Guardian of the Dead

My initial thought was that perhaps this book was aimed at a younger audience.

But the annoying petty dramas gave way to curiosity and the story slogged ( sometimes skipped ) toward a kind of calm beauty..
almost like the revelation roller coaster that the/any 17yr is traveling ..

Due respect for Maori mythology is heeded whilst artistic licence is given.
-a good mix.

Interesting and strange but good. New Zealand and Pacific island mythologies and young adult challenges combine to make a creepy and exciting story.

Warning tho it is a bit intense at times. There's some threats of sexual assault and references to past non consent, pretty brutal violence, and what I would classify as body horror. The main character also struggles with her body image if you need a heads up for that.

Looooooved it! Way more than I expected to.

17-year old Ellie grew up on the North Island of New Zealand, but has been sent to a boarding school on the South Island. When she accidentally runs into the quiet, mysterious, cute boy Mark, she suddenly feels ill and her world is about to change forever.I really enjoyed this. I enjoyed the relationships of Ellie and her friends before her world was turned upside-down and it moved quite quickly through most of the rest of the book. Healey has fictionalized Maori mythology into a fun YA novel. I did find the ending a little odd, but overall, I really enjoyed it.

Going into Guardians of the Dead, I had only vague ideas of what it was about. I knew that it was set in New Zealand, involved Māori mythology, contained an asexual side character and appeared on many asexual representation lists. The last two are largely why I picked up the book. Plus, I was in New Zealand at the time and thought it would be cool to read a book set there.Ellie Spencer is a seventeen year old who’s counting down the days until she can graduate from boarding school, where she really only has one friend – Kevin. Her largest concern is getting roped in to do martial arts choreography for a local student play, but strange things keep seeming to happen to her. First of all, something is up with Mark, that guy she has a crush on. And who’s the strange woman who’s practically stalking Kevin? Soon Ellie will find herself unwittingly involved in the worlds of myth and magic.As I’m not Māori, I can’t speak as to how the culture was used in this book. If anyone finds a review from a Māori reviewer, I’d love to read it! Healey does note in her afterword that the narrator of the book is Pākehā (non-Māori) and that the culture is filtered through her view. I did enjoy reading this book while I was in New Zealand, and it’s made me realize that I’ve never read any other books set there. I definitely need to look into other New Zealand science fiction and fantasy novels.I am glad that Guardian of the Dead included an asexual character, but I didn’t think Kevin was great representation. There are a few positive points. For one, it actually says the word “asexual” on page! For another Kevin has friends and isn’t socially isolated. However, the book conflates the terms “asexual” (someone who doesn’t experience sexual attraction) with “aromantic” (someone who doesn’t experience romantic attraction). The two are separate things, and the differentiation between them is practically Asexuality 101. This quote in particular jolted me:“Taking advice from a woman who, since the age of eleven, had been pursuing someone who wasn’t interested in sex was definitely a bad idea.”The implication here is that no one would want to be in a romantic relationship without sex, which is not great for any romantic asexuals reading the book and part of why I wouldn’t recommend it to ace readers looking for representation. Also, Kevin never says anything about how he experiences asexuality (for instance, I know aces who do choose to have sex), and the narrator just makes a whole lot of assumptions. Kevin also exits the stage about half way through the novel and felt almost more of a plot device than a character.From a general representation stand point, there are a few other things to note. I really wish Ellie wouldn’t have kept referring to her friend Asian friend Iris as a “China doll.” Adding the words “I know it’s racist, but” don’t in any way negate the racism. It was also disturbing how Mark’s account of the time he almost murdered his disabled father was used to gather sympathy for Mark. For not murdering his dad and continuing to care for him, Ellie remarks that he’s a good person. The entire passage just felt really ableist.The book might have been able to overcome these flaws if everything else about it was good. Unfortunately it was so-so at best. The main problem is that the plotting just isn’t very well done and the book does not feel well constructed. The pacing is all over the place, and it generally feels clumsy. It didn’t help either that I disliked Mark, the love interest. He spent the beginning of the book being a jerk, like casting spells to manipulate Ellie’s memory. At least he got called out on it.Anyway, I don’t entirely regret reading Guardian of the Dead. It kept crossing my radar for ace rep, so now I’ve at least read it and am done with it. Plus, I did like the New Zealand setting. On the whole, however, it’s not a book I’d recommend.Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.

