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lshadowlyn's review against another edition
5.0
I've read one of the later books in this series, and couldn't wait to read this one! I wasn't let down. A fun and amazing adventure, "The Guardian" is a must read for fantasy and time-travel adventure fans alike. A great start to an amazing series, don't let this one pass you by!
debdatta's review against another edition
3.0
I picked up this book because of one single reason. The blurb of the book got me curious about the time travel cause and effect in this book. We have all, by now, read at least one time travel book – and quite a few in my case – and in each case the blurb actually clarifies which character is time traveling but that is not the case this time around. So obviously I had to find out for myself.
Unlike my usual reviewing format, I will not summarize the plot as I am afraid I may give up spoilers with regards to the plot if I try. So I will get straight on to the characters… Elizabet Blackwell is a character that I liked quite a bit. She is brave and understanding with a good deal of wit about her – even though there were moments where her immaturity slipped through. Her flaws made her more real to me. It was easy to like her for the person she eventually grows out to be. Jareth was loveable, brave and even inspirational. The contrasting personalities of Elizabet and Jareth make for an interesting read. Whenever these two were together, things always took an interesting turn and their chemistry was indeed a strong point of this book.
The author has done an admirable job of world building in the beginning. However, it lost the rhythm and there were quite a few points where I wanted to know more. The plot of the book was not as complex as I expect from a time travel novel and was very much predictable towards the end. Irrespective of the predictability, the book did not have a dull moment with its fast pace and quite a few adventures.
This was quite a debut novel. The author shows promise with her language, narrative and characters.
Unlike my usual reviewing format, I will not summarize the plot as I am afraid I may give up spoilers with regards to the plot if I try. So I will get straight on to the characters… Elizabet Blackwell is a character that I liked quite a bit. She is brave and understanding with a good deal of wit about her – even though there were moments where her immaturity slipped through. Her flaws made her more real to me. It was easy to like her for the person she eventually grows out to be. Jareth was loveable, brave and even inspirational. The contrasting personalities of Elizabet and Jareth make for an interesting read. Whenever these two were together, things always took an interesting turn and their chemistry was indeed a strong point of this book.
The author has done an admirable job of world building in the beginning. However, it lost the rhythm and there were quite a few points where I wanted to know more. The plot of the book was not as complex as I expect from a time travel novel and was very much predictable towards the end. Irrespective of the predictability, the book did not have a dull moment with its fast pace and quite a few adventures.
This was quite a debut novel. The author shows promise with her language, narrative and characters.
margaery's review against another edition
5.0
Have you seen the movie Timeline? It's the one with the late Paul Walker in it. This book reminds me of that movie and to some extent, while I was reading it, I was visualizing the setting of the book as the locations in that movie. I didn't expect it to be a time-traveling plot. I actually thought it was a period book. Who does not love a good old time traveling story? However, in this case, it's not the present who holds the time traveling capability and that's something I rarely see in a book.
I'm writing this less than 24 hours after I read the review copy and everything is still fresh on my mind - yep, including a big big pile of feels - I feel like I'm going to explode. Note to self: don't write a review right after you read a book. I'm trying not to spoil anything but I really want to share how awesome this book made me feel. I was smiling like an idiot, reading in a corner of a coffee shop yesterday.
I am not a fan of romance novels. I consciously avoid reading that genre. But boy oh boy, how I love it when it is part of a story where romance is actually not it's primary theme. I felt like I love my boyfriend more after I read the book. I was smiling the whole day while I silently go back to the scenes I read from the book. It just sticks to you. Now it sounds like I'm talking about a romantic comedy book. I'm blabbing. This review is not going as I planned.
For a book that is part of a series, especially that this is the first book, not much was explained. I expected it to be like the foundation of the whole series and an introduction of the characters but it was not. You kind of know the characters as you go along the book. Still, there are a few major characters in the book mentioned but their background was barely touched. Almost the entire book is a cliffhanger for me. I understand that since this is only book 1, we have plenty of time for character introductions. When will the next book be out? Urgh! Series. Why do authors enjoy tormenting us like this? It's been a while since I read a series. Exactly because I was avoiding to feel like this. The anticipation, the waiting. I want the next book ASAP. Now!
