunter Novel
by: Sherrilyn Kenyon

• Pub. Date: November 2011
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Format & Source: e-book purchased for Nook
• Series: Dark-Hunter Series #22
• Audience: 18 and up
• Buy it on Amazon or IndieBound


Synopsis:

Dream-Hunter Lydia has been charged with the most sacred and dangerous of missions: To descend into the Nether Realm and find the missing god of dreams before he betrays the secrets that could kill her and her kind. What she never expects is to be taken prisoner by the Realm’s most vicious guardian…

Seth’s time is running out. If he can’t hand over the entrance to Olympus, his own life and those of his people will be forfeit. No matter the torture, Seth hasn’t been able to break the god in his custody. Then there’s the beautiful Dream-Hunter Lydia: She isn’t just guarding the gates of Olympus—she’s holding back one of the world’s darkest powers. If she fails, an ancient curse will haunt the earth once more and no one will be safe. But evil is always seductive...


My Review:

After 21 novels in the series, I was worried the 22nd would not live up to my expectations. The last couple had become a bit formulaic, but I still loved them. The Guardian was no exception. I enjoyed Lydia. She was fearless and determined in the face of uncertainty and possible torture. I liked that she had no idea of her importance in the big picture.

Seth was not what I was expecting. I thought he would be fiercer, even around Lydia. It seemed he was tamed almost immediately, or at least very quickly in my estimation. I was hoping for more angst between them. I enjoyed his interaction with technology and his confusion over the more modern aspects of this world. It was highly entertaining. I would have liked more of that too.

Jaden was a total surprise. His character was not at all what I expected. I’ve pictured him as one of the meanest characters in the series and we see a side of him I hadn’t imagined existed before. He was honest to a fault and was unapologetic about it. I was hoping for more of him too. We caught a glimpse of some of the characters in Sanctuary, which was great, but guess what?!? I wanted more. Noir was worse than I expected. He is ruthless and unforgiving, as he should be I suppose.

I think the entire book was well organized and had a great premise. I read the book in less than two days, but was left with wanting more of all of it. So I am left waiting for the next book.