I really enjoyed reading this book. As a fan of mythology it was nice to read about something other then the commonly known Greek and Roman myths. I stumbled a few times over the pronunciation but since it was in my own head I figured it didn't really matter. The one thing that seemed to really bug me was Iris's calm acceptance of everything that was going on, especially since she did not have magic. I know if it was me I would have flipped out and not have believed what was going on. Otherwise I'm looking forward to the next book in this series, as I am assuming there will be one due to the ending of the book.

This particular flavor of urban fantasy isn't usually my thing. The book starts off with a slow start and gets better. The paranormal romance aspect of it doesn't quite click for me, but I really liked the protagonist.

Karen Healey is a young New Zealand author and this was her first novel (she's published a further two since this), this was a re-read for me. As I do personally know the author, it was very easy to hear her voice in Ellie's thoughts and words. I love the fact that the story is set in a slightly varied version of my own city and enjoyed that Ellie was neither petite and girly, but instead a strong-willed female of larger build. Some of the feminist issues felt a little forced, however, and Kevin's sexual-orientation was not particularly convincing, but maybe that's just because I do not really know much about asexuality.

It was great to read a tale that used Maori mythology, even if a lot of it is the author's own interpretation and twist on things, the basics are genuine and it introduced me to the papupaiarehe, a race I was formerly (before the first reading) unaware of. I have since seen them featured in other NZ urban fantasy books, although in that one (David Hair's Aotearoa series) they were portrayed as sadistic vampiric elven creatures. And would be eager to read more urban fantasy set in my own country using native mythology.

Overall, I found it an enjoyable and action-packed re-read, and thoroughly enjoyed rediscovering it.

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales.Quick & Dirty: Interesting YA Paranormal that was a fast paced easy read. The plot was a little predictable and I didn’t love all the characters, but it was still a very good read.Opening Sentence: I opened my eyes.The Review: Ellie Spencer is your normal 17 year old teenage girl. She is attending boarding school for her last year of high school while her parents live their dream of traveling the world. She is very tall for a girl and slightly overweight. Being the new girl is hard when everyone grew up together, but she makes quick friends with Kevin who happens to be gorgeous but not really interested in girls or anyone for that matter. Ellie also starts crushing on Mark, a super cute, mysterious boy that usually keeps his distance from everyone. Life is going good and then everything starts to fall apart.There is a crazy serial killer on the loose who is cutting people’s eyes out, and he seems to be heading to their area. Then a beautiful, yet unnatural girl starts to pay way too much attention to Kevin and he uncharacteristically seems to be reciprocating. Than Mark starts to talk to Ellie and the things he says don’t seem to make since. Ellie knows that something bad is happening but she’s not sure who she can trust. Will she be able to figure out this mystery before it is too late for her and her friends?Ellie is our protagonist in the story and I actually really liked her. She has some self confidence issues at times, but she learns to get past them and becomes a strong, not to be messed with, woman. She also has her naive moments where she makes some stupid decisions but she owns up to them. She is very loyal to her friends and really tries to do the right thing. I loved that she wasn’t perfect, it made her so much easier to connect with and she felt more like a real person.Mark is the love interest in the book and I had mixed feelings about him. He is totally gorgeous, mysterious, and interesting, which usually I totally love, but I also felt like he was kind of a pansy. Ellie is a strong woman and she deserves an equally strong boy by her side and I felt that Mark fell a little short in this regard. I get that you need to see his vulnerable side, but it made him come across as weak. He did have some redeeming qualities as well, but I just felt that some of his faults overshadowed them. So I did like him, but I felt that Ellie deserved a little better.This was a really fast paced book that was easy to read. There was good action with an interesting plot. The plot was fairly predictable, but there were a few twists I wasn’t expecting. I really enjoyed the characters and the romance was sweet and well developed. It was also pretty humorous at times which helped to lighten the mood and made it a fun read. Overall, I would say that this was a good book and I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys YA Paranormal.Notable Scene:He picked at the hair for a second, then met my eyes, now looking rueful and adorable. “Sorry. Spencer. Either I cut this loose, or we’re stuck together forever.” I hoped I didn’t look too awestruck. Was I a giggling idiot, to be struck by lightning at my first physical contact? But then, he’d felt something too. And he knew my name.“Option two is tempting, but…” I yanked at the wayward hair. It resisted, then snapped raggedly, leaving a blondish strand knotted in the bracelet. “Yuck. Sorry.”“No worries.” He rubbed thoughtfully at the knot and smiled at me, a sudden flash of white, even teeth. My breath caught in my throat and I felt the blush burn in my cheeks. “I like your laugh,” he said.Apparently, that was a goodbye. He turned and strode through the school gate, head extended and fists clenched in his pockets to make bony wings, a heron stalking along a bank.I stooped, fiddling with my shoelace until I felt my treacherous complexion was under control. That peculiar tingling sensation was still there, but it wasn’t as strong as the rising wave of glee. Mark Nolan had noticed my laugh.FTC Advisory: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers/Hachette Book Group provided me with a copy of Guardian of the Dead. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

