Scan barcode
rikerandom's review
4.0
Diese und weitere Rezensionen findet ihr auf meinem Blog Anima Libri - Buchseele
Meredith McCardles „Die achte Wächterin“ konnte mich, nach anfänglicher Skepsis, so sehr in seinen Bann ziehen, dass die gut 400 Seiten nur so dahingerauscht sind – und das trotz einiger Punkte, an denen ich schon während des Lesens etwas auszusetzen hatte.
So ist mir der Anfang vor allem deshalb relativ schwer gefallen, weil mir Protagonistin Amanda/Iris einfach nicht so wahnsinnig sympathisch war. Das hat sich im Laufe der Handlung auch nicht mehr geändert, eher im Gegenteil. Ich fand sie ziemlich unsympathisch, sehr auf sich bezogen und über weite Strecke auch ohne große Rücksicht irgendwem anders gegenüber.
Daraus resultiert du auch direkt mein altes Problem, denn da „Die achte Wächterin“ aus der Ich-Perspektive eben dieser Wächterin, Amanda/Iris, erzählt wird, bleiben die anderen Charaktere sehr, sehr blass – sie interessiert sich ja nur für sich selbst. Das ist wirklich schade, denn auch wenn einige der vorgestellten Figuren für diese Geschichte – es ist ja wohl der Auftakt einer Serie – lediglich Nebenrollen einnehmen, es wäre einfach nett gewesen, mehr über sie zu erfahren.
Auch hätte ich mir doch etwas mehr „historisches“ Feeling gewünscht – denn statt auf faszinierenden Sprüngen in fremde Zeiten liegt der Fokus hier ganz klar sehr viel stärker auf dem rasanten Thrilleraspekt, der sich aber zu… gefühlt 95 % im 20. Jahrhundert abspielt. Schade, denn auch wenn das Buch, dadurch recht spannend war, hätte ich doch etwas mehr Details gewünscht.
So ist „Die achte Wächterin“ von Meredith McCardle zwar rasant, fesselnd und definitiv nicht ohne Überraschungen gewesen, es war aber eben auch nicht, was ich erwartet hatte und gerade im Bezug auf die Details war ich daher doch stellenweise recht enttäuscht. Trotzdem kein schlechter Roman sondern der vielversprechende Auftakt zu einer Zeitreise-Agenten-Thriller-Serie, die zwar hier und da noch Verbesserungsbedarf zeigt, aber eindeutig Potenzial hat.
Meredith McCardles „Die achte Wächterin“ konnte mich, nach anfänglicher Skepsis, so sehr in seinen Bann ziehen, dass die gut 400 Seiten nur so dahingerauscht sind – und das trotz einiger Punkte, an denen ich schon während des Lesens etwas auszusetzen hatte.
So ist mir der Anfang vor allem deshalb relativ schwer gefallen, weil mir Protagonistin Amanda/Iris einfach nicht so wahnsinnig sympathisch war. Das hat sich im Laufe der Handlung auch nicht mehr geändert, eher im Gegenteil. Ich fand sie ziemlich unsympathisch, sehr auf sich bezogen und über weite Strecke auch ohne große Rücksicht irgendwem anders gegenüber.
Daraus resultiert du auch direkt mein altes Problem, denn da „Die achte Wächterin“ aus der Ich-Perspektive eben dieser Wächterin, Amanda/Iris, erzählt wird, bleiben die anderen Charaktere sehr, sehr blass – sie interessiert sich ja nur für sich selbst. Das ist wirklich schade, denn auch wenn einige der vorgestellten Figuren für diese Geschichte – es ist ja wohl der Auftakt einer Serie – lediglich Nebenrollen einnehmen, es wäre einfach nett gewesen, mehr über sie zu erfahren.
