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seattlehols16's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
emrodav's review against another edition
4.0
I really loved this book! I've never read anything with Māori mythology before, and it was very intriguing. Healey gave great respect to the native culture, even though her story was told from the point of view of a non-Māori girl. I especially loved how Healey integrated real-world diversity. There was an asexual character (which I've never seen in YA!), and male victims of rape were recognized and treated with respect and sympathy.
The book does get bogged down with some first novel mistakes. There is a bit too much exposition, the climax is bit rushed and under-explained, and a lot is told instead of shown. But the story is just so intriguing and different that I didn't really care.
I'm a lover of books that explore other mythologies and religious systems, and Guardian of the Dead was a great read to get me familiar with Māori beliefs. Highly recommended!
The book does get bogged down with some first novel mistakes. There is a bit too much exposition, the climax is bit rushed and under-explained, and a lot is told instead of shown. But the story is just so intriguing and different that I didn't really care.
I'm a lover of books that explore other mythologies and religious systems, and Guardian of the Dead was a great read to get me familiar with Māori beliefs. Highly recommended!
stephxsu's review against another edition
3.0
While certainly different from most speculative YA fiction out there, GUARDIAN OF THE DEAD did not give me the connectivity that I always require from an enjoyable reading experience. For me, it was an ambitious debut novel that was successful in the details of YA originality but missed most of the larger essentials of storytelling.
The things I appreciated about this book were mostly, sadly, superficial, at least when it comes to my criteria for liking a book. I appreciated that Ellie did not have the physical features of a typical YA protagonist. She is instead tall, big-boned, and skilled in tae kwon do. The book’s concept is also refreshing, featuring New Zealand mythology instead of more well-known European inspirations.
Beyond these things, however, there was much that frustrated me. The book seemed to rely on an unseeming and awkward chain of events in order to present information and move the plot along. Good stories don’t feel forced: they flow from scene to scene nearly unnoticed, and readers glean information effortlessly. GUARDIAN OF THE DEAD, however, felt to me like a bunch of scenes strung together to give us the painfully slow reveal of the story’s fantastical element. Most of the things in this book just felt very disconnected from one another, like puzzle pieces that look great individually, but do not fit together.
Still, this book has received a lot of praise and even some highly coveted YA lit awards. Perhaps it is my demand for great storytelling over unique concepts that made this book miss its mark with me. Perhaps you will love it. There’s only one way to find out.
The things I appreciated about this book were mostly, sadly, superficial, at least when it comes to my criteria for liking a book. I appreciated that Ellie did not have the physical features of a typical YA protagonist. She is instead tall, big-boned, and skilled in tae kwon do. The book’s concept is also refreshing, featuring New Zealand mythology instead of more well-known European inspirations.
Beyond these things, however, there was much that frustrated me. The book seemed to rely on an unseeming and awkward chain of events in order to present information and move the plot along. Good stories don’t feel forced: they flow from scene to scene nearly unnoticed, and readers glean information effortlessly. GUARDIAN OF THE DEAD, however, felt to me like a bunch of scenes strung together to give us the painfully slow reveal of the story’s fantastical element. Most of the things in this book just felt very disconnected from one another, like puzzle pieces that look great individually, but do not fit together.
Still, this book has received a lot of praise and even some highly coveted YA lit awards. Perhaps it is my demand for great storytelling over unique concepts that made this book miss its mark with me. Perhaps you will love it. There’s only one way to find out.
sparklelys's review against another edition
First I've ever read of Maori mythology (New Zealand). Vivid visual imagery. Would have helped to consult the internal glossary during the process -- I didn't realize it was there until the end, and I missed a lot by relying on contexutal guessing.
emiliaduncan's review against another edition
DNF, couldn’t get into it & the storyline was confusing
carolavanniftrik's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
audreychamaine's review against another edition
4.0
Large and somewhat unfriendly, Ellie Spencer really only has one friend, Kevin, at her new boarding school. When he enlists her help with a play he is in, a mysterious woman enters their lives and seems to hold thrall over Kevin. Ellie's crush begins to help, but he also awakens new abilities in Ellie. As she learns more about the hidden world around her, a dangerous plot is discovered, and Ellie must work to not only save her best friend, but the lives of millions.
