Kristin D. Van RisseghemBesprekingen

Another incredible read from author Kristin D. Van Rissegham, my fourth. Captivating characters, the storyline even more so. I can't wait read her next book!

goody gumdrops.... officially found a new favourite series. I already CANNOT wait for book two to be released. Zoe (Z) and Kieran (K) have been BFF's since kindergarten. Everyone apparently assumed they were a couple... and that includes her parents and kid sister. All H*E* double hickey sticks breaks loose (literally) one night when two freaks attack Zoe. Out of nowhere K and a hottie named Shay battle these freaks with an unnatural amount of talent..... and so it begins. Zoe learns not everything in her life has been on the up and up.... SURPRISE her best friend in the world is a friggin ANGEL?!?! Try to wrap your mind around that one.... and btw where are his wings?!? New hottie guy is a nephilim (half angel/human)... and oh yea they've been guarding her for her entire life?!? What the heck?!?! Another small piece of info is that supposedly the entire supernatural community believes Z to be the being who will unite all angels/werewolves and faeries from Darkness. If it's to be true then it shall be confirmed in a few weeks when she turns 18...but K and Shay are already convinced of this fact. From that night on things only seem to get a wee bit more bizarre.... strange powers emerge.... dear friends turn out to be in on the whole secret already, feelings emerge... and oh yea even MORE gross, dark, demon jerks pop up. Zoe is NOT so convinced she's this Redeemer person.... but as time goes on, and more oddities emerge.... just Maybe? Take the ride and see what's to come in Zoe's exciting life.... warning: it DOES end in a cliffhanger... so prepare yourselves.... but it's soooooo worth it!!! Five stars all around for me! I cannot wait to see what happens next!!

Fabulous!

Wow! Brooklyn goes.to the Academy believing she will become a dragon slayer. Her entire life she's been an outsider. Born into a wealthy family, who are high within the slayer council...she just assumed she'd be next. Slowly she begins to make a few friends, and oddly enough attracts a few men. Her magic comes quicker than most, and seems.stronger than any teacher has known before. What's actually going on? She feels the undercurrent of something, but can't quite put her finger on it. Who will she give her heart to, and what does she uncover? Lots.of intrigue, magic, mystery and adventure. A great read!!

Wow....this series just continues to get more exciting as it goes on. At the end of book 1 Brooklyn was stunned to learn instead of being a Dragon Slayer she is in fact one of the beings they all hunt....a DRAGON! In this book we begin to learn even more....Brooklyn is extremely special. Like Buffy the Vampire Slayer...into a generation a special one is born. You see there are NO female dragons until now. Brooklyn is literally the first since the beginning of time. She also seems to have an amazing amount of Magic. BRONX, STATEN, MANNY, and a mystery dragon she keeps seeing in her dreams are all drawn to her. As if fate has willed it these guys are her loves and her protectors. Now that she knows why she's always felt apart from everyone her entire life, things make a bit more sense. However she instantly feels regret and pain for the dragons hunted since she came to York Academy....and who the heck is this mysterious yet familiar dragon in her dreams? The dreams feel so very real, and his eyes so familiar...she just can't put a finger on it. Unlike the last book, this one has far more action, tragedy, pain,wonder, and love....how can Brooklyn and her loves help overcome centuries of prejudice between these two races? People will be lost, some will have heartbreak, some find a new home, and some will show their true colors. Can Brooklyn mend the pain, and bridge the gap? I for once cannot wait for the next chapter in this story as I'm certain BIG things are to come...and I'm sure a few attempted betrayals along the path to enlightenment. I love this strong, feisty, brave woman leading the charge for change! She's a guiding light for many. I look forward to seeing how her best friend Nicole plays in the story to come...though she supposedly has no magic within...she's strong, resilient, and I'd bet has a rather large role to play in this possible alliance...don't rule her out just yet.

Action, action, and MORE action...

Yowza!! What a ride!! Brooklyn definitely starts coming into her own as th first female dragon in this book. Her guys each teach her new parts to this gig. Slowly she starts to learn the ropes of being a Pride Leader. I'm not sure if this is the final book of the series, but I can see how it could continue. I for one REALLY want t learn a out this prophecy, and the drawing that came to life with Brooklyn's magic. Curious is an understatement. Noelle acts as their eyes and ears in the Academy....my how I love that girl...and she has a few surprises in store herself 😀. This book.is a out Brooklyn and her guys solidifying their bond, and about her becoming the leader she is meant to be.... but to me it still feels like the start of something bigger. There's TONS of action, betrayal, mystery, prophecy, dragons galore and family. Here's hoping there are more books to come!!

This book could have been really good. It had a nice plot and an interesting world. But the writing was a little juvenile. The best way I can explain it is most books I read I can picture them in my head, like a movie. This book though was more like a fading dream, not a lot of description and not a very good flow.

My main issue with this story was that it didn't feel complete. The story felt like it was building up to one thing, then switched to a different track near the end. Then it ended. The change was fine. It didn't feel too out of place. But the story never jumped back to its original focus. I haven't read the other books in this series, but was told that it could stand alone well enough. With that said, it feels like this is just a few chapters within a bigger novel, instead of a story in itself. There are previous events alluded to, which helped a little with setting things up. But it feels like I'll get the unfinished story in the book that comes next.

