The Faerie Guardian

Name: The Faerie Guardian
Rating: 4.0 (45 reviews)

Ratings:

297 pages3 hours

Summary

She's fae. He's human. He should never have followed her into the magic realm… Binge-read the complete series now!

Seventeen-year-old Violet has one job: protect humans from dangerous magical creatures. It's a job she's good at—until her latest assignment, the cute human guy whose life she just saved, follows her into the fae realm.
Now she's broken faerie law, risking her future at the Guild of Guardians. She needs to get Nate home and make him forget everything he's discovered—but it won't be nearly as easy as she hopes.
Someone has been waiting for Nate, and now that he's entered the fae realm, a dangerous plot is set in motion. Vi is about to find herself fighting for both Nate's life and her own as the two of them are pulled deeper into the darker side of the fae world.
The world is at stake in this bestselling YA fantasy series filled with dazzling magic, page-turning action, family secrets, and swoon-worthy romance. Grab your copy today to be swept away into this enchanting world!

Readers' reviews:

"The most addictive series I have ever read!"

"Seriously so amazing!"

"I adored this book, devoured it! A very talented author, who works magic with words and scenes."

If you enjoyed The Faerie Guardian, check out the other Creepy Hollow books! Next in the series is The Faerie Prince.

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Publisher: Rachel Morgan PublishingReleased: Oct 18, 2012ISBN: 9780992186302Format: book

Book Preview

The Faerie Guardian - Rachel Morgan

human.

Part One

One

My assignment tonight is cuter than most. Probably in his late teens, he has a strong jaw and an athletic sort of build. He’s asleep at his desk, his cheek stuck to the open page of a textbook. Strands of sun-bleached hair lie across his forehead, and his lips—which I may or may not have been admiring for the past half hour—are parted.

I slide off the window seat and creep across the room. It’s bigger than I first thought: with couches and a television arranged to form a separate sitting area, it’s more like a hotel suite than a regular bedroom.

Great. More places for things to hide.

I shrink into a shadowed corner and wait. For what, exactly, I’m not sure. The Seers never See more than a glimpse of what may happen. The boy’s steady breathing fills the room. A breeze lifts the curtain, and I catch the flicker of a streetlight on Draven Avenue.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Breathe in.

Breathe—

There she is! With a hiss, the serpent woman streaks across the room, lamplight reflecting off her scaly skin. I stretch my arms into position and feel the prickly warmth of the bow and arrow as they materialize in my hands. I pull back and let go. The arrow flies across the room in a shower of orange-gold sparks, finding its mark in the reptiscilla’s shoulder.

She cries out, stumbles, and twists in my direction. Her black eyes bore into mine. It’s happening already, she whispers.

She rips the arrow from her shoulder—a move that must have really hurt—and lunges for the boy. I toss my bow aside and dive toward him too, knocking his sleeping form to the floor. He’s awake now, which isn’t ideal, but at least he can’t see us.

I roll off him and spring to my feet, just in time for the reptiscilla to throw herself at me. We’re on the floor. She buries her fangs in my arm, but I barely register the stinging pain. I hear Tora’s voice in my head: Bend your knees, arch your back, thrust your opponent right off.

I hurl my body over and pin the reptiscilla down by her throat, my free hand already reaching into the air for another arrow. I bring it down swiftly, straight toward her heart.

But she’s gone.

Thankfully. I hate it when I have to kill them. With a heavy breath, I collapse against the nearest wall, still gripping the arrow. The cord that held my hair back has come undone, and tangles of purple and dark brown fall in my face. I push them away and begin to feel the tingling ache of the reptiscilla’s bite.

What … the hell … was that?

I raise my eyes. My assignment is looking at me.

At me!

My heart stutters. I mentally feel for my glamour, the magic that should be making me invisible right now. It’s still in place, I’m sure it is. So how can he possibly see me?

Crap. This is bad.

A few feet away from me, the guy pushes himself up into a sitting position. What just happened?

Um … Dammit, I’m going to lose so many points for this.

And what the hell is that?

I follow his gaze to the arrow in my hand. It sparkles with its own light, as though made of hundreds of tiny white-hot stars. I can see how that would look weird to a human. I let go of the arrow. It vanishes, causing the guy’s eyes to grow even wider.

