The Named (The Guardians of Time Trilogy #1)

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The Named (Guardians of Time #1)

by Marianne Curley (Goodreads Author)

4.06 of 5 stars 4.06 · rating details · 3,757 ratings · 300 reviews

Ethan is a member of the Named, sworn to fight the Order of Chaos, an evil group determined to permanently change the course of history. But he is also a normal high school student trying desperately to keep up with his homework and fit in. When he is assigned to mentor Isabel, a cute classmate and future member of the Named, the line between his two lives begins to blur....more

Paperback, 333 pages

Published May 11th 2010 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens (first published October 4th 2002)

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Sep 30, 2008 Arya rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

What if you could protect the Future...by traveling into the Past

The Named- where the Gaurdians of Time travel into history to protect life as we know from the Goddess of Chaos, a rampaging Immortal intent on taking over the world.

Ethan- a member of "The Named", part of a prophecy made years ago fortelling the end of the battle that rages between Lorian and the Goddess, and the main character of the book. He has been promoted to "Trainer" and his apprentice is - his ex-best friend' sister- whic...more

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May 14, 2008 Vicki rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a YA book, first of 3, even though it seems there should be one before it. Its about boy who witnessed his sisters abduction by a monster, who turns out to be his father's partner turned rouge in a group called Gaurdian of Time. A group of people with supernatural abilities fight against the evil goddess who wants to change history so she can rule the world.

I really liked this book, it was entertaining and kept me in suspense, even the sappy romantic stuff in it. Very well written and I...more

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Aug 01, 2011 Elica added it · review of another edition

Very adventurous, a definite page turner.

It had me wanting more after each chapter, i literally could not put this book down.

The characters are a fine set all with their own personality.

My only complaint is that they were not defined much, as in, i had no idea how they looked like. At times Curley would describe a few of their qualities, but not enough to get a strong image.

If anything, all i got a good image of was when they turned into someone else. Arkarian is my favorite character along wit...more

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Apr 30, 2013 Diana rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Under guidance from his mentor, Arkarian, Ethan, a member of The Named, travels to the past to maintain the balance of time and good and evil. This book is the first of a breathtaking trilogy. After being in training for 12 years, Ethan is given an apprentice by the Tribunal. His apprentice turns out to be, no other than his ex-best friend’s younger sister, Isabel. Isabel accidentally discovers that she is a healer, meaning she can heal wounds by focusing her energy on them. Ethan and Isabel are...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Monica rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

If you are searching for an intense novel, look no further than Marianne Curley's The Named, book one of the Guardians of Time Trilogy. The book has a very creative plot and interesting characters. It starts in the modern day, but it jumps through different centuries, spicing up the book in the process. Ethan, one of the two main characters, has magical abilities. For example, he has powers such as moving objects without touching them. He is a part of The Guard, a group of magically gifted peopl...more If you are searching for an intense novel, look no further than Marianne Curley's The Named, book one of the Guardians of Time Trilogy. The book has a very creative plot and interesting characters. It starts in the modern day, but it jumps through different centuries, spicing up the book in the process. Ethan, one of the two main characters, has magical abilities. For example, he has powers such as moving objects without touching them. He is a part of The Guard, a group of magically gifted people who go back in time to keep history in check. Ethan has been the apprentice of Arkarian, an immortal member of The Guard, all his life. His life changes when Arkarian gives him an important mission - and an apprentice of his own. With the help of his new apprentice, Isabel, Ethan must travel hundreds of years into the past and stop the antagonists, The Order, from destroying history. The book takes many unexpected twists and turns. For example, there is a surprising love triangle side-story that the reader can figure out. In addition to that, Ethan and Isabel will find it hard to keep their involvement in The Guard a secret from everyone they know, including their family. The intense meeting of the good versus evil will thrill any reader.

Personally, I thought this book was very original; that was the main thing that kept me reading. Before reading The Named, I never read a book that took place in the modern day and the past. It was a great fit for my tastes because it had a mix of fantasy and realistic fiction (for example, high school scenes), and I like both of those genres. Writing about two opposite genres like that is very hard; I know this from experience. The author writes through both Ethan’s and Isabel’s eyes and it’s really interesting to see how differently each character thinks and speaks. The only things that I don’t like about the novel are the gross parts of the book, like blood descriptions and creepy monsters. I would recommend this book to teenagers who love a thrilling fantasy. The novel would also be fitting to people who want to read something unlike anything they’ve read before. I would not recommend this book to people who get grossed out easily. If you like cheesy romances, then you probably will not like this book. This book is a great fantasy novel and you probably won’t find another one like it. It is one of the most creative stories that you will read.
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Jul 09, 2012 Filip rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, read-in-czech, i-own, read-in-2012

