Summer Reading 2015 The Blood Guard (The Blood Guard #1)

Okay, I'll admit that I jumped right into the middle of this series and read the second book first, so there were not as many surprises in the first book as there should have been. But it was still an exciting read and I was very curious about how all the character I had seen in The Glass Gauntlet had actually met up and become friends and allies in the first book. Now I know the story of Ronan's house burning down, where he knew Greta from, how they met Sammy, etc. And those are good things to know. I also found out more about how Jack became an Overseer and who Jenks is (someone he mentions in the second book). 

It's always an odd feeling when you've read ahead and then go back to the beginning of a series, because you see things and realize their significance that you wouldn't have noticed otherwise. You also get that sense of foreshadowing when a character says something or does something and you think to yourself, "Aha! That's why x, y, z happens in the next book." Now that I'm all caught up, I will be finding things out along with the characters and won't have that advantage in book 3 (which I hope is coming very soon).

For those who don't know - The Blood Guard is an ancient group that are sworn to protect special individuals called Pures from an evil group named the Bend Sinister. Of course the bad guys swear they are not villains, and that they are only trying to make the world a better place - by killing off these pure souls. Does anyone really believe them? Ronan's family has a history of serving in the Blood Guard. His friend Greta's father is also a guard. Their companions Jack and Ogabe are Overseers, special protectors that work with the Guard. And Sammy is another kid caught up in all this craziness.

If you enjoy action and adventure, quests to save the world, and stories were some of the good guys just happen to be kids, then you should read the Blood Guard books. They are full of fight scenes, humor, and suspense with a little bit of magic thrown in.

I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley. For more information, visit the author's website. (It is currently undergoing some updates, but he promises it will be finished soon.)