Well, I should really be going. I stand, hoping my stylus is still in my boot.

Wait. He gets to his feet. "Who are you? What are you doing here? What was that … thing?"

That thing? I casually reach behind me for the wall. Oh, you know, just a product of your subconscious. And all that ice cream you ate earlier. Indigestion can make for some interesting dreams. I cringe internally. Dreams? What idiot would buy that explanation?

His eyebrows draw together. I guess that could make sense. You are way more attractive than any real-life girl who’s managed to find her way into my bedroom.

This is not happening.

I slide my hand into the top of my boot and retrieve my stylus. You need to wake up and carry on studying, I tell him. Then I turn to the wall and scribble a few words across it. The writing glows and fades, and a portion of the wall melts away like ribbon held too close to a flame. Goodbye, I call over my shoulder. I step into the yawning darkness, holding two words in my mind: Creepy Hollow.

Argh! I cry out as a hand grabs hold of my arm. The arm that’s only just begun to heal from the reptiscilla’s bite. I stumble on the invisible path, my mind loses hold of my destination, and I tumble out of the darkness and onto the forest floor. I don’t usually exit the faerie paths so clumsily, but I don’t usually have a human on top of me.

I lie there blinking as the reality of what just happened strikes me like a slap in the face.

A human.

In the fae realm.

And I’m the one who brought him here.

No no no NO.

I give him a good kick and he lands on the ground beside me with a groan. What did you do that for? I demand, jumping to my feet. You can’t follow me through! That’s not how this works.

He sits up and stares at his surroundings—the wildly tangled trees; the creeping mist; the shifting smoke-like colors in the yuro plants’ leaves—with a mixture of horror and awe on his face. That … was …

Probably the most idiotic thing you’ve ever done, I say. I doubt he’s listening though.

I think you were right about the dreaming thing, he says. There’s no way this could be real. Am I high on something?

Ugh. I clench my fists so tightly I can feel my nails digging into my skin. It’s magic, you moron.

He looks at me and frowns. There’s no such thing as magic.

Well, you probably think there’s no such thing as faeries either, and yet here I am. And here he is. In my forest. My home. I kick a flurry of leaves into the air. Their colors shift rapidly in protest, cycling through an endless palette: lavender, magenta, burgundy, sienna. I bury my face in my hands. I have so failed this assignment.

No way, he says, rustling the leaves as he stands. You can’t be a faerie. You’re way too big.

I lower my hands. Excuse me? I’ve been called many things in my seventeen years, but ‘big’ has never been one of them. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Aren’t faeries supposed to be, like, really tiny? With wings and a wand and faerie dust?

I’m not Tinker Bell!

He takes a step back. Okay, okay. Since this is a dream, I guess you can be whatever you want to be.

Did it feel like a dream when I kicked you just now?

Actually, that did kind of hurt. He rubs his leg.

I shake my head. "This is such a mistake. You should not be here."

So you don’t have wings then? he asks.

Sure I do. They’re in my pocket.

Really?

No! I’m trying to think of the best way to fix this, and I wish he’d keep quiet.

"Oh, wait, you do have a wand though. I saw you using it on my wall."

It’s not a wand, it’s a stylus. Just a stick, really.

But it—

You know, if it weren’t my sole purpose in life to protect humans like you from crazy magical fae, I’d leave you here to find your own way home.

Is that what you were doing in my room? he asks after a moment.

I sigh. Yes. I was on assignment.

I was your assignment?

Wow, you catch on fast. Yes.

He hesitates a moment, then grins. That’s kind of hot.

Okay, listen up, Draven Avenue, I say before he can make any more inappropriate comments. I’m going to open up another path and take you back to— I stop as something occurs to me. Wait a sec. Why aren’t you dead?

Um …

"Faerie paths are for faeries. You shouldn’t survive the journey."

He stares back at me, and it’s then that I hear the footsteps. Guilt tightens my chest and sends my heart racing. I get the sudden urge to open up a doorway and push the human into it, but I’m worried it was some strange fluke that he survived the first journey. What if a second one kills him?

A figure appears between the trees and my pounding heart sinks when I see who it is. I’m definitely not getting out of this one.

Ryn, I say, trying to keep my voice even. Back so soon? That’s unlike you. I heard you came in second to last for the assignment before this one.