It is an easy read with less than 300 pages. Every chapter in the book is action-packed and fast-paced. It was exhilarating and tiring, in a good way. Although the story jumps from on time period to another, it is not confusing. On the other hand, the last chapters felt a little bit rushed for me. That part I got confused. I had to go back a few pages to grasp the transition. It felt like there should be at least a chapter of two before it got to those final chapters. But other than that, I enjoyed experiencing this new world and I definitely want to be there again.
I am recommending this book to all readers who are into time-travelling and/or period fantasy. I am recommending this to everyone. This book comes out on March 21, 2016.
I'm writing this less than 24 hours after I read the review copy and everything is still fresh on my mind - yep, including a big big pile of feels - I feel like I'm going to explode. Note to self: don't write a review right after you read a book. I'm trying not to spoil anything but I really want to share how awesome this book made me feel. I was smiling like an idiot, reading in a corner of a coffee shop yesterday.
I am not a fan of romance novels. I consciously avoid reading that genre. But boy oh boy, how I love it when it is part of a story where romance is actually not it's primary theme. I felt like I love my boyfriend more after I read the book. I was smiling the whole day while I silently go back to the scenes I read from the book. It just sticks to you. Now it sounds like I'm talking about a romantic comedy book. I'm blabbing. This review is not going as I planned.
For a book that is part of a series, especially that this is the first book, not much was explained. I expected it to be like the foundation of the whole series and an introduction of the characters but it was not. You kind of know the characters as you go along the book. Still, there are a few major characters in the book mentioned but their background was barely touched. Almost the entire book is a cliffhanger for me. I understand that since this is only book 1, we have plenty of time for character introductions. When will the next book be out? Urgh! Series. Why do authors enjoy tormenting us like this? It's been a while since I read a series. Exactly because I was avoiding to feel like this. The anticipation, the waiting. I want the next book ASAP. Now!
It is an easy read with less than 300 pages. Every chapter in the book is action-packed and fast-paced. It was exhilarating and tiring, in a good way. Although the story jumps from on time period to another, it is not confusing. On the other hand, the last chapters felt a little bit rushed for me. That part I got confused. I had to go back a few pages to grasp the transition. It felt like there should be at least a chapter of two before it got to those final chapters. But other than that, I enjoyed experiencing this new world and I definitely want to be there again.
I am recommending this book to all readers who are into time-travelling and/or period fantasy. I am recommending this to everyone. This book comes out on March 21, 2016.
courtacademia's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the two main characters and the story was very easy to follow, which is important for a time traveling book. The chemistry between Jareth and Elizabet is adorable and they both have admirable hearts of gold!
I think that the wormhole thing was a little incomplete to me. Does everyone know time travel exists? How did certain people become travelers? What's some more history on the Guardians and their roles?
Aside from some of my over analytical questions, the story is very well written and if you just go with it, it's marvelous!
I think that the wormhole thing was a little incomplete to me. Does everyone know time travel exists? How did certain people become travelers? What's some more history on the Guardians and their roles?
Aside from some of my over analytical questions, the story is very well written and if you just go with it, it's marvelous!
bookfever's review against another edition
3.0
Recently I've read quite a few time travel stories that had a little of the same storyline. And I must say that The Guardian definitely belongs to the few I've liked the most.
I wish some things in this book had been explained a little better and I also would've loved some more information or backstory when the characters were initially introduced.
I did love the characters, though. Especially the two main characters, Elizabet and Jareth. Together they had quite some chemistry and I really loved their bickering. It was so entertaining! Jareth could be a big jerk but for some reason I can forgive him for it because it was charming in a way.
Like I said, some things I wished were explained a little more like the whole host and guardian thing. but then again, I thought the writing was very good, so it wasn't a main problem for me.
Overall, The Guardian by Elizabetta Holcomb was a good read. It reminded me a bit of Outlander, so I think fans of that book (and tv show) would like it a lot. Just like I did.
I wish some things in this book had been explained a little better and I also would've loved some more information or backstory when the characters were initially introduced.
