Review : The Guardian by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Title : The Guardian Author : Sherrilyn Kenyon Reading Dates : 06 Apr - 07 Apr 2012 Total Pages : 345
The Dream-Hunter series. The Dream Hunter Upon the Midnight Clear Dream Chaser Dream Warrior The Guardian Dark Bites
From Amazon : 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...

Book Review of The Guardian.

The Guardian left me feeling as if the author had lost the direction of the story. I might be missing something here, but I just couldn’t determine how The Guardian fit in with the rest of the Dark-Hunter and Dream-Hunter series. With the previous books, I’ve always had the feeling that the story was building up to something, leading to further revelations regarding the Dark-Hunter universe. With The Guardian, this feeling was sadly lacking.

The story focused on Seth’s past while ignoring what was happening in the present. We might have learned what makes Seth tick and why he’s the way he is, but it doesn’t help much with building up his and Lydia’s relationship. As far as I could tell, Lydia mistakes pity for love and that is not what I’m looking for in reading romances.

Besides which, there are the little things that don’t make sense to me. I would have expected more drama at the return of what Lydia had lost for centuries. Instead it barely makes a dent in her psyche. Then, there’s Jaden’s behaviour which is the total opposite of how he usually is in the earlier books. Most irritating of all, I can’t help wondering how many all powerful beings there can be in 1 universe. At the rate things are going, I’m surprised they don’t stumble over one another every time they turn around..

Unless the story in the Dark-Hunter and Dream-Hunter world moves on soon, I’m afraid I’m going to lose interest. Worst still, is the loss of momentum from the earlier books. Nothing frustrates me more than having a favourite series fail to meet expectations. I’m still not giving up on the series yet though.

My conclusions :

• Would I re-read the book ? Probably, but only because it is a part of the series.
• Would I want to read the next book in the series ? Yes.
• Would I want to own my personal copy if I didn’t already own it ? Yes, but only to complete my collection.
• Who would I recommend this too? Paranormal romance fans.
• For those looking to read the book, would I recommend buying or borrowing the book? Buy it only if you're a fan of the Dream-Hunter or Dark-Hunter series.

On My Wish List

In My Mailbox

Teaser Tuesdays

Challenges : 2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge; Eclectic Reader Challenge 2012