Guardian of the Moon Pendant (Highland Secrets)

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Guardian of the Moon Pendant (Highland Secrets)

by Laura J. Williams (Goodreads Author)

3.7 of 5 stars 3.70 · rating details · 20 ratings · 10 reviews

The MacAlpin women are of a fierce clan, born from a rare bloodline that harbors a dark and powerful secret – a mystical heirloom called the Moon Pendant. It is the key to controlling the MääGord standing stones, a magical Portal into the Otherworld, the realm of the Fae.

Anabel and Izzy MacAlpin are two sisters, polar opposites, living separate lives.

Anabel’s life is going...more The MacAlpin women are of a fierce clan, born from a rare bloodline that harbors a dark and powerful secret – a mystical heirloom called the Moon Pendant. It is the key to controlling the MääGord standing stones, a magical Portal into the Otherworld, the realm of the Fae.

Anabel and Izzy MacAlpin are two sisters, polar opposites, living separate lives.

Anabel’s life is going precisely according to her plan, a ring on her finger from her steady beau, Edgar, and medical school in the fall.

Izzy’s life is filled with scars and wounds from her past. Dubbed the “spare child” by her family and treated poorly, she rebelled, and now lives life by her own rules.

These two sisters’ worlds are about to explode when one of them must go to Scotland and fulfill her duty as the Guardian of the Moon Pendant, by recharging this magical heirloom with four elementals, air, earth, water, and fire, and then finally close the Portal.

There’s only one problem…

The Baobhan Sith – a vampiric faery who lures men in with her hypnotic voice, feeding on their blood or transforming them into Màrmann, her zombie-like warriors who do her bidding – desires the Moon Pendant to take control over the Portal, opening a gateway into the realm of man, helping her to seek revenge on the MacAlpin clan, and to quench her eternal thirst for human blood.

Anabel finds herself torn between a sinfully handsome Scottish warrior, Blane and her fiancée, Edgar. Izzy finds herself, angered by her sister’s lack of faith in her.

Both sisters are forced to help one another, but may end up killing each other in the end. Surrounded by an array of good and evil Scottish Fae like a vampiric faery, the Baobhan Sith, zombie-warriors, the Ankou, Dryads, the Fachan, the Ghillie Dhu, Heather Pixies, Leigheas, the Nuckelavee, the Bloody Baron a Red Cap, Stone Faeries, Trows, and Will-o’-the-wisps.

Will these two sisters put aside their differences before the final task to charge the Moon Pendant and close the Portal or will the Baobhan Sith, the vampiric faery, be successful and open the Portal into the Otherworld?(less)

Kindle Edition, 260 pages

Published July 25th 2012 by Laura J. Williams

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Sep 22, 2012 Christina Madison rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: demons-devils, ebooks, fae-elves-pixies, ghosts-spirits-wraiths, 2011-2012

Full review here: http://zodiacbookreviews.blogspot.com...

Guardian of the Moon Pendant takes us on the journey of two sisters who travel to Scotland to prevent a portal to the realm of the Fae from opening. On the Isle of Moon stand the MääGord standing stones and the portal to the Fae realm. Once every nineteen years the full moon passes through the standing stones and the portal will open a pathway for the Fae. Before that can happen the Guardian of the Moon Pendant must recharge the Pendant's...more Full review here: http://zodiacbookreviews.blogspot.com...

Guardian of the Moon Pendant takes us on the journey of two sisters who travel to Scotland to prevent a portal to the realm of the Fae from opening. On the Isle of Moon stand the MääGord standing stones and the portal to the Fae realm. Once every nineteen years the full moon passes through the standing stones and the portal will open a pathway for the Fae. Before that can happen the Guardian of the Moon Pendant must recharge the Pendant's power with the elements--Air, Earth, Water, and Fire--and close the portal. The new moon is here. Can the Guardian accomplish each task and save mankind from the Fae?