Really clever and interesting Maori-themed urban fantasy set in New Zealand.

It's a bit like the author looked at everything she disliked in fantasty/horror and wrote against it, successfully. This is a creepy book with great characters and good pacing. Looking forward to her next book, due out this year.

It’s kind of uncommon for me to pick up a debut novel and immediately fall in love with the author. Especially as I tend to discover things a while after the debut. So, when I first heard about Guardian of the Dead, I was intrigued enough by the premise to pick up a copy.

First off, I love mythology and folklore, and I really like books that tend to branch out from the Greco-Roman/Norse stories. While there are liberties taken with the Maori legends and folklore that make up the fabric of Guardian of the Dead, they’re still used extremely well. (There’s an afterward that notes where Healey took said liberties.) I love how creepy the patupaiarehe are, even the ones who just swarm and attack the heroes. I also love the idea that stories tend to shape how certain people see the world—by actually seeing the mythology involved all around them. It’s really such an interesting image when you realize that that’s what Ellie is really seeing.

Despite not being fully detailed, I also really love the magic system that gets lovingly nudged at. It’s not completely described—at best there’s a rough explanation on how the magic works and who all can use it. But I like that there’s defined lines between the different types of magic. I also like that certain magicians have talents—it makes feel a little more plausible and doesn’t make the magic feel all mighty and powerful.

So, on that note: our heroine. I freaking love Ellie. Granted a part of the reason I love her so much is that this book came out during the huge glut of paranormal YA novels and having a heroine who can actually take care of herself? I am all over that. Not to mention, she’s normal without being super-special normal. Can you honestly see Twilight starting off with Bella Swan waking up with a hangover with her platonic male best friend? I like that Ellie’s not perfect, that she fucks up and is a little prejudiced, and does take consequence for her actions. And she stands up for herself! I swear, some of my favorite scenes are when Ellie bitches at Mark for jerking her around. Just—she’s so awesome, I love her.

Not so much in love with Mark. He is a welcome change from (again) ninety percent of YA romantic leads. I like that he’s complicated, in both his relationship with Ellie and his parents, and that he’s conflicted about who he really is. He’s a little too underdeveloped at times, but like with Ellie, he does come off as a real person. I’m really interested on how he and Ellie stand at the end of the book.

