Jessica Andersen

Miami narcotics detective Leah Daniel never expected to become the sacrificial victim in an ancient Mayan blood ritual intended to bring a demon from the underworld, or to be rescued by Jaguar Strike, a handsome warrior-priest king, who claims that he has recognized her from his visions, in the first volume in a new paranormal romance series. Original.

Nightkeepers

Michelle Xu

I picked this book up because I was looking for something that reminded me of Zoe Archer’s The Blade of the Rose series (which didn't get as good ratings as the Nightkeepers series). I wanted something with romance but I didn't want it to be the focal point of the book, I wanted more action and adventure. I also didn't want to read another vampire related series. I was really excited for Nightkeepers because I thought it would have all that. However, I was pretty disappointed… It took me a really long time to get through the book and the first half especially was really difficult.
 
The characters weren't particularly likable… as in any of them. Not just Leah and Strike but even the side characters, I didn't feel a strong connection to any of them. They were all kind of boring and I didn't understand their motivations for acting the way they did. All characters were way too stubborn to their own thoughts and what not, until some epiphany moment near the end.

But first, things I liked:
I thought the concept was really cool. I liked that the timing of the releases of the books were in time to when the actual 2012 apocalypse was supposed to happen. I can tell Andersen put a lot of work into the background, research, history, and folklore that went into the series. It was very very detailed and well research (though that may actually be a negative because at times it definitely got to just be too much). The second half of the book really picked up and I breezed through it much easier than the first half. The last fight scene was pretty awesome, especially with the two gods.

Okay yeah I struggled with some of the things I liked… So here are the things that bothered me:

Almost all the female Nightkeepers were tall, skinny, and blond-haired, blue-eyed. Maybe put some diversity in there, especially since this is a Mayan folklore full of people named “Red-Boar” and other shit, they should not be white washed.

The book was just so badly paced/timed. So the whole first half was really boring for me, I couldn't really get myself to keep reading at a pace I normally would like to for a book I enjoy. Strike was super creepy with Leah. Like okay I guess the Gods or something made you horny, but that doesn't make it any less creepy that he would touch her in her sleep or in her dreams. It’s definitely just NOT okay. Additionally, they just had to keep introducing new characters and subplots and subcharacters and really that subtracted away from Leah and Strike. I really don’t understand what made them fall in love when they did… because this is how I viewed their relationship: he just saves her a bunch of times, she’s kinda bad ass and can kick ass but still lands in trouble a lot, they have horny dreams, sleep with each other, then BAM they’re so fucking in love. WHAT?! Also, what’s with people/romance books having men declare their women as “mine.” Also (view spoiler)[Strike just fucking locked her in a cellar to keep her from fighting… Okay, yeah it was for her safety… but what about working WITH her? What about talking to her like a fucking adult about it? She’s a cop. She’s not dumb. How is their marriage or love or whatever together supposed to even work if he just thinks locking her up will be okay? Then she’ll give no shits and just escape and do her own shit without him anyway.  (hide spoiler)]

The last thing that really bothered me was (view spoiler)[ the fact that Red-Boar died. He was annoying as hell at some points throughout the novel, but he was probably the most interesting side character with all his issues with his dead family and Rabbit. What sucks is he didn't even really end on a good note since he tried to kill Leah and then just suddenly died in battle. His death was also super sudden and anticlimactic. I found it interesting Rabbit mourned the most for him. I hated the fact that Strike saw Red-Boar dead then like the only and first thing he could think of was Leah… like this dude that raised you literally just bled out from his throat and you’re like “oh thank god that wasn't Leah I just killed!”  (hide spoiler)]

I don’t know. I KIND of want to read the next book because I did find Nate the most interesting of the other Nightkeepers....... but if the quality of the next novel is the same, I really can’t continue reading this series.

Nightkeepers

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