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kathydavie's review against another edition
4.0
First in the Sentinel Wars paranormal romantic suspense series revolving around beings who protect the world from demons. The couple focus is on Drake Asher and Helen Day.
My Take
Yeah, the Sentinels all think the demons did something to kill off their women. I suspect Gilda, the Gray Lady.
This is an excellent story, and I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series, Finding the Lost, but Butcher leaves us hanging with little information and lots of teases. I know, generally, this is a good thing since it entices the reader into diving into the next story, but these teases are just leaving me frustrated and confused.
There are too many blood- attractions/projects/needs. I don't understand what Logan is up to, and this is a good opportunity to create tension but it's too vague. Logan is collecting blood pledges like he's signed up for a marathon and the more he collects, the more his signees will contribute.
That tiny tease dropped by the Gray Lady has my heart rate up, so it's a good ploy. But why is she being such a bitch to Helen??? Why is she keeping secrets from Angus? Why does she refer to the other Sentinels as her children?
As I think about this, maybe it's just that there are so many teases that has me frustrated… Why did Lexi's mom warn her so strongly against the Sentinels? Will Zach catch up to her? What's going on with Sybil? I suspect Helen is the new sybil, but…Butcher has left this as a tease. What's up the the Gerai Grace?
Part of the frustration is my anger with Helen for being such a douche about getting past her fear of fire…and we only get these teases about her fear. The reasonable assumption is Helen's vision, but Helen also mentions previous arsons, and she has got an overload of fire extinguishers scattered around her house. Why? And my anger with Helen is so not fair — heck, I'm just the reader who has read a lot of these stories. If I put myself into Helen's shoes…dang, she is doing really well!
Then there's the whole "keeping her" part. Drake is super-alpha male. He has no intention of allowing Helen to leave him — wait'll you read the part where she accepts his luceria and the leaves that unfurl on his chest! But there's something up with Drake desperate to claim Helen before anyone else sees her and not telling her…something. Why does Drake get so upset about anyone taking blood samples from Helen? Wouldn't learning more be a good thing??
I do like that Miss Mabel has arrived at the fortress…life should be interesting!
The Story
Sentinels. On a mission to recover a sword, a Sentinel's sword that, if broken by magic, will release the souls of all the evil beings killed by that sword. Drake Asher, Zach, and Thomas must retrieve it before a higher-level demon finds it.
A mission that brings them to the diner where Helen has taken Miss Mabel for dinner. Luckily, Helen had confided that disastrous vision to Lexi, and both ladies go into action to help Helen.
Lucky for them, Drake is too distracted by the relief from the pain when he touches Helen, a distraction that gives the demons time to torch the diner.
It's a constant series of escapes as the demons chase the Sentinels and the ladies from diner to house and eventually to Dabyr with barely enough time to get acquainted as they fight, flee, and render first aid, as they attempt to eliminate their scent trail.
And Logan needs more blood to keep Drake from dying. Eliciting an eternal pledge from Helen that she doesn't understand but that Drake forbids, for he understands the commitment, the wrong of this pledge.
They believe that Helen is a descendant of the Anathasians.
The Characters
Helen Day is motivated by a desire to contribute something to the good in this world, and she is circumstanced well enough that she devotes her time to helping the elderly: delivering meals, visiting with them, taking them out to dinner. The negative is that Helen is terrified of fire and has had a recurring vision in which a man smiles as she goes up in flames. Miss Mabel is one of Helen's charges.
Lexi Johns is a waitress at the diner. She has some issues drummed into her head by her mother about the Sentinels.
Sentinels are…
…groups of beings who keep their activities secret from humanity even as they protect them from the demons attempting to take over the world. One such group are the men of this story, the Theronai, who have one critical weakness. As a Sentinel ages, his internal energy level increases with the pain almost unbearable until it burns him out and he loses his soul. The only relief from this build-up is if a Sentinel is bonded with a female Sentinel. But something happened to their women, and there is only one left in the world. The Sentinels are dying, they are losing the war.
Drake Asher is Vision Man in Helen's nightmares. The man who watches and smiles as she burns up in that pillar of fire. Zach seems to be distractedly attracted to Lexi. Thomas has one leaf left on his tree tattoo. He's desperately jealous of Drake finding Helen and is determined that he will die before slipping to the dark side when his last leaf falls. Paul is a very angry Theronai who could bond with Helen. Others include Nicholas who seems computer savvy and Joseph.
Gilda is the Gray Lady, until Helen she was the only Sentinel female. Old and incredibly powerful, she has a real hate on for Helen…you can see why she makes me suspicious. Angus is her husband. And the only man with whom Helen will be safe…just what isn't Drake telling her?? The extremely young Sibyl sees the future and doesn't seem to like Gilda. Cain is her Theronai bodyguard.