Anabel and Izzy MacAlpin are two sisters who couldn't be more different. Anabel has her life all planned out and everything is going accordingly. Izzy is just trying to get through each day in one piece. These two are constantly fighting, bickering, and trying to one-up the other. Their relationship perfectly portrays the sibling rivalry to a T. Although Anabel and Izzy go too far sometimes, I felt the relationship between them was genuine.

The MacAlpin clan has been the Guardians of the Moon Pendant and the portal for generations. Anabel, being the eldest daughter, is the heir and it's her duty to become the Guardian, but she wants no part of it since it will ruin her perfect life plan. Whereas Izzy is nicknamed the "spare child" and treated badly. Izzy views Anabel's resistence to being Guardian as her chance to prove herself by becoming the Guardian instead. But as their grandmother said, the Pendant is fickle and it may not let Anabel go.

I love reading about mythology and folklore, so when I saw that Guardian of the Moon Pendant featured Scottish fae folklore, I couldn't wait to start reading. There's the Red Cap, the Baobhan Sith, the Nuckelavee, the Ghillie Dhu, Trows, Will-o-the-Wisps, among others. I just love the stories behind these fantastical and otherworldly beings.

While I'm on the subject of Scotland, this book does have a highlander--in all his kilted glory. Blane is a Sentinel of Light, who swore an oath to Danu to protect the Guardians and the portal. He is roughly 500 years old, but only looks about 25 years old, and boy, does he make Anabel want to change her mind about marrying Edgar. It's too bad that a Sentinel is forbidden from marrying a Guardian. Though I thought the romance between Blane and Anabel wasn't necessary to the story as a whole, it was nice to see a bit of romance--and I'd like to know what Anabel ever saw in Edgar? He's kinda icky in my opinion--I'd choose Blane when I first laid eyes on him.

Besides the Fae was a whole, the main villain of the book is Lainahywn, the Baobhan Sith. She is a vampiric faery who sucks men dry or turns them into zombie-like warriors. She wants the Pendant and control of the portal--and she'll do anything to get it. Lainahywn is really kinda scary. She may look real pretty when she's all glamored up, but once she drops the facade--ugh! She's definitely a baddy you want to stay away from.(less)

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Sep 21, 2012 Tabby - IMReviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle-books-i-own, reviewed-for-imr-2012

First - I feel that I have to mention the cover. Why? Because it is one of the main reasons that I even wanted to read this book. After reading the synopsis though, I was completely sold. Secondly; I feel that I should point out that this book is so epically NOT like every other magic creature filled book out there. & don't let the synopsis fool you, you might THINK you know what is going on - but trust me when I say - surprises are in store. I love nothing more than a book that can captivat...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Mary Grace rated it 4 of 5 stars

Guardian of the Moon Pendant is my first highland/Scottish book, and it was incredible. It was a story with amazing characters, strong story line and thrilling action screens. Although 30% of my journey with Williams’ book was a confusing, that didn’t stop me in enjoying Guardian of the Moon Pendant.

Characters. Main characters Izzy and Anabel are a sisters and they don’t get along. Though most of the time they quarrel and whine a lot (which makes them somewhat childish to some point) about each...more Guardian of the Moon Pendant is my first highland/Scottish book, and it was incredible. It was a story with amazing characters, strong story line and thrilling action screens. Although 30% of my journey with Williams’ book was a confusing, that didn’t stop me in enjoying Guardian of the Moon Pendant.

Characters. Main characters Izzy and Anabel are a sisters and they don’t get along. Though most of the time they quarrel and whine a lot (which makes them somewhat childish to some point) about each other and almost anything, the characters for me felt genuine – capturing sibling rivalry to the dot. I myself quarrel with my younger sister a lot and we fight with almost anything but the love is there – which also reflects with the MacAlpin sisters. They are like north and south and it seems like there’s no way to find the middle ground with the two but in the end, everything worked out. Blane on the other hand I was not feeling so much love. I think part of it is because as I stated this is my first highlander story so I may not be feeling the appeal compared to some readers but character wise he’s okay. Anabel and Blane’s attraction is one of my “huh” moments. I didn’t feel it. For me the story could have done without it and still get an amazing story but it’s there so yeah.

