Title: Guardians of the Grimoire
Author: Natasha Slight
Series: The Grimoire (Book #1)
Format- ebook
Publisher- Natasha Slight
Published- November 29, 2011
Pages- 367
Source- CBL Book Tours
"Rumors have spread among the immortals of a book that controls all the magic in both the human and spirit worlds. So what is the Spirit Mother to do when Kaël, a corrupt spirit, attempts to steal the Grimoire from her temple?
With no other option, she instructs Gaïa, a benevolent spirit, to hide the Grimoire in the human realm and to train three young girls in becoming the new guardians. Kerani, Tiluvia, and Cesca are awakened to their destinies, and thrust into a perilous journey as they race to Gaïa’s island. Accompanied by the Kal’rana sisters, the girls discover the magic that lies dormant within them. But fate plays a cruel twist on them, as their magical abilities are unleashed before they are ready, and disastrous consequences follow suit.
In a land shrouded in magic, and filled with as many friends as there are foes, will the girls be able to fulfill their destinies? Or will the balance of magic be thrown into chaos?"
Kaël is trying to escape from his level of the spirit world. He is determined to get his hands on the Grimoire - the ultimate book of magic that in the wrong hands could destroy the world. To make sure that the book is safe Spirit Mother tasks Gaia to give the keys that is in actuality an amulet split three ways to the guardians that have been chosen. They are all but young girls but when they become of age their destinies will begin. They will have the responsibility to keep the book out of the evil hands of Kaël who will go through any means to obtain the book even if it's putting family against each other.
Kerani is one of the guardians and her birthday is about to come up. Her Uncle, the king, decides that it is time for him to find a suitor for her. He comes up with this competition. Any man that defeats Kerani in a sword fight gets her hand in marriage. There is one person that everyone's hoping to see her with and that is Valconius, an equally brash and stubborn person as Kerani is. I admit that I was interested in the possibility of a romance so I was anxious to see where that went. It was complicated I will just say. There's no real romance in here at all which is okay because I liked the focus on just the guardians and their supposed destiny. I feel like I connected with Kerani the most. I don't know if it's because she was first introduced sword fighting, the fact that she's a princess!, or she has the toughest attitude out of the three. She's the take no prisoners heroine type that I love seeing in any book I read. I couldn't get enough of her character. Her personality is what makes it so amusing with what her power turns out to be.
All three guardians have powers but they are untapped but still powerful. That is why they were chosen as guardians. They all have these protectors in their lives but they don't really know they are protecting them. They feel more like family to them. There was a very close group girl power thing going on that I really enjoyed. I don't know why but there "quest" as I like to call it to protect the book and the keys reminded me a lot of Legend of the Seeker. It might be because I watched a whole season in a matter of days but I do feel the adventure and camaraderie coming from these girls. It was fun to see all the powers, fights, and chases they all got into. I did think it was a bit weird that they accepted all of this all of a sudden. I guess seeing Gaia convinced them right away but I don't remember reading any doubts or hesitation. I frankly would be thrilled if I had untapped powers, not so much the "people with large pointy swords are after me" part. What I mean is that no matter what strange things were happening to you or people telling you things I would think I would question at least once unless it was blatantly clear that something was going on with me which I don't feel it was on here. There were also parts where I thought things could have been a little slower at some points which is weird to say considering how lengthy this book is. Hmm... I guess I wanted to connect more with the two other main characters in the story. There were moments where you saw who they were and what they were about but I don't know. They didn't connect for me. I think it depends on you.
Tiluvia is another guardian whose Aunt Edwina is unbearable. She's a greedy old hag is what she is. I thought she was just very strict with where Tiluvia went and how she acted because she wanted her to get married just like the King wanted to do for Kerani but no. She's just really greedy and I hope I never see her again although I could see where that can cause some drama. Tiluvia's power was really unexpected, really all of them were, it's just very different... I think out of all the guardians I didn't feel like I know her the most. I know her I just don't... know her. Connect with her is better phrasing. I do see potential for her to be strong like Kerani is to my eyes now. I also believe Cesca can be that strong and is on her way. At first she seems like this timid type that just follows the leader but don't let her innocent face fool you. You mess with her once and you won't mess with her ever again. I'm really excited about her character the most. I see so much potential for her and I want her to take some initiative. I see so much potential in all of these characters. I feel like the next book will ensure them a place in my heart. I told you I liked them!
You would think a guy like Valconius would know when to listen. He's so stubborn it's just beyond belief. When a girl is stubborn it's supposedly this huge problem but really when you see a guy with those qualities you know he's going to be trouble. I don't really know what to make of him. I thought he would go one way in the story but now he's going to be like Darth Vader or something. It's just a really crazy situation which doesn't mean I don't like it. More than anything I want to see more of what goes on with him and his interactions with the girls. I hope he goes the way I want him to. I really hope he doesn't listen to only his emotions and not his head. He needs to think! He's... ARGH! There is so much potential for you! Don't mess it up. All of the characters I can see as one of the strongest point of this story. I also believe the Legend of the Seeker-esque adventure really does wonders for the book. And of course the powers excite me. This book was totally not what I expected. I expected witches or something... I don't know. It has this very old feel to it but in a cool way. I would just really say that I want to see a little more caution with how characters react or don't react with certain events that happen to them. Other than that this book was a treat. I've been in a very magic type of mood lately so this is just what the doctor ordered.
To purchase Guardians of the Grimoire go to:
About the Author
"Natasha Slight lives in Montreal, Canada with her husband and two daughters. Although, she has an aversion to -20 degree temperatures, she keeps warm and cozy, while writing in her home office. Being a stay-at-home mom and an avid reader and collector of books for many years, she traveled frequently, following her husband and his work. The settings in the stories she writes are enriched with details she has gleaned from her travels around the world. Armed with a quirky sense of humor, Natasha writes to inspire, tap into the mind, and unleash the imagination within. Guardians of the Grimoire is her debut novel."
For more info about Natasha Slight and her books go to:
Giveaway!
Thanks to the author & CBL Book Tours for providing this giveaway!
Thanks for sharing and for the chance to win. I hadn't heard of this one before and it does sound good! Loved your helpful review. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks (: I think you might like it actually.
DeleteFrom the synopsis this book wouldn't interest me at all but your review was great and really got me intrigued!! The names are all a bit odd and would probably be hard to keep track off but it seems like you really liked all of the characters (except Aunt Edwina) which is good. Awesome review Adriana! =)
ReplyDeleteIt was a little hard for a part of the book but you kind of get used to the names. Thanks for the kind words (:
DeleteI love a book with good characters. This sounds so interesting!
ReplyDeleteRight? Without great characters there is no hope for a story to connect with us.
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