Ryn stops and leans against a tree, tossing a ball of moonlight back and forth. Its glow dances across his face and causes his blue-black hair to gleam. Don’t you mean second, Pixie Sticks? I would have thought you’d pay more attention to your closest competition.

I would—if you were competition worth paying attention to.

Ryn’s eyes narrow. He opens his mouth to speak, then freezes, his eyes moving to the guy beside me. He pushes away from the tree and steps closer. "You have a friend, Pixie Sticks? he says. You’ve actually managed to find someone willing to—" He breaks off and stares at the guy for several moments. His eyes slide back to mine, and a grin spreads across his face.

He knows.

Well, well, well. Look who broke rule number one. He spins the ball of moonlight on the tip of his finger before squashing it into nothing between his palms. Tell me, Pixie Sticks. How does it feel to fail an assignment?

My mental call is automatic, and barely a second passes before my bow and arrow are blazing between my fingers. I point the arrow directly at Ryn. He flicks his wrist, almost too fast to follow. A whip with as much fiery brilliance as my own weapon appears in his hand with a snap.

Wanna play? he asks, his voice low and dangerous.

Get out of here, Ryn, I say without lowering the arrow.

Ryn laughs and winds the whip around his arm. He hesitates, as if teasing me, then tosses the whip into the air where it disappears. He pulls out his stylus and opens a doorway in the air in front of him. Show-off. It’s the one thing he can do better than I can. I have to use a solid surface to open a way to the paths. I’ll make sure Tora knows about this, he says as he steps through the doorway. You know, in case you forget to mention it to her. The air closes up behind him.

Great, great, great. I wish I were still at the age where having a tantrum would be acceptable. I’ve never known anyone to mess up an assignment this badly, and I’m pretty sure it’s not even my fault.

Pixie Sticks? asks my human companion.

I swing my arrow toward him. Don’t call me that.

He raises his hands in surrender. Sorry. I thought that was your name.

I fling my weapon into the darkness and watch it vanish. "That is definitely not my name."

Oh. He stares at me with large toffee-brown eyes, waiting, as though I’m supposed to say something now. But I am not going to be the one to make this situation any less awkward. So … he says eventually. What is your name?

Well, I’ve just about told him everything else. Why not my name? My name is Violet. Violet Fairdale.

He laughs. Right, and my name’s … He catches sight of my expression, and the smile fades from his face. Oh. You’re being serious. I thought … because of the … He waves his hand in the general direction of my head. Is he suggesting I’m crazy?

I cross my arms and turn away from him, trying to pretend he isn’t here. Ryn will definitely tell Tora about my disastrous assignment, and, knowing him, he’ll make it sound as bad as possible. I need to be the one to tell her, but I’d rather explain this in person than in a message. I glance up at the sky. It’s late, but I know Tora will be at work still. How quickly can we get there?

So did you get the purple hair and contacts to match your name?

I blink at the human standing in front of me once again. What is he talking about?

You know, contacts? He points at his eyes, and after a few seconds I make the connection between the word ‘contacts’ and the memory I have of a girl sticking curved, gel-like shapes into her eyes. That was the assignment where I got rid of the fire-spitting lizard that found its way into some bathroom plumbing.

I narrow my eyes. Are you suggesting that something about my appearance is fake?

Well, yeah. Purple eyes and purple streaks aren’t natural.

They are where I come from.

A buzz in my pocket catches my attention. With a growing sense of dread, I reach in and slide out the rectangle of amber. Sure enough, Tora’s graceful script burns across the amber’s smooth surface.

See me. NOW.

Two

Dammit, Ryn, I mutter. With one swipe of my hand, I clear the words from the amber and stuff it back into my pocket.

What was that? asks the guy whose name I don’t care to know. Did you get a message on that thing? What’s it made—

We’re leaving, I snap. Try to keep up.

Wait, he says. I turn back, ready to give him a piece of my mind, but the look on his face stills me. I know he’s around about my age, but he seems younger all of a sudden. Lost, almost. This … this is all real? he asks. I’m not actually fast asleep in my bed, dreaming some crazy dream?