POV. Guardian of the Moon Pendant goes back and forth between Izzy and Anabel and I don’t have any issues with dual or multiple POV as long as the story flowed flawlessly, and in Guardian of the Moon Pendant it did. Dual POV is a good way of knowing what the other character is feeling and thinking making a story more in-depth in my opinion and I love that about this book.

Story. The story started out with the MacAlpin family (Izzy, Anabel and their mother + Edgar) and that gave me a little glimpse about the characters but it was a bit rushed going to the main plot itself which confused me a little bit. It was like Anabel was designated guardian and all the information was dumped rather than being explained – so that’s where my main issue lies. The fae element in the story added spunk coupled with Izzy’s sarcastic dialogues was what really made me enjoy the story in spite my issues.

Overall. I did enjoy reading Guardian of the Moon Pendant. The plot and story line was intriguing and promising but the characters needed more details for me. The ending was okay as well and no loose ends so that was double okay for me. I think I’ll enjoy this better if I had read highlander/Scottish stories in the past more so maybe I’ll re-read this in the future, we’ll see. And I have to add this: that cover is so captivating. Lovely, lovely cover.(less)

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Sep 11, 2012 Livvy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2-stars, fairies, fantasy, ya, september-2012, romance

This book wasn’t quite what I expected. I find it hard to summarise my feelings in their entirety since I liked the idea of the plot, but in places it was rushed and others it was dragged out unnecessarily. The two main characters Anabel and Izzy were both self-centred creatures absorbed in their own whiny and self-pity. I found there was little redemption or progression in their characters. On the plus side, this was a short read and it was easily readable. It did hold quite a lot of promise fo...more This book wasn’t quite what I expected. I find it hard to summarise my feelings in their entirety since I liked the idea of the plot, but in places it was rushed and others it was dragged out unnecessarily. The two main characters Anabel and Izzy were both self-centred creatures absorbed in their own whiny and self-pity. I found there was little redemption or progression in their characters. On the plus side, this was a short read and it was easily readable. It did hold quite a lot of promise for me to begin with, but then it seemed to drizzle of the further I got into it.

I’m going to start with the two protagonists Anabel and Izzy. We had an alternating perspective from both Anabel and Izzy’s view point, but I didn’t really enjoy either narration because they both had similar whiny character traits where they complained about the other. Not only that, but the narration often followed the same events from the different view to create a repetitive and dragging sensation in the middle part of this novel where several switches left to the events being repeated. I felt like Williams had put this in to flesh out the novel rather than to add to the enjoyment and flow, for me it brought me out of the novel and stilted the reading experience.

Anabel was a girl looking to get into medical school and was already engaged. She didn’t seem to have a very strong relationship with her fiancé Edgar and yet they were engaged, to me it seemed ridiculous. Then she meets Blane… And he’s oh so wonderful, Scottish and sexy. I did not get this at all! I kid you not, I thought he was a 40 year old man when we first met him. Williams’ visual descriptions left a lot to be desired because at no point did I visualise any of the potential love interest for Anabel or Izzy as young and I don’t think this was the desire effect! So the very fickle love Anabel has for Blane develops and Edgar is pretty much forgotten. To be truthful, I see there being very little point to his character other than to add a tad of emotional distress to Anabel’s tale which she doesn’t really need when adding the conflict of her sister, her forbidden love for Blane and the struggles with the moon pendant.

"My hopes and dreams of becoming a wife, mother and doctor flashed before my eyes. How could I possibly finish any of these tasks – four deadly tasks – in four days?"

