Mystic Guardian

First off, I want to preface this review by saying that I enjoy a good romance novel. I love fantasy. A story with romance, mermaids, and magic was such a hook that I requested this from LibraryThing's early reviewer program immediately. I'm also going to add that I'm usually willing to give a book the benefit of the doubt until I reach the end.

Not this time.

I tried, really I did. I got to 15% (thanks to my Kindle I can keep good track of how far I am in a book- I'm relatively new to ebooks and still think this is a neat feature) and even though I wasn't liking it, I gave it a while longer to see if that would change. By 25% I had to admit defeat at the hands of the dreaded beast Misogyny.

I'm assuming that we're supposed to like the show more male protagonist (Trystan) at least a little and feel some sympathy and attachment to him because he is the main character and half of the "love" story. All I wanted to do was push him- and the other male characters who were all of a similar mold- off a cliff. When the story reached the point that his life had been turned upside down and he was fearing bad things would happen to him, I was cheering on those possibilities of exile and loss of magic so that he would grow up and become a decent character/person. (Perhaps he does; I never got far enough to find out, but I fear things probably just work out for him in the end. Alas.) Far too much of the first quarter of the story (granted that was as far as I got) was dangerously close to him wanting to rape the main female character. Her own reaction to the lust-magic wasn't much better. It skeeved me out so much that I'm surprised I didn't get a headache from all the eye rolling and teeth gnashing I was doing. I had a similar experience with the book "A Spell for Chameleon" by Piers Anthony, which my friends all heartily recommended and I hated with the burning passion of a million suns for the same reason I disliked this book. I will say that this one didn't bother me *quite* as much as Anthony's, but after fighting my way through one misogynistic book to the end, I wasn't willing to do it again.

If there's one thing that breaks a book for me and instantly lowers it by at least 3 stars, it's misogyny. This isn't an automatic "I hate it", though, because if there's enough to redeem a book, there's always a chance of it gaining maybe an extra star or so despite this subject, but I just couldn't find enough good to get me past a theme that I despise and to the end of the book. It would have been different if it would have been characters fighting that outlook towards women, but having it repeated over and over again (only broken by periods of the main male character being instead only patronizing towards women- sheesh) means it broke the entire story for me.

There are redeeming qualities here, so I do want to point those out. The story is well-written and, from what I could tell from what I read, there was a good deal of world, culture, and magic-building in this book. I do appreciate these things and they are what gives this the two stars that I'm using to rate it.

This should have been a story I liked. It had the potential to be a book I enjoyed and I'm sad it didn't work out that way. I really hate giving a book a poor review because generally I'll find something to like in almost everything, which is obvious considering that I give most books between four and five stars. As a writer, I know how much effort and love goes into a novel, so I always feel like I'm being rude on the rare occasion I didn't like a book, but things just didn't work out between me and this one. We need to see other people. Others will probably find this book perfectly good and enjoyable- I know it has an overwhelming number of positive reviews compared to negative ones- but if you're like me and can't stomach misogyny, I'd say to give this one a miss. I'm probably not qualified to review it since I didn't finish it, but I just can't bring myself to spend time reading another three quarters of a book I don't enjoy. show less

I'm generally not really a fan of romance novels, but I did enjoy this novel - mainly because it's not just a romance novel, but combines elements of historical novels, fantasy and adventure.

A young French woman with a special gift needs to find a way to help her family survive in the famine that wrecks France prior to the French revolution. She is almost at her wits end on how to steer her family through these turbulent times when she receives unexpected help from the people of Aelynn, who have special gifts just like she does.

I very much enjoyed the journey of discovery Mariel makes, finding out about her own powers, and where these powers come from. The mystical island of Aelynn and the handsome and strong Trystan draw her in, but show more she cannot forsake her responsibilities in France. She is worked out very well as a character and I really felt for her and commiserated with her struggles. The backdrop of the French pre-revolutionary age, with it's political and military unrest and famine gives the story a very nice setting.
I also enjoyed the 'adventure' part, where Trystan and Mariel need to travel trough France to get back a sacred object from the island of Aelynn. Their struggles to reach their goal in a turbulent time are interesting and keep you reading.
One thing I disliked was the fact that it is, at times, derogatory to women. I understand that it was set in a time when people didn't think very highly of women, but still... Initially Mariel comes across as a strong and independent woman, but she soon gets to the point where she turns into an empty headed little girl needing and wanting protection from a man. I would have liked it better if Mariel would have remained strong and independent - because yes, it is possible for a woman to be clever and strong, even if she is in love...
Also, for me, the 'romance' part could have been toned down a little - and the fact that Trystan and Mariel fight first and then grow to love each other is a bit too much of the stereotypical romance - but like I said, I'm just not a big fan of romance. I think for anybody who likes romance novels this would be a great read. show less

I won this book through a LibraryThing giveaway and was surprised that it is an older book. The story takes place around the year 1800 in Breton, France, and on a nearby mythical island. The background political turmoil is accurate, but the action is quite over the top. At first I enjoyed the book, then thought, What the heck? Then I realized that it doesn't take itself particularly seriously, and reads somewhat like a campy movie such as Flash Gordon. There is plenty of action, the hero won't explain anything to the heroine but is willing to threaten her while supposedly protecting her. And they both pant after each other as soon as they see each other. His magical abilities aren't clear--languages, strength and speed seem to be it. show more She is essentially a mermaid whose mother was a seer. Hmm. Quite a mix.