Auch hätte ich mir doch etwas mehr „historisches“ Feeling gewünscht – denn statt auf faszinierenden Sprüngen in fremde Zeiten liegt der Fokus hier ganz klar sehr viel stärker auf dem rasanten Thrilleraspekt, der sich aber zu… gefühlt 95 % im 20. Jahrhundert abspielt. Schade, denn auch wenn das Buch, dadurch recht spannend war, hätte ich doch etwas mehr Details gewünscht.
So ist „Die achte Wächterin“ von Meredith McCardle zwar rasant, fesselnd und definitiv nicht ohne Überraschungen gewesen, es war aber eben auch nicht, was ich erwartet hatte und gerade im Bezug auf die Details war ich daher doch stellenweise recht enttäuscht. Trotzdem kein schlechter Roman sondern der vielversprechende Auftakt zu einer Zeitreise-Agenten-Thriller-Serie, die zwar hier und da noch Verbesserungsbedarf zeigt, aber eindeutig Potenzial hat.
jpeaslee's review against another edition
1.0
Couldn't even finish it. I hated the protagonist. She was bitchy, childish, whiny, and stupid. I made it 33% through and then gave up and skipped to the last few chapters. Judging by what I read, I didn't miss much.
downthebookhole's review against another edition
4.0
I think this book does not receive enough attention, it is severely underrated. I was hesitant to pick it up although I thought the synopsis sounded interesting because it is not talked about much and I saw a few reviews of people not happy with the book and not to add the fact that I have never read a time travel book.There were some slight issues I had with this book, but for the most part it was intriguing, action packed, fast paced and filled with fantastic shocks and twists!
Although I listen to this on audiobook, I could not put it down. It captivated me right away causing me to stay up for hours at a time listening instead of sleeping. The historical elements woven into the story were so well done paired with the time traveling and missions of Annum Guard really makes you think "What if?" It made me think of when people ask "if you could redo it or go back and chance the outcome, would you?". It is so crazy how every fabric of our world weaves to together and how one small change can cause a chain reaction. The pacing of this book was fantastic and the book is layered with huge unexpected twists that keep you on edge wondering where McCardle is going to take the story. For the most part the world was greatly developed and all the components of the time travel were well thought out and the system was unique, but there were times I was a little confused because some small things did not stay consistent or match up.
The Annum Guard was an interesting organization. The way the whole system works, the outcomes, the awesome watches and everything else was just fantastic. Although there is a lot of the time in the book that Amanda/Iris spends alone and not much time with the other characters, they were all so well developed. McCardle did a phenomenal job with creating and developing complex and dynamic characters that fit into her story line and worked well for what she was trying to achieve (at least what I felt like she was trying to achieve.) I do admit there were times that I was annoyed and frustrated with Amanda/Iris. She was whiney and acted without thinking. Some of that I understand from the situations she was put in and there was some character growth seen with her as well, but she just was not the best protagonist (in my opinion). She was clever, intelligent and pulled off some kickass moves, but I enjoyed some of the other characters more and wish that she wasn't so selfish.
Overall I thought this book was super great and needs more attention. If you have any interest in time travel or history this is a book for you. It was packed full of twists that kept the book gripping and leaving you with no idea what the outcome was going to be. It was sprinkled a little with romance, sassy and fierce characters, action packed scenes and leaves you wishing that you were able to project as well! It was brilliantly done, completely surprised me and I am so happy I picked it up!
Although I listen to this on audiobook, I could not put it down. It captivated me right away causing me to stay up for hours at a time listening instead of sleeping. The historical elements woven into the story were so well done paired with the time traveling and missions of Annum Guard really makes you think "What if?" It made me think of when people ask "if you could redo it or go back and chance the outcome, would you?". It is so crazy how every fabric of our world weaves to together and how one small change can cause a chain reaction. The pacing of this book was fantastic and the book is layered with huge unexpected twists that keep you on edge wondering where McCardle is going to take the story. For the most part the world was greatly developed and all the components of the time travel were well thought out and the system was unique, but there were times I was a little confused because some small things did not stay consistent or match up.