The Sanguinar are…
…a type of demon, think vampire, for they need blood to survive. They have a truce with the Theronai now, and they provide healing for the Sentinels. Logan seems to have his own agenda and is determined to force blood pledges from anyone he can. He's also involved with a secret Sanguinaran venture called Project Lullaby.
Slade, Vance, and Carmen are Gerai, blooded humans who have vowed to help the Sentinels in any way. Grace is a new Gerai working in the fortress.
Synestryn is a…
…group name for the monsters, demons, and beasties that go bump in the night. Their purpose in life is to conquer the world "using humans as food while they battle their way into another world called Athanasia". Handlers are a type of demon that use whips and fire to kill. Camaranth is a lieutenant for Zillah, a Synestryn lord. They seem to have their own counterplot in place using Kevin's sword as a distraction.
The gate between Athanasia and our world was…
…shut by Solarc, a tyrant king of Athanasia.
The Cover and Title
The cover is oranges and dark browns with a partially nude man drawing a gleaming sword from a back harness, branch tattoos showing along his biceps and shoulders.
The title is of Helen's vision in which she is Burning Alive and Drake is smiling through her agony.
My Take
Yeah, the Sentinels all think the demons did something to kill off their women. I suspect Gilda, the Gray Lady.
This is an excellent story, and I'm looking forward to reading the next in the series, Finding the Lost, but Butcher leaves us hanging with little information and lots of teases. I know, generally, this is a good thing since it entices the reader into diving into the next story, but these teases are just leaving me frustrated and confused.
There are too many blood- attractions/projects/needs. I don't understand what Logan is up to, and this is a good opportunity to create tension but it's too vague. Logan is collecting blood pledges like he's signed up for a marathon and the more he collects, the more his signees will contribute.
That tiny tease dropped by the Gray Lady has my heart rate up, so it's a good ploy. But why is she being such a bitch to Helen??? Why is she keeping secrets from Angus? Why does she refer to the other Sentinels as her children?
As I think about this, maybe it's just that there are so many teases that has me frustrated… Why did Lexi's mom warn her so strongly against the Sentinels? Will Zach catch up to her? What's going on with Sybil? I suspect Helen is the new sybil, but…Butcher has left this as a tease. What's up the the Gerai Grace?
Part of the frustration is my anger with Helen for being such a douche about getting past her fear of fire…and we only get these teases about her fear. The reasonable assumption is Helen's vision, but Helen also mentions previous arsons, and she has got an overload of fire extinguishers scattered around her house. Why? And my anger with Helen is so not fair — heck, I'm just the reader who has read a lot of these stories. If I put myself into Helen's shoes…dang, she is doing really well!
Then there's the whole "keeping her" part. Drake is super-alpha male. He has no intention of allowing Helen to leave him — wait'll you read the part where she accepts his luceria and the leaves that unfurl on his chest! But there's something up with Drake desperate to claim Helen before anyone else sees her and not telling her…something. Why does Drake get so upset about anyone taking blood samples from Helen? Wouldn't learning more be a good thing??
I do like that Miss Mabel has arrived at the fortress…life should be interesting!
The Story
Sentinels. On a mission to recover a sword, a Sentinel's sword that, if broken by magic, will release the souls of all the evil beings killed by that sword. Drake Asher, Zach, and Thomas must retrieve it before a higher-level demon finds it.
A mission that brings them to the diner where Helen has taken Miss Mabel for dinner. Luckily, Helen had confided that disastrous vision to Lexi, and both ladies go into action to help Helen.
Lucky for them, Drake is too distracted by the relief from the pain when he touches Helen, a distraction that gives the demons time to torch the diner.
It's a constant series of escapes as the demons chase the Sentinels and the ladies from diner to house and eventually to Dabyr with barely enough time to get acquainted as they fight, flee, and render first aid, as they attempt to eliminate their scent trail.
And Logan needs more blood to keep Drake from dying. Eliciting an eternal pledge from Helen that she doesn't understand but that Drake forbids, for he understands the commitment, the wrong of this pledge.
They believe that Helen is a descendant of the Anathasians.
The Characters
Helen Day is motivated by a desire to contribute something to the good in this world, and she is circumstanced well enough that she devotes her time to helping the elderly: delivering meals, visiting with them, taking them out to dinner. The negative is that Helen is terrified of fire and has had a recurring vision in which a man smiles as she goes up in flames. Miss Mabel is one of Helen's charges.
Lexi Johns is a waitress at the diner. She has some issues drummed into her head by her mother about the Sentinels.
