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cricket58's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this book. The characters are well developed and easy to connect with. The story concept is unique and the descriptions of the characters and the settings are detailed enough that you can imagine exactly what they look like and picture yourself there.
Dive into the book and meet Kate Archer Guardian and Carousel-keeper. What you ask is a Guardian and a Carousel Keeper? You will have to open the book and find out. I will not post spoilers. If you love books full of magic, action and a little romance then you will love this one.
I will be looking for more books by Sharon Lee.
Dive into the book and meet Kate Archer Guardian and Carousel-keeper. What you ask is a Guardian and a Carousel Keeper? You will have to open the book and find out. I will not post spoilers. If you love books full of magic, action and a little romance then you will love this one.
I will be looking for more books by Sharon Lee.
jesssika's review against another edition
3.0
At 352 pages, this is a decent size book to read. It’s also the finale to a series. So, the best idea would be to read the other 2 (Tides and Sun) for the Archers Beach series. The cover was interesting enough to draw me in, a newbie to series as a whole. I like series because I get to spend extra time in this created world with magical characters.
You get to visit Archers Beach, Maine, see sea gods & goddesses, and meet great guardians. These work to keep things balanced, whether it be good or bad, saving feral cat colonies included. The pacing went well for the most part of the book. I even liked the characters. What I didn’t like was an inclusion of 5 other worlds. This book was too short to develop these and make them matter. It felt like a glimpse into something that became more of a filler. I’m supposed to care about these characters, and with so much punched into so few pages, I just wasn’t invested. I found myself skipping a few paragraphs here and there to just get to the ending.
There could’ve been more in the way of adding depth to characters and developing all these worlds more, but that doesn’t make it a bad read. Like I said, theres great pace and action with likeable characters. It a series that people should try.
Thank you to Edelweiss for the review copy!
You get to visit Archers Beach, Maine, see sea gods & goddesses, and meet great guardians. These work to keep things balanced, whether it be good or bad, saving feral cat colonies included. The pacing went well for the most part of the book. I even liked the characters. What I didn’t like was an inclusion of 5 other worlds. This book was too short to develop these and make them matter. It felt like a glimpse into something that became more of a filler. I’m supposed to care about these characters, and with so much punched into so few pages, I just wasn’t invested. I found myself skipping a few paragraphs here and there to just get to the ending.
There could’ve been more in the way of adding depth to characters and developing all these worlds more, but that doesn’t make it a bad read. Like I said, theres great pace and action with likeable characters. It a series that people should try.
Thank you to Edelweiss for the review copy!
felinity's review against another edition
5.0
Shocking news could drive a wedge into the existing gap between townies and those from Away, alliances come from new and strange corners, but the unreasonable demand from one tourist to remove cats from their regular haunt doesn't help matters. Thus you are gently drawn back into Archers Beach, welcoming the individuals and the parallel threads that provide so much richness.
Even though this is the concluding book in the Archers Beach series, I still appreciate Kate's multi-layered life. As a relatively unpracticed user of power, her visualizations make it easier on me to form mental pictures too, something which I often find difficult in detailed magic scenes.
This is a book to be savored, not one to be rushed through, matching the rhythm of the beach and the slower pace of life. That said, I was reading again at 3am this morning, thanks to some insomnia, and to my delight and disappointment managed to finish it: delight because I love this series, and disappointment because now I must resort to re-reading the entire trilogy when I need a new fix!
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Even though this is the concluding book in the Archers Beach series, I still appreciate Kate's multi-layered life. As a relatively unpracticed user of power, her visualizations make it easier on me to form mental pictures too, something which I often find difficult in detailed magic scenes.
This is a book to be savored, not one to be rushed through, matching the rhythm of the beach and the slower pace of life. That said, I was reading again at 3am this morning, thanks to some insomnia, and to my delight and disappointment managed to finish it: delight because I love this series, and disappointment because now I must resort to re-reading the entire trilogy when I need a new fix!