The Annum Guard was an interesting organization. The way the whole system works, the outcomes, the awesome watches and everything else was just fantastic. Although there is a lot of the time in the book that Amanda/Iris spends alone and not much time with the other characters, they were all so well developed. McCardle did a phenomenal job with creating and developing complex and dynamic characters that fit into her story line and worked well for what she was trying to achieve (at least what I felt like she was trying to achieve.) I do admit there were times that I was annoyed and frustrated with Amanda/Iris. She was whiney and acted without thinking. Some of that I understand from the situations she was put in and there was some character growth seen with her as well, but she just was not the best protagonist (in my opinion). She was clever, intelligent and pulled off some kickass moves, but I enjoyed some of the other characters more and wish that she wasn't so selfish.
Overall I thought this book was super great and needs more attention. If you have any interest in time travel or history this is a book for you. It was packed full of twists that kept the book gripping and leaving you with no idea what the outcome was going to be. It was sprinkled a little with romance, sassy and fierce characters, action packed scenes and leaves you wishing that you were able to project as well! It was brilliantly done, completely surprised me and I am so happy I picked it up!
erinarkin20's review against another edition
5.0
I really, really enjoyed this one.
This book is officially on my favorites list. You may have seen an update somewhere stating I had to force myself to put this book down and I wasn’t exaggerating. This was a story that continually had me saying to myself, “Just one more chapter” and when I finally realized how late it was and that I actually had to function the next day I did it. Nevermind that the second I got home from work I immediately opened it back up until I finished. So…if that isn’t justification enough for you to want to read this, please continue reading my review.
Amanda is a junior at The Peel Academy and to say that this school is pretty selective in their student population might be an understatement. See, this is where the CIA, FBI, and other government agencies go to find the talent for their organizations. Not only are the students smart, they can fight, shoot, and protect themselves.
With all of that said, the book opens on Testing Day. This is a random day each year where all juniors and seniors are forced to prove their abilities within the testing environments created by the academy. As a junior, Amanda knows that she doesn’t really have a chance of graduating (it hasn’t happened in a really long time) and she is ok with that. She has Abe (her boyfriend) and a plan for when they do graduate. However, as Amanda is testing, she notices one of the observers continues to watch her closely and even though she blew the first test, he continues to stay and observe. This in itself is odd but the way he watches her makes her begin to think something could be different this year.
As you can imagine, Amanda was right to think something was up. Post testing, her name is announced as a graduate and she is immediately taken out of the room. From here on out, the book is non-stop action and mystery. I admit there were absolutely some things that I didn’t see coming and I love it when that happens. Add to this the idea of time travel, historical events, and being able to successfully tie everything together and I have to applaud McCardle. She created a story that was exciting, mysterious, and that I didn’t want to put down until I found out everything that was going on.
Now, I can’t say much about what really is going on outside of the fact that Amanda finds out she was chosen to join a super secret organization called the Annum Guard and is questioning whether this is really the right place for her. She is also introduced to the other guards who all go by a code name…in their cases a color (Yellow, Violet, Indigo, Green, Blue, Orange, and Red). What I can tell you is that I loved the characters in this story. Amanda (Iris) is sarcastic and tough and it is clear that she is loyal to the people she loves. She also hasn’t had an easy life and there were times where I just wanted to climb into the pages and give her a hug. Because of the things that have happened in her life, she wants to hang onto the good things and that includes Abe.
The other guards were great too. We do get more exposure to some more than others but I think that was good because otherwise it might have gotten too overwhelming. Yellow is definitely more than I expected and I really did like her. She made Amanda see things that she normally wouldn’t have and I think she was a clear factor in her growth through the story. I would love to learn more about her background as well as Indigo’s. Both made an impact on Amanda and I will be interested to see what happens next for all of these characters.
