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eg_m's review against another edition
4.0
What a great opening--Sarah rescues the hunky 'Immortal Guardian' with a garden spade. Not exactly sunshine-grumpy (Sarah is more down to earth than perk) it edges that trope with a growly immortal who becomes putty in the heroine's hands.
The action and suspense are well done and both Sarah and Roland are well drawn and consistent. A strong start to a new series, it does leave a major thread hanging related to a secondary character which gets picked up in volume 2.
The action and suspense are well done and both Sarah and Roland are well drawn and consistent. A strong start to a new series, it does leave a major thread hanging related to a secondary character which gets picked up in volume 2.
jbskat's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
kim_brockway_gatehouse's review against another edition
5.0
2018 Review
Just re-reading the series as book 8 Awaken The Darkness will be published on 10th July 2018 and I wanted to reacquaint myself with the characters and remind myself of the action so far...
2017 Review
I have posted my full review on my WordPress blog, Flora's Musings...
So, what did I like about it?
I am a firm fan of Ms Duvall’s writing style; she writes intelligent, engaging stories with a host of well written characters within a wonderfully creative mix of fantasy and reality that I find very easy to read. The pace is usually fast and full of action but without being disorienting and I like that she combines a couple of plot lines to run alongside the main romantic adventure. [b:Darkness Dawns|8804062|Darkness Dawns (Immortal Guardians, #1)|Dianne Duvall|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327883828s/8804062.jpg|13678210] does not disappoint.
I enjoy books where the characters are not black or white, good or evil but a complex mix of positive and negative traits and emotions that they either have to embrace or overcome; the fact that these supernatural characters have been written with very real human virtues and foibles even though most of them are mythical, paranormal beings, adds that level of believability to this fantasy tale.
I enjoy a story more if the lead female character is intelligent, resilient and has a good sense of humour and I wasn’t disappointed here. Sarah was all of these and more. In fact, I liked the way that Sarah, Roland and all of the characters in this story were written, none of them were flat 2-dimensional creations, they all felt very real for me. Oh, and like most Brits I do love a bit of banter – this story has plenty of it! I found myself COL (Chuckling Out Loud) throughout, usually at Roland’s expense but hey he’s got broad shoulders, I’m sure he can take it.
I loved the fact that the mystery aspect of this story kept me guessing, the action kept me on the edge of my seat, the blossoming romance made me shed a tear as well as chuckle and the passion set my tummy a-tingling.
2015 Review
Couldn't stop reading this amazing book!
It had everything that I look for in a 5star book; easy intelligent writing style, main characters that I like & can believe with depth of character, depth of character in the supporting cast, believable background story to the romance and the world it's set in, good pace of story development, nice balanced mix of relationship growth with action scenes and sex scenes that get my heart rate pumping!
This book is Book 1 in the Immortal Guardians series but I think that it works as a standalone, however, I've been so enamoured with this story that I look forward to getting caught up with Book 2 "Phantom Shadows" in the near (near) future ;-)
Just re-reading the series as book 8 Awaken The Darkness will be published on 10th July 2018 and I wanted to reacquaint myself with the characters and remind myself of the action so far...
2017 Review
I have posted my full review on my WordPress blog, Flora's Musings...
So, what did I like about it?
I am a firm fan of Ms Duvall’s writing style; she writes intelligent, engaging stories with a host of well written characters within a wonderfully creative mix of fantasy and reality that I find very easy to read. The pace is usually fast and full of action but without being disorienting and I like that she combines a couple of plot lines to run alongside the main romantic adventure. [b:Darkness Dawns|8804062|Darkness Dawns (Immortal Guardians, #1)|Dianne Duvall|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327883828s/8804062.jpg|13678210] does not disappoint.
I enjoy books where the characters are not black or white, good or evil but a complex mix of positive and negative traits and emotions that they either have to embrace or overcome; the fact that these supernatural characters have been written with very real human virtues and foibles even though most of them are mythical, paranormal beings, adds that level of believability to this fantasy tale.
I enjoy a story more if the lead female character is intelligent, resilient and has a good sense of humour and I wasn’t disappointed here. Sarah was all of these and more. In fact, I liked the way that Sarah, Roland and all of the characters in this story were written, none of them were flat 2-dimensional creations, they all felt very real for me. Oh, and like most Brits I do love a bit of banter – this story has plenty of it! I found myself COL (Chuckling Out Loud) throughout, usually at Roland’s expense but hey he’s got broad shoulders, I’m sure he can take it.
I loved the fact that the mystery aspect of this story kept me guessing, the action kept me on the edge of my seat, the blossoming romance made me shed a tear as well as chuckle and the passion set my tummy a-tingling.
2015 Review
Couldn't stop reading this amazing book!
It had everything that I look for in a 5star book; easy intelligent writing style, main characters that I like & can believe with depth of character, depth of character in the supporting cast, believable background story to the romance and the world it's set in, good pace of story development, nice balanced mix of relationship growth with action scenes and sex scenes that get my heart rate pumping!
This book is Book 1 in the Immortal Guardians series but I think that it works as a standalone, however, I've been so enamoured with this story that I look forward to getting caught up with Book 2 "Phantom Shadows" in the near (near) future ;-)
annasara7's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Diane Duvall is a master.
jscarpa14's review
4.0
This was somewhere between three and four stars, but I decided to round up because I don't actually have a lot of bad to say about it. The main reason I feel it's being generous to say four stars is that while this was a good story, it wasn't an edge of your seat story or the type that makes you want to forego sleep just to get to the end of it.
