Dark (Guardians of Time Trilogy) [Paperback]

Marianne Curley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 7, 2005 | Series: Guardians of Time Trilogy

A dark and compelling sequel to The Named, The Dark crackles with suspense and intrigue. Hell-bent on avenging the death of one of their best, the Order of Chaos gain the upper hand in their battle against the Guardians. As the Order's attempts to change history bear fruit, Ethan and Isabel notice subtle changes in their daily lives as an altered past impacts on the future. Before they can confront the Order, Ethan and Isabel, joined by Isabel's brother Matt, must risk everything to travel through a dark world and save Arkarian, without whom the future looks bleak. Told from the perspectives of Isabel and Arkarian, the edgy relationships and pacy narrative make for an unputdownable read.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-9-A sequel to The Named (Bloomsbury, 2002), with ample introductions to characters and plot developments from that book. Lathenia controls the forces of the dark while her brother, Lorian, fights with the Named, nine ordinary humans with extraordinary gifts, to stop her. In this book, Arkarian, one of the most powerful of the Named, has been abducted and imprisoned by Lathenia in the furthest reaches of the Underworld. Isabel and Ethan, ordinary high school students by day and Guardians of Time by night, decide to attempt a rescue, joined by Isabel's brother Matt, newly Named but still untested and untrained in any special gift. Meanwhile, various combinations of the Named carry out several missions, visiting medieval France to protect the child who will become Arkarian's mother, and ancient Rome to prevent injury to Octavius, future emperor. Plot action dominates this story, with awkward attempts to add romance to the tangled relationships among the main characters. The novel is poorly written, with sentence fragments and awkward constructions popping up throughout. There is an incongruous use of knees and fists by characters who can send energy bolts from their fingertips, but it does give Isabel ample practice in using her gift of healing power on all the broken bones and bleeding wounds. Ultimately, several loose ends are tied up, but new questions arise that will presumably be addressed in the next installment of this series. There is enough action and excitement here to keep nondiscriminating readers involved, but little else.
Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-12. In this sequel to The Named (2002), Isabel and Ethan, two of the Named sworn to fight the time-disrupting Order of Chaos, continue to battle against their nemesis. They are joined in this story by Isabel's brother, Matt, who is new to the secret Guardians of Time. The mission of the trio is to find their kidnapped mentor, Akarian, who has been sent to the underworld, a nightmarish realm full of bizarre creatures and unknown dangers. As in the previous novel, there is plenty of swashbuckling action with lively, believable characters who wrestle with their consciences as they face tough decisions about friendship, loyalty, and commitment. Matt's struggle to adjust to the difficult life of a Guardian makes for an intriguing subplot. The story stands well on its own, but readers familiar with the first book will appreciate this imaginative, suspenseful novel even more. Ed Sullivan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens Books; Rejacketed ed edition (February 7, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0747574332
• ISBN-13: 978-0747574330
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,270,206 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just as good as the first, September 23, 2003

By 

Lisa (So Cal) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dark (Guardians of Time Book 2) (Hardcover)

I cheated. This book came out in September in the UK so I ordered it from there. I was awesome, just as good as the first, and in some ways better. This time the story is told from both Isabel and Arkarian's point of view. I was disappointed at first, because I missed Ethan's perspective, but then I got into it...Romance between Isabel and Arkarian is there, it's very funny really, because they are both so clueless. Matt is now Ethan's apprentice, but is having some trouble...And for the first time we get to meet the goddess. Time travel is of course throughout the book, but things aren't looking too good for the guard. We learn more about Arkarian's past, and the ending is much like the first book's...and made me squeal with joy when I got to it. It was a great book, I've already read through it twice and I just got it 10 days ago, and it leaves me anticipating the third book even more.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, much better than the first, December 31, 2003

By 

Tiger-Stripe (Chaos Realms) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dark (Guardians of Time Book 2) (Hardcover)

This book is great! Compared to the first one, I had a lot more fun reading this one. Normally I'm a non-emotional person, but this book made me cry with sadness and joy. The ending may be a little predictable, but I loved it non-the-less. This book is fabulous! No point is giving a bio of it, cause there's one already there. The characters are very well thought, and if you enjoy fantasy involving the past, well then, this is one for you. Make sure you read the other one first though (otherwise you will be totally lost). I highly recommend this book for fatasy addicted teens, along with any other completed or future books done by Marianne Curley. She is an excellent begining author, with a refreshing new look on writing. I cannot wait until she writes the third, final book, although I will be a little sad that the series ended so soon.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely great!, September 22, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Dark (Guardians of Time Book 2) (Hardcover)

I waited impatiently for The Named to come out, and when it finally did, I had to wait impatiently again for this book to come out. Believe me when I say that The Dark will not dissapoint fans of The Named and Old Magic. Once again, the characters of Isabel, Ethan, Arkarian, Matt, Rochelle, and many others from The Named come back for the second book of The Guardians of Time trilogy. Though the story is slightly predictable, you're bound to be surprised sooner or later. The plot has many twists and turns. However, I do wish that the book had a little more of Rochelle and Ethan, or anybody other than Isabel and Arkarian. Still, I really like this book. After finishing the book, you are left with many questions left unanswered that will probably be answered in the third book of the trilogy. So, I'll just have to wait again, until the trilogy is completed, and I can finally rest in peace.