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The Nightkeepers #1
Nightkeepers
The end of time looms, and Mayan demons have surfaced from the underworld to trigger an apocalypse. But as the final day approaches, the descendants of ancient warrior-priests prepare to fight back....
As a Miami narcotics detective, Leah Daniels never knows how her day will turn out. But she certainly doesn't expect to be strapped to a stone altar as the human sacrifice in an ancient Mayan ritual meant to coax a demon from the underworld - or to be saved by a handsome warrior-priest king, who claims to recognize her from his visions.
Striking Jaguar thinks he is the last of the Nightkeeper warrior-priests, but as the end-time approaches, his mentor reveals there are twelve others. In reuniting them, Strike - king by birthright - gains the power to summon a Mayan god to combat the demons. But the woman of his visions is the gods' chosen sacrifice. Now he must decide between love and duty...or find another way to invoke otherworldly magic in a death-defying race against the end of time.
464 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 1, 2008
38 people are currently reading
3305 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Andersen
74Ìýbooks628ÌýfollowersJessica S. Andersen is an American writer of mystery and medical romances. She obtained a PhD in Genetics, but when she finally settles on a single career, she will have been many things: a doctor of molecular genetics, a patent agent, a freelance editor, a professional horse trainer and riding coach, a fiance and the proud owner of a pair of corgis. But if you ask her who she is, Jessica will say, "I'm a writer. The rest is all background research."
Jessica lives in a smal farm in eastern Conneticut with her own personal hero, Brian, as well as the corgis, two cats and a handful of young horses, who she claims are investments but never seem to get sold.
Jessica lives in a smal farm in eastern Conneticut with her own personal hero, Brian, as well as the corgis, two cats and a handful of young horses, who she claims are investments but never seem to get sold.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 218 reviews
March 1, 2010
Although Dr. Jessica Andersen has my admiration for undertaking such an ambitious series, I have to say I was disappointed with this book. It took me the better part of the month of February to read, and that's rather unusual for me. There were issues that I had with this book that made it hard to keep reading, quite frankly.
For one thing, I never really came to like the hero, Striking-Jaguar, or the heroine, Leah. I did come to respect them, eventually. But I was not in love with them, or their love story. Strike was in a tough situation, as the reluctant King of a dying race, the Nightkeepers, who were the only surviving members of the Maya culture. He did feel a connection with, Leah, a cop whose life he saved, but wasn't free to act on it. There should have been more drama in that, but it never really affected me to the degree that I hoped for. I didn't find their romance all that romantic. Although I'm not found of insta-sex in a romance, that wasn't even the problem. I just never felt a strong buildup or connection between them. At least not until the end. I thought at the end, well, that's cool that they love each other and will rule together. But that's about as excited as I got about this couple. At times, they both annoyed me with their personalities, and how they approached things. I found Leah to be a strong heroine, but she came off as abrasive, and foolishly stubborn in other moments. However, she played a very important role in helping Strike to come to terms with his identity, and in urging the Nightkeepers to form a bond as a team. I did admire her for that. Strike was in over his head, and he had to get out of his head to able to take on the role he was called for by his destiny.
The mythology was interesting, but at first, it was hugely baffling. There were a lot of terms thrown around to get used to. Now, I normally love a paranormal series that is built upon intricate worldbuilding. But there was something about the execution that left me cold. Frankly, all the auto-sacrifice aspects were, well, disturbing. Every other scene, someone was cutting their hand, stabbing themselves in the tongue, or cutting some body part. It was really hard to take at times. Having said that, I wondered how she would get past the sacrificial aspects of this culture, and this was a good compromise to having the heroes in a story sacrificing people and cutting out their hearts, to let blood for their magic rituals.
I felt that there was a lot of info-dumping in this story. It was a lot to wrap my mind around, and with all humbleness, I am a big fan of folklore and history. I guess I wanted to see the story unfold in a more natural way. The abrupt shifts in narrative, and characters being introduced, but then pushed to the side to cover other aspects of the story was rather frustrating for me to keep up with. However, I do admit that I am intrigued with a few characters I met: Lucius, Jade, Michael, and to a lesser extent, Anna, Sven, Nate, and Alexis. The Rabbit storyline was a source of annoyance to me. His teen angst is understandable, but it seemed like a plot point to me. I hope that his storyline comes to full frution in an enjoyable fashion in future books.
One big, huge pet peeve I had with this novel, was the hip tone that Dr. Andersen went for. It was fairly annoying. There were times where I would get sucked into this story, and then she'd start with the hip lingo, and I would grit my teeth. I think that colloquial language is like salt in a recipe: you need it there for the recipe to taste good. But too much, ruins it. That was what happened with me and this novel. I really didn't need that hip vibe to feel that these were modern characters. It just seemed contrived to me.
Another issue I had was the pairing up of characters sexually, but then their breaking up. I didn't mind so much with Strike and Leah, because you know they would end up together. And the same with Nate and Alexis (Book 2: Daykeepers). But what was the point of Jade and Michael getting together, and you know that they're going to be with other people in the following books? That was very undesirable to me. It just seemed tawdry to me. I'll be the first to admit that a tawdry, casual sex vibe is a huge turn-off for me.
I had another issue I won't get into, because it's a personal thing for me, and I don't know that it would bother the majority of the readers. I imagine it might bother a few who read paranormal romance and come from the same belief system as I do. Or maybe not. But I'll keep that out of this review.
And then there was the obligatory killing off of a character. Why kill that person off when you clearly didn't like him anyway, and made him as big a jerk as possible the whole book? His dying didn't add to the story, and it seemed like a compromise in writing: I have to kill off one character, why not the one that everyone hates? What sacrifice is that? Either kill off someone that I've come to love (which I really don't care for), or don't kill anyone off who's pivotal to the storyline. The point that I'm trying to make is, I don't think that this death really served anything. I guess we'll find out in the next book.
So, as much as it pains me to write a less than flattering review, I have to be honest. I did not love this book. I barely liked it. Well, I can't say I did like it. I didn't hate it. I will continue to read this series, because I'd like to see what she does with this concept, and I am curious to read about the other Nightkeepers. I hope that the issues that I had with this story will be less bothersome to me in the ongoing books. And I have a feeling, I will probably like the romance in the following books more.
I can't really recommend this book, unless you are really curious to read a book using mythology of the Americas. It's something different and interesting. Whether it's a good foundation for a paranormal romance, at this point, I can't say.
Overall rating: 2.5 out of 5.0 stars.
For one thing, I never really came to like the hero, Striking-Jaguar, or the heroine, Leah. I did come to respect them, eventually. But I was not in love with them, or their love story. Strike was in a tough situation, as the reluctant King of a dying race, the Nightkeepers, who were the only surviving members of the Maya culture. He did feel a connection with, Leah, a cop whose life he saved, but wasn't free to act on it. There should have been more drama in that, but it never really affected me to the degree that I hoped for. I didn't find their romance all that romantic. Although I'm not found of insta-sex in a romance, that wasn't even the problem. I just never felt a strong buildup or connection between them. At least not until the end. I thought at the end, well, that's cool that they love each other and will rule together. But that's about as excited as I got about this couple. At times, they both annoyed me with their personalities, and how they approached things. I found Leah to be a strong heroine, but she came off as abrasive, and foolishly stubborn in other moments. However, she played a very important role in helping Strike to come to terms with his identity, and in urging the Nightkeepers to form a bond as a team. I did admire her for that. Strike was in over his head, and he had to get out of his head to able to take on the role he was called for by his destiny.
The mythology was interesting, but at first, it was hugely baffling. There were a lot of terms thrown around to get used to. Now, I normally love a paranormal series that is built upon intricate worldbuilding. But there was something about the execution that left me cold. Frankly, all the auto-sacrifice aspects were, well, disturbing. Every other scene, someone was cutting their hand, stabbing themselves in the tongue, or cutting some body part. It was really hard to take at times. Having said that, I wondered how she would get past the sacrificial aspects of this culture, and this was a good compromise to having the heroes in a story sacrificing people and cutting out their hearts, to let blood for their magic rituals.
I felt that there was a lot of info-dumping in this story. It was a lot to wrap my mind around, and with all humbleness, I am a big fan of folklore and history. I guess I wanted to see the story unfold in a more natural way. The abrupt shifts in narrative, and characters being introduced, but then pushed to the side to cover other aspects of the story was rather frustrating for me to keep up with. However, I do admit that I am intrigued with a few characters I met: Lucius, Jade, Michael, and to a lesser extent, Anna, Sven, Nate, and Alexis. The Rabbit storyline was a source of annoyance to me. His teen angst is understandable, but it seemed like a plot point to me. I hope that his storyline comes to full frution in an enjoyable fashion in future books.