There are three characters who get shafted, and by shafted, I mean, “Please please please write another story about them.” I love Kevin. Not only is he Ellie’s best friend; he could be anyone’s best friend. I would love to just kick it with him some afternoon. I love his personality, that he’s funny and joking, but is ready to defend any of his friends at a moment’s notice. (And points for not being gay or secretly in love with Ellie or vice versa.) My absolute favorite character, though, is Iris. Iris is on par with Ellie for being made of pure awesome. She might not kick ass like Ellie can, but she can hold her own in a fight with the patupaiarehe and is extremely smart. I love that when they’re attacked, and Mark starts trying to dance around the subject, Iris is all, “What? I’m a Classics major. Those were patupaiarehe. What the hell is going on?” I love that. She really just needed to be in the book way more. (Personal headcanon: I imagine that Iris and Aroha from The Shattering met up, became BFFs and started their own paranormal investigations agency. Because they’re awesome.) And La Gribaldi—I would have killed to have her as a teacher in school. She really doesn’t do much in the course of the book, but she’s awesome anytime she shows up. I really want to know more of her backstory. (And also, how she personally sees the world and the mythology involved.)

While the plot does seem really herky-jerky at times, the different threads do come together and play into the plot. It does seem random at first to have the plot suddenly going from trying to save Kevin to stopping the patupaiarehe, but it works in beautifully. There’s one or two things that don’t really get explored all too much that I do think hurt the book a little. Ellie’s penchant for creating and awakening objects of power aren’t really fully explained, particularly the mask that comes into play. I do like that she struggles with using the mask and deals with the fallout her power has, but I wish her affinity could be explored more. The other plot thread that bothered me was Mr. Sand. He doesn’t really appear enough to feel like a threat, so his ‘defeat’ feels fitting. But there’s so much more to him that it appears, and I really wanted to know more about Mr. Sand .

Despite the flaws, this really is a chilling and fantastic read. While there’s not much world-building, the story is well-told and engaging and the characters feel like realistic heroes that you just want to see make it out to the end. Highly recommend, go read it now. (And other usual fangirl ramblings.)

I went into this book expecting a fairly common plot: teenager discovers she has magical powers and must use them against a supernatural threat. Much to my delight, however, Karen Healey did all sorts of uncommon things with it. For one thing, the story is set in New Zealand, and no, it doesn't have the same feel as a fantasy set in the U.S. or the U.K. It involves Maori mythology—this necessitated a bit of an expository lump, but nothing too horrible (there's a glossary of Maori terms at the back of the book, but I had no trouble following the story even without knowing what they meant). And then there were the little things that the author did differently from the standard. And I thought Ellie herself sounded like an authentic older teenager, capable of going from worrying about what she looked like and did a certain boy like her to realizing that problems weren't always about her (and back again).No, the book isn't flawless. There were a few unexplained elements and a few that were apparently just dropped (so how did the play go?). But it was a page-turner and it was original and I figure it has earned its stars.