Izzy is very much the whiny, “poor me” girl of the novel. She may have had problems, a crazy boyfriend and a dislike for her sister, but I did not feel the need for her to bring it up every five seconds. It really grated on my nerves and on occasions I found myself skimming this part of the narration. She pretended to be “bad-ass”, but I didn’t really feel the vibe, other than smoking and I can hardly call that “bad-ass”. At times she seemed to overshadow Anabel’s narration and push herself into being the main protagonist of the story, when for me, the story seemed to be wanting to focus on Anabel as the guardian. There was very much a struggle that Williams didn’t really dissolve with the two characters for who could be deemed the protagonist.

Then what, Braveheart?” snipped Izzy. Her body leaned forward, pressing against her coiled restraints, digging deep into her bare skin. “You’re gonna throw us down into the dungeon and eat our flesh?”

The plot had a good idea, and I liked the fairy aspect and the tasks that had to be completed as part of the Guardian of the Moon Pendant in order to close the portal and prevent the fairies and demons entering this world, but I think the execution of it was messy and stilted. I was confused at times as to what was happening and found that some parts lacked detail and description to really create visual images in my head. And whilst I like a little allowance for creativity, Williams really lacked for me on the descriptive front. Then there were moments of cluttered action where points become elongated and boring. This novel really had one extreme or another.

Overall the ideas this story is based on sound good and they seem to be heading in an interesting direction, but it just wasn’t for me. I don’t think I’ll be checking out the sequel to this novel, however don’t ignore this book because if you like a fun read that lacks a bit of detail, you might find yourself enjoying it!

Find this review and more at my blog Nerdy Book Reviews.(less)

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Jan 28, 2013 Greg F. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I was surprised to find that this book was self-published. Its quick pace, even quicker wit, and the expert handling of the two main characters' growth (Their naval gazing doesn't get in the way of the plot, but they developing/changing is vital to the plot moving forward! Yeah!) at first had me thinking that some big mainstream publishing house had picked up Ms. Williams for a book deal. Fortunately, New York's lack of recognition of this great new writer won't prevent us from enjoying this top...more

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Sep 17, 2012 Rob Bignell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

Loved this book. It broke the standard troll/wizard fantasy by utilizing a fresh set of mythical beings from Scottish/Celtic legends. The plot centered on the growth of the two main characters - two sisters who are polar opposites - who have to overcome inner conflicts and their conflict with one another to solve the larger problem that sets the whole novel into motion. The narrative clicks along at a nice pace; Williams' descriptions are vibrant and her writing style energetic. You won't be bor...more

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Nov 04, 2012 Stephanie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I liked the plot of this book, but felt like the book was rushed overall. I'm a fairly speedy reader anyhow, but it took me less than two hours to read this. I would have liked to have seen more character and plot development. Like another reviewer mentioned, I had a hard time connecting with either of the lead characters, Anabel and Izzy. I am definitely interested in reading a follow up book, but I think the next one should be longer and I'd like to see it go into more depth.

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Sep 14, 2012 Sjbrower rated it 5 of 5 stars

Was a very good book!! I loved it. Gets you attention in the first chapter and you don't want to put it down until you are done, leaves you wishing there was more books to keep the story going. Great Characters and wonderful story line. Thanks Laura for writing such a good book.

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Oct 30, 2012 Johnna rated it 1 of 5 stars

I wasn't a big fan of this book. The story jumped around a lot and certain things weren't explained very well which left me confused about why or how something happened. I also didn't like either protagonist, they were both selfish and immature, I couldn't connect to them.

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About Laura J. Williams

Laura J. Williams is a hopeless and lost cause, tucked away in her dark sleeping chamber, in her gloomy abyss of a writing cave, separated from the realm of man, chomping on chicken legs and quenching her thirst with large glasses of red wine. She is consoled daily by her rescued cat, baby-kitty, who only gives her love when she wants to.

Aye, it is a sad life she lives…
But, God danced the day La...more

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Guardian of the Moon Pendant (Highland Secrets)

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