Friday 9 March 2012

Rachel Morgan's GUARDIAN (Creepy Hollow #1) - review

I'm not much of a book reviewer, though I do occasionally throw together a bunch of words to try and describe what a book means to me. This time I'm writing a review as part of a book tour - the very first I've ever participated in! It's exciting, especially because I got to review an awesome book (well, novelette) that I absolutely adored and would give 50 million stars to if I could. ;) That novelette is by Rachel Morgan and is the first in her Creepy Hollow series. To learn what the story's about, check out the Creepy Hollow website.

When I agreed to be part of Rachel's book tour, I didn't really know what I could expect. I'm not too familiar with Rachel's writing, except through her blog, so I was going in blindly (though the blurb had got my attention and interest!). Starting to read GUARDIAN, I was drawn in and delighted pretty much from the first word. First off, I'm a huge fan of first person present tense, which is how this story is told. I love Rachel's beautiful descriptions of the fae world (Can I please visit? Maybe stay a while?), and as I was reading I could already imagine the story as a gorgeously lush movie. Or maybe even a captivating TV show episode!

Not only is the writing beautiful, it's cute and quirky and funny too. Tora, Violet's boss (or mentor, maybe?), has an office lit by a squirming glow-worm on her ceiling! I want to go and pat the little wormy. After Vi leaves Tora's office (post lecture for breaking the two big rules), she finds Nate hanging out with a little tree sprite who giggles and pokes him in the face before fluttering away (CUTE!). People receive "fae text messages" (as I like to think of them) on little amber tablets instead of mobile phones. There are just endless moments of cuteness - the story is littered with them. But they're mentioned in passing, as a matter of course, so they don't draw you out of the story, they just kind of make it sparkle. The writing flows effortlessly, making for a quick and captivating read.

The dialogue is entertaining and realistic, two things I value highly in any story. For example, on page 6, Nate is surprised to learn that Violet's a faerie:

Nate: Aren't faeries supposed to be, like, really tiny? With wings and a wand and faerie dust?
Violet: I'm not Tinkerbell!
And as for plot, well, that part's just cool. It moves fast, drawing us swiftly into the action (and the romance. Which was another very very cute aspect of this story. I basically squeed when...ohh, well, why don't you read it and find out?), and we don't have any moments when we're rolling our eyes going, “Come on, get on with it already!” In short, this was a delightful read and I want to read more. NOW.
Posted by at 06:05
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17 comments:

  1. Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy9 March 2012 at 06:17

    This one is at the top of my list of books to read. Thanks for the great review.

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  2. Kelley Lynn9 March 2012 at 06:21

    Thanks so much for the review. A good squee always gets me ;)

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  3. Rusty Carl9 March 2012 at 11:51

    Thanks for the review. My tbr pile, although mostly digital, is STILL several feet thick. I'll just add this to the list as well I suppose. We're going to have to go to 26 hour days or something or I'll never catch up.

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  4. Unknown9 March 2012 at 12:26

    Can I do a big squeeeeee now? 'Cos this review makes me sooooo happy!! Seriously. Trisha, I love you for enjoying it this much!

    And Lynda, Kelley, Rusty - thank you for your comments here. I understand the problem of the never-ending TBR pile! 26 hour days could be quite useful, though I'm sure we'd STILL complain about not having enough time!

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    1. Trisha9 March 2012 at 23:06

      Well, I didn't do it as a favour ya know? haha. I did it 'cause I think your story's fabulous! :P But you are welcome, anyway. ;)

      Can't wait to see how things go for you!

      Delete
  5. Michael Offutt, Phantom Reader9 March 2012 at 14:26

    This is a great review. Congratulations Rachel.

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  6. Anonymous10 March 2012 at 00:44

    Great review. I enjoyed the reference to Tinkerbell too and the way Rachel had developed the world of Fae.

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  7. Unknown10 March 2012 at 02:54

    Michael and Madeleine - thanks for visiting the review. I couldn't help the Tinker Bell comment ;-)

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  8. Allison10 March 2012 at 07:11

    Great review! This book is also going on my to-read pile. I'm a sucker for fantasy with a dash of humour.

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    1. Unknown10 March 2012 at 13:16

      Me too! Uh, I guess that's why I write it :-)

      Delete
  9. Trisha10 March 2012 at 08:03

    I too know the feeling of having a huge TBR pile. I've got 296 on my GoodReads TBR list right now, but heaps more to add yet!

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    1. Unknown10 March 2012 at 13:16

      Whaaaaat? And I thought my TBR list was long!

      Delete
  10. Golden Eagle10 March 2012 at 08:44

    LOL. I love that bit of dialogue. :)

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    1. Unknown10 March 2012 at 13:16

      Thanks, Eagle. Dialogue is my fave thing to write :)

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  11. Unknown10 March 2012 at 20:56

    I've seen this book being reviewed and showcased all over the blog world. I hope she has a lot of success.

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    1. Unknown10 March 2012 at 21:06

      Thanks, Clarissa ;-) Obviously I'm kinda hoping the same thing!

      Delete
  12. Sarah Tokeley10 March 2012 at 22:31

    What a lovely review. I need to get my hands on this book!

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Thanks for your words, me hearties! and don't forget to leave a link to your blog somewhere I can find it!

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