Rating: 4.5🌈
Guardian is not the book I expected it to be. Knowing that Hector was going to The Wall, with the Crane Clan, to defend the borders of Nemeda against the southerners in their never ending war, I expected non-stop battles, bloodshed, and angst.
Especially from Hector, a man who has lost everything and has arrived in a new land where he has no status, no martial skills. And the youngest, most gentle sibling he’s always protected, due to love and responsibility, is the one who has ended up rescuing not only himself but Hector and their sister (Sanctuary). He’s a very tragic, wounded figure in many ways.
But Burns and Fawkes delivers a great story and fantastic characters in a narrative that will go into a more intimate, emotionally powerful world, rather than a larger, action packed adventure.
Hector, in a story that sees himself redefining his thinking about his life and future, is paired with a man who, once the layered are revealed, is similar in his own mind and history. That’s Killian, war Chief of the Crane Clan, whose interesting internal family and child raising structure has produced a person who understands the burdens of responsibility that Hector has borne since adolescence.
Having Hector and Killian work together and struggle with their own issues as well as Hector’s need to redefine who he is as a man in a new world, needing new ideas and skills, is a brilliant way to bring them closer together and to make them relatable to the reader. Hector’s insights into why he’s so torn, unhappy, and confused are thoughts that anyone can understand. So too are those of Killian’s as he seeks to help Hector while still struggling to stay apart emotionally. It all makes sense and their relationship is one I couldn’t get enough of. The authors writing is so skilled in detailing their emotions and dynamics.
I was thrilled to see both siblings again in important roles and emotional moments together. That sister has found her home in Nemeda as the fierce consort to the Chief of the Raven Clan, is no surprise as we saw the women together at the end of the first novel. Men and women rule Clans in Nemeda, something that’s not true to the north and south, so I wonder if it will play into future plans.
The authors have created such a great background and culture for the Crane Clan (along with the many other clans) that it’s easy to get sidetracked imagining more than just the cultural tidbits that are being given out. There’s a wealth of riches here throughout the whole story and series, and it’s goes into making this a beautiful, compelling book.
The ending was as astonishing and satisfying as the storylines that led up to it. And it made me anticipate the next in this fabulous series even more.
Guardian (On the Wind Book 2) by Sam Burns and W.M. Fawkes is an excellent read as is the series. Absolutely recommend!
Cover art © 2023 by Natasha Snow Designs
On The Wind series:
Sanctuary #1
Guardian #2
Harbor #3 – November 14,2024
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Blurb
Only months ago, Hector was in his deathbed. Now, he’s fled his home, abandoning everything he’s ever known to protect his family. But in Nemeda, Paris and Helena don’t need their older brother to provide for them. Unmoored, Hector struggles to find his purpose, until a conniving Nemedan chief questions their legitimacy in the clans. The three refugee siblings must each serve a year on the wall, fighting in the unending war with Nemeda’s southern enemies, but Paris and Helena have carved a place for themselves in their new home. Hector alone is unanchored, and to keep his family safe, determines to serve all three years himself.
The chance to get close to formidable silver-haired chief of the Crane Clan—a man who looked at Hector at his weakest and saw value still—is only a faraway dream.
Killian has led the Nemedan war effort for twenty years. Duty and fairness surpass every other concern, but with Hector of Urial stationed in his lands, he finds himself bending rules that have kept Nemeda secure for generations. While Hector tests his boundaries, he also makes Killian question his assumption that love has no place in war, or in his life.
Killian will move armies to see Hector safe, but with a war looming and the threat of an illness that might steal Hector’s life as easily as any enemy blade, they’re on a collision course with fate that will change the whole land.
- Publication date: October 24, 2024
- Language: English
- Print length: 299 pages
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 