Ok – so I hope I didn’t ramble on too much but if you take one thing away from this review, hopefully it is the fact that I really, really loved it and hope that you do too. If you are looking for a story filled with action and mystery definitely check this book out when you can. I will just be sitting here impatiently patiently waiting for the next book.
This book is officially on my favorites list. You may have seen an update somewhere stating I had to force myself to put this book down and I wasn’t exaggerating. This was a story that continually had me saying to myself, “Just one more chapter” and when I finally realized how late it was and that I actually had to function the next day I did it. Nevermind that the second I got home from work I immediately opened it back up until I finished. So…if that isn’t justification enough for you to want to read this, please continue reading my review.
Amanda is a junior at The Peel Academy and to say that this school is pretty selective in their student population might be an understatement. See, this is where the CIA, FBI, and other government agencies go to find the talent for their organizations. Not only are the students smart, they can fight, shoot, and protect themselves.
With all of that said, the book opens on Testing Day. This is a random day each year where all juniors and seniors are forced to prove their abilities within the testing environments created by the academy. As a junior, Amanda knows that she doesn’t really have a chance of graduating (it hasn’t happened in a really long time) and she is ok with that. She has Abe (her boyfriend) and a plan for when they do graduate. However, as Amanda is testing, she notices one of the observers continues to watch her closely and even though she blew the first test, he continues to stay and observe. This in itself is odd but the way he watches her makes her begin to think something could be different this year.
As you can imagine, Amanda was right to think something was up. Post testing, her name is announced as a graduate and she is immediately taken out of the room. From here on out, the book is non-stop action and mystery. I admit there were absolutely some things that I didn’t see coming and I love it when that happens. Add to this the idea of time travel, historical events, and being able to successfully tie everything together and I have to applaud McCardle. She created a story that was exciting, mysterious, and that I didn’t want to put down until I found out everything that was going on.
Now, I can’t say much about what really is going on outside of the fact that Amanda finds out she was chosen to join a super secret organization called the Annum Guard and is questioning whether this is really the right place for her. She is also introduced to the other guards who all go by a code name…in their cases a color (Yellow, Violet, Indigo, Green, Blue, Orange, and Red). What I can tell you is that I loved the characters in this story. Amanda (Iris) is sarcastic and tough and it is clear that she is loyal to the people she loves. She also hasn’t had an easy life and there were times where I just wanted to climb into the pages and give her a hug. Because of the things that have happened in her life, she wants to hang onto the good things and that includes Abe.
The other guards were great too. We do get more exposure to some more than others but I think that was good because otherwise it might have gotten too overwhelming. Yellow is definitely more than I expected and I really did like her. She made Amanda see things that she normally wouldn’t have and I think she was a clear factor in her growth through the story. I would love to learn more about her background as well as Indigo’s. Both made an impact on Amanda and I will be interested to see what happens next for all of these characters.
Ok – so I hope I didn’t ramble on too much but if you take one thing away from this review, hopefully it is the fact that I really, really loved it and hope that you do too. If you are looking for a story filled with action and mystery definitely check this book out when you can. I will just be sitting here impatiently patiently waiting for the next book.
erinarkin20's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed this narrator and will have to dive into book 2 again soon. Definitely check this series out when you can. It is complete so you can read them all back to back with no delays!!
ahaines's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
novelheartbeat's review against another edition
3.0
The concept for this story was amazing! I love anything time travel, and I was impressed with the notion of a branch of the military assigned to monitoring historical events and alteration of them. Very cool! It's definitely not like any other time travel book out there.
I found the setup of the Annum Guard fascinating! The Annum watches were totally awesome! I liked their system of code names, too: Numbers for first generation, Greek alphabet for second, and colors for the third generation.
