{NIN} Review: Guardian of the Gate

The second book of the Prophecy of the Sisters trilogy by Michelle Zink starts off…really slow for me. It took me a long time to get into it because the book’s pace was so darn slow (and boring) at the beginning. Also, it didn’t help that Mockingjay came out while I was in the middle of reading Guardian of the Gate, so that quickly got put on the backburner while I read, then re-read, Mockingjay, then re-read Catching Fire (I had to get my fill of Katniss/Peeta action in!).

But since Guardian of the Gate was due soon at the library, I knew I’d better finish it soon, so I forced myself to read it, no matter how uninterested I was. However, when I reached a certain point in the book (Chapter 13), the plot got interesting (because hot new love interest entered the scene). After that, I couldn’t put the book down and very quickly finished the rest of it.

Guardian of the Gate picks up where Prophecy of the Sisters (Book 1) left off. Lia has left behind everything of her former life in America (family, friends, boyfriend) and is in London, honing her powers and preparing herself for the final battle she must eventually have against her twin sister Alice. Lia journeys from London with a trusted party of friends to the hidden isle of Altus, home of her Aunt Abigail. Lia needs to find the missing pages from The Book of Chaos that will tell her how to defeat the Souls and end the Prophecy, and only Aunt Abigail knows its location. It is a long and dangerous journey, and they are pursued by Hellhounds bent on keeping them from reaching their destination. Along the way, an unexpected and staggering betrayal occurs, finally forcing Lia to realize that she cannot trust and rely on anyone as wholly and innocently as she once did.

As I said in the beginning, the book started off really slow… but then I got to Chapter 13 and Dimitri Markov.

Helloooo, nurse!

Tall, dark, handsome, exuding power, and a sense of calm. Wowzas. I dig it.

Dimitri is a member of the Grigori sent to watch over Lia as she makes her journey. His role is to not intervene, for good or bad, in her journey but to ensure that she does not violate any laws of the Grigori as she works to end the Prophecy. However, we learn early on that Dimitri is really, and I mean REALLY, attracted to and protective of Lia, and she finds that she quickly and unabashedly feels the same, despite the nagging guilt in the back of her head for James. Their relationship develops at a fast pace but in a believable manner as they just have that instant and soul-wrenching connection. They have so many sigh-worthy moments that I happily got my fill of YA (innocent) romance.

Lia certainly develops into a much stronger person in this book. While still fearful of her sister’s power, she slowly grows into her own, and her self-esteem and self-reliance increase. I enjoyed seeing her fall for Dimitri, yet she is not so blindly in love that she won’t put him in his place when his over-protectiveness irritates her (because actually, it was starting to irritate me too). I thought the book’s conclusion was a worthy display of this self-reliance and growth in her character.

Overall, the book was okay. But now that Dimitri is on the scene, I must finish the series for the sake of finding out what happens with the Lia-Dimitri-James love triangle. Never mind the Prophecy. :)

I really want to give this book two ratings:

Ch.1-12: Didn't Suffer Too Terribly

Ch.13+: I Digs

But I suppose as a whole, I give the book...