Jack Miller aimed his shotgun at the monster's grey-skinned head and pulled the trigger. ~ Opening of Stone Guardian
Stone Guardian (Entwined Realms #1) by Danielle Monsch
Romantic Geek Publishing, 2013
Fantasy (Urban); 374 pgs
Source: NetGalley
Gargoyles would likely not make my list of romantic interests in a paranormal novel, but Danielle Monsch finds a way to make it work. I mean, if women the world over can be drawn to cold blood-sucking men and furry hot-blooded alpha men who growl . . . Well, why not a winged stone-like man too? I really enjoyed exploring Danielle Monsch's world in Stone Guardian. Imagine two parallel universes colliding and humans and supernatural creatures must find a way to co-exist in the aftermath.
Larissa Miller is a history teacher, but seems pretty clueless about the supernatural beings that inhabit her planet. She's pretty well-sheltered, living in a human only city and surrounded by over protective brothers and a father who is a police chief. She's drawn the attention of quite a few creatures, including Terak, the leader of the Gargoyles. A cryptic prophecy has led him to her, and he has been watching her for months. His doubts that she is really in any danger prove true when she is attacked on the street. Terak and Larissa join forces to find out who is behind the attack and why Larissa is the target.
There are a lot of reasons why this novel should not have worked for me. Larissa is a history teacher and yet knows so little about the world outside her supposedly safe human only city. The argument that she is ever curious and always wants to learn new things and yet stops questioning because it upset her father when she was younger isn't very believable. She's very much the damsel in distress (although she isn't one to take unnecessary risks, which is always a relief), always needing the hero to save her. There's also the fact that I had trouble buying Terak as a leader of the Gargoyles at times.
Despite all that, I had such fun reading this book. I was wrapped up in the story, and wanted to know how everything would play out. I thought it was a good story. I liked both Terak and Larissa, despite my reservations, and felt they were well matched. I especially liked the secondary characters and the world outside Larissa's door. It's definitely one I would like to explore further.
Larissa Miller is a history teacher, but seems pretty clueless about the supernatural beings that inhabit her planet. She's pretty well-sheltered, living in a human only city and surrounded by over protective brothers and a father who is a police chief. She's drawn the attention of quite a few creatures, including Terak, the leader of the Gargoyles. A cryptic prophecy has led him to her, and he has been watching her for months. His doubts that she is really in any danger prove true when she is attacked on the street. Terak and Larissa join forces to find out who is behind the attack and why Larissa is the target.
There are a lot of reasons why this novel should not have worked for me. Larissa is a history teacher and yet knows so little about the world outside her supposedly safe human only city. The argument that she is ever curious and always wants to learn new things and yet stops questioning because it upset her father when she was younger isn't very believable. She's very much the damsel in distress (although she isn't one to take unnecessary risks, which is always a relief), always needing the hero to save her. There's also the fact that I had trouble buying Terak as a leader of the Gargoyles at times.
Despite all that, I had such fun reading this book. I was wrapped up in the story, and wanted to know how everything would play out. I thought it was a good story. I liked both Terak and Larissa, despite my reservations, and felt they were well matched. I especially liked the secondary characters and the world outside Larissa's door. It's definitely one I would like to explore further.
To learn more about Danielle Monsch and her work, please visit the authors's website. She can also be found on Goodreads and Twitter.
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