By Karen Healey
Published by: Little Brown Books for Young Readers on April 1, 2010
Source: Bought
4 stars- I enjoyed it and recommend picking it up
Synopsis: In less than a day I had been harassed, enchanted, shouted at, cried on, and clawed. I’d been cold, scared, dirty, exhausted, hungry, and miserable. And up until now, I’d been mildly impressed with my ability to cope.
At her boarding school in New Zealand, Ellie Spencer is like any ordinary teen: she hangs out with her best friend, Kevin; obsesses over her crush on a mysterious boy; and her biggest worry is her paper deadline. Then everything changes: In the foggy woods near the school, something ancient and deadly is waiting.
The characters in Guardian of the Dead are ultimately what made me turn the pages. Ellie Spencer is just an ordinary girl forced to live in a boarding school due to her Mother's "Cancer Year" and resulting remission which has sent her parents on an once-in-a-lifetime around the world excursion. With the parents out of the way, we follow Ellie through a very predictable theme, a new girl in a school filled with the usual characters you would expect in an urban fantasy novel -- the male best friend who is always there for her, various female characters who are sometimes annoying and sometimes helpful and yes, the mysterious boy, Mark, who is somehow always there.
Karen Healey manages to weave in such genuine voices for all of the characters, especially Ellie, that you find yourself easily sympathizing with her as she discovers the magic all around her. This magic is part of the folklore of New Zealand, based on Maori mythology and cosmology,and it's like nothing I've ever read before. But it is as visceral as Greek and Roman mythology and it is steeped in the surrounding landscape.
As the magic unfolds, Ellie and her friends find themselves facing a real war based on one of the Maori myths. With their own lives at stake as well as the lives of an entire region of New Zealand, they prepare and face a battle which will utilize all of their skills. The climax of the story is well paced and heart thumping as you read and wonder who will survive and who won't make it. Most of all, you find yourself wondering if the love between Ellie and Mark will last through this ultimate test.
If you like exploring new mythologies that are as dark and twisted as the very best of Greek or Roman myths and a heroine who remains true to herself while faced with a shifting reality, you will enjoy Guardian of the Dead. A side note to Karen Healey for writing one of the best comments a mysterious boy can utter to a girl on why he would not be a good boyfriend. Of course, I won't quote it here. You've got to read it for yourself.
At her boarding school in New Zealand, Ellie Spencer is like any ordinary teen: she hangs out with her best friend, Kevin; obsesses over her crush on a mysterious boy; and her biggest worry is her paper deadline. Then everything changes: In the foggy woods near the school, something ancient and deadly is waiting.
The characters in Guardian of the Dead are ultimately what made me turn the pages. Ellie Spencer is just an ordinary girl forced to live in a boarding school due to her Mother's "Cancer Year" and resulting remission which has sent her parents on an once-in-a-lifetime around the world excursion. With the parents out of the way, we follow Ellie through a very predictable theme, a new girl in a school filled with the usual characters you would expect in an urban fantasy novel -- the male best friend who is always there for her, various female characters who are sometimes annoying and sometimes helpful and yes, the mysterious boy, Mark, who is somehow always there.
Karen Healey manages to weave in such genuine voices for all of the characters, especially Ellie, that you find yourself easily sympathizing with her as she discovers the magic all around her. This magic is part of the folklore of New Zealand, based on Maori mythology and cosmology,and it's like nothing I've ever read before. But it is as visceral as Greek and Roman mythology and it is steeped in the surrounding landscape.
As the magic unfolds, Ellie and her friends find themselves facing a real war based on one of the Maori myths. With their own lives at stake as well as the lives of an entire region of New Zealand, they prepare and face a battle which will utilize all of their skills. The climax of the story is well paced and heart thumping as you read and wonder who will survive and who won't make it. Most of all, you find yourself wondering if the love between Ellie and Mark will last through this ultimate test.
If you like exploring new mythologies that are as dark and twisted as the very best of Greek or Roman myths and a heroine who remains true to herself while faced with a shifting reality, you will enjoy Guardian of the Dead. A side note to Karen Healey for writing one of the best comments a mysterious boy can utter to a girl on why he would not be a good boyfriend. Of course, I won't quote it here. You've got to read it for yourself.
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I've wanted to read this ever since I read it was about the Maori culture. I have a NZer friend, and so that whole thing intrigues me. Also, I've never read a book with these theme, Maori/NZ. And it's fantasy, which I love!
ReplyDelete"The climax of the story is well paced and heart thumping as you read and wonder who will survive and who won't make it. Most of all, you find yourself wondering if the love between Ellie and Mark will last through this ultimate test."
<-- That is great! Can't wait to read it!
Thanks for the great review!
Thanks Ella! I think you will definitely enjoy it. There's a Glossary with Maorian terms and an Afterward where Karen explains the how/why she used the mythology and cosmology. Her famliarity with the myths makes the book stand out. But don't worry, all of the other elements we love about urban fantasy are still there.
ReplyDeleteI definitely want to read this book :) Thanks for the review. I am really interesting in knowing what was said about why he would not be a good boyfriend.
ReplyDeleteI love your review!!! I can't wait to talk more about it, after I read it. My book arrived yesterday in the mail and I can't wait to read it!!!
ReplyDeleteElizabeth - LOL. You'll see. It's a good line.
ReplyDeleteMundie Moms - I can hardly wait for us to chat about it!