Prah, Constantine and Baryeh #Reviews:Guardian of the Grail (Immortal Blood Book 1) by Elena Bryce
Here's the Blurb:
Ivy's Quest: Protect the Grail, evade the Hunters, don't fall for the bad boy immortal, he bites!
A fast paced adventure to get the Holy Grail to safety; battling hunters, vampires and a deadly ancient evil. Action packed urban fantasy with paranormal romance.
Before vampires, they were Guardians, drinking the sacred blood of the Holy Grail, and sworn to protect it through the ages.
When Lachlan Thorn is entrusted with the task of relocating the Grail to a castle in the Scottish Highlands, he requires the help of a witch to conceal it on the perilous journey. Unfortunately for him, the only one available is Ivy, who is untrained and a descendant of the woman who broke his heart.
For Ivy, helping to protect the Grail gives her a chance to do something good with her magic and learn more about it. But once the Grail is out in the open it draws the attention of both vampires and vampire hunters alike, and before long Ivy is facing an ancient and powerful foe that she has no chance of escaping.
Forced to tap into the deeper magic, Ivy must travel through time, linking with her ancestors and experiencing witch trials to take on the power that is her heritage. She might also learn the startling truth about her connection to Lachlan, the handsome Highlander with a history.
My Review
If you've read my reviews, then you know I don't read a lot of paranormal romance, but when I do, I try to pick something that is not too hardcore. Guardian of the Grail fits into that slot.
First of all, this book introduces us/me to something new in vampire-lore - there are two types of vampires depending on how they are sired, and this opens a whole lot of plot opportunities. Although these opportunities were not explored in the book, I expect that they would be relevant in the subsequent books in the series.
Lachlan Thorne is a twenty something looking but very old vampire tasked with protecting the Holy Grail (yes, that holy grail) from another immortal who seeks to use it for some unknown evil. As the grail has the power to attract vampires and humans alike, it must be cloaked by a spell until it reaches its new location.
Enter our heroine, Ivy, a witch who has been practicing spells on her own since discovering her grandmother's grimoire. In spite of the possible dangers of the journey and no actual experience with evil, added to her attraction to Lachlan, Ivy agrees to perform a cloaking spell and accompany Lachlan on his dangerous quest.
While Lachlan is sure Ivy is the one, Ivy is weirded out by the fact that Lachlan has had sex with her grandmother - way back when her grandmother was young - and with several other of her ancestors in the course of his long life.
In the end, they are able to get past their differences and choose each other.
I won't lie, I expected a little more danger especially with the arrival of the Immortal. A hint at what the Immortal needed the Grail for would have been nice, but I do get that it's a series plot point so it needs to be dragged out. One thing that didn't work for me (and this is entirely personal) is the addition of characters relevant to a specific religion (e.g. taking a saint or a disciple and making him a vampire just doesn't work for me, especially when it really doesn't add anything to the story).
In general, Guardian of the Grail was a satisfactory read. I hope book 2 packs a little more danger and a little more romance.
As usual, this is a one-book-three-reviews post, so don't forget to check out the reviews from Prah and Constantine.
I bought my copy of the Guardian of the Grail from Amazon.
Enter our heroine, Ivy, a witch who has been practicing spells on her own since discovering her grandmother's grimoire. In spite of the possible dangers of the journey and no actual experience with evil, added to her attraction to Lachlan, Ivy agrees to perform a cloaking spell and accompany Lachlan on his dangerous quest.
While Lachlan is sure Ivy is the one, Ivy is weirded out by the fact that Lachlan has had sex with her grandmother - way back when her grandmother was young - and with several other of her ancestors in the course of his long life.
In the end, they are able to get past their differences and choose each other.
I won't lie, I expected a little more danger especially with the arrival of the Immortal. A hint at what the Immortal needed the Grail for would have been nice, but I do get that it's a series plot point so it needs to be dragged out. One thing that didn't work for me (and this is entirely personal) is the addition of characters relevant to a specific religion (e.g. taking a saint or a disciple and making him a vampire just doesn't work for me, especially when it really doesn't add anything to the story).
In general, Guardian of the Grail was a satisfactory read. I hope book 2 packs a little more danger and a little more romance.
As usual, this is a one-book-three-reviews post, so don't forget to check out the reviews from Prah and Constantine.
I bought my copy of the Guardian of the Grail from Amazon.
Good review, Empi. At first, I also thought using a holy disciple as a vampire in this story was somewhat strange, but it was unique. And I also hope the answer as to why the immortal needed the cup will be answered. It surely is a way to get readers to the next book.
ReplyDelete