Guardian of the Dead has a fresh feeling, because it is set in New Zealand and operates under New Zealand's cultural and mythological background, instead of the standard European-American pantheon that so many paranormal books now use. Ellie is a strong heroine, and her background in martial arts makes her butt-kicking abilities more believable than those of other flimsy female leads. I enjoyed hearing the different creation story, and fairy myths, but at a point the story seemed to shift into something altogether different. While still compelling, I think it could have been broken into smaller volumes, but it's not my call to make. Overall, Guardian of the Dead is recommended for those who like stories with dangerous fairies and magic, but have grown tired of the same old cast of characters.
Guardian of the Dead has a fresh feeling, because it is set in New Zealand and operates under New Zealand's cultural and mythological background, instead of the standard European-American pantheon that so many paranormal books now use. Ellie is a strong heroine, and her background in martial arts makes her butt-kicking abilities more believable than those of other flimsy female leads. I enjoyed hearing the different creation story, and fairy myths, but at a point the story seemed to shift into something altogether different. While still compelling, I think it could have been broken into smaller volumes, but it's not my call to make. Overall, Guardian of the Dead is recommended for those who like stories with dangerous fairies and magic, but have grown tired of the same old cast of characters.
shinygreenbeetle's review against another edition
4.0
edit: I decided to give it a rating because the lack of stars in my review was bugging me
This is one of those books that should have been longer. Not really in the "it was so good I never wanted it to end" kind of way, though. It just felt kind of rushed and didn't have the character and relationship development it should have, and the plot happened way too fast.
All the important characters are interesting and likeable (at least IMO). It's cool to have a female protagonist who's not all small and cute and delicate (not that there's anything wrong with that-it's just nice to have some variety). Ellie is pretty badass. Also, Kevin being asexual was almost too good to be true. Even though the main reason I picked up this book was that I had heard there was an ace character, I was still kind of shocked and excited when I read that part.
The worldbuilding and magic system were also great. Or at least, the bits we get to see are. It seemed like a pretty good amount of thought was put into the details of that aspect of the story, but most of the information didnt make it into the book. It's like if someone made a really beautiful painting and put it on display, but covered it with a paper bag with a square cut out of it so that only an inch or so of the painting is actually visible.
The plot just happened too fast. I think maybe the entire second half of the book should have been more stretched out. Ellie and Mark's relationship would have been a lot better with more development and had happened over a longer period of time. The exposition of the mythological and magical aspects of the story was kinda brief.
It also would have been interesting to go more deeply into the motivations of the non-human characters and some of the magicians. I want to know more about Mr Sand and la Gribaldi. And even though the motivations of the fairy-however-you-spell-its were made very clear, I still want to know more about them. There's got to be more complexity behind their actions than what was said in the book.
Overall, this was a good book, but it could have been so much better.
This is one of those books that should have been longer. Not really in the "it was so good I never wanted it to end" kind of way, though. It just felt kind of rushed and didn't have the character and relationship development it should have, and the plot happened way too fast.
All the important characters are interesting and likeable (at least IMO). It's cool to have a female protagonist who's not all small and cute and delicate (not that there's anything wrong with that-it's just nice to have some variety). Ellie is pretty badass. Also, Kevin being asexual was almost too good to be true. Even though the main reason I picked up this book was that I had heard there was an ace character, I was still kind of shocked and excited when I read that part.
The worldbuilding and magic system were also great. Or at least, the bits we get to see are. It seemed like a pretty good amount of thought was put into the details of that aspect of the story, but most of the information didnt make it into the book. It's like if someone made a really beautiful painting and put it on display, but covered it with a paper bag with a square cut out of it so that only an inch or so of the painting is actually visible.
The plot just happened too fast. I think maybe the entire second half of the book should have been more stretched out. Ellie and Mark's relationship would have been a lot better with more development and had happened over a longer period of time. The exposition of the mythological and magical aspects of the story was kinda brief.
It also would have been interesting to go more deeply into the motivations of the non-human characters and some of the magicians. I want to know more about Mr Sand and la Gribaldi. And even though the motivations of the fairy-however-you-spell-its were made very clear, I still want to know more about them. There's got to be more complexity behind their actions than what was said in the book.
Overall, this was a good book, but it could have been so much better.
thegreatgabsby's review against another edition
3.0
Story is quite run-of-the-mill but the inclusion of Maori elements and mythology is interesting.