For a moment my frustration dims, and I see a confused young man standing in a world he was never meant to know about. I should at least try to be civil, shouldn’t I? But then I think of what I’m about to lose because of him. I could be expelled, or, at the very least, suspended. All my training could be for nothing. All the blood, the bruises, the pain. The nightmares that come after having to kill someone. I may have gone through that for nothing—all because this human couldn’t just stay in his damn bedroom.

Yes, I say, doing my best to keep my voice free of emotion. It’s real. And you have no idea what you’ve cost me by being here. I turn away from him and climb over giant, twisting roots as I head in the direction of the Guild.

Hey, what do you mean? he asks as he catches up to me. What have I cost you?

My fingers curl automatically into fists, and I force my words out between my teeth. "I am two months away from graduation, Mr. Draven Avenue. Two months. That’s how close I am to being the best guardian the Guild has seen in years, and you may have just ruined that for me."

I hear nothing but the sound of our footsteps, and then he says, My name’s actually Nate.

Well, clearly Nate doesn’t get why I’m so upset. And why should he? He has no idea why that top place is so important to me, and I’m certainly not about to tell him. I skirt the edge of a clearing where giant mushrooms are swelling as they soak up the silvery glow of the moon. Don’t stand on the mushrooms, I tell him. They don’t like it. And the last thing I need now is for him to show up at the Guild covered in poisonous goop.

An eerie howl vibrates through the air, rustling the leaves above us and causing a nest of tiny airhorses to take flight and disappear into the night. I quicken my pace. I can handle pretty much any creature we might come across, but having Nate with me would no doubt complicate things. I glance over my shoulder at him, only to find that he’s stopped to watch the airhorses fly away. Come on, I call.

He shakes his head and hurries after me. This is incredible, he says. I know I should be freaked out or something, but … wow.

I don’t say anything.

Hey, since you’re magical and everything, are you also, you know, immortal?

I don’t know if he’s deliberately ignoring the angry vibes I’m sending his way, or if they’re simply passing right over his head. Either way, it’s getting tiring. With a sigh, I say, Faeries are not immortal. Old age catches up after several hundred years.

"Several hundred—wow. So you’re actually old even though you look my age?"

I give him a withering look. I’m seventeen.

Right. Cool.

The forest thins as we get closer to the Guild. We move faster, but every time we pass something vaguely out of the ordinary—a group of pixies climbing onto each others’ shoulders to reach a high branch; a lone faun looking a little tipsy—I sense Nate’s reluctance at having to keep moving. I know he wants to stop and stare, but I won’t keep Tora waiting any longer than necessary.

I watch for the entrance. It’s never in exactly the same place, and it would be easy to miss if I didn’t know what to look for.

There, I say, breaking the silence and pointing to a tuft of goldenrod flowers growing at the base of a tree. They glitter faintly in the darkness. I head straight for the tree and rest one hand against the smooth bark. With the other, I reach for my stylus.

You guys live in trees? Nate asks.

I don’t bother replying. I set my stylus against the tree trunk and etch a few words—in a language I know Nate can’t understand, despite the fact that he’s trying to read over my shoulder—into the bark. A brilliant gold light fills the letters and then disappears, taking the words with it.

The tree’s shape begins to change. Leaves are sucked into branches. Branches curl downward and merge into the trunk, which widens and changes color and texture. A set of double glass doors shimmer into view. Stairs push their way out from the roots. In a matter of seconds, we’re standing in front of the entrance to the Guild of Guardians.

Um … Nate says. Perhaps you could punch me now, because I’m pretty sure I’m dreaming.

I roll my eyes, clutch the sleeve of his T-shirt, and pull him up the stairs. "Don’t tempt me. And aren’t you meant to pinch people who think they’re dreaming?"

The glass doors slide open to reveal the night guard, Tank, blocking the way forward. Evening, Vi, he says. Bit late, isn’t it?

I gesture to Nate. I’m in trouble.

Tank’s eyes bore into the human boy beside me. Yes. I can see that. He holds up his stylus. My fingers go to my neck and tug the chain out from beneath my shirt. I hold up my trainee pendant and Tank scans it with his stylus. He steps aside and nods toward the stairs at the other end of the foyer.

Thanks, Tank. I pull Nate across the open space. He tilts his head back to stare at the domed ceiling high above us. Clouds of purple, grey and midnight blue swirl within the dome. Protective enchantments, I tell him.