Ani nevím, jak se mi tato kniha dostala do rukou. Už si vzpomínám! Před měsíci jsem si ji zařadil do BF knihovničky, jakožto knihu, kterou si přeji přečíst. Jenže tím to skončilo. Na knihu jsem jaksi pozapomněl a nechal ji jen tak. Poté jsem ji ale viděl v knihkupectví. Byla na ni sleva, tak jsem si ji hned pořídil. A teprve nyní vím, že to nebyla marná útrata.
Příběh vypráví o dvou hrdinech: Isabele a Ethanovi. Tito dva lidé patří mezi Strážce. Strážci maji za úkol chránit historii před Řádem Ch...more Ani nevím, jak se mi tato kniha dostala do rukou. Už si vzpomínám! Před měsíci jsem si ji zařadil do BF knihovničky, jakožto knihu, kterou si přeji přečíst. Jenže tím to skončilo. Na knihu jsem jaksi pozapomněl a nechal ji jen tak. Poté jsem ji ale viděl v knihkupectví. Byla na ni sleva, tak jsem si ji hned pořídil. A teprve nyní vím, že to nebyla marná útrata.
Příběh vypráví o dvou hrdinech: Isabele a Ethanovi. Tito dva lidé patří mezi Strážce. Strážci maji za úkol chránit historii před Řádem Chaosu. (Ty vztahy nechci nijak rozpytvávat.) Řád - narozdíl od Strážců - chce historii změnit. Stačí, aby jedním činem změnily tok dějin tak, jak je zapsán v učebnicích dějepisu. Tito Strážci mají nasledně za úkol jejich činy zmařit.
Ethan, sympatický mladý kluk, který je již od čtyř let Strážcem, dostává tyto úkoly pravidelně. Ale co to? Hned na začátku knihy je ''zvrat''. Ethan dostane žačku. Ale tím by prozrazovaní děje končilo!
Isabela. Velice chytrá a nebojácná mladá dívka, která se následně k Ethanovi přidá.
Přiběh je psán velice pěkný stylem. Stylem v ICH formě každého hrdiny. Jední kapitola se čistě věnuje Isabelině dobrodružství a pocitům, tak další Ethanovi atd... Občas někdy kroutím hlavou nad Ethanovou ''tupostí''.
Vše, co bylo napsáno na přebalu knihy, se splnilo. Napnutý jsem byl snad jako struna. Vždy se tam něco událo a já prostě musel pokračovat dále! Nešlo odolat. Jenomže když se vyřešila jedna věc a já si říkal: ''Fajn, ještě jedna kapitola a nechám toho.'' Tak se objevila další věc, která se řešila. Takže opět jsem musel pokračovat dále.
Záhada. Těch je tam více, než si dokáži představit. Vlastně hned první stránka začíná záhadou. Kdo zabil Ethanovu sestru? Ovšem hned, jakmile se tam objevila taková divná postava, uvědomil jsem si, že je to onen vrah, který se hledá. Ovšem se o tom v knize mluvilo až trochu pozdě. Bylo zde ale samozřejmě více tajemství. Kdo jsou Ethanovi spolubojovníci? Jakou schopnost má Isabela? Pořád samé otázníčky. Ale musím uznat, že po přečtení knihy jsem se rozlobil nad svou hloupostí, že jsem si knihy nekoupil všechny. Přece jenom jsem nezjistil dost zásadních věcí. To se ale napraví! :)
Postavy mají své klady a zápory. O tom není pochyb. Ale mám sve favority. Kdo by neměl, že? :)
Musím uznat, že jsem se o hlavní postavy někdy i bál. Bylo to tak pěkně realisticky popsáno... Ale oddechl jsem si, že to dopadlo podle mého očekávání.
Byly zde ale i nečekané zvraty, které nikdo nečekal. Ona osoba se spikla a připojila k tomu. Ta opět povstala atd... Prostě velice nečekané věci, které dokáži vyrazit dech.
Jakmile jsem se dozvěděl o tom, že postavy budou cestovat do minulosti, tak jsem se už jenom klepal na okamžik, kdy se přemístí. A těšil jsem se správně! Bylo to doslova fascinující! Byl jsem šťasten, že jsem konečně našel knihu, kde se taky cestuje a řeší historie, než samí upíři, vlkodlaci atd... Takže mě tato scéna příjemně uvolnila a já jsem rád, že i něco takového existuje.
Krajina je pěkně popsána a realistická. Vážně lituji toho, že je to pouze kniha... Ale což! Aspoň se mohu kochat pocitem toho, že tak prakticky jsem a mohu prožívat dobrodružství s nimi!
Tato kniha mě nadchla! Je prostě neodolatelná! Musíte ji dočíst dokonce a neodtrhnete se od ní. Má vše, co správná fantasy z dnešního světa mít má! Proto 5 hvězdiček z 5. Doporučuji vřele všem! :)(less)

