Review: A Unique Take in a Crowded World
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 14, 2014
My Recommendation: I liked the story. People looking for something a little different in the paranormal reading world may find this one to their liking. It is a chaste read and though there is killing afoot, I feel it is suitable for preteens to adults. It is a pleasant YA book with good characterizations.About the Book: Two sisters get drawn into the world of gargoyles and vampires when one speaks an oath of devotion without realizing what she is doing. Through this oath she has placed her and all those she loves in harms way. There is a war brewing and she is right in the middle of it.My Take:The use of Gargoyles in this story is a good choice. One of the problems I have with the Twilight series is the main male character is almost 100 years old. What could he possibly see in a teenage girl? No matter what his body looks like, his experiences would have made him older and much wiser than nineteen. Braden avoids this pitfall successfully since her main character, though quite old, hasn't had the experiences because he has been asleep as a stone gargoyle. It also explains his old world charm, grace and sensibilities. I loved the idea that the Gargoyles sleep as stone for long periods of time.This story is relayed to the reader through the voices of both sisters. There was no confusion between the two as the voices were completely different. I was much more invested in Carrie, I suppose because she seems more like me. I loved her best friend Kevin. Luc, however, never really came through for me. He was distant but he is distant within the story as well, as if his life requires him to keep everything and everyone at arms length, even the girl he loves. Braden does a good job of giving her characters differences that keeps them separate within the mind of the reader. It makes for a more realistic story.Some will find the setup too long. Still, even with the long setup, I enjoyed the story itself.The only other thing keeping this book in the middle range is the lack of consistency when it came to the rules of the pact. When can a gargoyle take action and when could they not take action? There seemed to be a lot of crossing the line and a lot more of refusing to even approach the line. In one scene, the gargoyles kill vampires, in another scene they won't even touch them to save Sara from being kidnapped. This was quite confusing, leading me to ponder their reasons instead of enjoying the story.