The biggest issue for me was that the passage of time was confusing and there were multiple points in the story where I couldn't tell if it was day or night or how much time had passed between scenes. I found this to be somewhat jarring. The intensity of their love story moves a bit quickly for my taste and I felt the detailed sex scenes were too close together. Like for a small section of the book it seemed like every other scene they were having sex until they'd met the customary old fashioned romance three sex scenes per book before resuming the rest of the plot. Because they were so stacked I felt this messed with the flow of the story. I did, however, feel the mirror scene was really well done for a spicy sex scene.
I thought the eco-friendly, organic diet was somewhat interesting at first because I've never really read characters where this was stressed so much before. Not that I have any interest in sharing their dietary habits, but the emphasis on it struck me as interesting because it was unique. That said it did start to wear at me by the end of the book because I felt it started to become overstressed.
Additionally, I initially loved the way these characters balanced a protective, old fashioned nature, with true respect for Sarah. Their protective sides didn't want her there, but they didn't coddle her or exclude her either. Sarah also initially displayed a lot of truly strong character traits, but again as the book progresses Roland becomes more possessive and protective and less respectful and Sarah becomes more of a damsel. I really wish this had continued entirely through the book and not just existed in the beginning half or so. That said it never quite delves into entirely sexist, though it pushes the edge in some of the later scenes.
I found the plights of the secondary characters to be interesting as well and I look forward to reading or hearing more about their exploits in future books, though I don't see myself jumping into the next title immediately.
Overall it was a good book and I'd definitely recommend it, but it's the type that flows easily and didn't really invoke any real sense of urgency to finish immediately when I read it.
The biggest issue for me was that the passage of time was confusing and there were multiple points in the story where I couldn't tell if it was day or night or how much time had passed between scenes. I found this to be somewhat jarring. The intensity of their love story moves a bit quickly for my taste and I felt the detailed sex scenes were too close together. Like for a small section of the book it seemed like every other scene they were having sex until they'd met the customary old fashioned romance three sex scenes per book before resuming the rest of the plot. Because they were so stacked I felt this messed with the flow of the story. I did, however, feel the mirror scene was really well done for a spicy sex scene.
I thought the eco-friendly, organic diet was somewhat interesting at first because I've never really read characters where this was stressed so much before. Not that I have any interest in sharing their dietary habits, but the emphasis on it struck me as interesting because it was unique. That said it did start to wear at me by the end of the book because I felt it started to become overstressed.
Additionally, I initially loved the way these characters balanced a protective, old fashioned nature, with true respect for Sarah. Their protective sides didn't want her there, but they didn't coddle her or exclude her either. Sarah also initially displayed a lot of truly strong character traits, but again as the book progresses Roland becomes more possessive and protective and less respectful and Sarah becomes more of a damsel. I really wish this had continued entirely through the book and not just existed in the beginning half or so. That said it never quite delves into entirely sexist, though it pushes the edge in some of the later scenes.
I found the plights of the secondary characters to be interesting as well and I look forward to reading or hearing more about their exploits in future books, though I don't see myself jumping into the next title immediately.
Overall it was a good book and I'd definitely recommend it, but it's the type that flows easily and didn't really invoke any real sense of urgency to finish immediately when I read it.
amandaj6's review against another edition
5.0
I’m surprised I haven’t written a review for this book yet. I have read it at least 7 times. This is one of my favorite series EVER and this book in particular came into my life when I was tired of reading because all the females were becoming annoying and they were all “new adults”. I love that Sarah is a smart, strong, kickbutt lady. Oh Roland, what a great introduction to the Immortal Guardians. I just love these two so much and I’m so happy to see them throughout the series.
whatcha_listening_to's review against another edition
4.0
I guess I have listened to this book before but I have no recognition of it whatsoever.
Sarah kind of lands herself into some deep shit.
Roland, who isn’t the friendliest of immortals, finds himself staked to the ground and is about to meet his demise. Only to have this human come and save him from it.
Their connection and chemistry is sweet and it steams up as the book goes on. I liked how he was all in to save her because she saved him and she didn’t have to.
It wasn’t a wow book by any means, but I learned a lot about immortal guardians from the Aldebarian Alliance series and it made me want to pick this series up and I am glad I did the AA series first because it gave this one a little contexts as to what an immortal guardian is.
I am really enjoying the narration. I like that she gives each character a voice without overdoing it.
Sarah kind of lands herself into some deep shit.
Roland, who isn’t the friendliest of immortals, finds himself staked to the ground and is about to meet his demise. Only to have this human come and save him from it.
Their connection and chemistry is sweet and it steams up as the book goes on. I liked how he was all in to save her because she saved him and she didn’t have to.
It wasn’t a wow book by any means, but I learned a lot about immortal guardians from the Aldebarian Alliance series and it made me want to pick this series up and I am glad I did the AA series first because it gave this one a little contexts as to what an immortal guardian is.
I am really enjoying the narration. I like that she gives each character a voice without overdoing it.
prettylightsandcitynights's review
adventurous
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
beccyjones's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5