I did love the characters, though. Especially the two main characters, Elizabet and Jareth. Together they had quite some chemistry and I really loved their bickering. It was so entertaining! Jareth could be a big jerk but for some reason I can forgive him for it because it was charming in a way.
Like I said, some things I wished were explained a little more like the whole host and guardian thing. but then again, I thought the writing was very good, so it wasn't a main problem for me.
Overall, The Guardian by Elizabetta Holcomb was a good read. It reminded me a bit of Outlander, so I think fans of that book (and tv show) would like it a lot. Just like I did.
apagetoturn's review
4.0
My rating: 4
A phenomenal debut! Interesting flawed characters and a setting that's just so beautifully described that I felt a part of the story. After falling in love with Outlander last year, I didn't think a historical time travel would ever add up to it - but this one comes mighty close.
Everything in this story felt so authentic, and I really fell in love with Holcomb's style of writing right away. She's so careful in how she tells the story, you can tell that she thought off of the plots through to a point of almost perfection. It all seemed to line up really well. Elizabet very quickly became my favorite character - she reminded me a lot of myself. She's very loyal, and would literally do anything for those that she loves. It was very hard to watch her story unfold, and I found myself upset for her when her secret came out, even though today it wouldn't have been such a big deal.
It did take a little time at the beginning to get a feel for this world that Holcomb created - to understand the rules she used for her characters to be able to time travel, but once I got a feel for that, I was golden. I truly enjoyed the story, and would recommend to many of my friends that also love these kinds of books.
A phenomenal debut! Interesting flawed characters and a setting that's just so beautifully described that I felt a part of the story. After falling in love with Outlander last year, I didn't think a historical time travel would ever add up to it - but this one comes mighty close.
Everything in this story felt so authentic, and I really fell in love with Holcomb's style of writing right away. She's so careful in how she tells the story, you can tell that she thought off of the plots through to a point of almost perfection. It all seemed to line up really well. Elizabet very quickly became my favorite character - she reminded me a lot of myself. She's very loyal, and would literally do anything for those that she loves. It was very hard to watch her story unfold, and I found myself upset for her when her secret came out, even though today it wouldn't have been such a big deal.
It did take a little time at the beginning to get a feel for this world that Holcomb created - to understand the rules she used for her characters to be able to time travel, but once I got a feel for that, I was golden. I truly enjoyed the story, and would recommend to many of my friends that also love these kinds of books.
jessthebookslover's review against another edition
3.0
I received this book as an ARC to review.
So, finally after almost a
month I finished it!
I give this book a 3.5/5 stars. I really enjoyed this book, the concept was amazing, it was something that I have never read before. The characters were awesome (even if at times I would have likely killed the heroine) but underdeveloped. I wish I could have read more about them, about their thoughts.
The beginning is rather slow, but you have to get through those initial chapters to really enjoy the story. We get to know the important things in different parts, so that they're not revealed all together and I loved it, even if it was a bit frustrating not knowing what was really going to happen. Again, just like the characters, the concept of the guardian, of the host and the wormholes could have been developed better than they were, but that was fine anyway.
So, in the end, I really enjoyed this read!
So, finally after almost a
month I finished it!
I give this book a 3.5/5 stars. I really enjoyed this book, the concept was amazing, it was something that I have never read before. The characters were awesome (even if at times I would have likely killed the heroine) but underdeveloped. I wish I could have read more about them, about their thoughts.
The beginning is rather slow, but you have to get through those initial chapters to really enjoy the story. We get to know the important things in different parts, so that they're not revealed all together and I loved it, even if it was a bit frustrating not knowing what was really going to happen. Again, just like the characters, the concept of the guardian, of the host and the wormholes could have been developed better than they were, but that was fine anyway.
So, in the end, I really enjoyed this read!
b00kr3vi3ws's review against another edition
3.0
I picked up this book because of one single reason. The blurb of the book got me curious about the time travel cause and effect in this book. We have all, by now, read at least one time travel book – and quite a few in my case – and in each case the blurb actually clarifies which character is time traveling but that is not the case this time around. So obviously I had to find out for myself.