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Jun 28, 2012 Paula Phillips rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I want you to sit back, relax and imagine what it would be like if you could change the past ? However , in changing even the slightest thing in the past can hold drastic consequences and set off a domino effect into the future. What if by chance, your great- great x 4 ancestor dies , you have two options A) Not be born at all or B) Born into a different family and entire environment.
Meet Ethan, he has the gift and is one of "The Named" , his ability is to time-travel .When he has the chance to...more

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Feb 29, 2012 Nafal rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: español

Mi humilde opinión aquí está basada en mi segunda lectura del libro, ya que la opinión con la que quedé cambió bastante desde la primera vez que lo leí.
La primera vez que tomé Los Elegidos tenía mis expectativas sobre las nubes: llevaba tiempo buscando la trilogía después de que mucha gente me la recomendase. Y sí, disfruté mucho el primer número, probablemente porque seguía con la opinión de mis amigos en la mente y eso me nubló un poco mi opinión propia.
Sin embargo, después de mi segunda lectu...more Mi humilde opinión aquí está basada en mi segunda lectura del libro, ya que la opinión con la que quedé cambió bastante desde la primera vez que lo leí.
La primera vez que tomé Los Elegidos tenía mis expectativas sobre las nubes: llevaba tiempo buscando la trilogía después de que mucha gente me la recomendase. Y sí, disfruté mucho el primer número, probablemente porque seguía con la opinión de mis amigos en la mente y eso me nubló un poco mi opinión propia.
Sin embargo, después de mi segunda lectura le empecé a ver fallos que me molestaron bastante. Todavía no sé si es la traducción o si Marianne simplemente escribe así, pero me pareció que al libro le faltó un poco repaso antes de ser publicado. Tiende a ir muy al grano al hablar, desencantando un poco puesto que no deja espacio al lector de pensar las cosas por sí mismo.
No voy a dar spoilers, pero el tanteo de relación que aparece al final me parece algo forzado (o quizás sea simplemente yo que no me cuadra la pareja. Simplemente no.) y eso también le restó puntos.
Creo que mi lectura habría sido más amena de haber estado escrito en tercera persona, a pesar de que la dinámica de Ethan - Isabel al narrar es interesante, creo que, para la historia que es, no da para abarcarlo todo. Se le podría sacar mucho más a la historia siendo relatada por un narrador omnisciente.
En mi opinión, Marianne tiende a dejar pequeños detalles sin explicar o hay momentos en que no me cuadra lo que dice. No sé si será un fallo suyo o distracción por mi parte al leer, eso sí.
Claro que no son todos puntos malos. El personaje de Ethan me encantó, y la historia en sí me parece fascinante, considerando que la Historia es uno de mis temas de interés y la idea de viajar en el tiempo, las consecuencias de producir cambios mínimos en el pasado y otros puntos relacionados que abarca el libro son bastante entretenidos.
En general, un libro de lectura fácil, aunque la forma en que está escrito (o, vuelvo a decir, la traducción. Tendría que leer la versión original para aclararme más en este punto) molesta un poco por lo sencilla o barata que llega a ser a veces. Entretenido, sin embargo, con personajes carismáticos y una trama que engancha.(less)

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Sep 20, 2011 Katharine Blankenship rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This has been one of my favorite books by this author for a long time. I’ve been waiting for years for her to come out with a new book. But, The Named is part one of the Guardians of Time Trilogy. In The Named, we are introduced to the concept that this series is centered around. A group of people with extraordinary powers travel through time and make sure history continues the way it was supposed to, all while being opposed by a dark group known as the Order. In this book, we are introduced to...more

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Jul 27, 2011 Maggie added it · review of another edition

Who knew that when I started reading this book, I'd remember that I've already read one by her! And I must say, both books are beyond amazing! Isabel and Ethan are both characters readers can relate to. Adventurous girls will find Isabel to be a sort of role model, and boys will all want to be as cool and brave as Ethan. Arkarian is the character that all the girls want to meet! If I could stare into those violet eyes I'm sure I would be lost to the world! Then there's Isabel's over-protective b...more

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Jun 27, 2011 Mirandahannah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

THE NAMED starts out in a way that immediately hooks you. Or at least it immediately hooked me. Ethan has this dream about his sister's death and the man who killed her. He has grown up thinking it was just his imagination, how she died, but he will soon learn otherwise.

THE NAMED is told in the two different POV's of Ethan and Isabel. Ethan has grown up knowing about the Guard and their duties, and at the beginning of THE NAMED, he finally graduates from Apprenticeship and gets an apprentice of...more THE NAMED starts out in a way that immediately hooks you. Or at least it immediately hooked me. Ethan has this dream about his sister's death and the man who killed her. He has grown up thinking it was just his imagination, how she died, but he will soon learn otherwise.

THE NAMED is told in the two different POV's of Ethan and Isabel. Ethan has grown up knowing about the Guard and their duties, and at the beginning of THE NAMED, he finally graduates from Apprenticeship and gets an apprentice of his own. Isabel.

