“"Almost Fantastic!", that was the title of one of the reviews that I most agree with.
Marianne Curley's the Guardian of Time Trilogy is an astounding novel series; a modern fantasy that I have recently fallen in love with. The books tell of the battle between good and evil that come in the forms of those who are called the Guardians of Time and those who are part of the Order of Chaos. With a contemporary setting, a young cast, and a myriad of plot twists, Marianne Curley brings to life characters you would just love to love and love to hate!
I am not very fond of a first person narrative and even less tolerant of those that are written in the present tense. But Curley weaves a plot so intriguing you literally get caught up in her world and forget about such technicalities. It is almost next to impossible to second-guess what will happen next even if you've read countless novels in the same genre. Aside from the adventure, fantasy, and suspense, you have to appreciate how Curley interlaces the story with just the right kind of drama and romance. Think of it as One Tree Hill with a fantasy setting. It's not just the action and mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat, it's the romantic plot as well.
I love the way she has built her characters. One can sense that they are "only human" but can really identify with them and empathize with them as they learn to deal with their weaknesses and develop their strengths. Despite the odds, one can feel their "strength-of-character", as they overcome the trails that are thrust their way.
Amazing indeed! However, just Almost Fantastic ... for I have one major complaint to the author ...Despite the great suspense, the amazing romances, or the incredible action that is elaborately depicted, the trilogy's ending was anything short of a resolution. Although I have read countless sad endings, and had my fair share of "open-ended" ones, Curley's ending, to put it in one way, is NOT AN ENDING at all. It is as if the publisher forgot to print the rest of the book. Although it did add to the impact the trilogy had on me, the lack of closure, gave it a sense of deficient. She could have at least given it an epilogue that was still open and bittersweet in a melancholy way.
Nevertheless, despite the substandard way she ended her series, I tip my hat to Marianne Curley for she took me along on an amazing adventure with fantastic characters you cannot easily forget.”
ruthie wrote this review Sunday, September 23 2007.
(
reply |
permalink )