Beck Michael

The Shadow demon nearly took everything from Dynalya Astron, and it would soon return for more. When she discovers a way to fight back, she must go on a perilous journey and risk it all for those she holds dear.Along the way, she meets Cassiel, a Celestial Prince with magic blood and wings as black as his heart. He wants nothing to do with Dyna until he learns she could lead him to a place he has been searching for all his life. But reaching their destination is not as easy as they thought, nor are they the only ones who search for it. With danger at every turn and harrowing secrets between them, the quest will require much more than determination. They must fight for what they desire-or die trying.For fans of Throne of Glass, The Cruel Prince, and The Lord of the Rings comes Beck Michael's debut novel with remarkable characters, a budding romance, and gripping action. Divine Blood is the first book of an Epic Dark Fantasy series that explores the depths of loss, acceptance, and the true meaning of courage.

Divine Blood (Guardians of the Maiden #1 LIMITED EDITION)

Beck Michaels

The Shadow demon nearly took everything from Dynalya Astron, and it would soon return for more. When she discovers an enchanted map to a hidden island that could give her the power to kill demons, she must leave her remote village for the first time and risk it all for those she holds dear. Dyna is not a warrior, and with a phobia of the dark, this is a journey she cannot go on alone. She needs her cousin's help, but he lives beyond a dark and eerie forest-a place the villagers are forbidden to enter. Go in and you won't come out they warned, but what choice did she have? The Forbidden Woods holds many secrets, one of them being Cassiel, a celestial prince with magic blood and wings as black as his heart. He wants nothing to do with the peculiar human or her cousin until he learns she has the map to a place he's been searching for all his life. But the journey across the kingdom is not as easy as they thought, and they are not the only ones searching for the island. Danger at every turn, they soon find themselves the target of a notorious Raider who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

Guardians Book 1

Divine Blood

Alessia (Taylor's version) 

Aundreya Rich

"So long as I am with you, there is nothing to fear." 

Divine Blood was a book I went into blind and was pleasantly pleased with the outcome.
Beck Michaels does an extraordinary job building a world of fantasy full of intricate characters, magic, and hope.
After finishing the book with a cliffhanger full of emotions I was shocked to learn BM started writing this series when she was a teenager! WOW!

DB has the most fantastical species I've ever read in one book.
Angels, Demons, Werewolves, Elves, Sorceresses, and so much more to come as the series grows and the main characters continue their journey to Mount Ida on a quest that has been destined, and the maiden collects her guardians to slay the shadow demon that haunts her.

Read if you love:
-grumpy handsome angel
-sweet wholesome heroine
-slow burn love
- intricate details and all things fantasy
-family bonds
-multiple points of view/ narratives
-action and adventure
-a story of good vs. evil
-large series to fall in love with


What I struggled with:
honestly I don't know if it was a struggle as much as just "its the first book." There was a LOT of information, magic realm and backstories crammed into 425 pages so I had a hard time keeping it all straight, however it didn't deter me away from enjoying the book and its often something I feel in heavy world building series.

rating:
story-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
character-⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
trope- destined love
steam- " alot of pent up feelings"

song🎼 
  Hurts 2 B Human

Leah | @LeahsLittlePleasures

Divine Blood in a handful of words : Whimsical. Rustic. Dazzling. Magical. Epic.⁣
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Guys. Wow. This story was so completely beyond what I was expecting!! I loved it so much.⁣
⁣
We follow Dyna, a healer from the secluded village of North Star in the kingdom of Azure, on a quest to save her village from the mysterious Shadow demon that has plagued them for as long as anyone can remember. Once she sets out on her journey, she meets up with a broody Celestial Prince, a terrifying yet familial shapeshifter, and the beginnings of a foretelling start to take shape. ⁣
⁣
This whimsical fantasy adventure is told from multiple POVs and has mages and magic, shapeshifters, celestials, shadow demons, fae, elves, a prophecy, myths about pirates & hidden treasure, a fated-mates romance, a chosen one trope, and it's only the beginning! Book 2 releases in August which cannot come fast enough.⁣
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Overall, the story starts out rustic but then becomes a majestic, epic fantasy quest that is dazzling, magical, and completely unexpected. With each character and storyline addition, the depth, dynamic, and power of the tale and world-building enhanced tenfold and just... WOW.⁣
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Steamometer: ❤️- slow burn, sweet, and heartwarming⁣
(a beautiful beginning to an enemy to lovers, fated-mates trope, but don't expect kissing yet!)⁣
⁣
CW: PTSD, verbal abuse, death of family members, enslavement⁣
⁣
𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐠! 𝐿𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝑖𝑛 𝑏𝑖𝑜. Bravo, Beck, bravo! And thank you for my #gifted limited edition copy.⁣

