Customer Reviews

Guardian Angels (Hardscrabble Books-Fiction of New England)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mr. Citro never fails to entertain but, this is a case of not quite meeting the high standards set by his other books.

The story is good and the re-appearance of Eric Nolan (central character in Citro's previous book set in Antrim, Vermont: Shadow Child) makes readers of his previous book feel "in-the-know" and part of the story even more.

This story also brings back Citro's most frightening and malevolent antagonists: the Gentry. These are his best invention as it is so easy to picture their child-like laughter in the reader's head and it is amazing how the warming sound of children's laughter becomes so forbodding in this context.

However, Mr. Citro seems to have found it necessary to bestow upon the Gentry new and more unbelievable powers. That is the problem, they do become unbelievable. We accepted their limited (but fearsome) powers in Shadow Child but, with their added powers, any victory by the untrained and average citizens seems so far-fetched that readers may find themselves wondering how the Gentry could have lasted centuries to fall to this group of people.

Finally, on a prudish note. Mr. Citro's repeated descriptions of the thirteen year-old girl's (Mona Grant) developing body (described clothed, partially clothed, and nude during sex) made even me uncomfortable. I caught myself forgetting that he was describing a girl barely in her teens and when I remembered, I felt a bit on the dirty side. I see the point of these references and I do understand that there is a "coming of age" aspect to the book (especially as regards Mona and Will) but, it was still a bit gratuitous for me.

On the positive-side (and please, don't let my tendancy to "criticize first, and praise second" dissaude you from the overall enjoyment that is this book) Mr. Citro gets you to accept his characters quickly (ecpecially the returning characters of the Police Chief and Eric Nolan). Also, he completely immerses you into Antrim, Vermont and give return readers a welcome impression of returning to a favorite spot (given what occurred when last we saw Antrim in Shadow Child, this is an accomplishment). He does his usually wonderful job of conveying locales and moods as well as rapidly lighting a hatred of the Gentry that makes the reader more apt to allow hatred of the Gentry to bond the reader to the protagonists, regardless of their skeletons in the closet or seeming lack of a chance.

Read this book on a summer night when the windows are open and you can allow yourself to wonder, just for a second, if such things really do happen. If you're lucky, you'll scare yourself just a bit, if you are really lucky maybe a child will laugh within ear shot at just the right/wrong moment in the story.

Enjoy this book but, to truly appreciate Mr. Citro and HIS Vermont, read some of his other fictional work (especially Shadow Child).

I had a hard time putting this book down because it was just so flat-out spooky. Granted, the premise is absurd, but if you want reality, watch the news. This is a great story that kept me up late into the night. While I'm not a big fan of teenagers as protagonists, this works fairly well b/c Citro treats him as a real person as opposed to a stereotype. If you like horror stories, you will love this.

Great book by a really great author. I don not usually like sequels but this is the exception to the rule. The Gentrys are spooky and then you add a character like Joe Grant to the mix and it really makes it scary.

In Citro's second novel of the Gentry, he gets very much involved with the surroundings of the woods, that one is able to actually be horrified at being lost in the woods with the characters of this story. A fantastic story line that will keep anyone addicted to finding out if the Gentry will continue to terrify and ask one question: What is reality?

Guardian Angels is one of those rare books that lives up to the cliche "page turner". I rarely read novels in a single day but this book was so engaging and entertaining I read it in a single sitting. It has everything a good horror novel should have. Chills, thrills, a neat plot, and likeable, smart characters. Highly recommended. When are you going to write a new book, Mr. Citro? Don't leave us hanging any longer!

Living in Vermont, In the same enviornment as Citro's setting, it is difficult to look accross the field from my kitchen window and not think of the Gentry. Leads you to question the foundation of your own reality

another well written book from cirto! i highly recomend this book and anything written by him

I loved Citro's prequel to this, Shadow Child, and was equally impressed by this follow-up. The novel takes off from where the last one ended...Eric Nolan, the protagonist in Shadow Child, has been incarcerated in a mental asylum for the past five years. A new family has moved into the old house on Tenny's Hill Road...Sheila, Dan and Will, and all find themselves drawn into a menacing web of ancient evil. Only this time, Eric Nolan resolves to put an end to the horrors, and escapes from the asylum. The rest of the story deals with how the portagonists deal with the evil that permeates the forests and hills of Antrim, Vermont. Just as in Shadow Child, Citro weaves a spellbinding tale of supernatural evil, a tale that is tightly woven with chilling atmosphere, and thrilling suspense. I can't wait to read his other offerings!

Sure the book is a little quirky, but as a life-long, multi-generation Vermonter, I've heard true stories from the Northeast Kingdom that make the events in this book seem downright tame.

Vermonter dot com approved and heartily endorsed. Joe Citro's books share an honored spot on our book shelf!