Healey, K. (2010). Guardian of the Dead. New York: Little, Brown and Company.333 pages.Appetizer: Seventeen-year-old Ellie Spencer is the new girl at the Mansfield College boarding school in Christchruch on the South Island of New Zealand. She's only managed to make one friend so far, and that's Kevin, who has just recruited her to help out with some university students' production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, choreographing the fights. Ellie is a little wary to go outside after dark to make the practices though, since the Eyeslasher killer is murdering people and stealing their eyes and since the cute loner boy, Mark Nolan, cautioned her against it. Although, Ellie can't quite remember what he said to her....She's been having several strange encounters lately. There was that moment when she saw the new actress from the play outside in the fog and it looked like she didn't have any pupils or irises in her eyes at all. And she seems to have set her eye-less sights on Kevin. Ellie is going to have to unravel the mystery of who this woman is and what Ellie herself is.Guardian of the Dead is on the shortlist for the ALA Morris Award (which specifically goes to debut authors). I can totally see why it is a finalist. Healey does an excellent job at writing slightly-humorous and pithy language. Ellie is not only a believable character, but she's also wonderfully strong and empowered, especially when compared to some of the other leading ladies in a lot of the paranormal romances. (Twilight and Hush, Hush, I am looking in your directions! It was actually very interesting reading this so soon after finishing Hush, Hush because in both books a male love interest screws with the minds, in Nora's case from Hush, Hush, causing her to see things that then disappear and in Ellie's case to forget her encounters with magic. But where Nora just starts to seem vaguely crazy and never really calls out her stalker/fella on his disturbing mental powers except to ask which events were real or power induced hallucinations, Ellie kicks Mark's bum-bum for his behavior while interrogating him. Literally. Well almost literally, her hits actually land on his head (which is where she was aiming, because she is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do). YAY! EMPOWERED ASS-KICKING WOMAN!!!!!!!!! I loooove yoooouu and I'm not afraid to admit it publicly. Obviously.And then! when Ellie later realizes that Mark isn't just a boy she has a crush on, she narrates:"He looked at me, calm and beautiful in his borrowed clothes, and I saw again the bravery that had first made me love him.The thought hit me like a hammer between the eyes. I could not love Mark. The idea was impossible, even if there wasn't a hidden ware and a horrible disaster fast approaching. A harmless crush on a handsome loner classmate was one thing; hopeless yearning after someone who'd enchanted and lied to me [was] something entirely different, and much more dangerous." (p. 209)So, there is still a wee-bit of stalking and angsty imbalance of power within the couple initially, but at least Ellie is critical of herself, of Mark and of a potential relationship with him. I feel like Guardian of the Dead is really speaking back to some of the paranormal romances out there. And that, of course, made me very happy. Of course, there's a lot more to this book than it's kind-of romance. New Zealand is also in danger because some mythic creatures have a massive scheme to restore their immortality. The fact that it could cost millions of humans their lives doesn't bother them. So, it falls to Mark and Ellie to try to stop them.Ellie was also great because she honestly presents the way she sees her body in comparison to other girls around her. When she initially describes herself, she says she is tall and due to the "stodgy vegetarian option," she's "gone up two sizes to something that...approached outright fat, without even the consolation of finally developing a decent rack (p. 5)." She compares her appearance to the girls around her, feeling like they outshine her, but somehow manages to be very...un-annoying about it. Just realistic. Plus, when guys do show romantic interest in her, she doesn't doubt their intentions. She seems to see both the good and bad aspects of being the size that she is.Despite the fact that my knowledge of New Zealand is limited to sheep, Peter Jackson movies and (more specifically) Lord of the Rings nerdiness, Healey did a great job of welcoming me in as an international reader to the world she was creating (although once or twice I did feel the compulsion to look up a plant name or two to try to picture them). I especially liked that when she included aspects of the Maori culture and faith that she assumed the reader would know nothing (I know I knew almost nothing...except for some brief images of poi dancing from a TV show or two. Ooh, and there's the one dance before the final game in the movie Invictus. Was that an actual dance? I am naive of these things. If somebody would like to write more books or pay for my trip to New Zealand than I would be happy to learn much more. I would want a knowledgeable tour guide who can bring history to life with just his or her words. Takers?)Focus, brain. Focus!Guardian of the Dead proved to be a great, sinister, supernatural mystery that had a lot of great mythological elements. And I'm not going to lie, I officially fell in love with the book when I hit page 87, when religious beliefs were explored and book officially made it into a section of my dissertation, by presenting Ellie's uncertainty over her own beliefs, which I thought was a more realistic approach to exploring myth and religion than any of the other books I've read for my dissertation have presented.Dinner Conversation:"I opened my eyes.My legs were bound and my head ached. There was one dark moment of disorientation before the bad-dream fog abruptly lifted and I woke up all the way and rolled to smack the shrilling alarm. I was exactly where I was supposed to be: in my tiny room, lumpy pillow over my head and thick maroon comforter wrapped around my legs. I disentangled myself and kicked the comforter away. The muffled tinkling as it slithered off the foot of the bed reminded me that Kevin and I had stored the empty beer cans there.Well, that explained the headache" (pp. 1-2)."Hey, did you hear there's been another Eyeslasher murder?"I grimaced. "Samia said in Geo. A phone psychic in Tauranga. God, I hope they catch the bastard soon.""Me too. Murder's bad enough, but taking their eyes is sick.""I think the murder probably matters more.""Sure, but eyes are tapu, Ellie."I blinked at him. Kevin's parents, on the two occasions I'd met them for uncomfortable dinners, had been as stiffly Anglo-Saxon as posh New Zealanders came, but Kevin's light brown skin wasn't the result of a good tan. I knew that his great-grandmother had been Ngai Tahu, and that he was one of the leading lights of Mansfield's kapu haka performance group, but I hadn't realized his desire to learn more about his roots had meant this much investment in Maori beliefs about the sacred" (pp. 12-13)."Mark had done something to me, and I couldn't come up with a logical explanation. So I went with the illogical one.Magic.Magic was real." (p. 91)."In less than a day, I had been harassed, enchanted, shouted at, cried on, and clawed. I'd been cold, scared, dirty, exhausted, hungry and miserable. And up until now, I'd been mildly impressed with my ability to cope" (p. 178).

