Demon Marked (The Guardians, #7) in Exclusive Author-Editor Chat featuring author Meljean Brook and editor Cindy Hwang

Sep 07, 2011 Melindeeloo rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: demons, paranormal-romance, angels

Icily controlled and focused solely on gaining vengeance against the demon who 'raised' him, Nicholas St Croix, is human but - having learned to think like a demon in order to survive - he is just a step way from being a demon himself. So when Ash, who has no memories from 'Before', comes looking for clues to her past wearing a familiar face, Nicholas is quick to strike a bargain - She'll help him find his 'Mother' and he'll help her find out 'who' she is - while planning on using Ash as bait.

I Icily controlled and focused solely on gaining vengeance against the demon who 'raised' him, Nicholas St Croix, is human but - having learned to think like a demon in order to survive - he is just a step way from being a demon himself. So when Ash, who has no memories from 'Before', comes looking for clues to her past wearing a familiar face, Nicholas is quick to strike a bargain - She'll help him find his 'Mother' and he'll help her find out 'who' she is - while planning on using Ash as bait.

It always amazes me how different each of the Guardian books are from each other, and though Demon Marked doesn't have the fiery sensuality of Demon Forged or the brilliant scheme in the background like Demon Blood, the development in the relationship between Ash and Nicholas, and Khavi's use of them to bring about a significant event in the series arc, are both really interesting.

Don't worry, there still is some steamy payoff in the romance, but it comes late in the book - with a decent amount of tension building coming before. But what I found fascinating is that from the start as the pair interact with each other, both characters are on the look out for nuances and clues into each other - knowing better than to take an 'enemy' at face value - and often the act of hiding a reaction is quite telling. And I really liked how both Ash and Nick actually go from being emotionally blank to being passionate over the course of the story. And I also really enjoyed that finally learning how to be a demon, makes it possible for Ash to win in the no win scenarios she and Nicholas will face along the way. I guess if I had a nit with the story, it would be that I could have lived without Ash having horns in her demon form, but that wasn't a deal breaker for me.

With Demon Marked being book seven or so of the Guardians series, and with only a novella in Angels of Darkness to go before the final book (Michael's), this story is remarkably friendly to those new to the series, as well as acting as a good for a refresher for fans. Since Ash starts out knowing nothing about the "world", there's a recap woven into the story while she's relearning - though, I will admit that I went back and reread the 'series so far guides' on Brook's website before reading this one to pick up on any details I might have forgotten.

So bottom line is that I enjoyed Demon Marked, and this series is still one of my favorites even if it isn't mindless head candy and requires a bit more focus than some of it's competition in the paranormal romance genre. But now I am mixed between being sad to see the Guardians coming to a close, and looking forward to seeing how author Meljean Brook finishes up the series. After I was done reading Demon Marked, I couldn't guess who the short would be about, I hadn't really noticed anyone popping up and saying 'me next' but after web-hunting for the description, one of the character does appears briefly and the other is at least mentioned.

So now the wait begins, the short will be a nice taste to hold me over until the finale, but after developments in this book, I am really wondering what Taylor and Michael's book is going to be like.
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Sep 17, 2011 Brie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Originally posted at Romance Around the Corner

Meljean Brook is one of my favorite authors, not in the romance genre, or the paranormal genre, one of my favorite authors period. Not only that, but I’m pretty sure that the Guardian series is my all-time favorite book series. I don’t usually preorder books because I mostly only read on my Kindle, but I made an exception with this one just in case they ran out of e-copies (impossible right?) that’s how much I wanted to make sure that I was getting t Originally posted at Romance Around the Corner

Meljean Brook is one of my favorite authors, not in the romance genre, or the paranormal genre, one of my favorite authors period. Not only that, but I’m pretty sure that the Guardian series is my all-time favorite book series. I don’t usually preorder books because I mostly only read on my Kindle, but I made an exception with this one just in case they ran out of e-copies (impossible right?) that’s how much I wanted to make sure that I was getting this book as soon as I could.

Demon Marked is book seven in the series -not counting several novellas that are in between- and if you go to Brook’s webpage you will find an extensive guide to the series so you can have an overall idea of where the story is at should you decide to start with this book instead of the first one. But, to be honest, the reason why this series is so good is because the story is complex and full of twists and turns, if you don’t start with the first book (actually the first novella) then it won’t be the same experience, not to mention that if you read that guide then all the surprises will be spoiled for you. So what I’m trying to say is please read these books in order, besides, this is the second to last book in the series and why would you want to start here? Go back and read the Hot Spell anthology and Demon Angel and read the whole thing.