I liked Iris a lot, because I found that I identified with her. She made the best decisions she could, and to her, they made sense. Her heart was in the right place. But when Yellow accused her of being selfish, I was kind of taken aback. I agreed with Iris's decisions and thought they were founded; I didn't see them as selfish. But when Yellow explained it, it made sense. I could really relate to that, because I think very similar to the way Iris does. Family first, no matter what. I didn't see it as selfish to put her father before others (that weren't even her friends).
I have to admit though, Yellow earned my grudging respect. She's a bit of a snob, and in the beginning I hated her. She was a complete bitch to Iris (not to mention she was very judgmental), and I wanted to slap the shit out of her. Her snide remark about Iris not fitting into the dress pissed me off! But after she teamed up with Iris (unwillingly), I started to see her differently. Despite being forced together, they slowly became friends and started depending on each other. I loved that! And in the end, Yellow wasn't as bad as I thought she was.
Spoiler
Iris actually being part of Annum by blood was an interesting twist! I didn't see that one coming! I actually like that she realized her mother was actually trying to protect her all those years, and that she judged her too harshly. Goes to show that things aren't always as they seem!I loved the concept, the aspect of time travel, and Iris's character, but there was still something missing for me that kept me from giving this book a higher rating. I'm not really sure what it is, I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it just felt too short? Which is silly, because the audio was 11 hours long. I think some of it just felt rushed and underdeveloped, but like I said, I can't pinpoint why. I also didn't connect as well as I'd hoped. While I loved Iris, I didn't get much feeling from this story. My emotional slate while reading (listening) was pretty blank, I'm afraid.
The Audio
I chose this book for audio specifically because it was Amy McFadden narrating. She narrated The Darkest Minds and I was highly impressed by how well she did. I'm sad to say that she didn't wow me as much in this one. I had trouble telling the difference between the characters sometimes because her voice didn't change very much (which was so NOT the case with Darkest Minds!!). I also couldn't tell that she was actually saying "Alpha" until they introduced the other Guard members with Greek alphabet names. I seriously thought the guy's name was "Elpha" because that's how she pronounced it. I wasn't really a fan of her narration at all for this book, despite how amazing she was at narrating The Darkest Minds.
This review was originally posted on Novel Heartbeat. To see a breakdown of my assessment, please visit the full review here.
samiism's review against another edition
3.0
This book and I started out meh. I had just finished reading [b:The Jump Journal|24689348|The Jump Journal|Douglas Corriveau|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1423608450s/24689348.jpg|44218418] and wanted to immediately start on another time travel book. Should've waited til the next day because the "action scenes" at the beginning made me fall asleep, literally.
I decided to give it a try the next day, and I actually hurdled through the first chapter. Wasn't bad. But I immediately felt a mild dislike for the main character, Amanda aka Iris. She defies authority. She is a special snowflake--while her teammates are named after the colors of the rainbow, Amanda gets to be Iris. She would risk killing herself and her teammates, and failing a mission because of her selfishness.
One character whom I hated, too, when she first came out in this book, said:
I did a little triumphant dance when she said that. Because Iris truly is selfish and self-centered. Granted, those qualities were the catalyst to the story's twist, but still.
And let's not forget the trial by fire that Iris had to go through. Without spoiling you, here's how it went: Iris is contracted into a top-secret government organization that deals with traveling back in time to "enhance, not alter" events. Super daunting, right? There are only a handful of people in this organization, and majority of them are practically teenagers. You'd think anyone who becomes an Annum Guard (that's what they're called) is heavily trained before they travel back in time (a one-chance-only type of deal) and enhance an event. But not, Iris. Nope. She is thrust into a mission blind. Her mentor tells her important details on the go, when Iris is just processing what just happened.
A few chapters later, this came up:
Indeed. This was explained away later in the book, but still struck me as odd nonetheless.
So, would I read the next book? Already started it. Only because the first one ended with a weird cliffhanger.