Isabel has no idea about the Guard, but then her brother's ex-best friend Ethan starts paying attention to her again and doing inexplicable things during class (like making his pencil spin in circles without touching it). Ethan explains to Isabel about the Guard and the Order of Chaos, two time traveling groups who are battling each other all the time (literally). The Guard is devoted to making sure events in history pan out the way they are meant to, while the Order are trying to change things to create Chaos, which they feed off of.

THE NAMED was amazing, to say the least. I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy, THE DARK and THE KEY. This first book did a wonderful job of setting up as well as settling problems. The initial problem was solved while the main problem that will most likely appear throughout the rest of the series was set up.

The main thing that awed me about THE NAMED was the characters. There was depth there, even with the characters who weren't part of the two-way POV. They are all believable. I loved the love interest in this book. I don't like love triangles in general, and when I figured out who Isabel was gonna end up with, I went on a "WHY HIM!?" rant because I already had it set in my mind who she was gonna end up with. But with the events of the last couple of chapters, the character REALLY grew on me, and I thought how sweet he was, how sweet what he was doing for her was even if it was misguided. (<--that is vague because I don't want to give away spoilers, Sorry.) And I was very happy with the way it ended up.

I will DEFINITELY be finishing this trilogy, hopefully soon. I suggest you read it! :D(less)

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Dec 12, 2010 Splash Of Our Worlds *Yiota* rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The main story is set in present years though some parts are in the past. We follow one by one the people that will become Guardians of Time starting with Ethan. Ethan has a long family history that we see to appear a lot in the book and we even get some glimpses of him before he get his power. Later they are coming in the story Isabelle, Arkanian, Matt, Rochelle, Neriah and many other to take their position as Guardians of Time. Their job is to protect the world from the Order of Chaos. The Ord...more The main story is set in present years though some parts are in the past. We follow one by one the people that will become Guardians of Time starting with Ethan. Ethan has a long family history that we see to appear a lot in the book and we even get some glimpses of him before he get his power. Later they are coming in the story Isabelle, Arkanian, Matt, Rochelle, Neriah and many other to take their position as Guardians of Time. Their job is to protect the world from the Order of Chaos. The Order of Chaos sent their people back to the past in certain events and trying to change it like its serves their purposes. The Guardians are going back as well, trying to figure who is the bad guys and protect the world and its history.All of them happen when they sleep.

As it happend at Old Magic too, the book is...
...written in first person. Each book follows the minds of two characters, one girl and one boy. Plus, in each book we follow different characters as well. First: Ethan-Isobelle, Second: Isobelle-Arkarian, Third: Matt-Rochelle. If you think them that were picked into pairs, well not. Curley picked them as who has the biggest part at the certain part of the story. Of course there is love story as well. Actually not only one, but i count three big ones right now. BUT that doesn't make the book not readable by guys. The love parts were fitted exactly where they had to be without destroying the main theme of the books. The difference with Old Magic is that here we have adventure. And a lot of it. People are going back in time, come here again but even in their real life they are hunted by the evil so there is movement all the time.

As for the characters, you get to know them really well. The fact that in every book we have different point view give us the chance to see how most of them see the story. How they really think and what to believe about certain events that happen or other people. If i had a picked a favorite character i would pick Arkanian. His older than the rest, even if he looks 17, and he can't get out in our world. He is also the teacher of the rest guys and the one who help them fulffill their missions. Later in the books we see that his part is bigger than we expected too. The rest characters are all different to each other as well and they are fully "designed". Once you know them, it will be easy for you to follow them and understand their moves and the reason behind their acts.

The books are fun to read, not repeatable and with a really good behind story. There was only one thing i disliked about it and that was the end. There is something happening that i really disliked. I refused to re-read the last pages again. But yeah, that's just me and how i want a story. Overall i think you should give them a chance. There is no vampires, werewolves, angels in it, as we have used in this category, but there is still magic (illusions,healing,shapeshifting,etc) which make it different in a good way. (less)

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Jul 21, 2010 Iffath added it · review of another edition

The Named is the first book in The Guardians of Time trilogy. It was first published in February 2005, and there was probably a really small chance of me picking it up anywhere, so I'm very grateful to Bloombsury for rejacketing this fantastic fantasy book!

The book is the story of Ethan and Isabel who have been both 'Named' (the people who are part of a prophecy that was made years ago about a raging battle) and members of the Guardians of Time - are a group of people with extraordinary abilitie...more

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Jul 13, 2010 Lonewolf rated it 3 of 5 stars

So I finished the book and I certainly enjoyed the time that I was reading it, but I feel that this only deserves 3 stars because anything higher should be reserved for particularly good work. This was candy.

