Evil bides its time, ever waiting to breach the thin veil. Action and reaction join to swing the pendulum toward anarchy and destruction. Chaos reigns. The Demon lurks in the dark recesses.
The possibility exists that it can’t be destroyed. Evil will endure. It can’t be taken, cured, or overcome. Night will cover the world no matter what. Faith may not be enough. Love may not survive.
“I’m a writer, a mother, and manager of chaos. I have two new adult kids, though I’ve yet to experience the sorrows (joys?) of an empty nest, which means I try to do too many things at once, like so many of us, but it all usually works out. I love writing. It’s what I’m passionate about and what I want to do above all other things.”
After reading The Lord of the Rings, the fantasy bug left a permanent mark with the author, which was then complicated by her immediate love of Star Wars, Star Trek, and other works of science fiction. She started her writing career in earnest several years ago when she set out to publish the epic fantasy series, The Guardians of the Word.
“It’s been more than worth it, and I’ve enjoyed every minute, but especially getting to know the incredibly helpful and wonderful people I’ve met because I took a leap of faith.”
She has become a recent and avid fan of the television series, Supernatural, and immediately fell in love with the SPN family community. You can find her on twitter any given day, discussing the show with fellow fans!
Book Info: Genre: Science Fantasy Reading Level: Older Young Adults (16+) Recommended for: Those who enjoy darker stories, epic fantasy, stories about the ultimate nature of good vs. evil and the balance of order and chaos Trigger Warnings: Murder, violence
My Thoughts: This has been a long series. Each book is long and intricately plotted, and threads wind through from the beginning to the end, occasionally popping up to remind us of their existence. I will say again that I recommend reading this series all together, one book right after another, and definitely do not try to start anywhere but the beginning.
That said, this was an extremely and eminently satisfying conclusion to the series. There were times in the series where I had a lot of trouble and struggle over the nature of the villains, but as I've been reading, I've been thinking about it, and I think the problem I had was that the sense of pure evil in this series was so distressingly close to reality. Jolea Harrison has provided me a guest post where she discussed the nature of that (along with a giveaway), so be sure to go and read it. Link is here where formatting allowed.
There is a slight sense of Deus ex machina in the ending of this book, but it's a realistic one for this universe, and it worked out nicely. The ending is not at all rushed—the denouement actually starts more than 200 pages (in my copy*) prior to the end of the book—and an epilogue provides a lovely sense of completion to the overall series. I can honestly say, now that I have finished, that the entire series was most worthwhile and I plan to re-read it again when I have a chance, in order to better understand all the nuances. I also want to point out that an issue I had with the prior book, where in the review I mentioned being confused, was due to a problem with the ARC file I had, and is hopefully not actually in the published edition.
I still recommend this series be confined to older young adult readers, due to the very dark nature of much of the story, and highly recommend that you read the entire series. While you might be tempted to stop at certain points, I guarantee you will completely revise your opinion of the overall series once you have read this finely crafted finishing touch. Wonderful! I highly recommend this book, and the series as a whole.
*Please note: probably due to the nature of transfer into .epub format, my copy of the book shows as having 819 pages, while the “official” count is 400. Therefore, take the page count with a grain of salt. It is more accurate to say the last quarter of the book encompasses the conclusion.
Series Information: King is the 8th book in the Guardians of the Word series. Book 1: Chosen, released in 2011, reviewed August 2011, review linked here where formatting allowed. Book 2: Myth, released 2011, reviewed August 2012, review linked here where formatting allowed. Book 3: Telepath, released 2012, reviewed August 2012, review linked here where formatting allowed. Book 4: Legend, released 2012, reviewed August 2012, review linked here where formatting allowed. Book 5: Union, released 2012, reviewed August 2012, review linked here where formatting allowed. Book 6: Seer, released 2012, reviewed March 2013, review linked here where formatting allowed. Book 7: Adept, released 2012, reviewed March 2013, review linked here where formatting allowed. Please note: On March 18, I started a giveaway on my blog for all 8 books, plus a grand-prize winner will also receive a $25 gift certificate. Link is here where formatting allowed.
Disclosure: I received a copy of this e-book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis:Evil bides its time, ever waiting to breach the thin veil. Action and reaction join to swing the pendulum toward anarchy and destruction. Chaos reigns. The Demon lurks in the dark recesses.
The possibility exists that it can’t be destroyed. Evil will endure. It can’t be taken, cured, or overcome. Night will cover the world no matter what. Faith may not be enough. Love may not survive.
Amidst deception, temptation and fear, the last choice is made, the ultimate sacrifice taken. Father bequeaths unto son. Natural order must be restored. Those who are chosen to die may live, while those who are chosen to live may not make it through.
The fate of the universe, of a kingdom, of a family... of one man is decided. The final battle is at hand.
Firstly I'd like to congratulate the author, Jolea M. Harrison, on such a fantastic series.
I read the first 7 books back to back, I just couldn't put them down. So when I received an email about reading an advanced copy of King, I jumped at the chance.
With twists and turns contained throughout and the most brilliant of endings, King is a must read.
I'm not going to give anything away but for those who have read the entire series, you MUST read this book. It is a thrilling read and of course the ending we have all wished for.
To be honest I am a little sad that the Guardian of the Word series has ended but the series will stay with me for life.
Thank you again for allowing me to read it and to be one of the first :-).
START WITH BOOK #1 AND READ THE WHOLE SERIES! AWESOME!
I began this series with no prior experience regarding Author, Jolea M. Harrison and I couldn't put it down. From the first paragraph of the first book to the last in "KING" I thoroughly enjoyed each book. I love her writing style and the books are well edited.
This story plot is classic good versus evil with many subplots. There is action, adventure, mystery, romance, sci-fi, fantasy and a little bit of everything else to make this a well balanced and page turning series.
The characters are well developed. Each character is unique and they all suffer from at least one "human condition" problem. Their insecurities make you root for them and their bravery makes you love them. The bad guys are really bad and impossible to get rid of through each book.
Does good ALWAYS triumph over evil? I guess you'll have to read the series to find out! KUDOS Ms. Harrison on a tale well told. Don't miss out on this excellent series.
I thoroughly enjoyed this series - its fantasy mix with science fiction and epic, magical adventure - wonderful from beginning to end.
The writing was superb, full of details that brought not only the places to life but also the characters. It is an in-depth read in that there are many twists and turns and unexpected events...so much so that the tale became compelling.
What can I say without spoiling any of the story? Only that if you begin to read it (#1 Chosen) you will most certainly (in my opinion) want to continue through and sleep will be knocked back for the sheer fulfilling enjoyment from this satisfying, excellent read.
A little too and they all lived happily ever. Truthfully I think this is one of those things where all the seeds of a great trilogy were there but amateur writing took 8 books and some potholes to produce. Still not a bad read, some cool parts and a lot of reminders to hope against all hope...for the best.