Like Healey’s second novel, which I read first, this is a New Zealand Maori-inflected YA fantasy with romance elements. Ellie, a pākehā teen separated from her family for a year at boarding school, discovers a connection to magic and quickly gets drawn into a fight for the lives of millions. I liked that Ellie felt legitimate, normal stirrings of sexual interest in a guy who was not Meant to Be; he turned out to be an ass, but that wasn’t her fault. I also liked the book’s magic: it was remix nation, in that the myths you knew were mostly the ones you saw, and so immersion in multiple cultures gave you multiple perspectives on magic. Ellie got to write her own story, but it was based on the ones she already knew, just like creativity in general.

Original. Alluring. Dark and mysterious. That’s The Guardian of the Dead. I love the mythology behind the story. From the beginning, Healey had me wondering who—what—Mark was, and she still surprised me. Now add in the mystery serial killer and a best friend with a unique characteristic. Just when I thought I had everyone figured out, the plot took another turn. I was never bored while absorbed with Ellie’s life. Especially with the gorgeous New Zealand setting.The Guardian of the Dead starts off dark and creepy. I was honestly reluctant to read it at night, but I couldn’t put it down at the same time. Put it down, and I’d stay up wondering what would happen next and start imagining horrifying creatures lurking around my bed. Stay up, and Healey might end up scaring me anyhow. So I paced myself, reading three chapters a night until Healey had me so wrapped up in the plot that I had to finish the novel in one sitting.Healey develops every single character as needed. Everything fell into place without being overly predictable. As I mentioned earlier, Healey continued to surprise me with every new plot development. Despite her past actions, I ended up really liking Mark’s mother, I fell in love with Mark, and I love Ellie. Mark's mother is strong and unforgiving--she stays true to herself. Mark is gorgeous and oh so sweet. Ellie isn’t a wimp, but she doesn’t seem too brash the times that she takes charge--two character traits that I've seen too much recently. I loved all the characters, even the ones that I'd love to kill myself given the opportunity and the guts to do so.If you’re looking for a unique paranormal story, don’t miss The Guardian of the Dead. It starts out eerie, teasing at the plot, and builds up to an epic climax with… well, just the fate of the world at hand.

GUARDIAN OF THE DEAD, by Karen Healey, was an epic adventure full of fantasy and Maori mythology that will leave you breathless. The infusing of mythology into fiction creates a one of a kind story that will make you want to learn more about this fascinating culture. This book took me on a journey that I never expected. This book takes place in New Zealand (NZ) where the Maori culture is a big part of society. Ellie is especially knowledgeable in the Classics and mythology of NZ. Her intelligence is definitely a service to her in the spectacular and dangerous journey that she undertakes. Ellie was just like any other teenage girl with self-esteem issues, mostly physically, but the threat of tragedy that weighs on her home she overcomes her doubts exceptionally. Her crush, Mark Nolan, was an amazing character to explore. He was the farthest away from anything Ellie thought of him, but he was also brave and unselfish. These two made an scintillating pair full of electricity and life. I was wholly fascinated by the Maori customs and mythology that were unearthed in this book. I learned so much about their beliefs and how the people and creatures present in NZ came about according to these myths. The visuals of the mists and Ellie's sight were impressive. Healey created a fantasy world that leaped off the pages. The cover of the book was both alluring and terrifying. There is no telling from this cover what the story is about but it leaves the idea that something ominous will result in the story. Overall this book was a masterpiece. Combining magic, mythology, with a young love story makes it a huge hit. I cannot wait to see future books from this author.

