Monday, November 5, 2012

Excerpt & Review: The Faerie Guardian by Rachel Morgan


Protecting humans from dangerous magical creatures is all in a day’s work for a faerie training to be a guardian. Seventeen-year-old Violet Fairdale knows this better than anyone—she’s about to become the best guardian the Guild has seen in years. That is, until a cute human boy who can somehow see through her faerie glamour follows her into the fae realm. Now she’s broken Guild Law, a crime that could lead to her expulsion.

The last thing Vi wants to do is spend any more time with the boy who got her into this mess, but the Guild requires that she return Nate to his home and make him forget everything he’s discovered of the fae realm. Easy, right? Not when you factor in evil faeries, long-lost family members, and inconvenient feelings of the romantic kind. Vi is about to find herself tangled up in a dangerous plot—and it’ll take all her training to get out alive.

[This novel was originally published in four separate parts: Guardian,LabyrinthTraitor and Masquerade. It includes bonus scenes at the end that were not published in the individual parts.





Excerpt:
A roar from the other side of the warehouse attracts my attention. It’s Dale, barreling straight toward me without bothering to take a look at his surroundings. It’s remarkable how much he reminds me of the goblin I fought last night. I stand still, waiting for him to get closer. And closer. At the last second, I jump aside and grab hold of a metal chain. I scramble up it. Dale tugs the chain to the side, and I almost lose my grip as it swings wildly about.
I keep climbing. As soon as I’m level with a wooden platform, I jump onto it. The whole thing shudders as Dale throws his weight at it. I lose my balance. I fall, but manage to catch onto a metal bar. I swing, let go, and land on Dale’s shoulders. He topples to the ground, taking me with him. His breath escapes him in a grunt as he hits the ground. My head smacks concrete, and for a second I feel dazed. The transparent top of the Fish Bowl swims before my eyes.
I blink and sit up. I twist Dale’s head sharply to the side with my knees, but he’s too strong for me to do any real damage. I kick his face as he lashes out with a broken pipe. The sharp end slices across my arm.
I smell blood. Blood and dust. I roll away from him and jump to my feet. He’s up too. He throws a punch, followed closely by a kick. I dodge both, and while his balance is off, I sweep my leg out behind him. It connects with the back of his knees, forcing him to the ground. I jump onto his back, grab the end of the chain, and wrap it around his neck. He claws at the metal links, then changes tactics. Bringing his elbow up sharply, he knocks me off his back. He turns over, clamps his fist around my neck, and slams me down on the concrete floor. My skull screams in protest. My lungs reach for the air he knocked out of my chest.
“Ready to surrender?” he growls, leaning over me. With his teeth bared and the chain still wrapped around his neck, he looks like a vicious guard dog. I bring my knee up, hard. His face contorts in pain. His grip loosens, and I kick him away from me. I jump up and place one foot on his chest, then grab the chain and pull it tighter. He struggles, but his flailing becomes weaker and weaker, until eventually his eyes begin to slide shut.

My Thoughts:

I can add The Faerie Guardian to my list of favorite fey books.  Rachel Morgan has done a fantastic job creating a new and modern world of fey.  I loved how the characters had many of the same modern conveniences we do but magic being the force behind them.  I always like to focus on the unique qualities of a story and one that makes this one so different is that the main character is the one that’s not human.  Violet is a fairy training to be a guardian and that goal has been her one driving force in life.  I loved that she’s kick-butt and vulnerable all at the same time.  Nate, a human she’s assigned to protect, becomes her first boyfriend, breaking a slew of rules and causing chaos in Violet’s structured life.  When her former friend, turned nemesis, Ryn, ends up rescuing her from a horrible night of betrayal the story takes a turn I did not see coming.  As much as I disliked Ryn at the beginning of the book, I have high hopes that he will make me fall in love with him in the next one.  There were a few parts in the book that reminded me of Harry Potter, but that wasn’t a bad thing.  I am left with several questions that I hope will be answered in the next book.  




Author Spotlight:

Rachel Morgan was born in South Africa and spent a large portion of her childhood living in a fantasy land of her own making. After completing a degree in genetics, she decided science wasn’t for her—after all, they didn’t approve of made-up facts. These days she spends much of her time immersed in fantasy land once more, writing fiction for young adults.

The Creepy Hollow Series

Rachel's Links




Purchase The Faerie Guardian




3 comments:

  1. Thanks so much for hosting me today, and for the great review :-)

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  2. This sounds like a really exciting read. I added it to my list. first time hearing about this book. thanks for sharing.

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  3. Hi Jeanette,

    I am a member of Book Blogs and am responding to your invitation for new followers. I am now following you on Linky Followers and Blog Lovin. I would appreciate it if you would reciprocate at Create With Joy!

    Look forward to getting to know you and reading more of your reviews!

    Create With Joy
    http://create-with-joy.com

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