Disclaimer: I received a free ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
grayreader's review against another edition
3.0
If you want any kind of action, this is not the book for you. There is as much action as your typical day at the beach. Characters are interesting. Story is good. This installment needed more carousel. Overall an enjoyable read.
kcollett75's review against another edition
4.0
There are two somewhat interwoven stories here—Kate and the other residents of Archers Beach have to contend with the sale of the whole amusement park to be turned into condominiums, and one of the beings freed from Kate’s carousel takes up residence in the sea nearby, with plans to resume her godhood and designs on Borgan. Kate’s interactions with Borgan, her friends, relatives, new cat, and neighbors are enjoyable.
paladinboy's review against another edition
4.0
Another great book by Lee in her new Maine-based paranormal. This one was particularly good as we have all of the main characters established and they are passed the "how can I trust him/her" stage. Also, our main character gets a cat. Every Guardian should have a cat. :)
bookadventurer's review
2.0
Over the course of this trilogy, I have felt less and less satisfied with the details of life in a small Maine town, working a carousel at an amusement park, and getting along with all the natives, in human and other forms. This is not the fault of the story, of the details themselves, but belongs more to the pacing of the novel. This month, I appear to be looking for more fast-paced books with more action in them, and less description. The plot moves along so slowly that it doesn't grab my attention. A note here: the pacing adds another dimension to the setting, since it reflects a slower pace of life. The language, too, is very "Maine," and I think these added features really do help to bring the setting to life.
The relationships between many of the residents of Archer's Beach are varied and complex, which is unsurprising given the small size of this relatively close-knit community. I particularly enjoyed the introduction of the rogue cat community to this narration. In all of her books, Sharon Lee captures the essence of cats in a very entertaining and insightful way. The relationship between Borgan and Kate is one of the most self-aware ones I have come across, with each understanding the other (although perhaps Borgan is better at this than Kate), and making conscious decisions to succeed at the relationship, even against natural inclinations (Kate's, as she is more reluctant than Borgan to be involved with someone).
The magic system works very well. It is very thoroughly integrated with the world, based in nature as it is, and limiting magical creatures to their natural habitats that provide magical sustenance. The multiple worlds always remind me of Katamari Damacy, a video game where the son of the King of All Cosmos is charged with traveling around the universe to roll up enough material to rebuild the stars. As inaccurate as that may be.
This is a good book. I may have enjoyed it more if I had been reading it without a number of other books on my to-read list, or if I had been reading it without trying to review it. Simply put, it was not to my taste at this time.
Many readers will like it, enjoy the more measured unfolding of the story, and delight in the little details that really bring Maine culture to life. I appreciated all those things, but could not maintain my interest with the pace of the plot development.
The relationships between many of the residents of Archer's Beach are varied and complex, which is unsurprising given the small size of this relatively close-knit community. I particularly enjoyed the introduction of the rogue cat community to this narration. In all of her books, Sharon Lee captures the essence of cats in a very entertaining and insightful way. The relationship between Borgan and Kate is one of the most self-aware ones I have come across, with each understanding the other (although perhaps Borgan is better at this than Kate), and making conscious decisions to succeed at the relationship, even against natural inclinations (Kate's, as she is more reluctant than Borgan to be involved with someone).
The magic system works very well. It is very thoroughly integrated with the world, based in nature as it is, and limiting magical creatures to their natural habitats that provide magical sustenance. The multiple worlds always remind me of Katamari Damacy, a video game where the son of the King of All Cosmos is charged with traveling around the universe to roll up enough material to rebuild the stars. As inaccurate as that may be.
This is a good book. I may have enjoyed it more if I had been reading it without a number of other books on my to-read list, or if I had been reading it without trying to review it. Simply put, it was not to my taste at this time.
Many readers will like it, enjoy the more measured unfolding of the story, and delight in the little details that really bring Maine culture to life. I appreciated all those things, but could not maintain my interest with the pace of the plot development.
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