We climb the stairs to the second floor, Nate trailing his hand over the leafy vines that twist around the banisters. At this time of night there aren’t many people here—most trainees with evening assignments report to their mentors the following morning—and the only person we pass is Amon, the Guild’s head librarian.

"Are those … dwarves?" Nate twists to look over his shoulder as we pass two short figures arguing in a corner. I can’t think about answering him, though, because in about five steps we’ll reach Tora’s office door.

Anxiety chews at my insides.

We come to a stop.

I tug a strand of hair over my shoulder and wind it around and around my finger. Don’t say anything, I tell him, and then I knock.

After a second of silence that lasts about half an eternity, I hear Tora’s voice: That had better be you, Vi.

I bite my lip and push the door open. Tora sits behind her desk, scrolls of reed paper piled neatly around her. She crosses her arms and leans back in her chair, watching me. Light shifts across her youthful face as the giant glow-bug on the ceiling squirms and settles down.

It’s called rule number one for a reason, Vi, she says, nodding her head toward the two chairs in front of her desk. I move to the one on the right. After a moment’s hesitation, Nate sits down beside me. Tora doesn’t acknowledge him, holding her hand out instead for my tracker band.

I unclip the strip of leather from my wrist and push it across the table. Tora smoothes it flat beneath her forefingers and whispers something under her breath. Tiny black markings appear on the leather. Markings that tell her whatever she needs to know about the assignment I just completed.

Well, she says, leaning back, "you got rid of the reptiscilla in excellent time, but that means nothing considering you not only revealed yourself to a human, but also brought him back into our realm. And— her eyes slip from my face down to my arm —just to top it all off, you got yourself bitten."

What? A single bite costs hardly any points. I glare at the two crescent shapes of healing skin. They’re at the pale pink stage, about an hour away from being perfectly healed.

Nevertheless. You still broke the Guild’s two most important rules. This is serious, Violet. You know why we have to enforce these laws.

Yes, I say, taking a deep breath and gearing up to start reciting. "Some humans are greedy, and what they want above all else is power. If humans know that magic exists, they could convince some power-hungry faerie to turn against his or her own kind, just like Lord Grundheim-something-or-other did all those centuries ago. Faeries will die; humans will die; life as we know it will

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Reviews

Go to cheriereads's profile, opens in a new window

Faeries, you say? More faeries? I know, I know. The YA market has become quite saturated with Faeries and Fairies (and any other spelling you can think of ) - especially since the success of Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series. So, what makes this series different and worth reading? A few things: an original take on human/faerie interaction, amazing world-building, entertaining dialogue and a kick-ass female main character to start.

In this faerie world, humans are strictly forbidden. They are never to know anything about Faerie. Of course, there are the baddies who want to take advantage of humans, or maybe eat them for dinner, but that's where the Guardians come in. Guardians are an elite group of Faeries who are trained to fight their darker counterparts and protect humans. They use glamour to hide themselves from us. I thought this take on Faerie was unique. Usually faeries - light and dark both - are all about taking advantage of humans in whatever way they can. I found it refreshing that in this world, there are faeries who want to protect us.

The world was also unique. The fae live mostly like humans do but things we do with technology, they do with magic. They create light with magic, they have "sound drops" that play music into your ears when you stick them to your temples, they even have modern conveniences like bathrooms - with a magical twist:

I jump off the bed and join him at the doorway to the bathing room. He peers in at what looks like a slice of nature. Grass grows naturally, and a pool fills the center of the room. Scattered amongst the blades of grass are hundreds of tiny blue and yellow flowers. Trees with tangled branches conceal the walls, and water tumbles down a pile of rocks and into the other side of the pool.

"You are kidding me, " says Nate. "You have a pool in your bathroom?"

"The bath idea never really took off," I say. "Self-cleaning pools have been in for centuries. And the mini-waterfall provides an excellent shower."

It's details like these that make me really fall in love with not only the story, but the world it is set in.

Violet, or Vi, is a faerie training to be a Guardian. Nate happens to be an assignment. After fighting off a baddie, she realizes that Nate can see through her glamour. She tries to high-tail it out of there but Nate hitches a ride with her to Creepy Hollow, the faerie world. So, now Vi is in trouble! She has broken the first and most important rule of Faerie - no humans allowed! As part of her punishment, she is tasked with protecting this human boy while escorting him back to the human world. This is where the action starts. I'm not going to tell you more than that because I don't want to ruin it for you. Suffice it to say that there's quite a bit of action.

