Author: Nora Roberts
Series: Guardians Trilogy (Book 1)
Publication: Berkley (November 3, 2015)
Description: To celebrate the rise of their new queen, three goddesses of the moon created three stars, one of fire, one of ice, one of water. But then they fell from the sky, putting the fate of all worlds in danger. And now three women and three men join forces to pick up the pieces…
Sasha Riggs is a reclusive artist, haunted by dreams and nightmares that she turns into extraordinary paintings. Her visions lead her to the Greek island of Corfu, where five others have been lured to seek the fire star. Sasha recognizes them, because she has drawn them: a magician, an archaeologist, a wanderer, a fighter, a loner. All on a quest. All with secrets.
Sasha is the one who holds them together—the seer. And in the magician, Bran Killian, she sees a man of immense power and compassion. As Sasha struggles with her rare ability, Bran is there to support her, challenge her, and believe in her.
But Sasha and Bran are just two of the six. And they all must all work together as a team to find the fire star in a cradle of land beneath the sea. Over their every attempt at trust, unity, and love, a dark threat looms. And it seeks to corrupt everything that stands in its way of possessing the stars…
My Thoughts: This is the first book in a new trilogy. So the first thing we have to do is set the problem: Three goddesses are preparing gifts for a new queen when a rival goddess decides that the gifts should be hers leading the three to hide the gifts until they can be safely recovered.
Then we need characters:
*Sasha Riggs is an artist and a seer who has been dreaming of death and battle and five people who will be in this adventure with her. She is solitary by choice.
She believed in true love— for others. She’d never sought it for herself, as love demanded so much, brought such chaos into a life. So much feeling.*Riley Gwin is an archaeologist and adventurer who searches for lost myths and legends. She is brash and brave and has two doctorates. She also has quite a secret.
*Bran Killian is a magician who owns clubs in Ireland and New York. He and his family have been searching for the lost treasures hidden by the goddesses for years. He also has secrets.
*Sawyer King is an American who is also searching for the same lost treasure. Like Bran, finding the stars has been a mission in his family for generations. He is a fan of pop culture and enjoys trading quotes from Star Trek, Star Wars, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, etc. with Riley. Of course, he also has secrets.
*Annika Waters is a beautiful woman who joins them in Corfu and asks to be allowed to help them find the stars. She seems unfamiliar with daily life and with English. She, too, has a secret.
*Doyle McCleary is a soldier and a swordsman who is also looking for the stars. He also has an amazing secret.
The setting of this story is Corfu and it is beautifully described through the eyes of artist Sasha. The first thing this disparate band of people have to do is form a team. They need to share their secrets and combine their skills so that the goddess Nerezza cannot defeat them.
The romance is between Sasha and Bran. I loved the way the two interacted and gradually came to trust each other. For Sasha, the issue is her lack of confidence in her abilities and her lack of acceptance of her own power of empathy. She has spent her life denying her visions and her gifts. It takes a lot of reassurance from Bran.
The group faces a lot of adventures on their hunt for the first star. Nerezza has all sorts of evil minions that she tosses at the group.
This novel has all of Roberts' signatures: a strong group of friends, beautiful descriptions, and a romance written in the stars. I can't wait to see what happens in the next two books. Although, I'll admit that I am not at all sure how the other four characters will divide into couples for their own romances. It seems like there are a lot of problems ahead for the romances. And Nerezza hasn't given up. She will be providing our characters with lots more challenges.
Nora Roberts fans and fans of paranormal romances won't want to miss this gorgeous start to a new trilogy.
Favorite Quote:
"Can we take a minute?” Sawyer asked. “To just lay this out. We’ve got a witch, a seer, a werewolf—I like the word, okay?” he said with a laugh before Riley could growl at him. “A mermaid, an immortal, and a time and space traveler. Think about it. We’re like the freaking Avengers. That bitch-goddess is going to lose, big time.”I got the eARC of this book for review from Penguin First to Read. You can buy your copy here.
This sounds vaguely like her Key trilogy which I really enjoyed but not too close which is nice. I had mixed feelings about her last trilogy but I really like the sounds of this one. Great review!
ReplyDeleteHah,I like that quote. That's quite a mix of characters but it sounds like Roberts pulls it off.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I think NR just should stop writing trilogies like this one as they all get a bit the same. However I think she mixed this up enough to have me wanting to read on too.
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