Unlike my usual reviewing format, I will not summarize the plot as I am afraid I may give up spoilers with regards to the plot if I try. So I will get straight on to the characters… Elizabet Blackwell is a character that I liked quite a bit. She is brave and understanding with a good deal of wit about her – even though there were moments where her immaturity slipped through. Her flaws made her more real to me. It was easy to like her for the person she eventually grows out to be. Jareth was loveable, brave and even inspirational. The contrasting personalities of Elizabet and Jareth make for an interesting read. Whenever these two were together, things always took an interesting turn and their chemistry was indeed a strong point of this book.
The author has done an admirable job of world building in the beginning. However, it lost the rhythm and there were quite a few points where I wanted to know more. The plot of the book was not as complex as I expect from a time travel novel and was very much predictable towards the end. Irrespective of the predictability, the book did not have a dull moment with its fast pace and quite a few adventures.
This was quite a debut novel. The author shows promise with her language, narrative and characters.
Unlike my usual reviewing format, I will not summarize the plot as I am afraid I may give up spoilers with regards to the plot if I try. So I will get straight on to the characters… Elizabet Blackwell is a character that I liked quite a bit. She is brave and understanding with a good deal of wit about her – even though there were moments where her immaturity slipped through. Her flaws made her more real to me. It was easy to like her for the person she eventually grows out to be. Jareth was loveable, brave and even inspirational. The contrasting personalities of Elizabet and Jareth make for an interesting read. Whenever these two were together, things always took an interesting turn and their chemistry was indeed a strong point of this book.
The author has done an admirable job of world building in the beginning. However, it lost the rhythm and there were quite a few points where I wanted to know more. The plot of the book was not as complex as I expect from a time travel novel and was very much predictable towards the end. Irrespective of the predictability, the book did not have a dull moment with its fast pace and quite a few adventures.
This was quite a debut novel. The author shows promise with her language, narrative and characters.
bookishromancee's review against another edition
4.0
it started a little bit slow but other than that I really enjoyed this book!
ninascozydayreads's review
5.0
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
Rating: 4,5I
So, a while ago I received this book as an ARC. Or well... it would've been an ARC, had I replied earlier which I didn't so I received it as an ebook on the release date. Since Elizabetta was kind enough to send it to me, I started reading it right after I finished A Dance With Dragons (the whole series took me almost a year, but so worth it). She also sent me like promo pics with quotes from the book and when I read them, I wasn't sure what to think. Like, one of the quotes on the pictures I received was “She was a lioness, and she belonged to him.” That's just a quote which I'm not sure what to think of. But I read it anyways and I loved the book.
I loved the writing style. It was quite a refreshment. I had just finished a series with a pretty dense writing style, and this was just so much easier to read (please note this isn't a bad thing). It was light, it was fast-paced, it was just perfect. I also loved how 'short' the book was and I would have finished it sooner if I had had the time.
I also I really loved the characters. Elizabet is just such a cutie who should be protected from everything at all costs. And despite her struggles and own problems she manages to get through life and I admire her for that kind of courage. Also Minh and Gabriel... They don't make a lot of appearances, but I did get attached to them... I get attached way too fast.
Then there's Jareth and he's.... not your typical guy. Now, let's do keep in mind that he's from another century like 700 years ago, so he's old fashioned and maybe a little too old fashioned? Like even Edward Cullen was more modern than Jareth Tremaine. Why, you ask? Well Jareth is a male, 14th century England. And in that time the role for women and men was a lot different. And he does show that, he's.. he's pretty dominant which put me off a little at first. But he can also be very charming and sweet and he's incredibly smart so this does make him a great character.
The book was really fast paced. There were a lot of things happening, one action followed the other and it was awesome. I don't think there was ever a moment where I was like “ugghh, this is so boring I can't do this” because it's action packed which makes it great.
