Thursday, November 14, 2013

ARC Review: The Curse Keepers by Denise Grover Swank

The Curse Keepers
Author: Denise Grover Swank
Publication: 47North (November 19, 2013)

Description: The wall between our world and that of vengeful spirits has protected humanity for more than 400 years. It’s about to come crashing down.

Ellie Lancaster has lived her whole life by the site of the mysterious Lost Colony of Roanoke, the Virginia settlement that vanished without a trace around 1590. Only the descendants of the two men who banished the spirits of an enemy tribe from the material realm know what really happened to the colony. Ellie is one of those descendants—a Curse Keeper. Her father took pains to teach her what he knew of the curse and the responsibilities of its guardians. He taught her that if the two Curse Keepers ever meet, the curse will be lifted, the gate will open, and the raging Native American spirits will be unleashed to seek their revenge.

Despite her father’s seriousness, Ellie has always taken the legend for a harmless fairy tale. Until she meets the darkly handsome, but downright infuriating, Collin Dailey and realizes everything she was told is true. For when they meet, it’s like the air is sucked from the room. Collin’s presence is electrifying… and it’s not just attraction Ellie feels, but the inexorable pull toward her destiny. The prophecy is real, and now Ellie and Collin must battle supernatural forces and their loathing—and passion—for each other to set things right.

The Curse Keepers are all that stand between the world and its destruction.

My Thoughts: THE CURSE KEEPERS mines a different mythology for its paranormal elements than most of the paranormals I read. This one deals with ancient curses and trapped Native American gods. 

Ellie Lancaster's father told her all the legends and tried to teach her about her heritage as a Curse Keeper. But after her mother's death in a home invasion, Ellie mentally blocked out all that he taught her. Now the curse has been broken, her father is suffering from Alzheimer's Disease, and Ellie really needs to know what she blocked from her mind.

Collin Dailey has come to town. He is the other curse keeper of this generation. He is really handsome but also really arrogant and he isn't willing to cut Ellie any slack for what he sees as her irresponsibility. Nonetheless, Ellie and Collin have to work together. They have seven days to seal the gate or let loose vengeful Native American gods who have been trapped for 400 years.

Ellie is a pretty normal young woman. She doesn't know what she wants to do with her life. She is looking for the sort of relationship that she perceived her parents had but hasn't found the right man yet. She is in complete denial about the whole idea of curses. 

Collin has known about his role as curse keeper his whole life but has made some choices along the way that are very questionable. He seems to work for a criminal boss who is eager to get his hands on Ellie because he thinks she knows something of value to him. 

I began this story not really liking either of the main characters very much. Until I knew Ellie's story, I couldn't understand why she was so adamant in ignoring the curse. I thought Collin was just rude and not at all helpful. I still have trouble believing that the two of them would ever have any sort of relationship. The story was exciting, though, and had lots of twists and turns in its plot. 

Readers looking for something different in a paranormal will enjoy this one. 

Favorite Quote:
"You expect me to just leave you?"

"I can get out easier if I'm on my own and I don't have to worry about you."

I grinned. "Awww...You're worried about me."

"Although I'm beginning to rethink this belief, for now, dragging you around alive is easier than carting you around dead. If you want to call that worrying about you, then yes, I am."
I got this ARC through Amazon Vine. You can buy your copy here.

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