Paola C

3.5 stars rounding up

In Divine Blood, we are following Dynalya on her quest to find a magical item that can help her village defeat an evil being called The Shadows, who every 10 years come to her village and wrecks havoc. She is joined on this quest by Zev, her cousin who is a werewolf, and later on by Cassiel a Celestial Prince. Her quest is not an easy one because she soon finds herself in the middle of something much bigger than what she has ever known. 

Let's talk about the main characters real quick. Dynalya, or Dyna, as she prefers, is very naive. I also felt like she cares too much about people who she truly doesn't know very well or the people who have wronged her. She has no backbone whatsoever and I feel like she is easily manipulated and swayable if you wanted to. Towards the end of the book, her character is starting to develop a bit more, so I hope that in the sequel we will get to see her as the badass MC that we are wanting.

Zev is the one character who I truly felt for. He has everything and nothing to lose all at the same time. He has been rejected and discarded aside by everyone except for Dyna because of who he is and what he can become. Yet through all of this, he still carries on because he cares for Dyna and doesn't know what she will do without him.

Cassiel to me is just bland. He has so much potential that just felt wasted. He is a Celestial Prince for Pete's sake! Towards the end of the book he finally unleashed his inner badass, which made me so happy, but then he retreated until himself back again and it just ruined the moment a bit. 

Overall, this was a nice introduction to the world and the characters. I'm hoping that the sequel will deliver more of everything and that the characters continue to grow and develop. I want to see more darkness, more ambition from our main characters.

Samantha Bass

I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. You can visit my other reviews through my blog http://ladyandstar.wordpress.com/

The prologue/first chapter sucked me into this book. I was ready and excited for an incredible journey to save her village! But as we creep further into the book, the pace drops and I felt like it was dragging. I wanted a steady build up into pure action, but as we moved along, I didn't feel a steady progression.

I don't mind slow build ups, as long as there is something to fill that void, like side journeys and character build up. We get a lot of side journey's as our characters work to get what they need, but it was the character moments that I struggled a bit to get through.

I think my biggest issues were the characters, overall. Their personalities seemed to change between POV. Dyna, for starters, comes across as a sure, confident girl who is ready to protect and defend her home. But then in Zev's eyes she's a weak toddler who can't even walk by herself without getting into trouble. And then Cassiels' POV, she's clumsy, baby-ish, and yet enchanting.

It's like I'm reading about three different people. Now, I'll admit, the way a person perceives themselves is different from how others see them, so I get that difference. But even between the two men, it's two different people.

I think that disconnect made it more difficult for me to enjoy the story. I found myself liking the action scenes and the plot, but the slower moments between characters was a bit harder to get through. But I stuck it out, and I thought the remaining 40% of the book was amazing! It was action filled, the plot progressed, and it set us up for the rest of their journey. We even meet new characters who add another dimension to the characters and their stories, which I really liked. I couldn't put it down as our heroes, and our villains, worked towards their goals.

For the most part, I really liked the book. I thought the plot was interesting and new. We had a clear goal for each character on what they wanted and what they were willing to do. I genuinely got excited at the end of the book wanting to know what is coming next. And I think I'm definitely going to buy and read book 2 when it releases in December.

