kblincoln's review
4.0
I didn't actually expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. It's one of a long line of urban fantasy books where a tortured (and in this case, literally so) hero finds his one, true mate and together they take on the bad guys.
I think what I liked about this was that the ancillary characters had their own stories going on that kept up interest throughout the book even with the whole tried and true "I have to go out on my own and attack the bad guys to save my love" and "I'm not worthy of love" thing that often is found in these kind of books.
I also liked the bad guys, the Synestryn in this world. There are several, yucky, well-described forms the demons can take and the battle scenes were cool.
I'll probably go on and read the next one.
I think what I liked about this was that the ancillary characters had their own stories going on that kept up interest throughout the book even with the whole tried and true "I have to go out on my own and attack the bad guys to save my love" and "I'm not worthy of love" thing that often is found in these kind of books.
I also liked the bad guys, the Synestryn in this world. There are several, yucky, well-described forms the demons can take and the battle scenes were cool.
I'll probably go on and read the next one.
booklvrkat's review against another edition
3.0
I can't decide if I liked this or just kinda liked this story. It was a bit all over the place with the information, and world building. The romance/sex/bonded pair part was hot. I wanted a bit more ... I don't know.... oompf. Something that would drag me kicking and screaming into another series. The story line saved the series, I will continue with it, but not sure when I'll pick up the second.
tkat's review
5.0
Not as good as I was expecting, coming from the wife of one of my favorite authors, but still enjoyable nonetheless.
This story follows the lives of men called Sentinels in their war against demons, protect humanity behind the yellow curtain and all that jazz.
The thing is these men have an expiration date if they do not find a mate. They have so much power in them to fight these demons that it hurts them and their women act as conduits for that power. The strength of the women lies in throwing around magic spells, while the strength of the men lies more in martial arts. The women siphon off this raw physical energy to fuel their own spells. Only problem is all the Sentinal women were murdered two thousand years ago, leaving the men alone with no ability to procreate and no hope of survival after a certain length of time.
So of course when one of their women are found, all the men around her go crazy for the chance to bond with her and save their lives.
Love the concept of the story, and it was written well. My only problem is the end, when out of nowhere it seems the leader of the demons pops up talking about having a child with someone. What? Where'd you come from, and who are you talking about?
Little bit of a sloppy ending, but interested me enough that I will continue on with the series.
This story follows the lives of men called Sentinels in their war against demons, protect humanity behind the yellow curtain and all that jazz.
The thing is these men have an expiration date if they do not find a mate. They have so much power in them to fight these demons that it hurts them and their women act as conduits for that power. The strength of the women lies in throwing around magic spells, while the strength of the men lies more in martial arts. The women siphon off this raw physical energy to fuel their own spells. Only problem is all the Sentinal women were murdered two thousand years ago, leaving the men alone with no ability to procreate and no hope of survival after a certain length of time.
So of course when one of their women are found, all the men around her go crazy for the chance to bond with her and save their lives.
Love the concept of the story, and it was written well. My only problem is the end, when out of nowhere it seems the leader of the demons pops up talking about having a child with someone. What? Where'd you come from, and who are you talking about?
Little bit of a sloppy ending, but interested me enough that I will continue on with the series.
jbsmunky's review
3.0
I thought it was different and entertaining. Bummed my library does not carry the rest of the series!
raven_acres's review
4.0
A bit choppy, and the main explanation of Sentinels and such could have been explained a bit earlier in the storyline, IMO, but overall, I didn't find it a bad read. Rolled through it in about 2 hours. And have the other books in this series to dive right in to.
kriff08's review
3.0
It’s got potential. I got into the beginning but then wandered off a bit towards the middle/end, characters are ok and romance to action fairly balanced for this kind of read. However I very much disagreed with the Thomas event and that had me setting the book aside for a few, not sure who thinks no training will yield anything resembling success. Overall pretty entertaining and a nice change from the usual go-to’s of the genre, I probably will give the next book a shot.
wildflowerz76's review
2.0
Ug. First, I wouldn't have bothered trying this one had the author not been the wife of Jim Butcher, whom I adore. I never knew his wife wrote until Dragon*Con and then I heard that it was more romance fiction instead of supernatural. I put her down on my list of books to look for at the used book store. I found the second one in this series and picked up the first one new a few weeks ago. I hated it. It was all I could do to make myself finish it. I don't care for that instant, overpowering attraction thing...the one that makes you forget the guy's being a HUGE asshole. He was a huge asshole. He acted like it when they met. Then he takes her away from her safe life all so he could feel better. He lies to her to get her to commit to something she doesn't fully understand, the same way Logan did. Also, universe building can be tricky and it wasn't done well here at all. No one discussed anything until it's all half-heartedly blurted out. Then it's still not explained well. I hated Drake. I didn't care for Helen at all either. The only character I liked much at all was Miss Mabel! I own the second one, so I might try it if I REALLY get bored, but chances are it's going to sit on my shelf for ages. This one's going straight to the used book store. Ug.
ezichinny's review
4.0
This book had a band of warriors called the Sentinels, who were sworn to protect the human race. The books starts off at a great pace with Helen running away from Drake. Why? She had a dream of a guy watching her burn, and it was Drake. On the other hand, Drake recognized her as having a calming influence on his spirit, signaling that she was his mate. The rest of the story is action packed as Helen tries to run and Drake tries to protect her. I think the author was a little inconsistent with Helen’s character because she seemed observant but then at times she was oblivious to very clear things. Regardless, I liked her and I liked Drake. I am definitely going to continue this series.
shelleyrae's review
2.0
Two and a half stars would probably be fairer. I'm not a huge fan of the fated mate thing but I quite liked the complications of Helen and Drake in getting together. I did wish a few times that Helen would get a grip on herself - a little too much angst.
Some strong similarities to Feehan's Carpathian series though a lot more readable.
What bugged me most is since the Synestryn already had the sword and all they had to do was break it - why didn't they? I would have thought it would be the first thing they would have done. While partially explained in the Epilogue, it was a plot point that annoyed me through the series.
Still a decent start to a new series.
Some strong similarities to Feehan's Carpathian series though a lot more readable.
What bugged me most is since the Synestryn already had the sword and all they had to do was break it - why didn't they? I would have thought it would be the first thing they would have done. While partially explained in the Epilogue, it was a plot point that annoyed me through the series.
Still a decent start to a new series.