Gwen’s review of Demon Bound (The Guardians, Book 7) by Meljean Brook
Contemporary paranormal romance released by Berkley 4 Nov 08
I am a gigantic fan of Meljean’s writing. I find it to be quick, witty, complex, and always telling a really good story. The Guardians series is all of that and more. This is a very complex world – one full of factions within factions, in-fighting, not-so-good good guys, sympathetic bad guys, and passion.
As I probably should have expected, nothing was straight-forward or easy in Demon Bound. There were many times I just had to trust in the author to get me thru a particularly complex scene, a bit of complicated dialog, or seemingly labyrinthine character motivation. I was never disappointed by Brook – she always dragged me out the other side having enjoyed the torture – though I do admit to not liking this entry as well as the other Guardians novels and stories I’ve read. I was just a bit bowled over by how complex much of the book was – sometimes it’s nice to see why something is happening before you get to the very end of a scene. I like to make at least part of the trip with a characters.
I never fully understood Alice’s, the heroine’s, “jerky movements” – never could picture them in my mind or why they would appear creepy. I blame this lack on me – not the author. I also wasn’t sure I fully believed the love affair resolving the way it did, though it was sweet at the end; there just seemed like too much baggage for Alice to overcome so quickly. Jake’s (the hero and novice Guardian) inability to control his teleporting is a refreshingly human frailty in an otherwise supernatural world. I also really enjoyed Jake’s encounter with this human family – it was really quite lovely. He was my favorite character, but that may have to do more with the creep factor of spiders, etc., than anything.
I liked Demon Bound, but almost gave it a C because of the complexity of the writing. However, it’s a much better book than a C. The story arcs are complex but complete. Some of the characters are deliciously Machiavellian – I cannot wait to see what Brook does with the Doyen, Michael. Now there’s a character I could sink some fangs into. Yum!
I recommend this book to fans of the series. If you haven’t read any of the previous Guardians novels, I don’t recommend starting with this one unless you’ve first read Brook’s Guardians Primer found here (something I highly recommend). I also highly recommend you snapping up the mass market paperback release of Wild Thing, coming January 2009 (see link in the below covers) – those are some excellent stories, including a terrific Guardians one.
Grade: B
Read reviews and info about this and other books in The Guardians series by following its tag.
Summary:
Alice Grey is known as the Black Widow-a woman trapped in a web spun by the demon Teqon. Jake Hawkins is a novice Guardian whose gift of teleportation could be invaluable to Alice in determining her next move. But can they survive when fear and secrets threaten not just their lives and souls, but the fate of the universe?
Read an excerpt.
Other books in the series (links to mass market paperback releases where available):
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