One big, huge pet peeve I had with this novel, was the hip tone that Dr. Andersen went for. It was fairly annoying. There were times where I would get sucked into this story, and then she'd start with the hip lingo, and I would grit my teeth. I think that colloquial language is like salt in a recipe: you need it there for the recipe to taste good. But too much, ruins it. That was what happened with me and this novel. I really didn't need that hip vibe to feel that these were modern characters. It just seemed contrived to me.
Another issue I had was the pairing up of characters sexually, but then their breaking up. I didn't mind so much with Strike and Leah, because you know they would end up together. And the same with Nate and Alexis (Book 2: Daykeepers). But what was the point of Jade and Michael getting together, and you know that they're going to be with other people in the following books? That was very undesirable to me. It just seemed tawdry to me. I'll be the first to admit that a tawdry, casual sex vibe is a huge turn-off for me.
I had another issue I won't get into, because it's a personal thing for me, and I don't know that it would bother the majority of the readers. I imagine it might bother a few who read paranormal romance and come from the same belief system as I do. Or maybe not. But I'll keep that out of this review.
And then there was the obligatory killing off of a character. Why kill that person off when you clearly didn't like him anyway, and made him as big a jerk as possible the whole book? His dying didn't add to the story, and it seemed like a compromise in writing: I have to kill off one character, why not the one that everyone hates? What sacrifice is that? Either kill off someone that I've come to love (which I really don't care for), or don't kill anyone off who's pivotal to the storyline. The point that I'm trying to make is, I don't think that this death really served anything. I guess we'll find out in the next book.
So, as much as it pains me to write a less than flattering review, I have to be honest. I did not love this book. I barely liked it. Well, I can't say I did like it. I didn't hate it. I will continue to read this series, because I'd like to see what she does with this concept, and I am curious to read about the other Nightkeepers. I hope that the issues that I had with this story will be less bothersome to me in the ongoing books. And I have a feeling, I will probably like the romance in the following books more.
I can't really recommend this book, unless you are really curious to read a book using mythology of the Americas. It's something different and interesting. Whether it's a good foundation for a paranormal romance, at this point, I can't say.
Overall rating: 2.5 out of 5.0 stars.
August 27, 2010
^^I NEED AN INFORMATIONKEEPER FOR THIS ONE!^^
3.5
Nightkeepers, the first in the Final prophecy series, and man if it isn’t a doobie ( yeh I said doobie). It is a book with a lot of information and characters, and I had a hard time keeping up with everything going on. The first book in any series are always a wealth of information, you know the author has to work the room, get nice and acquainted with the reader. Well this one had a lot going, I am talking magic, evil, world destruction, spoiled brat like characters and the ajaw- makol (wondering what the hell the a-m is) so am I buddy, so am I.
So the book begins with a race of Mayan men and women, these people are called Nightkeepers and they have sworn to protect the earth/world. They have magic in their bodies and a born warriors. They live in secrecy from human kind, and fight to prevent world destruction. From what you might ask the ajaw-makol, this demon god call it whatever, wants to come in and bring in his evil friends and destroy life. Well the Nightkeepers aint having that, and with a battle most of the Nk are destroyed and only a few survived, but the world is safe for now.
Present day, Leah is a cop looking for a madman doing sacrificial killings. This madman killed her brother and she is hell bent on destruction. In another part of the country Strike is realizing that his Nk powers are coming back and this does not bode well for the world. Leah is kidnapped almost drained of her blood, while some crazy talk about how the death of her will lead to world domination and blah. Strike teleports to the exact spot where Leah is being held captive and poof, destiny happens and the world spins out of control. This is in the first few pages of the book.
Now with all this, the race of the Nk is needed and the rounding up begins. The few survivors from the early battle were children and their winikin (yep another one) so now they are needed and thus the mountain of characters begin. These fighters need to train and tap into their powers, some aint having that and others feels this is just a plain waste of time. Now we have POVs coming from everywhere, all doing some deep soul searching and tapping into their killer instincts. Love is blossoming between some, others are fighting an attraction, others still in denial. They must have forgotten that in four years the world will end, but no these guys are worried about their libidos.
Now lets get to our h/h, these two did not impress me. Strike is a king suffering from the sin of his father, Leah needs to be sacrificed to free some sky god to fight the ajaw-makol. It becomes a race to save her life and fight all the sexual lust they feel for each other. � I want you, but I cant because I might have to kill you�. blah blah blah. These two did nothing for me, I was more interested in the background characters and their crazy I am in denial antics. The little sex there was,is lukewarm and left me still in my pants.
So there are Nightkeepers, I am pretty sure the author also mentions Dawnkeepers, and Skykeepers. Next thing you know we have Twilightkeepers, Duskkeepers and Afternoonkeepers. There is a keeper for everything I gather, just a wealth of information. Don’t even get me started on the bad guy or this review will never end.
Now I am gonna tell you how I feel. I really liked the book, its interesting and the world created is quite original. Some of the characters I am interested to see what becomes of them, they really had me captivated. The bad call is all this information, I am thinking the author could have still gotten this interesting storyline across without the university lecture, and keep the characters to about 250, 500 hundred is too much. With that said I am interested to read Dawnkeepers, won’t be anytime soon but I am intrigued, so kudos to the author she did her job.
Seriously I still feel smart, and if I go on this review will never end. Everytime the bad guy was mentioned I kept picturing Benny Hinn that tv preacher, not good!!
3.5
Nightkeepers, the first in the Final prophecy series, and man if it isn’t a doobie ( yeh I said doobie). It is a book with a lot of information and characters, and I had a hard time keeping up with everything going on. The first book in any series are always a wealth of information, you know the author has to work the room, get nice and acquainted with the reader. Well this one had a lot going, I am talking magic, evil, world destruction, spoiled brat like characters and the ajaw- makol (wondering what the hell the a-m is) so am I buddy, so am I.
So the book begins with a race of Mayan men and women, these people are called Nightkeepers and they have sworn to protect the earth/world. They have magic in their bodies and a born warriors. They live in secrecy from human kind, and fight to prevent world destruction. From what you might ask the ajaw-makol, this demon god call it whatever, wants to come in and bring in his evil friends and destroy life. Well the Nightkeepers aint having that, and with a battle most of the Nk are destroyed and only a few survived, but the world is safe for now.
Present day, Leah is a cop looking for a madman doing sacrificial killings. This madman killed her brother and she is hell bent on destruction. In another part of the country Strike is realizing that his Nk powers are coming back and this does not bode well for the world. Leah is kidnapped almost drained of her blood, while some crazy talk about how the death of her will lead to world domination and blah. Strike teleports to the exact spot where Leah is being held captive and poof, destiny happens and the world spins out of control. This is in the first few pages of the book.
Now with all this, the race of the Nk is needed and the rounding up begins. The few survivors from the early battle were children and their winikin (yep another one) so now they are needed and thus the mountain of characters begin. These fighters need to train and tap into their powers, some aint having that and others feels this is just a plain waste of time. Now we have POVs coming from everywhere, all doing some deep soul searching and tapping into their killer instincts. Love is blossoming between some, others are fighting an attraction, others still in denial. They must have forgotten that in four years the world will end, but no these guys are worried about their libidos.
Now lets get to our h/h, these two did not impress me. Strike is a king suffering from the sin of his father, Leah needs to be sacrificed to free some sky god to fight the ajaw-makol. It becomes a race to save her life and fight all the sexual lust they feel for each other. � I want you, but I cant because I might have to kill you�. blah blah blah. These two did nothing for me, I was more interested in the background characters and their crazy I am in denial antics. The little sex there was,is lukewarm and left me still in my pants.
So there are Nightkeepers, I am pretty sure the author also mentions Dawnkeepers, and Skykeepers. Next thing you know we have Twilightkeepers, Duskkeepers and Afternoonkeepers. There is a keeper for everything I gather, just a wealth of information. Don’t even get me started on the bad guy or this review will never end.
Now I am gonna tell you how I feel. I really liked the book, its interesting and the world created is quite original. Some of the characters I am interested to see what becomes of them, they really had me captivated. The bad call is all this information, I am thinking the author could have still gotten this interesting storyline across without the university lecture, and keep the characters to about 250, 500 hundred is too much. With that said I am interested to read Dawnkeepers, won’t be anytime soon but I am intrigued, so kudos to the author she did her job.
Seriously I still feel smart, and if I go on this review will never end. Everytime the bad guy was mentioned I kept picturing Benny Hinn that tv preacher, not good!!