Sentinels are…
…groups of beings who keep their activities secret from humanity even as they protect them from the demons attempting to take over the world. One such group are the men of this story, the Theronai, who have one critical weakness. As a Sentinel ages, his internal energy level increases with the pain almost unbearable until it burns him out and he loses his soul. The only relief from this build-up is if a Sentinel is bonded with a female Sentinel. But something happened to their women, and there is only one left in the world. The Sentinels are dying, they are losing the war.
Drake Asher is Vision Man in Helen's nightmares. The man who watches and smiles as she burns up in that pillar of fire. Zach seems to be distractedly attracted to Lexi. Thomas has one leaf left on his tree tattoo. He's desperately jealous of Drake finding Helen and is determined that he will die before slipping to the dark side when his last leaf falls. Paul is a very angry Theronai who could bond with Helen. Others include Nicholas who seems computer savvy and Joseph.
Gilda is the Gray Lady, until Helen she was the only Sentinel female. Old and incredibly powerful, she has a real hate on for Helen…you can see why she makes me suspicious. Angus is her husband. And the only man with whom Helen will be safe…just what isn't Drake telling her?? The extremely young Sibyl sees the future and doesn't seem to like Gilda. Cain is her Theronai bodyguard.
The Sanguinar are…
…a type of demon, think vampire, for they need blood to survive. They have a truce with the Theronai now, and they provide healing for the Sentinels. Logan seems to have his own agenda and is determined to force blood pledges from anyone he can. He's also involved with a secret Sanguinaran venture called Project Lullaby.
Slade, Vance, and Carmen are Gerai, blooded humans who have vowed to help the Sentinels in any way. Grace is a new Gerai working in the fortress.
Synestryn is a…
…group name for the monsters, demons, and beasties that go bump in the night. Their purpose in life is to conquer the world "using humans as food while they battle their way into another world called Athanasia". Handlers are a type of demon that use whips and fire to kill. Camaranth is a lieutenant for Zillah, a Synestryn lord. They seem to have their own counterplot in place using Kevin's sword as a distraction.
The gate between Athanasia and our world was…
…shut by Solarc, a tyrant king of Athanasia.
The Cover and Title
The cover is oranges and dark browns with a partially nude man drawing a gleaming sword from a back harness, branch tattoos showing along his biceps and shoulders.
The title is of Helen's vision in which she is Burning Alive and Drake is smiling through her agony.
crimyami's review against another edition
4.0
Shannon K. Butcher takes you into a world somewhat like our own but slightly altered. We meet the Sentinel's that protect humans from the Synestern. We meet three Sentinels, Zach, Thomas, and Drake. Drake our main hero and Helen our heroine are two opposites of each other. This book is packed with heart wrenching suspense. With a tad bit of paranormal and alot of romance packed into this book its one that you'll have trouble putting down. Helen grows to love the man she thought was going to kill her, because of that love she's able to get through the hardships of it all. Women are cherished by the Sentinel's and you discover why and the hardship that they live. Its a lovely romance book, with just a touch of paranormal in it to spice it up. I'm not one for pure romance books, but I have to say that I did enjoy this book and thinking of buying the other books from this series.
laurenjodi's review against another edition
4.0
Burning Alive
4 Stars
Three separate Sentinel races work together to protect humanity from demons known as the Synestryn. Drake Asher is a Theronai warrior who will die if he cannot channel his immense power through the woman destined to be his mate. Now he has found her, but Helen Day wants nothing to do with him as he is the dark-haired man who watches her burn alive in her visions.
First-time author for me and I was not disappointed. Butcher’s writing is smooth and her world-building is imaginative and well-developed. While almost everything about the nature of the Sentinel races is explained throughout the book, there are some tantalizing hints at revelations yet to come.
The primary and secondary characters are skillfully drawn. The characterization is so good that each and every person in the book evokes emotion from me whether amusement, sadness, annoyance or even outright dislike.
The romance is intense and the chemistry between Drake and Helen sizzles. Their remarkable connection drew me right into the story. Helen is a bit too passive and accepting at the start but grows stronger and more determined as the book progresses. Even though she fears everything that Drake represents, she is unwilling to sacrifice others and is ultimately able to overcome her fears when the moment of truth arrives. Drake is fierce, sexy and loyal. He can be overbearing and possessive but this is understandable considering the fact that he has finally found the mate who can help him survive and will do anything to keep her.
The book ends with a compelling twist and I look forward to reading more in the series.
4 Stars
Three separate Sentinel races work together to protect humanity from demons known as the Synestryn. Drake Asher is a Theronai warrior who will die if he cannot channel his immense power through the woman destined to be his mate. Now he has found her, but Helen Day wants nothing to do with him as he is the dark-haired man who watches her burn alive in her visions.