I loved the interactions between Nate and Violet at the beginning of the book. I laughed out loud in a couple of parts and snickered at others. The author did a really great job of writing Nate as a human who learns that magic and faeries are real. He has all these misconceptions based on fairy tales and movies and that makes for some great dialogue.

"No way," he says, rustling the leaves as he stands. "You can't be a faerie. You're way too big."

I lower my hands. "Excuse me?" I've been called many things in my seventeen years, but 'big' has never been one of them...

"Aren't faeries supposed to be, like, really tiny? With wings and a wand and faerie dust?"

"I'm not Tinker Bell!" ....

"So you don't have wings then?" he asks, completely ignoring what I just said.

"Sure I do, they're in my pocket."

"Really?"

"No!"

Of course, Nate and Violet end up an item. This is actually the part that almost lost me. Anyone who has read this blog before knows that I am not a fan of insta-love and Nate and Violet walk a very fine line there. There is no big declaration of love, no declaration that they are soul mates, but things develop a little too quickly for my taste.

I really enjoyed the storyline and thought the pacing was good. There was a point somewhere towards the middle of the book where it almost seemed like I was reading a different book about the same characters. I can't say more without giving anything away but that was a little jarring for me. This book was originally published as four separate novellas so this makes sense to some extent. We go from romance with Nate and Vi to no Nate and backstory with Ryn instead. Later on, things became more clear and I could see how things fit together but while reading there was definitely a little bit of a disconnect between the plotlines. Generally, this book moved along quickly and was very entertaining.

My favorite thing about this book was the main character, Violet. She is a strong heroine both physically and mentally. She has a smart mouth and is funny. She works hard to be the best at what she does. She is dedicated to her work and to the people she cares about. At the same time, she still has vulnerabilities and insecurities that make her a believable character. I enjoyed reading from Violet's perspective and watching her question and grow along the way.

Overall, I very much enjoyed this one. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good fairy tale, fans of fantasy and especially fans of Julie Kagawa and her Iron Fey series. This was an original take on the Fae and I can't wait to read more!

P.S. I'm Team Ryn!

Go to emily_anne-1's profile, opens in a new window

This book was addicting and I found myself rarely even looking up from my e-reader! To me the book started out mediocre but by halfway through I was hooked. I immediately started reading the 2nd book, which has a 5 star review coming later this week, after I finished The Faerie Guardian.

The ideas of a faerie world really intrigued me, and as I was reading, really sucked me in! This may even be my favorite faerie book yet. The world is richly imagined and all the unique powers and gadgets and training kept the readers interested and sets this book apart from other less imagined and creative novels. The Guild and Creepy Hollow are very vivid.

To me all the characters were well developed and unique, although I did have some problems with Nate a first. Violet, Ryn, Tora, and all the other characters were amazing from start to finish though. Violet is a Grade A heroine with her epic faeries skills, witty comebacks, and narration. And Ryn was so awesome, especially as you learn more about him! There are also many realistic feeling and coping methods to grief you see presented in some characters.

The pacing is perfect. I was never bored, not once. There is always action. In the end of the book especially there was a lot of heart pounding action. And everything happening is explained perfectly and in way the readers are pulled into the world. Plus, all the magical abilities add charm to the novel.

One little problem I had with Nate is that he fell for Violet too quickly. However, at least not for Violet I am not sure about Nate, is that it was just more of a "like" relationship. I didn't even really like Nate in the beginning but he really grows into an interesting and really cool character! Although I am pretty sure I'll always like Ryn better as a unique and vivid character.

The ending of this book has you begging for more. I felt as if with every page I read I became more invested. As I have already read the first two books I am impatiently waiting for the third one! This is a series that could rise to my favorites list, so pick up The Faerie Guardian if you have the chance!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would not hesitate to recommend The Faerie Guardian to any of my friends!