The setting is that there is a hidden island with strange practices how many couples conceived on that holy sea sponge? Eeww. that is determined not to interfere with the outside world even while roaming it. Somehow the people are different with special powers granted by their goddess, whose volcano they worship. It's not clear how much of their powers they retain in the outside world, but they have managed to leave a lot of Crossbreeds around Europe, and possibly further.

The heroine is single-minded in her determination, and the hero is blind to any path but the one he has chosen. They are quite a pair. The book overall has a light tone, despite the serious times. And once I realized I didn't need to take any of it seriously (I mean, the men on the island fight by cutting off each others' clothes!), it was much more fun. The book ends with the promise of at least two more partnerships, and the potential for others.

One thing I did like is that the villains are more layered. The bad buy, who I expect will turn up in future books, doesn't seem to want to be a bad guy. And the female competition is cold but not cruel. show less

I received this book free in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A strange tale about a long-waited god who could save them, and a mermaid trapped in the human world, who can’t show her true self. And of course a meeting of the two, that will change their lives forever.
That is in a few words the story of this book, which I found really interesting. Right from the start the author puts you in the right mood. It is set in France, at a time when people were suffering… and life was even worse in the small village where Mariel was living, because she had not only to care for herself, but for her pregnant sister too. Mariel’s hopes start to rise when she sees a tall blond stranger, Trystan, who according to a prophecy will save her show more village. But of course things are never so simple or easy…
She follows him to a strange, new place and there after many mishaps and arguments, the two heroes come closer together and the romance begins.
The book in general offers very lively descriptions of both the places and the people that are mentioned. One of my favourite parts of the book was the description of how the main characters’ eyes change colour depending n their mood (truly loved it). And then there were the teasing dialogues between Mariel and Trystan. It was sometimes initiated by him and continued by her and vise versa. It was really refreshing to read and very enjoyable as it releases the tention you tend to feel when reading very intense chapters. One of such a scene is when Mariel sees an exotic fruit and after a brief description Trystan ends up telling her that some call it a Banana.(I really laughed out loud reading that part!!)
As for the romance, although it is anticipated right from the start, it evolves slowly into something deeper for both of them. They both learn that they must change their attitude and their beliefs and even go against what is expected of them to do, if they wnt to be together.
The ending (even though it is not actually the end, since there’s a second book that continues the main storyline) is something I hoped would be happy but I didn’t actually expect it to turn out quite that way.
In general, I must say I found it pleasant to read and it has some ]very interesting twists that will keep you guessing right till the very end. show less

I am drawn to water like a fish, so this was a fun read for me. Like swashbuckling action, mystic islands, enchanted objects and other worldly beings that dig humans all set upon a historical backdrop? This book has got you covered. Beware, there is "romance," though luckily for me, there is enough action and intrigue to overshadow the Harlequin moments. Overall, a decent story-line with engaging characters and a good dose of wry humor.

I liked this story, but....
The plot was fun and I loved the unique settings that it took me through. The plot felt complete and like everything was well wrapped up. I also liked a lot of the characters in that they felt like they were individuals. But I was frustrated by a number of things, such as a few actions that I felt were confusing and seemed to serve the plot more than logic. My biggest frustration was that there were so many gender related issues that at times I just had to stick my fingers in my ears and hum loudly to keep reading.. sometimes even this wasn't enough. It immediately takes me out of the story into my angry place. This could have been a perfect light relaxing well-written read, and the illogical actions could show more have been easy enough to ignore, but I just couldn't swallow from some of the gender-related problems. show less

In 1789, Mariel, her family on the point of starvation in France, meets Trystan, the Enforcer of Aelynn, a magical hidden island. Because of his destiny to lead, he plans to take the dispassionate Lissandra, the Oracle's daughter, as his wife. She sees him sailing away, and thinks he is the savior her mother prophesied, so she follows him in her magical form of a mermaid. Trystan realizes she mush be a Crossbreed, and that she is his destined mate. She escapes the island, and somewhat accidentally takes with her a sacred chalice. Trystan pursues the chalice, but Mariel sold it quickly to buy food for her pregnant sister. During their convoluted adventures, they fall in love, but Trystan still believes Mariel can only be his amacara, the show more mother of his children, but not his official wife. Trystan has a showdown with Murdoch, who was exiled from Aelynn after killing the Oracle's husband in what he claimed was an accident.

Interesting enough to read, as I usually like a bit of fantasy combined with history, but I have a hard time following the rules of the fantasy world, or at the least it doesn't appeal to me, as it is based on a made-up pantheon and weird rules of marriage and a religious-sexual union on an altar. show less