But the candy tasted a little bitter because with such an intriguiging concept, the execution was a bit of a disappointment. There could have been so many interesting theames explored with the idea of how tightly interwoven events in space-time are. But it often seemed like the timetravel a...more

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Jul 01, 2011 Sandst rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I'm hovering between giving this book two stars or three stars, because I'm having incredibly mixed feelings. The time-travelling premise is an interesting concept and has SUCH huge potential to be turned into a good story - travelling through time not to change events but to make sure they stay the same to prevent an evil goddess from taking control in the future by feeding evil, malice... typical evil bad guy stuff. And there are other basic fantasy elements - a prophecy, good vs evil, etc. Bu...more

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Nov 15, 2012 Preethi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites-ya-and-uf

I came across this book totally by pure chance. It began in a way that really captivated me...

Ethan is one of the 'Named' of the Guardians of Time, which is an organization who opposes the Goddess of Chaos and make sure the past happens just as it should. The Goddess' own band, called the Order of Chaos are trying to change the future and rule the world by trying to change the past.

Ethan is made 'Trainer' to Isabel,whose is also a Named, and who incidentally is the sister of his ex-best friend....more

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Aug 07, 2012 Jarar rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What would happen if you could change any aspect of the past, to change the present (and eventually the future) to your selfish advantages?

In this book, a group called 'The order of Chaos', led by the Goddess travel back in time to change something (Like killing someones ancestor) to change the present time, and eventually the entire world will be ruled by the Goddess and her Order

Fortunately, Another group of people called 'The Guard', led by the Goddess'es twin brother Lorian frequently attem...more

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Mar 27, 2011 Silver rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-fiction

I remember being completely obsessed with this series. It was probably the first series that I waited impatiently for the last book, knowing it would be coming out within a year. ‘The Named’ follows Ethan and Isabel, two teens who have mysterious powers. Isabel is able to heal herself, something she discovers one day when cutting an apple before school. Ethan has dreams of the future, not the greatest of talents at times. Isabel discovers she’s one of The Named, and joins Ethan as the work to st...more

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Jul 24, 2011 Kiersten added it · review of another edition

Very slow to get into. It failed to capture me, which was something of a disappointment after the last Marianne Curley book I read (Old Magic). I think the plot was fairly well-done, although (at least it seemed to me) some of the details were a little foggy and inconsistent, and explanation was lacking in certain parts where it couldn't afford to be. The basic premise was fairly unoriginal; the characters were interesting enough, although they too failed to really grab my attention. I never fel...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Paula rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 18, 2013 Becks rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Ich habe das Buch schon seit Jahren im Schrank stehen und konnte es nie lesen, da Band zwei vergriffen ist. Durch eine Freundin habe ich diesen Band bald und konnte somit ENDLICH (nach 11 Jahren) die Reihe anfangen. Ich hatte hohe Erwartungen, da ich ein anderes Buch der Autorin ('Im Kreis des Feuers') zu meinen Lieblings Büchern zähle und schon etliche Male gelesen habe.

Das Buch fängt spannend an, man wird direkt in die Geschichte hinein geworfen und nicht alles wird gleich genau erläutert, was...more Ich habe das Buch schon seit Jahren im Schrank stehen und konnte es nie lesen, da Band zwei vergriffen ist. Durch eine Freundin habe ich diesen Band bald und konnte somit ENDLICH (nach 11 Jahren) die Reihe anfangen. Ich hatte hohe Erwartungen, da ich ein anderes Buch der Autorin ('Im Kreis des Feuers') zu meinen Lieblings Büchern zähle und schon etliche Male gelesen habe.

Das Buch fängt spannend an, man wird direkt in die Geschichte hinein geworfen und nicht alles wird gleich genau erläutert, was auch nicht schlimm ist. Ich mag es sehr, wie ziemlich schnell alle für die Geschichte soweit wichtigen Figuren eingeführt werden ohne, dass man es sofort merkt. Durch die Einführung Isabels in die Gruppe der Hüter wird man selbst in die Verschiedenen Dinge eingeführt und erlebt die Geschichte durch Ethan als Erfahrenen Hüter und Isabel als 'Frischling'. Ich muss gestehen, ich habe eine Liebesgeschichte zwischen den Hauptfiguren erwartet, war aber positiv überrascht über die Entwicklung von Isabels Gefühlen zu Arkarian und die tiefe Freundschaft, welche sich bei Ethan und ihr bildet. Zusätzlich mag ich, wie nach und nach die Figuren vertieft werden, indem hin und wieder Dinge über sie eingebracht werden oder eben auf einen Schlag ziemlich viel. Ich finde die Figuren realistisch, auch wie sich ihre Beziehungen zueinander über die Jahre verändern und somit jeden einzeln und ganz individuell beeinflussen. Sehr schön! Natürlich ist auch die Geschichte toll, lässt sich teilweise aber vorhersehen, wobei ich das hier nicht als negativen Punkt ansehe. Sie baut auf und ich bin mir fast sicher, dass Curley in Band 2 und 3 noch einige Asse im Ärmel hat.