August 19, 2009
When I first read the blurb for this one � a mixture of romance, action, thriller, Mayan history and mythology and a nice end of the world prophecy as the cherry on a cake � I thought that this would be right up my alley…And I wasn’t wrong. And I wasn’t disappointed.
The reader is thrust head-first into the fray right from the beginning and the chills, thrills and suspense don’t falter until the very end.
I don’t particularly like books with too many characters and too many smaller storylines, but trust to make it work to her advantage. Usually all those characters vie for the leading spot, bumping into each other in the process, garbling everything up, their stories so entangled it’s rather painful to read and decipher.
was the complete opposite. The “secondary� characters stories were nicely intertwined with the greater arc, highlighting the main plot and the story between Strike and Leah, giving it depth and that extra touch of realism. Their combined tales amped up the ante, so to speak.
Yeah, the story was gripping � with that added oomph of the end-date 12/21/2012 looming closer � the action riveting, the magic of it all spellbinding etc., but what truly pulled me in were the characters. They were fully developed, well-rounded and real with all their ups and downs, their pluses and their (glaring) flaws.
While usually the authors focus on the female lead’s character, the centerfold of this story was a man, the man. Striking-Jaguar a.k.a. Strike, son of the old king, trying to find his place in this world for himself as a man, a leader, a lover, and a (possible) king. I loved it, how he didn’t have an answer always ready, how his stumbling, his mistakes, his stubbornness, his unwillingness to face the dire possibilities, his fear of failure made him even more real, more approachable, more flesh-and-blood that simple fiction.
And the author didn’t forget about her other characters in the melee, they all had their handicaps and their strengths, their inner demons to battle, their shields and masks to hide behind. This was truly an amazing cast for an amazing story.
The romance was rather subtle � most of the time � but I didn’t pick this one up because of it, though it was a nice bonus. The normal fare of similar-themed books is all about the romance and “let’s cram as much sex as possible in these few days that we have left together� shtick. Well, if you’re looking for that kind of book, give this one a wide berth. Sure, there are some pretty hot scenes, but they’re all in context with what goes on around the characters, never disrupting the (natural) flow of the story. Which is rare and extremely refreshing.
And as in all romances, nothing is simple, even after the clothes come off. There was much nail-biting, tears-flowing, fingers-crossing before the final chapter, where all that was amplified to the max.
Yep, suspense never lessens in this one.
This book was a real pleasure to read, it had absolutely everything I seek in a paranormal/fantasy/thriller/suspense/romance book. The (well-researched) details about history, the Maya and the prophecies are aplenty, but not so much as to make the story appear crammed, but create a (much-needed) background to the plot and the entire arc.
Highly recommended read from this highly satisfied reader. A definite keeper!
P.S. Now, to , Nate and his “Hera�.
The reader is thrust head-first into the fray right from the beginning and the chills, thrills and suspense don’t falter until the very end.
I don’t particularly like books with too many characters and too many smaller storylines, but trust to make it work to her advantage. Usually all those characters vie for the leading spot, bumping into each other in the process, garbling everything up, their stories so entangled it’s rather painful to read and decipher.
was the complete opposite. The “secondary� characters stories were nicely intertwined with the greater arc, highlighting the main plot and the story between Strike and Leah, giving it depth and that extra touch of realism. Their combined tales amped up the ante, so to speak.
Yeah, the story was gripping � with that added oomph of the end-date 12/21/2012 looming closer � the action riveting, the magic of it all spellbinding etc., but what truly pulled me in were the characters. They were fully developed, well-rounded and real with all their ups and downs, their pluses and their (glaring) flaws.
While usually the authors focus on the female lead’s character, the centerfold of this story was a man, the man. Striking-Jaguar a.k.a. Strike, son of the old king, trying to find his place in this world for himself as a man, a leader, a lover, and a (possible) king. I loved it, how he didn’t have an answer always ready, how his stumbling, his mistakes, his stubbornness, his unwillingness to face the dire possibilities, his fear of failure made him even more real, more approachable, more flesh-and-blood that simple fiction.
And the author didn’t forget about her other characters in the melee, they all had their handicaps and their strengths, their inner demons to battle, their shields and masks to hide behind. This was truly an amazing cast for an amazing story.
The romance was rather subtle � most of the time � but I didn’t pick this one up because of it, though it was a nice bonus. The normal fare of similar-themed books is all about the romance and “let’s cram as much sex as possible in these few days that we have left together� shtick. Well, if you’re looking for that kind of book, give this one a wide berth. Sure, there are some pretty hot scenes, but they’re all in context with what goes on around the characters, never disrupting the (natural) flow of the story. Which is rare and extremely refreshing.
And as in all romances, nothing is simple, even after the clothes come off. There was much nail-biting, tears-flowing, fingers-crossing before the final chapter, where all that was amplified to the max.
Yep, suspense never lessens in this one.
This book was a real pleasure to read, it had absolutely everything I seek in a paranormal/fantasy/thriller/suspense/romance book. The (well-researched) details about history, the Maya and the prophecies are aplenty, but not so much as to make the story appear crammed, but create a (much-needed) background to the plot and the entire arc.
Highly recommended read from this highly satisfied reader. A definite keeper!
P.S. Now, to , Nate and his “Hera�.
January 24, 2009
Well, I absolutely loved this book! Maybe one of the reasons for being so enthusiastic about this novel is my own interest in mayan mythology, culture, calendar and prophecies. Jessica Andersen did a wonderful job of combining all these elemens in an exciting storyline which hooked me from the first page...
Twenty years ago King Scarred-Jaguar made a fatal mistake in his fight against the evil Order of Xibalba and their demons which ended in killing almost all of his Nightkeepers, who protect the earth from the 2012 apocalpyse. Under the survivors of the massacre was the King´s son Striking-Jaguar (Strike) and daughter Anna-Paw. The children were raised by their "winikin" Jox � the protector of the royal children and another surviving Nightkeeper called Red-Boar. While Anna wasn´t inclined to accept her inheritance and left as soon as she was an adult, Strike stayed behind to bear (reluctantly) the burden of saving the world from ending in the year 2012.
Detective Leah Ann Daniels is in hot pursuit of an organization called "Survivor2012" and their Leader Zipacna whom she accuses of murdering her brother. Strange murders happened at every equinox and solstice and Leah suspects them to be ritual killings but to what purpose? In her zealousness she walks straight into Zipacna´s trap and is on the verge of becoming the next sacrifice herself. Inmidst her panic and fear Leah is suddenly able to understand the old mayan language and calls mentally out for help. Strike picks up her desperate call and comes to her rescue...
The book is packed with mayan lore and prophecies which worked well for me but readers who are not very interested in this topic may be bit overwhelmed by all this background knowledge. The plot is fast-paced and although there is romance and some hot sex scenes they never come in an inadequate moment like in so many other books I´ve read. Actually they ´re part of the plot and not the other way around which makes me a happy reader..lol! So romance isn´t the main part and when I´m honest I had at first difficulties to understand the attraction between the H/H, yes, we are "told" about it but I just couldn´t "feel" it. But when the book progressed I found it more believable and started to worry if there was actually a future for Strike and Leah with all these sacrifices going on...
An other part of the story was how the offsprings of other Nightkeepers were found and the struggles to merge the different characters into a fighting unit and Strike finally accepting his responsibility for being their king and leader.
I´m really looking forward to the next book "Dawnkeepers" to learn more about the other Nightkeepers and how their story progresses... maybe there ARE Nightkeepers out there to save us from the end of time.. who knows??
In Lak´ech
Inara
Red Galactic Skywalker
born in the year of the Red Solar Moon
Website of the author:
Twenty years ago King Scarred-Jaguar made a fatal mistake in his fight against the evil Order of Xibalba and their demons which ended in killing almost all of his Nightkeepers, who protect the earth from the 2012 apocalpyse. Under the survivors of the massacre was the King´s son Striking-Jaguar (Strike) and daughter Anna-Paw. The children were raised by their "winikin" Jox � the protector of the royal children and another surviving Nightkeeper called Red-Boar. While Anna wasn´t inclined to accept her inheritance and left as soon as she was an adult, Strike stayed behind to bear (reluctantly) the burden of saving the world from ending in the year 2012.
Detective Leah Ann Daniels is in hot pursuit of an organization called "Survivor2012" and their Leader Zipacna whom she accuses of murdering her brother. Strange murders happened at every equinox and solstice and Leah suspects them to be ritual killings but to what purpose? In her zealousness she walks straight into Zipacna´s trap and is on the verge of becoming the next sacrifice herself. Inmidst her panic and fear Leah is suddenly able to understand the old mayan language and calls mentally out for help. Strike picks up her desperate call and comes to her rescue...