Socially awkward seventeen–year-old Ellie Spencer wakes in her bedroom at a New Zealand boarding school to a pile of beer cans, her best friend Kevin on the floor and a massive headache. She has a crush on the mysterious Mark Nolan and is set to choreograph the fight scenes in a play thanks to her knowledge of tae kwon do. The lead in the play, Reka, sends shivers down Ellie’s spine and Mark’s warning about not going out after dark, as well the attacks by the serial killer ‘Eyeslasher’, are enough to give her an inkling of the mystical battle taking place behind the scenes of everyday life. This is further confirmed when a white mask calls to Ellie, a helpful entity who must help her against the patupaiarehe who hunt human lives in order to gain immortality. Strong, independent Elle must fight to ensure the survival of Maui’s fish, Te Ika A Maui, the North Island of New Zealand, and those millions of people who live upon him.Maori mythology has been interwoven with modern day life to create a story of mythology, romance and survival. I enjoyed the exploration of Maori legend within this book and it’s interweaving with daily life but found that the dialogue could have been improved in many places and that it was a bit slow in the beginning.

Ellie’s life seems to be going as normally as possible, until an intimidating and odd older woman begins to seduce her asexual best friend Kevin. That, plus an increasing number of unexpected encounters with Mark, an enigmatic and handsome day student, opens Ellie up to the frightening world of Maori folklore. An ambitious group of Maori faeries are conspiring for their chance at immortality, at the cost of hundreds of thousands of human lives, and Ellie, Mark, and their friends must use what little they’ve learned about the creatures to stop them before all of New Zealand is destroyed forever.While certainly different from most speculative YA fiction out there, GUARDIAN OF THE DEAD did not give me the connectivity that I always require from an enjoyable reading experience. For me, it was an ambitious debut novel that was successful in the details of YA originality but missed most of the larger essentials of storytelling.The things I appreciated about this book were mostly, sadly, superficial, at least when it comes to my criteria for liking a book. I appreciated that Ellie did not have the physical features of a typical YA protagonist. She is instead tall, big-boned, and skilled in tae kwon do. The book’s concept is also refreshing, featuring New Zealand mythology instead of more well-known European inspirations.Beyond these things, however, there was much that frustrated me. The book seemed to rely on an unseeming and awkward chain of events in order to present information and move the plot along. Good stories don’t feel forced: they flow from scene to scene nearly unnoticed, and readers glean information effortlessly. GUARDIAN OF THE DEAD, however, felt to me like a bunch of scenes strung together to give us the painfully slow reveal of the story’s fantastical element. Most of the things in this book just felt very disconnected from one another, like puzzle pieces that look great individually, but do not fit together.Still, this book has received a lot of praise and even some highly coveted YA lit awards. Perhaps it is my demand for great storytelling over unique concepts that made this book miss its mark with me. Perhaps you will love it. There’s only one way to find out.