First-time author for me and I was not disappointed. Butcher’s writing is smooth and her world-building is imaginative and well-developed. While almost everything about the nature of the Sentinel races is explained throughout the book, there are some tantalizing hints at revelations yet to come.
The primary and secondary characters are skillfully drawn. The characterization is so good that each and every person in the book evokes emotion from me whether amusement, sadness, annoyance or even outright dislike.
The romance is intense and the chemistry between Drake and Helen sizzles. Their remarkable connection drew me right into the story. Helen is a bit too passive and accepting at the start but grows stronger and more determined as the book progresses. Even though she fears everything that Drake represents, she is unwilling to sacrifice others and is ultimately able to overcome her fears when the moment of truth arrives. Drake is fierce, sexy and loyal. He can be overbearing and possessive but this is understandable considering the fact that he has finally found the mate who can help him survive and will do anything to keep her.
The book ends with a compelling twist and I look forward to reading more in the series.
shan198025's review against another edition
4.0
Loved it. Drake is an alpha who wants his chick and doesn't know why she's scared of him. Helen is "ordinary", but she's having lustful feeling towards a guy she thinks is gonna kill her. After a lot of miscommunication everything gets mostly worked.
lucy_qhuay's review against another edition
3.0
Not bad, but I was expecting a lot better.
Review to come
kblincoln's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't actually expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. It's one of a long line of urban fantasy books where a tortured (and in this case, literally so) hero finds his one, true mate and together they take on the bad guys.
I think what I liked about this was that the ancillary characters had their own stories going on that kept up interest throughout the book even with the whole tried and true "I have to go out on my own and attack the bad guys to save my love" and "I'm not worthy of love" thing that often is found in these kind of books.
I also liked the bad guys, the Synestryn in this world. There are several, yucky, well-described forms the demons can take and the battle scenes were cool.
I'll probably go on and read the next one.
I think what I liked about this was that the ancillary characters had their own stories going on that kept up interest throughout the book even with the whole tried and true "I have to go out on my own and attack the bad guys to save my love" and "I'm not worthy of love" thing that often is found in these kind of books.
I also liked the bad guys, the Synestryn in this world. There are several, yucky, well-described forms the demons can take and the battle scenes were cool.
I'll probably go on and read the next one.
booklvrkat's review against another edition
3.0
I can't decide if I liked this or just kinda liked this story. It was a bit all over the place with the information, and world building. The romance/sex/bonded pair part was hot. I wanted a bit more ... I don't know.... oompf. Something that would drag me kicking and screaming into another series. The story line saved the series, I will continue with it, but not sure when I'll pick up the second.
tkat's review against another edition
5.0
Not as good as I was expecting, coming from the wife of one of my favorite authors, but still enjoyable nonetheless.
This story follows the lives of men called Sentinels in their war against demons, protect humanity behind the yellow curtain and all that jazz.
The thing is these men have an expiration date if they do not find a mate. They have so much power in them to fight these demons that it hurts them and their women act as conduits for that power. The strength of the women lies in throwing around magic spells, while the strength of the men lies more in martial arts. The women siphon off this raw physical energy to fuel their own spells. Only problem is all the Sentinal women were murdered two thousand years ago, leaving the men alone with no ability to procreate and no hope of survival after a certain length of time.
So of course when one of their women are found, all the men around her go crazy for the chance to bond with her and save their lives.
Love the concept of the story, and it was written well. My only problem is the end, when out of nowhere it seems the leader of the demons pops up talking about having a child with someone. What? Where'd you come from, and who are you talking about?
Little bit of a sloppy ending, but interested me enough that I will continue on with the series.
This story follows the lives of men called Sentinels in their war against demons, protect humanity behind the yellow curtain and all that jazz.
The thing is these men have an expiration date if they do not find a mate. They have so much power in them to fight these demons that it hurts them and their women act as conduits for that power. The strength of the women lies in throwing around magic spells, while the strength of the men lies more in martial arts. The women siphon off this raw physical energy to fuel their own spells. Only problem is all the Sentinal women were murdered two thousand years ago, leaving the men alone with no ability to procreate and no hope of survival after a certain length of time.
So of course when one of their women are found, all the men around her go crazy for the chance to bond with her and save their lives.
Love the concept of the story, and it was written well. My only problem is the end, when out of nowhere it seems the leader of the demons pops up talking about having a child with someone. What? Where'd you come from, and who are you talking about?
Little bit of a sloppy ending, but interested me enough that I will continue on with the series.
jbsmunky's review against another edition
3.0
I thought it was different and entertaining. Bummed my library does not carry the rest of the series!