The book is packed with mayan lore and prophecies which worked well for me but readers who are not very interested in this topic may be bit overwhelmed by all this background knowledge. The plot is fast-paced and although there is romance and some hot sex scenes they never come in an inadequate moment like in so many other books I´ve read. Actually they ´re part of the plot and not the other way around which makes me a happy reader..lol! So romance isn´t the main part and when I´m honest I had at first difficulties to understand the attraction between the H/H, yes, we are "told" about it but I just couldn´t "feel" it. But when the book progressed I found it more believable and started to worry if there was actually a future for Strike and Leah with all these sacrifices going on...
An other part of the story was how the offsprings of other Nightkeepers were found and the struggles to merge the different characters into a fighting unit and Strike finally accepting his responsibility for being their king and leader.
I´m really looking forward to the next book "Dawnkeepers" to learn more about the other Nightkeepers and how their story progresses... maybe there ARE Nightkeepers out there to save us from the end of time.. who knows??
In Lak´ech
Inara
Red Galactic Skywalker
born in the year of the Red Solar Moon
Website of the author:
June 15, 2010
Too many pages, way too much explanation, too many characters, too much gore� just TOO MUCH!
I loathe Strike and Leah, I’m pretty sure they’re bi-polar, their love story was silly and most of the time didn’t make sense at all. I usually try to give a new series at least a three book chance but I don’t think this one will be worth the time.
On a side note, I’m a Mexican citizen and I found totally and completely disrespectful, offensive and plain stupid that this author took her time to do all the investigation and research about the Mayan Culture, their history and prophecies but his main male character, a direct descendent of a Mayan King, has cobalt blue eyes and fair skin� didn’t she find a picture/painting/image of the Mayan in all her extensive research?, doesn’t she know what people from south America look like??
Just because I have beautiful, big brown eyes and an awesome NATURAL golden tan doesn’t mean I am less of a main character material� does it?, not for me!
I have nothing against the world and think the differences in cultures makes us interesting for one another, if this author is so narrow minded then that’s her problem, not mine.
I loathe Strike and Leah, I’m pretty sure they’re bi-polar, their love story was silly and most of the time didn’t make sense at all. I usually try to give a new series at least a three book chance but I don’t think this one will be worth the time.
On a side note, I’m a Mexican citizen and I found totally and completely disrespectful, offensive and plain stupid that this author took her time to do all the investigation and research about the Mayan Culture, their history and prophecies but his main male character, a direct descendent of a Mayan King, has cobalt blue eyes and fair skin� didn’t she find a picture/painting/image of the Mayan in all her extensive research?, doesn’t she know what people from south America look like??
Just because I have beautiful, big brown eyes and an awesome NATURAL golden tan doesn’t mean I am less of a main character material� does it?, not for me!
I have nothing against the world and think the differences in cultures makes us interesting for one another, if this author is so narrow minded then that’s her problem, not mine.
December 16, 2010
Ok... This was a pretty good book.. I'm only giving it three stars because of the convoluted plot: I was expecting more romance, but this read more as a simple paranormal to me, with a dash of romance thrown in.
We're plunged into this complicated world of mythology (which I loved), bloodlines, divine enemies, blood sacrifices, revenge,... you name it! I felt like there were way too many things going on at once, and I kind of think a short prequel might have been nice (where all the Nightkeepers could have found each other (at least the introductions) and you learn more about them and their destiny, which is interesting, but takes up too much space for a PNR..), instead of throwing everything and everyone in together..
Otherwise, I enjoyed the mythological aspect of it, and the plot seems intriguing... I will definitely try the next book (not right now, but in a month or two) and see if things settle down some..
We're plunged into this complicated world of mythology (which I loved), bloodlines, divine enemies, blood sacrifices, revenge,... you name it! I felt like there were way too many things going on at once, and I kind of think a short prequel might have been nice (where all the Nightkeepers could have found each other (at least the introductions) and you learn more about them and their destiny, which is interesting, but takes up too much space for a PNR..), instead of throwing everything and everyone in together..
Otherwise, I enjoyed the mythological aspect of it, and the plot seems intriguing... I will definitely try the next book (not right now, but in a month or two) and see if things settle down some..
August 4, 2008
Heck, yes. Mayan calendar, end of days, human sacrifices, hot sex, pretty good writing, non-stop action...what's missing? Not much. Well, except I looked up the astrological chart for 12/21/12 and it didn't look like much, which sort of burst my bubble. But I like imagining this shit is real, and we're going down at the end of days unless the efforts of Strike, Jox, Red-Boar et al are fruitful.
January 23, 2015
Doc Jess!!!!
February 16, 2011
First off I want to say, "Nightkeepers" received a 3 1/2 from me. I just wish Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ allowed 1/2 stars!
Jessica Andersen is a new author for me. I've only heard of this series a few times before reading "Nightkeepers", but what I did hear sounded good, so I was stoked to read this for this months BBA.
I don't have anything particularly bad to say about this book, it was written well, and had great characters and an interesting plot. I just found sometimes it was a bit over whelming, and there was too much to take in at once.
That being said, I did in fact enjoy this read.
"Nightkeepers" is the first book in The Novels of the Final Prophecy.
The Great Conjunction - which is when - " Every twenty-six years, the earth, sun and moon align at the exact center of the Milky Way... and all hell breaks loose." - Which basically revolves around 2012 and the end of the world as we know it. Since it is due again on December 21st, 2012. (Don't mention it around my aunt or she'll take a fit and start freaking out again! LOL) Anyway, the only thing that is to save us from damnation and doom is the Nightkeepers.
Which leads up to Striking-Jaguar, also known as Strike,who is the uncrowned king of the Nightkeepers. He has a great responsibly, which doesn't get any lighter once he meets and saves the heroine, Leah Daniels, a Miami narcotics detective. Leah finds her self naked and strapped to an altar. You'd think that would be horrible enough, then she realizes she's about to become a human sacrifice in an ancient Mayan ritual. He soon comes to realize he has feelings for Leah, and that just won't due.
Strikes duty is to his people and humanity. How can he choose between humanity and the woman he loves?
I think this series has great potential. I hope to enjoy the next novels even more than this one, now since I know the background, and am left wanting more. As a first novel in a series, it was pretty good. Not fantastic, but a pretty good read. I would recommend this still, because I know many who loved it, so I know some will find it quite a hit. I look forward to the next installment in the series!
Jessica Andersen is a new author for me. I've only heard of this series a few times before reading "Nightkeepers", but what I did hear sounded good, so I was stoked to read this for this months BBA.
I don't have anything particularly bad to say about this book, it was written well, and had great characters and an interesting plot. I just found sometimes it was a bit over whelming, and there was too much to take in at once.
That being said, I did in fact enjoy this read.
"Nightkeepers" is the first book in The Novels of the Final Prophecy.
The Great Conjunction - which is when - " Every twenty-six years, the earth, sun and moon align at the exact center of the Milky Way... and all hell breaks loose." - Which basically revolves around 2012 and the end of the world as we know it. Since it is due again on December 21st, 2012. (Don't mention it around my aunt or she'll take a fit and start freaking out again! LOL) Anyway, the only thing that is to save us from damnation and doom is the Nightkeepers.
Which leads up to Striking-Jaguar, also known as Strike,who is the uncrowned king of the Nightkeepers. He has a great responsibly, which doesn't get any lighter once he meets and saves the heroine, Leah Daniels, a Miami narcotics detective. Leah finds her self naked and strapped to an altar. You'd think that would be horrible enough, then she realizes she's about to become a human sacrifice in an ancient Mayan ritual. He soon comes to realize he has feelings for Leah, and that just won't due.
Strikes duty is to his people and humanity. How can he choose between humanity and the woman he loves?
I think this series has great potential. I hope to enjoy the next novels even more than this one, now since I know the background, and am left wanting more. As a first novel in a series, it was pretty good. Not fantastic, but a pretty good read. I would recommend this still, because I know many who loved it, so I know some will find it quite a hit. I look forward to the next installment in the series!
October 7, 2015
Nightkeepers
3.5 Stars
Synopsis:
The apocalypse is coming on December 21, 2012 and the Nightkeepers, a race of warriors with special powers originating in the barrier between this world and the next, are the only ones who can prevent it. Detective Leah Daniels is investigating a cult dedicated to human sacrifice and cashing in on the end of the world. She is on the verge of becoming their latest victim when Strike Jaguar, the Nightkeeper prince, rescues her and the two discover that their destinies are intertwined and they must work together to save humanity.
