=The Blood Guard Series

The Blood Guard
by Carter Roy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

( I received this book free from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review )

Wow.

I've been looking for a book to fill the hole left behind by finishing the Percy Jackson series, and boy oh boy did I find it. Full of action, nail biting adventure and witty banter, I couldn't put this down once I started.

The opening captured me, who wouldn't want to continue when the opening sentence is "It wasn't me who burned down our house". We're tossed right into, dare I say, fire, and the constant suspense doesn't let up until the last word it read.

I love how there was no filler, the story never lagged, and the parents are not forgotten about. Ronan's mom is badass. I don't think I have ever read a book where the parent went all matrix and deflected bullets. Most times the parent is a shadow figure only present for a short while, just enough to let us know that the main propagandist wasn't immaculately conceived. Harsh I know, but very true.

For the first bit of the book she plays a big role, and is never from from Ronan's mind.

Ronan, is a bit wishy-washy, but he does come into his own by the end of the book. I liked that. He wasn't perfect, and wasn't suddenly a hero because the plot called for it. Sure he had all this training from being in every extracurricular activity that's ever been created, but he is still just a 13 year old boy, who been raise to be, well, normal. Being tossed into this traumatic situation, where he doesn't know what up and whats down, would have been terrifying for him.

Through out this book, he has to look within himself to push, to stand up and make the hard choices himself; but most of all, decide for himself what is right.

Our female protagonist Greta, I love her. Well not at first, at first I found her annoying, but she grew on me and proved to be the spark Ronan needed to gets his ass in gear. She may seem like the typical love/sidekick character thrown in to have some type of romance, but that was not the case with this book. Greta plays a big part in the plot, and it was never implied that she is a love interest. She is the second protagonist, on par with Ronan, and without her this story would have been boring.

If you can't tell I'm excited about this series, about where it's headed and most of all, how much I can't wait to read more about these new favorite characters of mine. Th only thing I would say that I didn't like, or picked up on, were a few misplaced words, that to me, made a good sentence sound, off, and weird. That could have been intentional, or it could have well been a formatting issue with my kindle. There wasn't a lot, but enough to make be me go, What? That doesn't fit.

Other then that little blunder, the writing was smooth, the dialogue flowed, it connected and was near perfection. I was surprised with the lack of cheesy lines. Don't get me wrong I love me some cheese, but the was refreshing to read witty banter that was simply, witty.

I highly recommend this book, it is mesmerizing, energetic, and a start to a new incredible world of fascinating fiction fantasy, and adventure.

I would like to thank Netgalley for exposing me to this new stunning world of action, sword play, and refreshing take on saving the world.

Happy Reading

-Emily

The Glass Gauntlet
by Carter Roy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

(I received this copy free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

There is always a fear when going into a the second book of a series, you never quite know if it will be better then the first, fall short, or be horrible. This book was not in those three, this book surpassed all my expectations by miles. Not only that, but I had this wonder read in less then three hours.

The second picks up where the first left off, with Ronan dealing with the fact that his father tried to kill him and trying to keep Greta safe, but in the dark at the same time. Heart pounding action was never far away, and like the first, at not point was I confused, bored, or unhappy. There are few books in this world that can capture me in a way where I feel like I was running and fighting along side the characters. This is a magic I crave in reading, and the standard I hold. It what's defines the difference between a good book and a great book.

The plot was straight up from the start, the mission was pointed out and was never far from Ronan's, Greta's or Jacks mind. It was said a few times, that the over all picture wasn't about them, but what and who they where protecting.

I talked about about Ronan and Greta in my first review, and I will get to them in a bit because I really want to talk about Jack and Sam.

Sam really came into his own in the book. In the first he was kind of a side character, who we didn't know what side he was on. But in this instillment Sam really shows of his hacking skills, his loyalty, and most of all, his will to fight for his friends. He is fully apart of the group and I'm excited to see him grow in the books to come.

Jack, I have a high-school crush on you. The background on him in the first book was well placed, and you get a sense of who he is. In this book we get to know him as a person, and his weird magical ability with dogs. He is the adult, the friend, yet parent to the kids, while their parents are off trying to keep them safe. You can tell he cares a lot for the group, a willingly throws himself in harms way, to the point of getting repeating killed just to keep his charges safe. The parental figure makes this book more, then the typical- overused ruse of, teens who happen to save the world. It gives, the world that Carter Roy has created a more realistic and authentic feel.

Ronan and Greta growth throughout this book is steady and progressive. Ronan has taken on the protector role and has committed to it, even if Grata my never know outside of the best friend zone. Their friendship is fast becoming that between phase where your not like family but are. Ronan is growing so much, he is more confident, and less unsure about his decisions. While Greta as smart as she is, has shown more of her convictions, letting us see the pure that she is. To point were Greta goes back for a kid that wanted to hurt her, and nursed him when he takes a turn for the worst. The more I read about Greta and Ronan the more I love them. They balance each other out and make a perfect team.

I love this series and where it's headed. I highly recommend this book, this series. It's more then a cookie-cutter cliché of boy finds out he special and has to save the world. This is an adventured made of many parts, and many people. It does not rely on one person to save everyone, nor does it revolve around one person having all the special only powers to save. It's a interlocking chain with no weak links and I can't wait to gets on my hands on the next one.

I would like to thank Netgalley for letting me experience this remarkable world of magical fiction.

Happy Reading

Emily