Books4Tomorrow: REVIEW: GUARDIANS OF THE GRIMOIRE (The Grimoire, #1)

Title: Guardians of the Grimoire

Series: The Grimoire, #1

Author: Natasha Slight

Publisher: Self-published

Publication Date: October 10, 2011

Genre: YA, Fantasy

Reviewed by: Ellen Fritz

Ellen’s star rating: 5/5

SUMMARY

Rumors have spread among the immortals of a book that controls all the magic in both the human and spirit worlds. So what is the Spirit Mother to do when Kaël, a corrupt spirit, attempts to steal the Grimoire from her temple?

With no other option, she instructs Gaïa, a benevolent spirit, to hide the Grimoire in the human realm and to train three young girls in becoming the new guardians. Kerani, Tiluvia, and Cesca are awakened to their destinies, and thrust into a perilous journey as they race to Gaïa’s island. Accompanied by the Kal’rana sisters, the girls discover the magic that lies dormant within them. But fate plays a cruel twist on them, as their magical abilities are unleashed before they are ready, and disastrous consequences follow suit.

In a land shrouded in magic, and filled with as many friends as there are foes, will the girls be able to fulfill their destinies? Or will the balance of magic be thrown into chaos?

REVIEW

Set in a medieval world where kings and their nobles co-exist with sorcerers and magical creatures, Guardians of the Grimoire is a comfortably paced tale of high adventure. Destined since early childhood to be the guardians of the grimoire that holds all the magic in the world, the three girls, Kerani, Tiluvia and Cesca, become aware of this enormous responsibility when they turn eighteen. Not only must they keep and protect the amulets that, when combined, make the key to open the grimoire, they must also learn to use and control their own newly awakened magical powers. Pursued by the king's soldiers and the evil spirit, Kaël, they undertake the perilous journey to the island where Gaïa can teach them how to control and use these powers.

I thoroughly enjoyed the journey and adventures of the three girls and the Kal'rana sisters. From Kerani the sword wielding princess, hot tempered Cesca, and poor clumsy Tiluvia who just had the bad luck of having the most difficult horse to ride, to the three sisters who had the task of protecting the Guardians until they got to Gaïa's island. These wonderfully realistic characters endeared themselves to me.

The author created a highly imaginative and absolutely unique setting for her book. Unfortunately many of the wonderful creatures are dangerous and make the journey of the girls and women rather difficult. As though dangerous creatures aren't enough, they have to face an acidic lake, a bridge of bones over a lava pit, a nasty, self-pitying mermaid and numerous other thoroughly scary situations which turn their journey into a life threatening obstacle course.

Although there are incidents that made me laugh out loud, there is also a liberal measure of sadness and loss in the story. I never got time to wallow in the sad moments however, as the adventure and ever present sense of danger carries the story forward all the time.

I highly recommend this book to readers of all ages and look forward to reading the next installment in this series. Thumbs up and five stars to Guardians of the Grimoire and Natasha Slight.