I do have one thing I didn't like that much. And that's more a general thing than a specific thing. See, this is the first book in the Chronicles of Amalgam series. And usually, when you have first books, things get explained. If something is not like the real world, the why is usually explained in that first book to set ground for the series. Unfortunately, I didn't see much of that in The Guardian. I have no idea what the Amalgam is, why host are needed and why they need guardians. I have no idea why they are doing what they do, why they are time traveling and why (spoiler alert maybe) someone is trying to kill Jareth. Could be I read over it, or maybe forgot it but I am pretty sure I didn't see much of an explanation in the book which I do think is a shame. Why? Because now I really have no idea what will happen in the next book. What will they fight for, what will they fight against?
This book would have been perfect if there had been a little more ground for the next book, a little more clearance on everything.
But despite that minor thing of not really explaining everything (you think I would count this heavier than a half star, but the thing is that you don't really get confused despite not knowing some stuff. Maybe because it's so fast paced and you don't really have time to think about that sort of stuff, I don't know) it was still a great read, honestly.
I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to people who like time travel books since time traveling is a huge element. And if you want to get started with that genre, this is a great start. Also a side note; this wasn't only my first 'ARC', but also my first time travel book and I'm honestly happy that this was the first book in that genre I got to read.
Rating: 4,5I
So, a while ago I received this book as an ARC. Or well... it would've been an ARC, had I replied earlier which I didn't so I received it as an ebook on the release date. Since Elizabetta was kind enough to send it to me, I started reading it right after I finished A Dance With Dragons (the whole series took me almost a year, but so worth it). She also sent me like promo pics with quotes from the book and when I read them, I wasn't sure what to think. Like, one of the quotes on the pictures I received was “She was a lioness, and she belonged to him.” That's just a quote which I'm not sure what to think of. But I read it anyways and I loved the book.
I loved the writing style. It was quite a refreshment. I had just finished a series with a pretty dense writing style, and this was just so much easier to read (please note this isn't a bad thing). It was light, it was fast-paced, it was just perfect. I also loved how 'short' the book was and I would have finished it sooner if I had had the time.
I also I really loved the characters. Elizabet is just such a cutie who should be protected from everything at all costs. And despite her struggles and own problems she manages to get through life and I admire her for that kind of courage. Also Minh and Gabriel... They don't make a lot of appearances, but I did get attached to them... I get attached way too fast.
Then there's Jareth and he's.... not your typical guy. Now, let's do keep in mind that he's from another century like 700 years ago, so he's old fashioned and maybe a little too old fashioned? Like even Edward Cullen was more modern than Jareth Tremaine. Why, you ask? Well Jareth is a male, 14th century England. And in that time the role for women and men was a lot different. And he does show that, he's.. he's pretty dominant which put me off a little at first. But he can also be very charming and sweet and he's incredibly smart so this does make him a great character.
The book was really fast paced. There were a lot of things happening, one action followed the other and it was awesome. I don't think there was ever a moment where I was like “ugghh, this is so boring I can't do this” because it's action packed which makes it great.
I do have one thing I didn't like that much. And that's more a general thing than a specific thing. See, this is the first book in the Chronicles of Amalgam series. And usually, when you have first books, things get explained. If something is not like the real world, the why is usually explained in that first book to set ground for the series. Unfortunately, I didn't see much of that in The Guardian. I have no idea what the Amalgam is, why host are needed and why they need guardians. I have no idea why they are doing what they do, why they are time traveling and why (spoiler alert maybe) someone is trying to kill Jareth. Could be I read over it, or maybe forgot it but I am pretty sure I didn't see much of an explanation in the book which I do think is a shame. Why? Because now I really have no idea what will happen in the next book. What will they fight for, what will they fight against?
This book would have been perfect if there had been a little more ground for the next book, a little more clearance on everything.
But despite that minor thing of not really explaining everything (you think I would count this heavier than a half star, but the thing is that you don't really get confused despite not knowing some stuff. Maybe because it's so fast paced and you don't really have time to think about that sort of stuff, I don't know) it was still a great read, honestly.
I really enjoyed this book and I would recommend it to people who like time travel books since time traveling is a huge element. And if you want to get started with that genre, this is a great start. Also a side note; this wasn't only my first 'ARC', but also my first time travel book and I'm honestly happy that this was the first book in that genre I got to read.