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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Here wolfy wolfy...., March 28, 2010
This review is from: Shadow of the Moon (Dark Guardian, Book 4) (Paperback)
Shadow of the Moon is the fourth book of Rachel Hawhorne's Dark Guardian Novels. In this book Hayden is an empath who can sense all other shifter's emotions as if they were here own. Can you imagine physically going through intense pleasure, intense pain, pure fear, even though you have no idea why? Or who it is that's going through it? That's why Hayden leaves. After literally knowing what it's like to die by a Harvester's hands (think golem creatures intent on collect shifter's souls and making it so their bodies can't shift back to human) she runs away knowing she's next. Her full moon is only a month away and she refuses to put any of her pack in danger.
Now the one thing that I hate about all these books... Every girl goes through her shift on her 17th birthday full moon, she will die unless she has a mate.... at 17??? And what if that guy is 15 or 16? No that doesn't happen they are usually always older then the girl and knows before the girls know that she is the true mate. Then without the girl's consent they tattoo her name on their backs as a symbol of her being a true mate. Bleck! I am all for alphas... I love the thought of mates and sometimes a dominant male can be sexy. However at 17 I just picture myself watching anime, reading and can't imagine being mature enough to handle a 'true mate' let alone a dominant one. I really enjoyed that Brittany wasn't a shifter, I love that so far things have been a little different from the norm, but I really want to see this series evolve into having a girl shift by herself (without dying of course).
However.... this is a cute book, an especially cute paranormal one. Hawthorne keeps expanding her Shifters' world and putting new enemies in their paths. This ensures that we won't get too bored over time. Just make the fight scenes a little more detailed and gory! I mean show more blood. All in all I thought Daniel was a little too bossy, but Hayden certainly was no push over. Think of Daniel's back story, it makes perfect sense that he is the way he is. Hayden I'm sure will grow up more and be able to push right back. Now I'm currently looking for news about the Fifth one which I assume will be about Seth.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
If It's Not Broke..., March 24, 2010
This review is from: Shadow of the Moon (Dark Guardian, Book 4) (Paperback)
I take no pleasure in writing a less-than-positive review of a 'Dark Guardian' novel. As a fan of werewolves and well-crafted romances, I was drawn to the previous book, 'Dark of the Moon,' and largely enjoyed it. Afterward, I began looking forward to this one, and had also considered reading Book #1 in the meanwhile (the novels don't necessarily have to be read in order). This entry is well-written throughout, and has an interesting twist involved, but I have to admit to being disappointed overall.
I just don't find it romantic when one member of a relationship is overly controlling and forceful, and Daniel (who shows up to bring Hayden with him whether she likes it or not) is about as assertive and pushy as it gets. He even touches Hayden repeatedly without consent while throwing in little requests for obedience -- as one would do to a small child. None of this comes across as moving; it instead eliminates a sense of equality early on. The fact that he's polite about it, constantly "grinning," does not make it any less off-putting. And while Hayden is portrayed as having a strong will, it frequently crumbles in the face of shallow physical attraction. As a result, she's only half endearing as a protagonist. Since I couldn't enjoy the relationship -- which is at the core of a 'DG' story -- I couldn't really enjoy the novel overall. In my opinion, it would've been more romantic if he'd simply offered to watch over her in whatever decision she made, rather than trying to remove choice from the matter.
It's notable that at one point in the book, there's mention of a certain character in this series falling in love "slowly and over time." I couldn't help but dispute that claim, however, because a few days worth of changed feelings doesn't amount to "slowly." The feelings in this novel are similarly rushed in my opinion, which gets me wondering why the author's in such a hurry to make her characters fall in "love." As several of these couples are just starting to know each other, I'd find it more believable -- and a lot less predictable -- if some of them were simply headed in that direction.
I have a lot of respect for Hawthorne's ability to craft an interesting mythology with fascinating little mysteries. I have a lot of respect for her ability to craft concise, well-written sentences that keep the story flowing well. I just don't care for the way she chose to use her gift in this particular novel. Perhaps this one was meant to appeal to submissive readers who think that being controlled (not just helped) by a stereotypical 'bad boy' would be romantic. The previous book (and the others, from what I understand) did not have this issue, which made for a better romance and a more admirable heroine. As such, I'm going to read the first 'DG' novel, and hope that any future ones hew closer to the series' tradition.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
The Book Bash Review, April 11, 2011
This review is from: Shadow of the Moon (Dark Guardian, Book 4) (Paperback)
Ok.. Ms. Hawthorne has definitely worn me out with the I'm-a-shapeshifter-about-to-face-my-first-moon-with-my-soul-mate stuff. Yes, it's a little different each time but it's still basically the same. Thank God we are introduced to two fresh new characters with interesting abilities than span a tiny bit further than just shape shifting. Hayden is our heroine-- a shape shifter who is also empathic (she senses the feelings of fellow werewolves). Her gift drives her away from the pack to live among the statics (people who can't shift). She's tracked by Daniel. He's a newcomer that made an appearance in book three as an option for Brittany. Yes, he's mysterious, gorgeous, brooding, blah, blah, blah. Moving on!
And yes, you guessed it, he's immune to her powers. Could this be because he has a deep dark secret of his own? Well.. yeah! The back of the book asks the questions whether or not Daniel might be a hunter because they find one of their own murdered and still in wolf form and she wants you to wonder if Hayden might be his next prey. Personally, this never developed for me. I was never under the impression that Daniel might be a bad guy. Maybe you will. I don't know. However, I was well aware Daniel had a secret but I also had a pretty good idea what the secret was. Like I've mentioned about these books in previous reviews, they aren't very mysterious. You're not likely to be sitting there scratchy your head wondering but it's a sweet, subtle story that simply pleases rather than intrigues.
I believe this series is PERFECT for teenagers whose parents actually care about what they read. There's no sex, oral or otherwise (lol), no cursing, and no drugs. There is some violence and death but nothing too intense. I give the series as a whole two thumbs up!
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