Ich mag den Schreibstil Curleys seit ich ihr erstes Buch gelesen habe. Sie schreibt in der ersten Person und Präsens, was mich sonst im Zusammenspiel schon oft gestört hat, bei ihr aber sehr angenehm ist, egal ob man die Romane auf deutsch oder englisch liest (kann hierbei Band 1 vergleichen).

Ich freue mich auf die nächsten beiden Bände und bin gespannt, wie die Geschichte weiter geht.(less)

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Apr 05, 2010 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. For some reason just can't love this book... The writing was not the best, but still pretty good, so that's not it. I think maybe it was that there were so many emotions, but they were left unexplained and that grates on my mind when I don't get the full story emotion-wise. The story is very unique in YA literature. Curley was able to create a story where time travel was actually considerably possible. Time travel is a tricky thing because so many things could go wrong, which she addresses, but...more For some reason just can't love this book... The writing was not the best, but still pretty good, so that's not it. I think maybe it was that there were so many emotions, but they were left unexplained and that grates on my mind when I don't get the full story emotion-wise. The story is very unique in YA literature. Curley was able to create a story where time travel was actually considerably possible. Time travel is a tricky thing because so many things could go wrong, which she addresses, but I thought the ingenious part was that they would take on the appearance and persona of someone that already lives in the time they're going to! That way there's no one extra to add in the history books and people aren't as suspicious of them.

Isabel is a name that I'm hearing more and more in YA novels. It's a beautiful name without a doubt, but I feel like it's beauty is starting to wear off as it gets overused. But I liked her character a lot in this one. The fact that she can take care of herself (physically at least) without needing the help of any boy is refreshing. I just wish she would make up her mind as to whom she loves: Arkarian or Ethan. When Ethan kissed Isabel, I thought that meant we would be getting somewhere in the love department, but I was disappointed. It was interesting to find out that Arkarian is her soulmate and not Ethan, but you kind of saw that coming. It just feels a little weird to me because when I picture Arkarian I see him as much older because he's lived for over 600 years and Isabel has only lived for 16 or 17 of those years. That's just a little creepy for me, but maybe it's the best example of love conquers all.

Ethan... not much to say because apparently he's figured himself out already, which no one has at that age. I thought it was kind of stupid that he was given his wings at the end, even though the Tribune told him that they were suspending his wings definitely. I realize what he did added the extra member that the Prophesy foretold, but isn't part of being in charge not going back on what you said? And I wish he would get over Rochelle. Not only did she turn out to be working for the Order, but she also broke up a life-long friendship. She must play some romantic soulmate thing in his life in the later books. And Marduke is just an a$$. There's really no other way to categorize him. He's bent on revenge on Ethan's dad, Shaun, and will kill anyone to do it. And over some girl! Men are never that emotional. Thank goodness Marduke's dead, but I have the feeling the Goddess of Chaos will find a way to bring him back to life.

I'm excited to see what the next book in the trilogy has in store. Here's what I'm hoping for: more action and more romance. Is that too much to ask for? We'll see.(less)

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Mar 14, 2011 Momo rated it 2 of 5 stars

I will have to say that I was pretty disappointed with this book. The back cover promised to portray a story of excitement and romance which was quite misleading. The premise of the story was excellent, but the delivery was flat. The characters are not fully developed and the connections between characters are also not explored to satisfaction. Time travel isn’t real, and the author did a good job of remind me of that while reading. None of it seemed to transcend reality: the characters, plot, e...more

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Sep 19, 2010 Tasha rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked up this book largely for two reasons - the cover was pretty and it was a new book in the library. I don't think I actually even read the back until I got home. Sounds like all the makings of a big mistake ... except it wasn't! The Named surprised me by being really good!

Ethan is a Guardian of Time and has been since he was a small child. Basically the Guardians are responsible for making sure certain events in history happen as they should, fighting against the Order of Chaos who are s...more I picked up this book largely for two reasons - the cover was pretty and it was a new book in the library. I don't think I actually even read the back until I got home. Sounds like all the makings of a big mistake ... except it wasn't! The Named surprised me by being really good!

Ethan is a Guardian of Time and has been since he was a small child. Basically the Guardians are responsible for making sure certain events in history happen as they should, fighting against the Order of Chaos who are set to change the past and well, pretty much cause chaos. Guardians all have their own powers - Ethan can create illusions with his mind - but most don't get them until a later age than Ethan. Isabel is just getting hers - healing - and Ethan is promoted to be her trainer. Not only does he only have two weeks to get her ready for her first mission, there's also the matter of her previously having a crush on him and him having been friends with her brother until they fell out over a girl.

The Named is told from the points of view of both Ethan and Isabel, switching between the two for each chapter. I really liked this because it meant I really got to know both of them as themselves, not just how the other one saw them. The story is full of action, following both Isabel's training - which helps us understand what the Guardians are all about - and their adventures back in time with the obligatory massive battle towards the end. There's also a bigger plot with a prophecy that I imagine spans the whole trilogy. In this first book we are introduced to it and each of the characters named in it, although even by the end of the book, it's not completely obvious who's who in the prophecy.