If you still want to start with this book the best thing I can say is that it is actually a good book for new readers because both leads are new to the story as well, and they learn things as the book progresses. If you are a fan some of the explanations might be a bit tiresome and I felt like they didn’t flow as flawlessly as in previous books. Brook tends to show things instead of telling them but in this case I did feel that there was a lot of info dump. However, it was actually refreshing to have two characters that don’t have much clue about what’s going on and have an outside look into the whole Guardians world, and an interesting take on their actions. The line between good and evil gets a bit blurry when you see it from a different perspective and makes you wonder if the end really justifies the means.

I won’t even try to explain what the series is about. I will say this though, the world-building is complex and the books are tightly plotted, each book has its own resolution but the ongoing story-arch is always present. You could read all seven books back to back and feel like it was just one huge story because they balance and complement each other perfectly. It’s obvious to the reader that the author has a clear idea of where the story is going. It’s possible that she added more books than she originally intended but they never feel like fillers, on the contrary, every book has a reason to be. However, this one felt a bit more disjoined from the overall story, in part it was because the leads were new (the hero has a small role in the previous book but nothing else) whereas before at least one of them was deeply involved in the main story, but also because for more than half the book the reader gets not a single clue as to how they relate to the guardians’ world (or maybe there are clues but I read so fast that I didn’t see them).

I usually explain the book’s plot, but I won’t do it now because the review is getting long. I do want to talk about the characters, the heroine in particular. You have no idea how fun and refreshing this woman was. When the book starts she has no memory and doesn’t even know who or what she is, she isn’t even sure if her name is really Ash because she gets a feeling that the name isn’t quite right. Most importantly, she has no feelings. Some things bring back memories and reactions that she interpret as maybe fear or longing, but not much else. Her story arch is very interesting because she needs to learn how to be human. She was very funny and stubborn and probably one of my favorite heroines in the series, which is a lot to say because I have loved every single one of the female leads in these books.

Nicholas, the hero, was a very interesting character. This guy was ruthless to the point of evil. The Guardians have a hard time believing he is human because at first sight they all assume he is a Demon based on his behavior. He was deeply scarred and just wanted revenge even if that meant sacrificing his humanity. He also has an interesting journey because once he meets Ash, his world turns upside down, and just like her, he needs to figure out how to be human again. Ash and Nicholas balanced each other perfectly and made a fantastic couple.

This book was a bit slower than the previous ones, and because I’m so invested in the series’ main story-arch at times I felt a bit impatient with how slow things were moving, but then the book’s last quarter comes along and the pace picks up a lot. And as usual, just when I thought I had figured out how the book was going to end, Brook manages to surprise you once again with a shocking ending that leaves you a bit dizzy and a lot curious.

Demon Marked is not the best book in the series but I think is a good second to last book, a bit like the calm before the storm. It sets the next book without giving much away and leaves you curious and excited. It also has a great love story, a bit of mystery and some action. The resolution is more clever and intellectual than action packed but you will still be on the edge of you seat.
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Jun 06, 2011 Jen (That's What I'm Talking About) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance, guardian-series

My Rating: 4.5 stars: Loved it - enthusiastically recommend (A)

Full review posted at my blog: http://www.twimom227.com/2011/08/revi...

I was immediately drawn into this story from the get go. Thanks to Meljean’s amazing ability to create engrossing, detailed worlds and plots, I became wrapped up with finding out about Ash’s past. Who is/was she and how did she become this way? The story unfolds at the perfect pace, mixing the mystery-solving with action and romance.

Ash is a great character. She h ...more

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Sep 05, 2011 Michelle Cummings rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I really enjoyed this next installment in the Guardians series, but I wish I had gone on Meljean's website and read the primer first, because it's been awhile since I read the series, and I couldn't remember much about Nicholas St. Croix, and his backstory. It wasn't hard to piece together from the way the story was written, but it would still have helped me keep everyone straight! ...more

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Apr 17, 2011 Bookwormgirl rated it really liked it

Shelves: paranormal-romance

still thinking about this one...

some thoughts right away..

Loved the scenes that dealt with Taylor and Micheal.

Pacing was good.

Lilith and Hugh (always nice to see them)

Ash had some great dialog.

more coherent review later.

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