Go to krau0098's profile, opens in a new window

I got this book to read on audiobook. The audiobook was decently done but not wonderful. The main heroine has a very chirpy voice which doesn’t match her character all that well. Additionally a lot of the male voices sounded similar (particularly Nate and Ryn). I really didn’t like the beginning of this book. The story was just too simple and too silly; the beginning is all about Nate following Vi into faerie and getting her into trouble and the chaos that follows when she tries to get him back home. I thought Nate was incredibly unlikable; he came across as selfish and chauvinistic and I truly did not understand what a strong girl like Vi saw in him. I almost stopped listening to this a couple hours in because I just could not stand Nate.The book got a lot better in the second half when Vi starts to unravel the mystery around Nate’s mom and the strange eye tattoo Nate ends up with. Here we get introduced to a lot more of the politics in Faerie and the story gets tons more interesting. Also Nate gets a lot less page space and Ryn gets a lot more (I loved Ryn).I absolutely loved Ryn’s character and really loved the dynamic him and Vi had going on. Ryn comes off as a jerk early on, but as you learn the complicated history between him and Vi things get more and more interesting. In the second half of the book there is a also a lot more discussion about powerful magic items and a plot to collect them and this was very engaging.The action scenes are well done and I enjoyed most of the characters (except for Nate). In the end this ended up being a decent book despite the rough start.Overall an okay read that has a lot of fae magic, romance, and action. I would recommend to those who enjoy paranormal YA reads. The book started rough but got better towards the end. I am unsure if I will continue with the series or not; I’ll have to think about it a bit.

Go to cathy_keaton's profile, opens in a new window

Did I find a super awesome YA read with amazing characters and believable romance? And romantic tension? Lots of romantic tension? Did I? Oh, yes... Yes, I did.This is one of my new favorites going on my “epic” shelf! Sweet babies, I adored this thing. Violet, the protag, is a very strong and snarky faerie—truly funny, and not just occasionally so. She's a tough chick and even a bit of a tomboy to boot, which makes her physical prowess that much more believable. And, she's a teenage girl with so little experience with boys, so she does allow herself to get involved with the human boy, Nate. But, she is not dreaming of their wedding day, nor thinking the fate gods had anything to do with their meeting each other.She's a Guardian-in-training who goes out and protects people and fae folk from evil stuff that has the tendency to wreak havoc on innocent people's lives. She has a really sassy guy rival in her Guild named Ryn, an old friend-turned-enemy. A frenemy. He's just yummy and fun. I love characters like that!Then, there's Nate who is really funny, too, and I don't know how I feel about him after having read the entire story, plus the bonus stories. He's just a complex character, I suppose, like any real person, so I'm left perplexed and wanting to know why he chooses to go down the path he does in the story SO badly. Why did you do it? Why, Nate?Back to Ryn—delicious Ryn. Where you have an instant attraction between Violet and Nate, leading to a very immediate relationship worthy of high-schoolers, you have something far slower-burning with Vi and Ryn. They hate each other, but do they really? It feels like that kind of relationship where the two get off on making each other angry. Ryn certainly derives actual pleasure from doing so with Vi, as I learned from reading his POV story at the end. The potential for future romance between the two is seething through the words on the page and I cannot wait to read more about them. I totally ship it!I think what makes this story work is that it goes deep and does it right away in Book 1. We find out why Violet has literally NO friends and why she and Ryn had a falling out. She starts out not having a clue as to why he hates her, but he fesses up and it really allows for the kind of character insight missing in a whole lot of novels I read, YA and adult. Because I can understand what makes these characters tick, I relate to them better and can now get hooked into their emotions, just like how they get hooked into each other, emotionally, after their big blow-up. It's something usually saved for a Book 2 or Book 3, but, seriously, why wait to put in the good stuff? This is why readers read!

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Wow!! Another free book that I loved!! I didn't want to put the book down. I love it when a book captures my interest from the beginning. In this book we have Violet who is a Faerie Guardian Trainee who accidentally brings a human into Creepy Hollow after doing her assignment. The human, Nate is not supposed to be able to see past the glamour but for some reason he is able to. He also survived the faerie paths. Ryn is also another Faerie Guardian Trainee and has a history with Violet and a bit of a rival to be the top in their class. I loved all the characters. Even when they were being mean to each other. Ryn and Violet put their history behind to search for Ryn's half sister after she is kidnapped. Violet doesn't know why Calla was kidnapped but when she finds out where she is being kept Violet finally finds out that Calla has some unique powers just like Violet does. Violet is able to find people just by touching something that belongs to them.Now I can't wait to read the next book in the series to see what happens.