Review:
An intense plot, strong characterization and a well-developed mythology based on the Mayan culture. Nevertheless, the story is a bit drawn out, could have had better focus and been reduced by at least 100 pages. Numerous characters, places and magical abilities are introduced which may be confusing and makes it easy to lose track of the narrative if one is not paying attention. I, for one, enjoy this type of detail and made good use of pen and paper to keep everything organized.
While the romantic leads were interesting as individuals, Leah and Strike’s relationship was lacking chemistry and had absolutely no emotional foundation or impact. They barely know each other but suddenly feel that they are soul mates. The secondary characters were more engaging. Rabbit’s teenage angst was endearing and I truly commiserated with his parental issues. In fact, his father, Red-Boar is one of the very few apparently good characters that I found myself despising. It is a sign of Ms. Andersen’s writing skill that she could evoke such emotion in this reader.
Speaking of writing, the book is obviously well-researched and the prose flows. However, I did find the language and dialogue grating at times with an overabundant use of slang and cliché, and some repetitive wording here and there.
All in all, this is a pretty good read and the series has potential. I will read the next book to see if it improves on its shortcomings.
3.5 Stars
Synopsis:
The apocalypse is coming on December 21, 2012 and the Nightkeepers, a race of warriors with special powers originating in the barrier between this world and the next, are the only ones who can prevent it. Detective Leah Daniels is investigating a cult dedicated to human sacrifice and cashing in on the end of the world. She is on the verge of becoming their latest victim when Strike Jaguar, the Nightkeeper prince, rescues her and the two discover that their destinies are intertwined and they must work together to save humanity.
Review:
An intense plot, strong characterization and a well-developed mythology based on the Mayan culture. Nevertheless, the story is a bit drawn out, could have had better focus and been reduced by at least 100 pages. Numerous characters, places and magical abilities are introduced which may be confusing and makes it easy to lose track of the narrative if one is not paying attention. I, for one, enjoy this type of detail and made good use of pen and paper to keep everything organized.
While the romantic leads were interesting as individuals, Leah and Strike’s relationship was lacking chemistry and had absolutely no emotional foundation or impact. They barely know each other but suddenly feel that they are soul mates. The secondary characters were more engaging. Rabbit’s teenage angst was endearing and I truly commiserated with his parental issues. In fact, his father, Red-Boar is one of the very few apparently good characters that I found myself despising. It is a sign of Ms. Andersen’s writing skill that she could evoke such emotion in this reader.
Speaking of writing, the book is obviously well-researched and the prose flows. However, I did find the language and dialogue grating at times with an overabundant use of slang and cliché, and some repetitive wording here and there.
All in all, this is a pretty good read and the series has potential. I will read the next book to see if it improves on its shortcomings.
November 11, 2009
I finished this one at about 2am this morning. When I hit the last stretch in the book, I didn't want to put it down, LOL!
First: the characters. While I sometimes don't like a book with loads of characters vying for attention, I have to admit this one wasn't like that; not at all. The main characters were the focus, the secondary characters were in the picture but not overbearingly. I found each intriguing and complex with their own set up troubles/faults/anxieties.
I thought the plot was rather good. The beginning of the end-of-days, the characters need to become a team to vanquish evil. I found the plot a little slow at times, mostly when the main characters were dealing about their personal issues. The action was great, however, which more than makes up for it.
If anyone else has read this, there is a part in the story I'd like to discuss, because I got confused a little. Not that it's a bad thing; I just couldn't understand why that scene went down the way it did.
First: the characters. While I sometimes don't like a book with loads of characters vying for attention, I have to admit this one wasn't like that; not at all. The main characters were the focus, the secondary characters were in the picture but not overbearingly. I found each intriguing and complex with their own set up troubles/faults/anxieties.
I thought the plot was rather good. The beginning of the end-of-days, the characters need to become a team to vanquish evil. I found the plot a little slow at times, mostly when the main characters were dealing about their personal issues. The action was great, however, which more than makes up for it.
If anyone else has read this, there is a part in the story I'd like to discuss, because I got confused a little. Not that it's a bad thing; I just couldn't understand why that scene went down the way it did.
June 22, 2008
Very entertaining entry in the paranormal romance genre by a new author. Not a vampire or a were-anything in sight. Rather we have the Mayan gods and the magic wielding Nightkeepers, who are sworn to protect humanity from the coming "end of the world as we know it". The main focus of this first book is on Strike, leader of the Nightkeepers, and Leah, human Miami cop. But we are introduced to the whole band of Nightkeepers and a set of very nasty bad guys--setting up more books to come. The premise is clever (and different), the writing brisk, the characters are interesting. Will definitely read the second, Dawnkeepers, when it comes out.
December 15, 2008
In 3 words:
Fascinating, sexy, apocalyptic!
Fascinating, sexy, apocalyptic!
September 4, 2018
It's so lovely when you're the winner of a mystery box of books and get the opportunity to try out books that wouldn't normally come to your notice. In this batch of older releases, there was this exciting looking paranormal romance series that has a refreshing take. Put mythology in a paranormal romance and I'm there even more so when the mythology is Mayan which I know little about.
Nightkeepers introduces the world of the Final Prophesy series. It is a unique series so the author starts with a few pages of explanation to get the reader up to speed on the world system she has created. Next, there is a tension-wrought prologue showing the how the Night Keepers as a unit were lost and only a handful of the children survived. In the present day, narcotics police officer, Leah Daniels is about to get an up close and personal with the secret Mayan priesthood cult where drugs are the least of the troubles. Human sacrifice is on the table and Leah is the next ritual sacrifice until Striking Jaguar can save her from his own kind. The ritual was not completed, but it leads to some interesting side affects for Leah and for Strike to be ostracized and still needing to pull his people together if they stand a chance of defeating demon coming to herald the apocalypse.
Nightkeepers ended up being something of a mixed bag for me. Sometimes I was so into it that I lost track of time while at other times I could care less. I liked the worldbuilding and the built in tension the author created with the end of the world countdown. I was even okay with Strike and Leah most of the time. There was some exciting stuff and I'm glad the author didn't pull any punches when it came to the darker side to the Mayan beliefs with all the blood and magic and sacrifice because that is a major part of the rituals and culture (yes, that's a hint that if you're a tad squeamish to keep that in mind). But, when I put it all together, I had a few bits that didn't work as well for me.
First of all, I think if I'd gone into this with the mindset that it was like an urban fantasy rather than a paranormal romance, I'd have done better. With PNR, I find the romance takes a front seat to other elements in the story whereas with UF, the romance may not even show more than a hint as other stuff goes on. I waited a while for the romance to get rolling (I don't count the instalust at the beginning) and in the end, had to adjust.
Secondly, the romance was only alright when it did show up. I said I was okay with Strike and Leah and this is true, but sometimes I was not. The pair of them took turns annoying me. Leah comes off as this brash cop type that had a few stubborn-stupid moments. I don't think a Miami-Dade Narcotics officer would make it very long pulling that stuff in such a dark, dangerous world and that's even before we toss in the paranormal elements. Then there was Strike really hem-hawing around before he got going. I felt the uneven pacing as a result of him being stuck in his head a lot. But then, it picked up and boy howdy were we finally off to the races.
I think the biggest issue I had (and try not to faint) was there was too much. This book needed a trim. Too much background and history overshadowing the ongoing plot and too many characters and situations. I wish the other Night Keepers' romances had been less present in this one which already was pulling the load of being the intro book to the series.
So, in the end, I can definitely say I liked it, but loved parts of it better than others. I would also recommend it to lovers of both PNR and Urban Fantasy. I want to press forward and see if now that we're past book one if a change in characters and a tighter plot surface for me.
Nightkeepers introduces the world of the Final Prophesy series. It is a unique series so the author starts with a few pages of explanation to get the reader up to speed on the world system she has created. Next, there is a tension-wrought prologue showing the how the Night Keepers as a unit were lost and only a handful of the children survived. In the present day, narcotics police officer, Leah Daniels is about to get an up close and personal with the secret Mayan priesthood cult where drugs are the least of the troubles. Human sacrifice is on the table and Leah is the next ritual sacrifice until Striking Jaguar can save her from his own kind. The ritual was not completed, but it leads to some interesting side affects for Leah and for Strike to be ostracized and still needing to pull his people together if they stand a chance of defeating demon coming to herald the apocalypse.
Nightkeepers ended up being something of a mixed bag for me. Sometimes I was so into it that I lost track of time while at other times I could care less. I liked the worldbuilding and the built in tension the author created with the end of the world countdown. I was even okay with Strike and Leah most of the time. There was some exciting stuff and I'm glad the author didn't pull any punches when it came to the darker side to the Mayan beliefs with all the blood and magic and sacrifice because that is a major part of the rituals and culture (yes, that's a hint that if you're a tad squeamish to keep that in mind). But, when I put it all together, I had a few bits that didn't work as well for me.