One bit that confused me slightly was tying to work out where the story was set because it didn't seem quite British or American. Although it was never stated in the story (I don't think anyway) I eventually googled the authors name and with her being Australian, I guess that was the setting - which makes sense when I thought back to the bits that confused me lol. Not that it particularly mattered for the story but I like to know these things.

The Named is an enjoyable read with likeable main characters and an interesting group of secondary characters. There's action, time-travel and fantasy elements so it covers a lot of bases and therefore should appeal to a lot of different readers.(less)

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Oct 16, 2012 Mirn rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: couldn-t-finish

I guess this might just be an unpopular opinion, but I for one did not enjoy reading this book. Don't get me wrong, it had its good moments and I was entertaiend at parts, but it just didn't cut it for me. I felt like there was something missing the whole time, maybe more background or more insight on who the characters were? I'm not sure, but the whole time I was reading it all I could think was that it looked like the kind of story you would find on a fanfiction site. And though it did have a...more

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Jul 15, 2012 Carly rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this book years ago initially, must of been around when it was first release, and 7 years later I have just finished re reading for like the 6th time, and it is still utterly fantastic. In my opinion it is the best of the trilogy, and I really connected with the characters, which I feel is very important in any book.

It is an orginal and imaginative concept, which is executed brilliantly. It is YA but it has a much more mature atmosphere about it then say Hunger Games or Twiligt (although...more

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Jul 06, 2010 The Readings of a Busy Mom Riaz rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

www.thereadingsofabusymom.blogspot.com

When i first picked up this book by Marianne Curley I wasn't too interested. The synopsis and prologue where great but the first chapter lost my interest and I put it down on page 18 although I never stop reading a book before I start I was planning to come back to it and I am glad I did because once I hit chapter 2 I was swept up into a whole new world. I felt like chapter 1 confused me a little but it soon changed. The pace makes you loose balance and gets...more

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Jul 18, 2010 Naomi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: part-of-triliogy-s-i-have-to-finish

The books starts of rather scarily, with a vividly morbid scene I was thinking OMG this is a bit much talk about dive straight in! But then it came to light that it was not as bad as I first thought.

Ethan is a school boy who's sister tragically died and tore his family apart, from the age of 4 Ethan has been one of The Named he has a Mentor call Arkarian who has taught him to hone his powers to enable him to go back in time to prevent the order of chaos interrupting history as it was.

Ethan is no...more The books starts of rather scarily, with a vividly morbid scene I was thinking OMG this is a bit much talk about dive straight in! But then it came to light that it was not as bad as I first thought.

Ethan is a school boy who's sister tragically died and tore his family apart, from the age of 4 Ethan has been one of The Named he has a Mentor call Arkarian who has taught him to hone his powers to enable him to go back in time to prevent the order of chaos interrupting history as it was.

Ethan is now a teenager and has mastered his powers and is ready to take on an apprentice in order for him to further his status within the Guard, his new apprentice is a fellow classmate of his. Ethan works hard to train his new apprentice and they go on to complete there missions as set out by the Guard.

The story is told in alternative first person perspectives from the two lead characters Ethan and Isobel, meaning one chapter was Ethan’s perspective the next chapter is Isobel’s perspective, and so on. The chapters are kept very short which makes the book fast paced and keeps you turning the pages for more.

My Favourite character in the book is Arkarain the Truth seeker who can read everyone’s thoughts, he is a senior in the guard and controls the missions and is Ethan’s mentor, what a brilliant name for his character, I loved the way this character was portrayed in the book, I was very captivated by him wanting to know more about him, the details about him unravelled through out the book in drip drops making you all the more curious about him.

I enjoyed Ethan and Isobel’s perspectives evenly, and the chapters flowed quite nicely it takes a good bit of skill in my opinion to get it right when writing in that style and Marianne pulled it of very nicely.

The only downside I would say to the book written in this way is that you do not really get to know the characters in great detail, the book was very focused on the plot of the story more than the characters.

The storyline was a good adventure and definitely one of escapism, I completely forgot my surroundings when I was reading this book, where the book is based on History and Ethan and Isobel have to go back in time to complete their missions in the medieval England times made the story very action packed and adventurous, Marianne did not go into great depth with the history she just gave enough basic information for the reader to understand who and how their missions related to history. I am definitely not up on my History at all, asking me a history question and there will be no correct answer coming out of my lips!

There was a lots of little surprises scattered through the book I love the little romance twist and cannot wait to see how that develops in the next book, and when certain characters were revealed to be part of the Guard that was exciting as well. The last part of the book I felt was a reminder of the Twilight book ‘Eclipse’ with members of the guard having their battle in the open clearing with Murduke the big ugly enemy.

