Guardian of the Trust

Somehow, this was not as bright and shining a book as her first, [Guardian of the Balance]. Set during the time of King John, after Richard the Lionheart has died, I will give Irene Radford a star for her research into this tumultuous time. But it is a convoluted book, with some characters who exist only to show how the Magna Carta came into being (she gives it in its entirety at the end of this book, complete with her references in this story). And her heroine is a far cry from Wren, and even her history is hard to piece together. I can see where a girl with magic in her blood is scared of that magic when there is such a strong Christian culture and the nuns have helped her pray against her magic. But to be so very bland? Unable to show more cope with her powers? Hoping they go away? Why Radford chose not to incorporate hedge witches or the nuns who really knew the Old Ways (and surely there were plenty of them??) into Ana's life as teachers sets back Ana as a worthy descendant for me.

The basic story is that King John of England is under the influence of his half-brother, Radburn Blakely, a descendant of a demon we first met in Balance. And Ana is a descendant of Wren, Merlin's daughter, who must be brought up in secret lest Blakely find her, kill her, and unleash Chaos on the whole of England. But the plot is less concerned with her finding her powers, finding her true love, and learning to live with who she is and more concerned with presenting this portion of English history and using these characters as the backstory for doing so.

While I would have liked to give it more stars, it just did not hold together cohesively enough, nor was Ana's character development one that I saw well done, even when she began to grow her strength. show less

This is the second book in a series of novels focusing on the mythical bloodline of Merlin. This story is set about 800 years after “Guardian of the Balance,†which places the story in the 13th century. The protagonist of this novel is Resmiranda Griffin, nicknamed Ana. She is the descendent of Arthur and Wren many generations down the line. The story takes place during the rule of King John Plantagenet, best know as the villainous King John from the story of Robin Hood, i.e. Robin Locksley. This story takes place many years after the Robin Hood tales, Robin Locksley is still against the King, but he is not the main male character nor even still actively antagonizing the King. The King has been ensorcelled by his half-brother show more Radburn Blakely who's mother was half demon. Blakely wishes to rule Britain and only Resmiranda has the heritage and inherited power to resist him. While Resmiranda has to fight with herself to embrace her “pagan†magic which is abhorred by her Christian upbringing.

There are many references to places and people from the “Guardian of the Balance†but if you haven't read “Guardian of the Balance†it does not deter from “Guardian of the Trust".†As this book deals with a completely new set of characters, the references from “Guardian of the Balance†just give a sense of history behind the story, but doesn't revel plot secrets.

Radburn does a wonderful job of mixing historical fact with fiction to provide us with a magical tale. King John is not the villain I thought he was, he is a conflicted and complicated character like most of Radburn's characters. And Resmiranda has a deep inner struggle that allows most of the plots conflicts to be internal rather than external. The writing style of “Guardian of the Truth†was a much easier read than “Guardian of the Balance.†The story seemed to just flow easily in and out of history seamlessly. Resmiranda is a strong woman and in a time when women had little power, Resmiranda is written into very powerful role and is very relatable and likable. This was a quick read for me, I was drawn into the story and couldn't put it down, I read the whole book in two days. This felt like a book written by an experienced writer who knows what makes a good story. Guardian of the Truth is a great historical fiction novel. show less

This is the 2nd book in the series for which I recieved the 4th and 5th books from LibraryThing for free as part of their reviewers program and purchased 1-3 myself afterward as I enjoyed the last two. Each book is part of a the same historical and legendary tales of Merlin and his decendents as the title so aptly suggests yet each can be read in any order it appears to me.

This book follows Resmiranda (Ana) Griffin, descendent, during the 13th century. This is the time surrounding the stories of Robin Hood and King John although later in life for Robin of Locksley who is by no means a main character in this book. This story follows Ana and her life growing up during this time and her interactions with the characters of this time. It show more follows her decisions and consequences as she tries to free King John of the magical influence of the villain Radburn Blakely who is controlling John in an attempt to take over the kingdom.
The twist on the previous stories of this era and integration of historical information makes for a very interesting story.
As I have stated before, I do have to caution that this series contains explicit sexual references so not suited for young teens. show less

MEMORY, SORROW AND THORN