First of all, I think if I'd gone into this with the mindset that it was like an urban fantasy rather than a paranormal romance, I'd have done better. With PNR, I find the romance takes a front seat to other elements in the story whereas with UF, the romance may not even show more than a hint as other stuff goes on. I waited a while for the romance to get rolling (I don't count the instalust at the beginning) and in the end, had to adjust.
Secondly, the romance was only alright when it did show up. I said I was okay with Strike and Leah and this is true, but sometimes I was not. The pair of them took turns annoying me. Leah comes off as this brash cop type that had a few stubborn-stupid moments. I don't think a Miami-Dade Narcotics officer would make it very long pulling that stuff in such a dark, dangerous world and that's even before we toss in the paranormal elements. Then there was Strike really hem-hawing around before he got going. I felt the uneven pacing as a result of him being stuck in his head a lot. But then, it picked up and boy howdy were we finally off to the races.
I think the biggest issue I had (and try not to faint) was there was too much. This book needed a trim. Too much background and history overshadowing the ongoing plot and too many characters and situations. I wish the other Night Keepers' romances had been less present in this one which already was pulling the load of being the intro book to the series.
So, in the end, I can definitely say I liked it, but loved parts of it better than others. I would also recommend it to lovers of both PNR and Urban Fantasy. I want to press forward and see if now that we're past book one if a change in characters and a tighter plot surface for me.
July 8, 2019
This book is not bad but it just never really pulled me in coz the whole Doomsday hook is not something that appeals to me. And the whole insta-sex thing didn't work for me. Also the h/H barely spend page time together and instead we meet all the future h/h, kind of like a setup book. I don't think I am gonna continue as the world didn't pull me in as much.
April 2, 2012
I've been avoiding this book since January. *shame on me*
I only now realised my stupidity because this book was an awesome beginning to the Nightkeepers series. I was afraid because I've read a certain amount reviews that said that this was a pretty heavy series with a great amount of information that wasn't easy to absorb.
What a big, fat lie. Really. This book was awesome and since I have an active interest in Mayan culture it was great to read this book. Sincerely it was refreshing to find a book that delves on something other than sex.
Good paranormal series aren't that easy to find nowadays and when I do find one that qualifies as a good paranormal series I experience a great sense of relief. I'm already reading the second instalment "Dawnkeepers" because oh my, I just don't want to wait to see Nate's story.
I just hope that my sentiment towards this series isn't just a fake one. Let's see how it goes.
***
Ora bem, aqui andava eu a evitar este livrinho desde Janeiro e nem eu sabia muito bem porquê. A verdade é que (e não se sintam culpadas por isso, não é o suposto) vi alguns comentários que esta série talvez pudesse ser mais pesada e mais complicada de absorver por trabalhar com assuntos mais sérios e daà ter vocabulário mais complicado, etc., etc., etc. . Já para não falar que esta série poderia não se vir a revelar a urban-fantasy que o público geral está à espera e ficar desiludido. Bem, a verdade é que foram vários os factores que empancaram ali a minha leitura e podem compreender que depois da loucura que cometi de comprar todos os 7 livros de uma só vez, se eu não gostasse do primeiro livro dava em doida. Já não posso dizer que faço isto hoje em dia, mas às vezes olhamos simplesmente para os livros e parece que sabemos que eles nos vão agradar.
Foi o que aconteceu com este, thank God!
Lá foi em Março que decidi deixar de ser medricas e ver finalmente se a série seria do meu gosto. Tinha tudo para dar na verdade, porque como já disse por aÃ, eu adoro as culturas Maia e Azteca, entre outras, já para não falar em mitologia que é outra temática que me fascina. Magia nem tanto, mas a verdade é que isso anda a mudar. Bem, só sabendo que o livro falava sobre a teoria dos Maias que a humanidade entrará noutro ciclo de existência em Dezembro de 2012 foi aà que me lancei convencida que ia mesmo gostar. E acertei no alvo.
Confesso realmente que ao inÃcio não é das leituras mais fáceis; de facto fiquei eternamente confusa com alguns nomes e personagens. Não sei porquê no inÃcio não consegui perceber a diferença entre a Alexis e a Patient. Pormenores assim pequenos fizeram-me alguma confusão, especialmente porque os primeiros volumes de uma série também não costumam trazer glossários (então se forem 1ªs edições nem se fala) e toda informação junta foi um bocadito difÃcil. Mas isso só durou na primeira parte do livro, ou seja, até aos poderes da barreira se reactivarem. Até parece que a minha inteligência se reactivou juntamente com a magia.
Certamente que o vocabulário é mais puxado, mas não é assim tanto. É deveras desafiante, até. E mal se entra no ritmo sabe bem. Outra coisa, é bom para mim, porque eu estou a tirar o First Certificate e é sempre óptimo poder aprender novo vocabulário. Por isso, isto para mim não me faz diferença. Se tanto, até me faz gostar mais dos livros porque mostra que os livros são diferentes dentro do seu género só e apenas por isso.
Então, gostei bastante do Striking-Jaguar (gosto mais deste nome do que Strike) e apesar de não ter gostado logo à partida da Leah, conforme a fui conhecendo mais fui gostando dela. Como é óbvio, não suportei logo desde inÃcio o Red-Boar. É daquelas personagens que só nos dá vontade de lhe partir a cara.
Para primeiro livro, achei que a história estava muito bem pensada e os alicerces para este novo universo bem lançados. Misticismo e romance nunca foi uma má combinação, não é agora que o será.
Enfim, a não ser algumas falhas nas ligações de ideias e saltinhos entre passos mentais, achei que até estava bastante bom, o que me fez saltar logo para o livro do Nate.
I only now realised my stupidity because this book was an awesome beginning to the Nightkeepers series. I was afraid because I've read a certain amount reviews that said that this was a pretty heavy series with a great amount of information that wasn't easy to absorb.
What a big, fat lie. Really. This book was awesome and since I have an active interest in Mayan culture it was great to read this book. Sincerely it was refreshing to find a book that delves on something other than sex.
Good paranormal series aren't that easy to find nowadays and when I do find one that qualifies as a good paranormal series I experience a great sense of relief. I'm already reading the second instalment "Dawnkeepers" because oh my, I just don't want to wait to see Nate's story.
I just hope that my sentiment towards this series isn't just a fake one. Let's see how it goes.
***
Ora bem, aqui andava eu a evitar este livrinho desde Janeiro e nem eu sabia muito bem porquê. A verdade é que (e não se sintam culpadas por isso, não é o suposto) vi alguns comentários que esta série talvez pudesse ser mais pesada e mais complicada de absorver por trabalhar com assuntos mais sérios e daà ter vocabulário mais complicado, etc., etc., etc. . Já para não falar que esta série poderia não se vir a revelar a urban-fantasy que o público geral está à espera e ficar desiludido. Bem, a verdade é que foram vários os factores que empancaram ali a minha leitura e podem compreender que depois da loucura que cometi de comprar todos os 7 livros de uma só vez, se eu não gostasse do primeiro livro dava em doida. Já não posso dizer que faço isto hoje em dia, mas às vezes olhamos simplesmente para os livros e parece que sabemos que eles nos vão agradar.
Foi o que aconteceu com este, thank God!
Lá foi em Março que decidi deixar de ser medricas e ver finalmente se a série seria do meu gosto. Tinha tudo para dar na verdade, porque como já disse por aÃ, eu adoro as culturas Maia e Azteca, entre outras, já para não falar em mitologia que é outra temática que me fascina. Magia nem tanto, mas a verdade é que isso anda a mudar. Bem, só sabendo que o livro falava sobre a teoria dos Maias que a humanidade entrará noutro ciclo de existência em Dezembro de 2012 foi aà que me lancei convencida que ia mesmo gostar. E acertei no alvo.
Confesso realmente que ao inÃcio não é das leituras mais fáceis; de facto fiquei eternamente confusa com alguns nomes e personagens. Não sei porquê no inÃcio não consegui perceber a diferença entre a Alexis e a Patient. Pormenores assim pequenos fizeram-me alguma confusão, especialmente porque os primeiros volumes de uma série também não costumam trazer glossários (então se forem 1ªs edições nem se fala) e toda informação junta foi um bocadito difÃcil. Mas isso só durou na primeira parte do livro, ou seja, até aos poderes da barreira se reactivarem. Até parece que a minha inteligência se reactivou juntamente com a magia.
