Title: Guardian Elf
Series: Guardian City, #1
Author: Grace Lynn
Genre: Paranormal/Shape-shifter/Werewolf/Vampire
Length: Novella (61 pages)
Publisher: Siren Publishing (October 29, 2014)
Heat Level: Explicit
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥4.5Hearts
Blurb: Sun City was once the greatest city in the world. It was built by the Elves during the height of their power, but now only one Elf remains in the city. High Prince Demend, a changeling and survivor of an accident that almost left him for dead. Now, he drinks blood, shifts, and is trying to make the world a more tolerant place for the literary works of the ancient times.
Nathan Summers is an Alpha, but not by choice. Forced into the position by a pack he loves, Nathan took the position as a last resort. Alone and constantly harassed by his father, Nathan just wants to find his mate and keep his pack safe from his family’s cruelty.
Forced to work together, they must now face the future, which seems to be grim. Can these two find everything they are wanting without destroying themselves in the process?
ISBN: 978-1-62740-683-3
Product Link: http://www.bookstrand.com/guardian-elf
Reviewer: Prime
Review: Grace Lynn has created an entirely new world for her Guardian City series, although transfers some of the well-known and used concepts in the paranormal genre, including mating and the odd ménage mating. This is book 1 in a series of 4 books and the way I understand it, this series needs to be read in order to understand the overall story.
This is a good book to read. The ideas are well thought out and all the rules explained, not leaving any room for confusion. In fact, something that also I noticed when reading another first book in a series by Grace Lynn, this story gives us the basic bones of the characters involved, but there is a lot of introduction, laying the way for future stories. In this case and this writing style, I really do like this.
However, others may get confused because the information is coming thick and fast. Which means the setting seems to chop and change a lot, so some things are mentioned and then not brought up later. Again, I hope and am fairly certain at this point that this is to do with set up for further books in the series.
That being said, with the simple story, it’s easy to get involved with the characters. Demend is an Elf with a complicated heritage that I’m not about to start. He’s pretty cool actually. First he doesn’t come across as particularly strong, then bang, we find out he’s this powerful alpha in a small-bitty package. I love that set up, especially in one particular scene where Demend makes a demonstration of his powers.
Nathan is a werewolf alpha who really isn’t happy with his lot in life. He puts up with a lot of stuff for the good of his loyal pack members. There are a number of minor characters, but the one that intrigues me the most is Cain and Thatcher – they’re connected to Demend but it’s too difficult and pretty much part of spoilers if I explained them properly. The other that intrigues me most is Demend’s twin brother Angel.
This is a good book, more involved in detail rather than plot. However, I would have liked to understand Nathan’s family a little better because it was difficult getting his brothers straight in my head – maybe I just wasn’t paying enough attention. Also, because of the plot, it’s a dead give away at the end of the book that Demend is going to need another story, so I am hoping for a bit more story and more details to come.
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *