Karen Healey

Eighteen-year-old New Zealand boarding school student Ellie Spencer must use her rusty tae kwon do skills and new-found magic to try to stop a fairy-like race of creatures from Maori myth and legend that is plotting to kill millions of humans in order toregain their lost immortality.

Guardian of the Dead

Jeannette Ordas

I don't read fantasy or any kind of magic-y books, so when this awful looking cover stared out at me from my library holds stack, I was totally put off. While I do give it props for having a strong, feminist character who kicks butt and I liked the New Zealand setting, it so wasn't my cup of tea. I found myself skimming page after page and felt a bit lost during the last half of the book. I feared from the beginning that this would be a Twilight rip-off but it wasn't, thankfully. However, this just didn't do it for me.

Stefanie  Uwah

2.5 stars
I think I would have like this book more if:
1. I hadn't figured out that there was a dictionary for all the New Zealand terms in the back of the book 75 pages in.
2. I didn't have to reread 75 pages because I wanted to go back and figure out what was happening. 
3. I wasn't reading this on a crappy plane ride.
4. I didn't accidentally start reading two chapters ahead of where I actually stopped. 

All these things put aside, I do think the concept of the book was very interesting and I may go back and read it in a better setting.

Guardian of the Dead

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