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I have received an ebook copy of this book via Xpresso BT review opportunity.The Faerie Guardian is the first book in Creepy Hollow series. The book starts by introducing Violet Fairdale, who is a Guardian trainee on assignment. From there, a number of rule-breaking has been made that leads to indirectly harming the people she cares about and she cared about.What I liked about this book is the modernized kind of way approach to fae realm. This book was easy to read. The nature of action accompanied by magical surge and physical attack made the reading so much fun. Though, I really did not fancy Violet and Nate's romance. I was not into insta-love because I could not see how the 'love' actually evolved and blossomed.On the other hand, right in the start, Ryn and Violet has a very good potential for romantic relationship. Even without revealing their past yet. They really got a very good chemistry, even if all they do when they meet each other is fight. I am actually looking forward what their 'sort of friends' relationship will turn into. They have more sparks than the latter.I like it to the point of wanting to finish the whole series of this book. I just don't like the 'meh' part when it comes to Nate and Violet. I love to see more of Ryn and Vi. Oh! The cover looks simply faerie nice.

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Fantastic

I was expecting mediocre juvenile fiction and quickly realized how wrong I was. The characters are very relatable and their world is rich and detailed. It is easy to lose oneself in their adventures. I will certainly be reading the next book in the series.

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I really liked this book. I always love a snarky heroine who doesn't use terrible language. (Vi's favorite expletive is "flippin' flip!".) This is one of those books that just ticks every box for me. The world-building is creative and interesting, the characters are awesome and have the most hysterical conversations, the action is intense, the villains are incredibly evil, and the plot is exciting and romantic. I'm excited to see what comes next in the series and am glad I don't have to wait a year to read them. I should always wait until the whole series is out before starting :). A couple of my favorite quotes from The Faerie Guardian :“Seelie Court,” murmurs Nate. “Sounds familiar. Was it in a computer game?”“Do I look like someone who plays computer games?”A grin stretches across Nate’s face. “You look like someone who could be in a computer game.” “I angle my head down and peer up at him through my lashes in what I hope is an alluring manner. I have zero experience in this area though, so it’s possible I look like a total moron.” “You’re not the kind of person to just randomly fall in love. You’re way too . . .”My eyes shoot to his. “Too what?”“Well, you know, emotionally closed off.”“I will emotionally close off every orifice in your face if you don’t shut up about this right now.” Like I said, I do love a clean-mouthed snarky heroine! And I also love it when a books quotes practically write the review for you. Unfortunately, this doesn't get checked out very often in my library, I'll have to start talking it up. I wish the cover of the paperback was the same as the ebook edition that I read because I think it would get checked out more if it was - it was gorgeous!Areas of concern:The *d* word is used a handful of times.There is quite a bit of violence - Guardians against magical creatures and Unseelie against Seelie. A 6 year old child is in mortal danger.Absent/dead parents of the main character who lives by herself.

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The Faerie Guardian (Creepy Hollow #1) by Rachel MorganViolet Fairdale is a seventeen-year-old fairy guardian in training. It is Vi’s job to protect humans and innocent Fae from the evil things that hunt them. While on a mission, Nate, a human boy who should not be able to see her kind, followed Vi to faerie. Having broken Guild Law, she is required to return the boy to the mortal realm and spell him to forget. It sounds easy, nope far from it. Violet is a wonderful heroine. She is a hardworking dedicated student, at the top of her class. I love her strong sprit. Both her parents have died, and she doesn’t have many people she can rely on. Despite that she is a good person, with strong values.I enjoyed the storyline of Violet’s once friend, now nemesis, Ryn. They share a thought-provoking past. He keeps you guessing. I am curious where that relationship will go in future books.I enjoyed the world that Rachel Morgan created. She does an excellent job describing environments in a stimulating manner.The Faerie Guardian is an action pact thrilling novel. The story is intriguing. It is mysterious, you never know who Vi can trust. I can easily see me getting hooked on this series and look forward to reading, The Faerie Prince (Creepy Hollow, #2). Complimentary copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

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I Love it I love it I love it! I loved everything about it. The good fantasy with unique, original and creative fae world and beautiful great romance. Shocking plot twists and heart breaking moments. JUST LOVED IT