Certamente que o vocabulário é mais puxado, mas não é assim tanto. É deveras desafiante, até. E mal se entra no ritmo sabe bem. Outra coisa, é bom para mim, porque eu estou a tirar o First Certificate e é sempre óptimo poder aprender novo vocabulário. Por isso, isto para mim não me faz diferença. Se tanto, até me faz gostar mais dos livros porque mostra que os livros são diferentes dentro do seu género só e apenas por isso.
Então, gostei bastante do Striking-Jaguar (gosto mais deste nome do que Strike) e apesar de não ter gostado logo à partida da Leah, conforme a fui conhecendo mais fui gostando dela. Como é óbvio, não suportei logo desde inÃcio o Red-Boar. É daquelas personagens que só nos dá vontade de lhe partir a cara.
Para primeiro livro, achei que a história estava muito bem pensada e os alicerces para este novo universo bem lançados. Misticismo e romance nunca foi uma má combinação, não é agora que o será.
Enfim, a não ser algumas falhas nas ligações de ideias e saltinhos entre passos mentais, achei que até estava bastante bom, o que me fez saltar logo para o livro do Nate.
June 7, 2011
(3.5 stars) Though suffering a bit from a ponderous amount of world-building, Nightkeepers kicks off a very original new paranormal romance series building its mythos on the 2012 Mayan doomsday prophecy. Despite its tendency to be exposition heavy at times, NightKeepers had a lot going for it.
Both of the leading characters, Strike and Leah, were very well done. Strike is great as the leader of the few remaining Nightkeepers who are sworn to save the world by battling the evil forces try to bring about the predicted doomsday. Strike has survived the slaughter of his family and almost all of his people, but I found it very refreshing in the light of all the dark tormented leading men I've read lately, that he is not so much tormented as struggling with his destiny as King and torn by his own personal desires wishing he could pursue a normal life with Leah.
Leah is a much better than your average romance heroine. She is brave tough and smart and her cop background means that even though she needed Strike to rescue her as she lay bound and moments from ritualistic slaughter by the Mayan cultist who murdered her brother, Leah fully expects to be able do that herself next time and prepares herself for that battle. And it is Leah's insight that spurs Strike to become the leader that he must be and turn the remaining NightKeepers into a team united with a purpose instead of a ragtag group of loosely connected magic users.
There are also quite a few interesting supporting characters and relationships among the rest of the Nightkeepers and the `winikin', who are their protectors and mentors, to breathe life into the Nightkeeper world. Most notible in this book were Strike's sister Anna, who has fled from her Nightkeeper heritage but who must return to the fold or there will be no chance of victory, Red Boar and Jox, among the handful of the adults who survived the Nightwalker massacre both having sacrificed much personally for the cause but who can't help question whether Strike will fall prey to the same 'visions' that caused Strike's father to fail so cataclismicly, and Rabbit, shunned by his father for being only half Nightkeeper but who brings another type of magic to the mix. And with some obvious pairings in the remaining cast, Anderson has left plenty of stories to tell in the upcoming books.
The one problem I had with the book was the pre-prolog, and I suspect that the mixed reviews for this book are largely a result of this `first impression.' It is obvious that the author did some major research before writing this book, and tried to work most of it in. The author begins the book by introducing the history and mythos of the Nightkeeper world in a textbook-y kind of way. For me this was daunting enough that I put the book aside for a few days which in the long run worked to my advantage, because once the book actually starts, it jumps straight into the action and I had had enough time to digest all the world-building crammed into the pre-prolog and loose myself in the story. And once Nightkeepers got going, I enjoyed this fresh world and its inhabitants well enough that I will be reading the next book, Dawnkeepers: A Novel of the Final Prophecy to find out what happens next.
Both of the leading characters, Strike and Leah, were very well done. Strike is great as the leader of the few remaining Nightkeepers who are sworn to save the world by battling the evil forces try to bring about the predicted doomsday. Strike has survived the slaughter of his family and almost all of his people, but I found it very refreshing in the light of all the dark tormented leading men I've read lately, that he is not so much tormented as struggling with his destiny as King and torn by his own personal desires wishing he could pursue a normal life with Leah.
Leah is a much better than your average romance heroine. She is brave tough and smart and her cop background means that even though she needed Strike to rescue her as she lay bound and moments from ritualistic slaughter by the Mayan cultist who murdered her brother, Leah fully expects to be able do that herself next time and prepares herself for that battle. And it is Leah's insight that spurs Strike to become the leader that he must be and turn the remaining NightKeepers into a team united with a purpose instead of a ragtag group of loosely connected magic users.
There are also quite a few interesting supporting characters and relationships among the rest of the Nightkeepers and the `winikin', who are their protectors and mentors, to breathe life into the Nightkeeper world. Most notible in this book were Strike's sister Anna, who has fled from her Nightkeeper heritage but who must return to the fold or there will be no chance of victory, Red Boar and Jox, among the handful of the adults who survived the Nightwalker massacre both having sacrificed much personally for the cause but who can't help question whether Strike will fall prey to the same 'visions' that caused Strike's father to fail so cataclismicly, and Rabbit, shunned by his father for being only half Nightkeeper but who brings another type of magic to the mix. And with some obvious pairings in the remaining cast, Anderson has left plenty of stories to tell in the upcoming books.
The one problem I had with the book was the pre-prolog, and I suspect that the mixed reviews for this book are largely a result of this `first impression.' It is obvious that the author did some major research before writing this book, and tried to work most of it in. The author begins the book by introducing the history and mythos of the Nightkeeper world in a textbook-y kind of way. For me this was daunting enough that I put the book aside for a few days which in the long run worked to my advantage, because once the book actually starts, it jumps straight into the action and I had had enough time to digest all the world-building crammed into the pre-prolog and loose myself in the story. And once Nightkeepers got going, I enjoyed this fresh world and its inhabitants well enough that I will be reading the next book, Dawnkeepers: A Novel of the Final Prophecy to find out what happens next.
October 28, 2017
Recensione pubblicata su
Una storia che decisamente non fa per me. Tra i due protagonisti che si innamorano a prima vista e poteri incredibili sfruttati da persone alle prime armi, ho trovato troppi dettagli assurdi.
Ma partiamo con ordine: l’idea di base è ben congeniata, poiché sfrutta le credenze Maya. Questo popolo aveva sicuramente una serie di leggende straordinarie, con dei e demoni pronti a invadere la terra, nonché una terribile profezia sulla fine del mondo. Ci sarebbe terreno fertile per creare una storia avvincente, invece ci si focalizza sui problemi sentimentali dei due protagonisti.
Leah è sempre confusa su quello che accade. Viene rapita da una setta e non capisce cosa sta succedendo, uno sconosciuto si infila in casa sua e non comprende il motivo. Nonostante questa sua indecisione si lascia guidare dai sogni e dalla passione per Fulmine, come se il suo intuito da poliziotta sia scomparso del tutto.
Fulmine non è da meno. Dovrebbe essere una guida per la sua gente, ma si capisce che i due tutori che l’hanno cresciuto con le conoscenze necessarie per svolgere al meglio il suo compito. Il suo ruolo è diviso tra l’amore per Leah, anche se non la conosce per nulla, e dover sconfiggere dei nemici insidiosi.
Il fatto che nessuno si sia mai accorto della minaccia che stava crescendo mi sembra alquanto strano. In fondo Fulmine può contare sul supporto di due guerrieri esperti che hanno affrontato un vero bagno di sangue nel passato. Dovrebbero aver escogitato una serie di piani e strategie per impedire la catastrofe che si sta delineando, invece sembrano quasi storditi e frastornati da questa offensiva.
Oltre a questa guerriglia poco organizzata, l’altra pecca del libro è l’amore a prima vista, quasi predestinato, che non mi ha per niente convinta. I due personaggi sono molto diversi tra loro, basano il loro rapporto quasi esclusivamente sull’attrazione fisica.
Anche se si tratta del primo libro della serie e i personaggi secondari potrebbero avere una nuova evoluzione, l’intera struttura del romanzo non mi ha entusiasmato.
Una storia che decisamente non fa per me. Tra i due protagonisti che si innamorano a prima vista e poteri incredibili sfruttati da persone alle prime armi, ho trovato troppi dettagli assurdi.
Ma partiamo con ordine: l’idea di base è ben congeniata, poiché sfrutta le credenze Maya. Questo popolo aveva sicuramente una serie di leggende straordinarie, con dei e demoni pronti a invadere la terra, nonché una terribile profezia sulla fine del mondo. Ci sarebbe terreno fertile per creare una storia avvincente, invece ci si focalizza sui problemi sentimentali dei due protagonisti.