Overall, I would have to give this book a 3 // 5 stars. I think that's a neutral enough rating. There were some things I didn't like in the story and other things I loved, so this feels like a natural resting place for my thoughts.

Manon van Heumen

As I started out reading this, I was immediately sucked into this book. The premise was amazing, and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. However, after a couple of chapters, the pave slowed, and stayed like that pretty much throughout the whole book. I was saddened by this, and this is the main reason for giving it three stars. Aside from this, I really enjoyed it!

Ashlee

This is a really fun, solid start to this series. I can to wait to see where it goes next, especially as we’re just now starting to meet more players in this story!

Full review on its way, but in the meantime, I recommend checking this one out!

Dakota Gigout

I gave this book 4.5 stars. It is a fun YA adventure and fast paced read! While the love story can be a little cheesy and the protagonist a little too soft hearted, it weaves the perfect blend of adventure, gore, and sweet! From page 1, you will be whisked away by one exciting moment after another.

Farah Khaled 

*The author of this book sent me this paperback copy in exchange for an honest review, so don’t expect anything less than that. I will always give an honest review, be it a positive one or a negative one.*


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The book is filled with different mystical creatures, you have faes, angels, witches, werewolves, mages, sorceresses, elves, and more. At first, it was too much for me and quite overwhelming due to the number of characters we were introduced to. However, after a while, you get used to it and it gets really interesting seeing how they interact with each other.

Divine Blood follows Dynalya, on her quest to leave her small town and go on a journey to find the hidden island where she will find the object that will kill the Shadow Demon and prevent him from killing her little sister and other children. On her journey, she meets her cousin Zev (werewolf), Celestrial Prince Cassiel (my bat baby who is an Angel) where they join her and protect her along the way.


  WHAT I LIKED


Worldbuilding: I really liked how detailed the world was. I am into descriptive, and to point world-building and this book definitely delivered. Definitely no info dumps, everything is pretty well spaced out. There are a lot of names, and I’m terrible at names, so that did take some getting used to.

Writing: was also just really nice. At times, it was a little strange and I'd have to go back and reread a sentence or two. However, Beck does a great job at showing and not just telling. Which is something I always prefer in fantasy books.

Characters: I liked the relationship between Dyna, Zev, and Cassiel. Both of them are protective of her and try their best to protect her. Zev is hot-headed and a tough guy but turns into a softie when it comes to Dyna. And Cassiel...I have a lot to say but I don't want to spoil anything haha. But I really liked him and how he's fighting his attraction to Dyna. 


  WHAT I DID NOT LIKE (why I gave it 4 stars instead of 5)


Multiple POV: There are A LOT of characters and points of view in this book which I really really struggled with. I would have preferred if the story follows our small gang of 3 but more and more kept joining and we keep getting their POV. I understand it is to understand the story from their respective but I felt disconnected from the story. 

Whenever I feel comfortable with a character, the POV switches to a different one. I wouldn't mind anyone from the gang but getting the point of view from a character they're going to meet in the future early on in the story? I didn't like that. Would have preferred if we meet this character from Dyna's POV maybe and then we get to know him more from his POV (am I making sense? 👀) But that's just my opinion.

Pacing: The pacing started out really good where it was flowing naturally and I was enjoying it. And then I don't know what happened, there were scenes where nothing happened and it was kinda boring. I would expect that the characters to be halfway through their journey but nope, they just completed their first step and they're out of the country only.

I found out that the series will have 7 books in the series, so that explains the pacing and the direction of the plot.

Also a side note, I was kind of disappointed with the ending. Everyone who read this book and I mean EVERYONE, hyped up the ending. You would expect that someone died or a big twist happened at the end, but nope. Something really simple and expected happened instead. My fault really for falling into the hype and having high expectations. 😂

All in all, this was a pretty interesting read: great main characters, awesome world-building, but with slow pacing though still entertaining. I'd be interested in reading the second book.

Divine Blood (Guardians of the Maiden #1 LIMITED EDITION)

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