I also felt that the characters were a bit flat. Even Finn, the main character, didn't feel fully developed. This might be due to the story mostly telling instead of showing. Things just sped on through, as I read, without taking the time to flesh out the story. This is a short story. There are limitations due to the length. But instead of using those words effectively, things just felt rushed.

Despite this, I do think I will try one of the main books of the series. I think Risseghem has some good ideas for this world she's trying to build (even if the world building, and setting in general wasn't up to par for my tastes). I want to see what the author can do without the limitations of a short story. Maybe given more room to flesh out characters, setting, and plot lines I could find this to be a great series.

I did not enjoy this book as much as the prequel novella that was published after, Arrows & Angels. It feels like the author changed Kieran’s personality somewhat between the two stories, and that doesn’t sit well. The prequel felt like a more mature read, while this book came from a very teenage place. I don’t think I like Zoe. She’s a kind and good-hearted person, but she doesn’t seem to have a lot of common sense. I’m not sure how someone with her lack of focus can keep it together long enough to save the world. The end of life as we know it is on the line with salvation in the hands of an untrained teenage girl, and what does that girl want to do? She wants to go shopping for prom dresses. “I just want to be a normal teenage girl”. Well, honey, that ship has sailed; you’re the chosen one, so suck it up and learn how to fight. Zoe is described over and over again as someone who cares more about others than herself, and yet she’s doing nothing to learn how to protect anyone, including herself. It just doesn’t make sense to me. There are some good action scenes and some relatable characters, which is why I’m giving the book 3 stars.

I enjoyed this story, especially as it was written from the perspective of an angel. There is some minor editing work needed, but the errors aren't overly distracting. The conversation between the four year olds near the end of the novella needs some work also, as it is very formal and stiff. Four year olds can be best friends for a week before they learn each other's names; that's just how they roll.
All in all, I liked Arrows & Angels, and look forward to reading Swords & Stilettos.

I obtained this ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. Prince Finnegan who lived in Winter Fairyland. One day, he left Winter's castle and met a girl from Summer, they were sworn enemies but they fell in love against all odds. They were inseparable and Finn stayed in Summer longer than he should have. He almost lost his conscious and would have been shell of himself if not for Sidelle infusing a small amount of her Summer essence into him. Then they pledge their love to each other, but he left her and couldn't get back as his mother found out about them.

Zoe Jabril is a typical teenage girl, or at least that is what she thought before she found out that her best friend is an angel and that he was assigned to watch over her. That should be enough oddity in the life of one young woman but it's only the tip of the iceberg for Zoe. After being attacked by demons, Zoe learns that she is destined to bring the Enlightens together and bring an end to the Devil's plot to take over the world. That's a lot for anyone to handle, especially when one has prom to worry about and the mean girls at school just won't leave you alone.

As you may have guessed from the description, The Guardian, A Sword & Stilettos is YA. When I pick up a YA book, I expect a lack of maturity and experience from the protagonist but Zoe takes the cake. The devil is sending demon assassins to kill Zoe and what is she concerned about? Well, finding the perfect prom dress naturally and of course her first kiss. If that were not enough, Zoe keeps bringing up learning to defend herself but somehow never gets around to that, what with all the angst about which of her immortal male love interests to choose from.

Speaking of immortal love interests, I have to say for the record that the idea of an 80 year old Nephilim and an ancient angel in love with and pursuing a 17 year old girl because she is the chosen one is just wrong. First off, both Shay and Kieran have been watching over Zoe since the day of her birth and when she became a teenager, they both suddenly began to feel an attraction to her. Ummm creepy, in fact, super creepy. Zoe does actually call Shay a stalker but still yet continues in her relationship with him because - well - woo woo naturally. Shay causes her to tingle, so the fact that he watched her from the cradle and is actually old enough to at the very least be her grandfather is supposedly no big deal. Had the nature of Zoe's relationship with Shay and the age difference actually been something Zoe actively thought about and tried to negotiate, I could have tolerated it better. Instead, what we got was Zoe angsting about the fact that she has feelings for Shay and not for her best friend. I suppose I should simply be thankful that VanRisseghem didn't drag out the love triangle for too long.

If you can get over the creepy pedophile type feeling of both Shay and Kieran, there's also the issue that they read like teenage boys. Yes, in terms of immortals they are young but neither one of the two should actually sound or feel like they fit in at high school. On their first date, Shay even plays a One Direction song for Zoe. What teenage boy listens to One Direction, let alone a Nephlim who has been alive for eighty years? When Shay was 17, WWII was just starting. How does someone like that relate to One Direction? It's ridiculous and feels like Van Risseghem was just trying to squeeze in some youthful references. Look, teenagers are just as diverse as adults and perhaps Van Risseghem should spend some time with a few to get a better sense of what they are like. Yes, some are going to be obsessed with the latest boy band and prom while others are goal oriented and have real awareness of this world. All in all, much of Van Risseghem's characterisation feels forced, unrealistic and trite.

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