I decided to give it a try the next day, and I actually hurdled through the first chapter. Wasn't bad. But I immediately felt a mild dislike for the main character, Amanda aka Iris. She defies authority. She is a special snowflake--while her teammates are named after the colors of the rainbow, Amanda gets to be Iris. She would risk killing herself and her teammates, and failing a mission because of her selfishness.
One character whom I hated, too, when she first came out in this book, said:
“Iris, stop it,” Yellow says through gritted teeth.
“No!” She kicks me. Hard. Right in the shin.
“Stop making a scene,” she mutters under her breath. “You are the most selfish person I’ve ever met; you know that?”
My eyes fly open. “I . . . what?”
“It’s always you you you. What’s best for Iris? see things your way.”
“You don’t know me at all, Yellow.”
“Really? I think I do. You haven’t stopped talking about yourself since you joined Annum Guard. You were born in Vermont. You thought your dad was a Navy SEAL. Your mom is bipolar. You had to leave your boyfriend behind. No one likes you. Boo freaking hoo. Iris Iris Iris. All the time.”
I did a little triumphant dance when she said that. Because Iris truly is selfish and self-centered. Granted, those qualities were the catalyst to the story's twist, but still.
And let's not forget the trial by fire that Iris had to go through. Without spoiling you, here's how it went: Iris is contracted into a top-secret government organization that deals with traveling back in time to "enhance, not alter" events. Super daunting, right? There are only a handful of people in this organization, and majority of them are practically teenagers. You'd think anyone who becomes an Annum Guard (that's what they're called) is heavily trained before they travel back in time (a one-chance-only type of deal) and enhance an event. But not, Iris. Nope. She is thrust into a mission blind. Her mentor tells her important details on the go, when Iris is just processing what just happened.
“Enhancement, not alteration,” he repeats. “You were about to alter history in a pretty big way.”
“I don’t understand what the difference is,” I say.
“Clearly.”
I bristle. And I can’t help but feel this isn’t my fault completely. “Well, maybe you should have explained it a little better before you just plunked me down in the middle of the Boston Massacre.”
A few chapters later, this came up:
I'm angry. Partly at myself, but mostly at Zeta. No organization sends its operatives on a mission without a thorough debriefing beforehand. Learning in the field can get you killed. Everyone knows that.
Indeed. This was explained away later in the book, but still struck me as odd nonetheless.
So, would I read the next book? Already started it. Only because the first one ended with a weird cliffhanger.
govmarley's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this! Fantastic start to a new series for me. Doing a happy dance. Spies? Check. Time travel? Check. Stubborn, flawed heroine? Check. Good stuff.
Amanda, code name Iris, goes to a kick-ass spy training school. Color me jealous, because I SO want to go there. She's recruited early to a top secret branch of the government. And get this: they time travel. Remember the short-lived show from the 80s, Voyagers? I feel like the author and I are the only two people who watched it, because it is like Phineas Bogg and Jeffrey were the grandfathers of this program.
Did I mention that I loved it? Because I did. Subtracted a star because Abe annoyed me and I'm not sure how the next book will continue on without hitting the reset button somehow. But hey, it's time travel so anything is possible.
Amanda, code name Iris, goes to a kick-ass spy training school. Color me jealous, because I SO want to go there. She's recruited early to a top secret branch of the government. And get this: they time travel. Remember the short-lived show from the 80s, Voyagers? I feel like the author and I are the only two people who watched it, because it is like Phineas Bogg and Jeffrey were the grandfathers of this program.
Did I mention that I loved it? Because I did. Subtracted a star because Abe annoyed me and I'm not sure how the next book will continue on without hitting the reset button somehow. But hey, it's time travel so anything is possible.
suzannedix's review against another edition
4.0
A very cool time travel/government operative type story. Strong female protagonist, a bit of romance and some cool historical details add to the fun. Grades 8 and up, which actually is a shame because 6th and 7th graders would love this story if it weren't for a smattering of bad language. The cover does not seem to have teen appeal in our library but I know it would call out to many middle schoolers.