Mundie Moms

Friday, February 25, 2011

Book Review- Griffin Rising

Published by Twilight Times Books
To Be Released- June 28th, 2011
Source- ARC from author to review
4 stars- It's A Good Read

For centuries, rumors have abounded of a lowly caste of supernatural beings known as the Terrae Angeli. Armed with the power to control Earth, Fire, Wind and Water, these warriors secretly serve as guardians for mortals in danger.

But for one young angel-in-training, Griffin, life is hell as a cruel master makes his apprenticeship a nightmare. On the verge of failing, a new mentor, Basil, enters his life and changes it forever. It is their father-and-son relationship, sometimes turbulent, often hilarious, always affectionate, that sings through the story like a pure note.

Masquerading as the average teen next door, Griffin struggles to learn his trade, navigate the ups and downs of modern life among humans (including falling in love with the girl next door), and prepare for the ancient trial-by-combat every apprentice must pass at sixteen or be forced to become mortal (quoted fromGoodreads).

I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed Darby's debut book, Griffin Rising. I liked that Darby owns her mythology, as she takes a popular topic and recreated it by giving it a unique spin. Her angel mythology, lore and history especially with the Terra Angeli, really make her story appealing.

Darby's writing style fit the story and I felt it flowed well, as the story starts out in the present and then goes back three years and is mixed with journal entries from Griffin and Basil. In doing so I was able to understand Griffin more and see how he grew from a broken 13 yr old who was training with a ruthless mentor, to seeing how much he's grown in the last three years while training with his new mentor Basil, when the story jumps back to the present. The journal entries are woven into the storytelling, and allowed me to gain a better understanding of each of the main characters, including Katie, the love interest.

What makes this angel book unique, is that Griffin isn't just an angel training to be a Guardian Angel, he's also a teenager who's trying to figure out life in the human world. Seeing that struggle with learning to put a horrible past behind him, falling in love for the first time, learning to trust others, and finding himself makes him relatable. Basil and Griffin have an amazing chemistry. Griffin is such a broken character, but with Basil, he slowly changes over time and I absolutely loved their relationship.

I may sound like a broken record player when I say this (as I've mentioned this a few times recently), but Griffin Rising has something that I think is absent in a lot of YA books and that's strong parental characters. Not that all YA books will have nor need parental figures in them, but being a parent I have found that I expect a lot more out have these characters and I want them to step up to the plate more so than the other characters. In this case Griffin's mentor Basil does just that. Basil really takes over and becomes not only a caring, loving mentor to Griffin, but he helps him learn to trust again and he proves to me him that not all mentors are as brutal as Nicopolis. My heart really broke for the abuse that Griffin went through in the beginning (which isn't overly graphic, but the picture is painted to get an understanding of how ruthless Nicopolis is and how much Griffin grows as a character). Along with Basil are Katie's parents. They are what I deem typical responsible parents who care about their daughter as they except their daughter to follow rules, and be responsible and yes, they even give her a curfew (gasp, something I had and hated while growing up).

I enjoyed reading Griffin Rising. There's a lot of great elements to the plot that kept me engaged with it's action, lore, rich history, character growth as well as dynamics and a little romance that doesn't over take the story. Most of all, I like that I don't walk away feeling this is just "another angel" book. Darby adds the right amount of creativity to her story that makes it stand out among the angel books. I'm really looking forward to reading it's sequel. I would recommend picking up a copy of the book when it's out this summer.

6 comments:

  1. I'm glad you liked it and gave it wonderful review. It's on my tbr pile and now I can't wait to read it.

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  2. It is a wonderful story with lots of texture and humor. I felt privileged to blurb it.

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  3. LM Preston- It's a great read and I'm looking forward to hearing what other readers think about it.

    CleeMcKenzie- I agree and I enjoyed reading your blurb.

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  4. Thanks again for this terrific review! I've been grinning ear-to-ear all day!

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  5. Sounds wonderful, will definitely look into it. :D

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  6. Darby- You are so welcome! Thank you for allowing me the chance to review it!

    Sophie- I think you'd enjoy it.

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