Overall I thought the storyline was well thought out and flowed nicely, I loved reading the book though alternating perspectives it made it all the more interesting, baring in mind it is a trilogy I thought the book rounded up nicely leave some parts open for the reader to look forward to in the next book.
I love the cover of the book, it's not just a pretty cover the black Iris does relate to the story. I will most definitely be reading the next two books, The Dark and The Key.(less)

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Sep 26, 2012 Bonnie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This book didn't "hook" me at the beginning. I continued to read on, trying to give it every chance to engage my interest. It seemed slow and at times, I became bogged down in its frail attempts at mystery, intrigue, and adventure. What I read (and sometimes had to reread because my mind often wandered at the lengthy, but sketchy descriptive passages) was not terribly exciting, as magic and fantasy plots should be, and I had figured out much of the plot before I was halfway through the book. It...more

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Apr 05, 2011 Erin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Named was a wonderful book with many twists and surprises. The pacing of the story was wonderful, and it featured something that's becoming popular with Young Adult novels. Double Protagonists, and the story told from both first person perspectives. Alternating chapters from each view allowed for a well told story, with a plot that kept me interested to the end.

The only downfall, is I'm unsure if I want to continue reading the series. (This is book one of three.) The reason being, is I don'...more

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About Marianne Curley

I was born on the 20th of May, 1959 in Windsor, New South Wales, Australia. The youngest of four children, I lived with my family in a small timber house on the banks of the Hawkesbury River. I started my school life at St Monica’s Primary School in Richmond, catching the bus with my brothers and sister every day until a major flood caused the Hawkesbury River to break its banks and sweep the fami...more I was born on the 20th of May, 1959 in Windsor, New South Wales, Australia. The youngest of four children, I lived with my family in a small timber house on the banks of the Hawkesbury River. I started my school life at St Monica’s Primary School in Richmond, catching the bus with my brothers and sister every day until a major flood caused the Hawkesbury River to break its banks and sweep the family home away. Along with the destruction of our house, the fierce-flowing river took all our belongings. My parents managed to save only a few precious photos. The year was 1964 and I was five years old.
After the flood, we moved in with relations in Richmond for a few months. It was a tight squeeze with my sister and I doubling up in a big bed with our three female cousins. We then lived with family friends on a farm on the outskirts of Sydney, while my parents purchased a small property at Plumpton where they had a red-brick house built. While my older brothers went to St Patrick’s Boys High School at Blacktown, my sister and I attended Marayong Primary School, then later attended Rooty Hill High School.

I discovered books at school when I was about eight-years-old. The first novel I recall reading was the Charles Dicken’s classic, Oliver Twist. I loved this book, but more than anything, I loved the effect this book had on me. Swept up in the excitement of this other world, I soon became a voracious reader. The Library at school, and then high school, turned into my favourite places. I spent many lunch sessions roaming the aisles and scanning the shelves, always on the hunt for my next adventure. When I was in my teens I liked to read long dramas and devoured most of James A Michener’s lengthy sagas. I think I read every book written by Leon Uris that had been published at that time. Then one day I read a novel written by Anya Seton called Katherine. This novel ignited my love for historical fiction. I still have this book on my shelves at home.

Growing up, I wasn’t big on outdoor activities, but I enjoyed sport and played Hockey for my High School. I also played Squash (Racquetball) with friends every Thursday for many years. After I finished Grade Ten and passed my School Certificate examinations, I went to a technical college and learned secretarial skills. I graduated from my secretarial course in first place and immediately found work for a solicitor in a Government office, where I stayed for the next six years. When I was nineteen, I met a young man named John Curley, and four days after my twenty-first birthday we were married. We had a new house built in a young emerging suburb called St Clair, where I soon chose to be a full-time mother. My first child was a baby girl we called Amanda, born in December 1981. Danielle was born fourteen months later in February 1983, while my son Chris was born in March of 1986.

But the family wasn’t complete yet. Over the next few years we saw many pets come and go - for one reason or another! We started with tropical fish and mice without much success, then a few rabbits that were quickly followed by two guinea pigs. Unfortunately, one night a roaming pack of dogs got into our yard and the rabbit pen, while both guinea pigs escaped from their enclosure and drowned in the neighbour’s swimming pool! After a while we tried our hand with ducks, but the yard just wasn’t big enough so eventually we found homes for them amongst the neighbours. Then we built a fabulous aviary, except a couple of our birds came to a dreadful end when a carpet snake wormed its way through the wire enclosure and ate two of our canaries for breakfast! We then bought a cat from the RSPCA, but it was already sick and kept growing sicker until one day, about three weeks later, it ran away and was never found. And finally we welcomed two character-filled dogs to our home. The first was Chippa, an Australian Silky Terrier that we bought for Chris for his seventh birthday. And then there is Mi(less)

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“Isabel sends her brother a look that could boil him in oil if she had that particular paranormal talent. A thought hits me: maybe she has. It will be fun to find out.” — 6 people liked it

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