Leah è sempre confusa su quello che accade. Viene rapita da una setta e non capisce cosa sta succedendo, uno sconosciuto si infila in casa sua e non comprende il motivo. Nonostante questa sua indecisione si lascia guidare dai sogni e dalla passione per Fulmine, come se il suo intuito da poliziotta sia scomparso del tutto.
Fulmine non è da meno. Dovrebbe essere una guida per la sua gente, ma si capisce che i due tutori che l’hanno cresciuto con le conoscenze necessarie per svolgere al meglio il suo compito. Il suo ruolo è diviso tra l’amore per Leah, anche se non la conosce per nulla, e dover sconfiggere dei nemici insidiosi.
Il fatto che nessuno si sia mai accorto della minaccia che stava crescendo mi sembra alquanto strano. In fondo Fulmine può contare sul supporto di due guerrieri esperti che hanno affrontato un vero bagno di sangue nel passato. Dovrebbero aver escogitato una serie di piani e strategie per impedire la catastrofe che si sta delineando, invece sembrano quasi storditi e frastornati da questa offensiva.
Oltre a questa guerriglia poco organizzata, l’altra pecca del libro è l’amore a prima vista, quasi predestinato, che non mi ha per niente convinta. I due personaggi sono molto diversi tra loro, basano il loro rapporto quasi esclusivamente sull’attrazione fisica.
Anche se si tratta del primo libro della serie e i personaggi secondari potrebbero avere una nuova evoluzione, l’intera struttura del romanzo non mi ha entusiasmato.
January 10, 2010
I was surprised at how well I liked this novel. Despite its length, 443 pages in MMP, I never became bored or had the urge to put it aside. Andersen made the Mayan mythos believable.
The Nightkeepers are descendants of Atlanteans who guided the ancient Egyptians and later the Mayans. A generation before the current time, the Nightkeeper king lead their people in an effort to close the barrier between dimensions to prevent demons from crossing over and dominating the Earth during the Great Conjunction. During this effort most of the adult Nightkeepers were killed and only the babies, their guardians--called winikin, and one adult Nightkeeper survived. This story is the calling together of the surviving Nightkeepers, the babies who are now grown adults, because the barrier has been breached.
I enjoyed the story of Leah, the Miami cop who has been selected for a special role by the Mayan gods, and Striking Jaguar (Strike), son of the late King. I think that Andersen did a great job setting up future stories such as Nate and Alexis' story, which will be told in book two. I love the mysteries surrounding Strike's sister, Anna. Will her hero be her estranged husband, Dick Catori; Lucius, her graduate assistant; or another character yet to be introduced? Will Lucius turn to evil or eventually be recruited by the Nightkeepers?
I am looking forward to reading the other books in this series and I am giving this book five stars.
The Nightkeepers are descendants of Atlanteans who guided the ancient Egyptians and later the Mayans. A generation before the current time, the Nightkeeper king lead their people in an effort to close the barrier between dimensions to prevent demons from crossing over and dominating the Earth during the Great Conjunction. During this effort most of the adult Nightkeepers were killed and only the babies, their guardians--called winikin, and one adult Nightkeeper survived. This story is the calling together of the surviving Nightkeepers, the babies who are now grown adults, because the barrier has been breached.
I enjoyed the story of Leah, the Miami cop who has been selected for a special role by the Mayan gods, and Striking Jaguar (Strike), son of the late King. I think that Andersen did a great job setting up future stories such as Nate and Alexis' story, which will be told in book two. I love the mysteries surrounding Strike's sister, Anna. Will her hero be her estranged husband, Dick Catori; Lucius, her graduate assistant; or another character yet to be introduced? Will Lucius turn to evil or eventually be recruited by the Nightkeepers?
I am looking forward to reading the other books in this series and I am giving this book five stars.
March 31, 2009
Pleasantly surprised with the quality of the storytelling in NIGHTKEEPERS. Outside of the historical fiction genre, I have frequently found many books dealing with Mayan/Aztec/Olmec/etc mythos and culture to be misrepresenting at best. Andersen has clearly done a lot of research and gotten things right, which makes this Mesoamerican history geek very happy.
The story is strongly remniscient of J.R. Ward's work, in that the heroes are all uber-muscular warrior men with destined romances and that the story is told from many points of view -- untraditional for the romance genre, which usually only features the hero and heroine's. This isn't surprising as the two authors are friends and critique partners. I'm a fan of Ward's, but Andersen does not share the same flaws with weak heroines and deus ex machina endings.
I loved the external story as much as the romance. Strongly recommend to readers of both urban fantasy and paranormal romance. It's strong in both fields.
The story is strongly remniscient of J.R. Ward's work, in that the heroes are all uber-muscular warrior men with destined romances and that the story is told from many points of view -- untraditional for the romance genre, which usually only features the hero and heroine's. This isn't surprising as the two authors are friends and critique partners. I'm a fan of Ward's, but Andersen does not share the same flaws with weak heroines and deus ex machina endings.
I loved the external story as much as the romance. Strongly recommend to readers of both urban fantasy and paranormal romance. It's strong in both fields.
October 30, 2009
I really enjoyed this book. With all the movies about 2012 coming out, I was interested to see how it would be incorporated into a sup book. I liked the characters, enjoyed learning about their back stories and seeing how they all came together to try to fight back to the upcoming evil. I'm also extremely happy that the next 2 books ( & ) are already available. Such a nice treat when I find something I like and don't have to wait a year to read the next book.
December 25, 2012
It was more like a 2.5. There were a few things that I didn't like about this book. There were too many characters introduced with a lot of new terminology to get used to. This wouldn't normally bother me but the plot had way to much going on and it was hard to stay focused.
I didn't like that Strike and Leah had sex almost immediately, it seemed out of place and the story didn't focus on them as a couple. Strike wearing cutoffs and rope sandals did not appeal to me, I kept picturing a hippie.
I did like the mythological aspect of the book but not enough to continue with the series or not anytime soon.
I didn't like that Strike and Leah had sex almost immediately, it seemed out of place and the story didn't focus on them as a couple. Strike wearing cutoffs and rope sandals did not appeal to me, I kept picturing a hippie.
I did like the mythological aspect of the book but not enough to continue with the series or not anytime soon.
June 15, 2011
Night Keepers was an average story with detailed world building heavily steeped in mythology. Descendents of powerful magi, who are called Night Keepers, must keep a psi barrier from falling and demons from entering, which would end the world. According to the Mayan calendar this date is December 21, 2012.
The background and purpose of the Night Keepers is more interesting than the characters. The premise of this series is exciting yet it failed to deliver. At times, I felt as if I was reading history/mythology text rather than fiction. Overall, I grade this book a C-.
Has imagination but lacks characterization.
The background and purpose of the Night Keepers is more interesting than the characters. The premise of this series is exciting yet it failed to deliver. At times, I felt as if I was reading history/mythology text rather than fiction. Overall, I grade this book a C-.
Has imagination but lacks characterization.
December 28, 2011
I wanted to like this one but in the end it was just to slow and way to much detail. Plus the characters just did not draw me in Strike was a whiny punk and Leah was meh. I feel a little guilty about that because it was clear that Ms. Anderson put a lot of thought into the story it was to much back story and not enough character development. There were also to many points of views, I think it would have been better for the story to have switched between the two main characters.
November 9, 2014
This book was hard for me. I stopped every fifty pages because it was very dry, but after quite a few pages like 150ish it picked up. The last two hundred I couldn't put it down. Unfortunately, it took to long to get into it. I would recommend it for someone who likes to read books with world ending challenges. I ended up liking the end that I bought the dawnkeepers which I believe is the second book. Happy reading.
March 22, 2009
Listed as a "paranormal romance," the romance aspect was less than engaging. This was a heavy book, with lots of historic detail about the Mayans, and very dark, detailed information about the magical groups trying to prevent or bring about the end of the world. It was well-written and interesting, but I didn't get into the characters as much as I would have liked.
September 27, 2010
I picked this book up by chance. Now that I read it I have to say that I would compare the story telling to that of JR Ward. The 2012 end of the worl theroy is something that is always being talked about Jessica Andersen's take on the theroy is one of suspense as well as romance, but really what story can not have romance and scarifice.
I look forward to reading the second book
I look forward to reading the second book
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February 23, 2012This book was.. full.
The sentences felt full, the plot was full, the story was full of characters and while that wasn't a bad thing, it wasn't what I had expected.
Review and rating to come. God, I'm so tired right now..
The sentences felt full, the plot was full, the story was full of characters and while that wasn't a bad thing, it wasn't what I had expected.
Review and rating to come. God, I'm so tired right now..
February 4, 2009
The woman ROCKS. Great series, great author.
April 3, 2012
it was very good book
i have read this book but i did not win it from good reads
i have read this book but i did not win it from good reads
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