I thought this book sounded interesting when it first came out but have been holding off on reading it because of mixed reviews. Well I agree, I had a lot of mixed feelings about this book. The first 200 pages are 3 stars, they are pretty boring, not a lot going on. But the last 150 pages are absolutely awesome.Ellie is at a boarding school in New Zealand and agrees to help choreograph some of the fight scenes for the play her friend Kevin is in. On her way there she see a woman emerge from the mist; a woman whose eyes are completely black. It ends up that this is the same woman that is starring in the play Ellie is helping with. Then Ellie literally runs into a handsome guy named Mark Nolan and after that she starts seeing things. Mark is wrapped up in something mysterious and Ellie is about to be pulled into the melee. In the end it may be up to Ellie to save the world.Okay, let's talk about the first 200 pages of the book. It is easy to read and written okay, but not a lot happens. There is a little mystery here and there but mostly the first 200 pages are kind of a yawner. Ellie spends a lot of time complaining about how overweight she is and, when she isn't doing that, she is either complaining about being hungry or snacking on vending machine candy. I had a hard time having a lot of sympathy for her and mostly thought she was kind of pathetic. I didn't really love all the characters that much and about the third time Mark broke into tears because he was over emotional about something it was all I could do to keep my eyes from rolling out of my head.Now the last 150 pages of the book were pretty much completely different. Ellie is on a quest to save New Zealand. This part of the book is all about the really unique and interesting mythos of New Zealand. Ellie becomes someone to be admired, she grows a backbone and does what needs to be done. This change wasn't really gradual, it isn't something Ellie grows into, it just happens. This part of the book was awesome and I adored it.The ending is really interesting, but gets a bit confusing at parts, some of it is a bit abstract which I enjoy that in my books because it makes me think harder about what is going on. The book ends well and wraps up the story nicely. Basically I ended up absolutely loving the complexity of the characters and the plot for the last part of the book. I loved it so much that it almost made me forget how boring the first part of the book was. So...basically I guess this book just had really poor pacing.Overall I ended up liking the book. The beginning was a drag but if you can struggle through the first 200 pages then you are in for a creative, complex, and very interesting treat. Will I read more books by Healey? At this point I am not sure, this book was just too inconsistent, so I would probably wait to read reviews before I picked up another book by her.

Love love love this book! This is one of those books I absolutely dreaded ending. The characters were great and I enjoyed being emmersed in an unfamiliar culture and learning about their mythologies. Fantastic.

Loved the idea of working in the Maori mythology into this story. Just enough to make it not your normal scary story.

I really wanted to like this book, but I was really just confused the whole time. I must say that Ellie, the protagonist, was very believable and really likable. She seemed like a real person. Other than that though, I didn't really understand what was happening in the story. It probably is because I'm an ignorant American and the author and characters are from New Zealand, including the lingo and story-telling style. The characters are all based on Maori legends, which is part of New Zealand Mythology. Not knowing any of the stories or who the Maori are, limited my understanding of the book. Even the "Fae" are not like western civilization's idea's of the Fae. So, with that said, if I understood anything about New Zealand culture I'm hoping I would've enjoyed the book more. But since I didn't get it at all, I almost stopped reading it even, I have to only give it a 1.5/5 stars. Sorry. If anyone disagrees, and I'm sure they will, sorry, I tried to understand it, but I just didn't get it.

Ellie Spencer just wants to finish her last year of high school without too much drama. But attending as a boarder at Mansfield College in Christchurch, New Zealand holds an array of new challenges, some could be deadly. In the North Island murderer is on a rampage throughout the country, stealing eyes before disappearing again before turning up in a new town to kill again. Ellie gets talked into helping out at a theatre production, here she runs into her secret crush Mark. He captivates her, leaving her to memorize every visible inch of him, right down to his greasy hair. Although good looking Mark is not what he seems and he draws her into his world of Maori legend and the patupaiareheI must say that I was so looking forward to reading this novel, but it left me feeling disappointed. Told in the first person, the story lost momentum through the middle chapters, and there seemed to be no natural flow between chapters.I feel the Maori culture could have been explored more, giving the non New Zealander more insight to the ways of the culture, leading to understanding of the myths explored.On the positive side, there were lovely ‘word picture’ of the countryside bringing the beauty of New Zealand to the forefront. Suitable to readers over 13 years

The story took place in New Zealand and was about New Zealand mythology and legends. It was interesting and very different. It was not a bad book, just very different, at times confusing. I know I will now look into some of the things mentioned in the book that has to do with the mythology so I can better understand some of it. I think after I learn a bit more of it, I might read it again.There are murders taking place at night in towns close to a school. The kids are in years 13 and above, that's how they categorize college there, and the murderer is taking the eyes of his victims. The main character starts noticing things around her aren't right, a boy that she likes acts strangely, her best friend is acting differently after meeting a very strange girl that has just started in a school play, and she's starting to see things and feel things happening to her. All in all, it is a good read, you may have to look things up while you're reading, which is not a bad thing at all. Definitely worth a look into. It just took me a little longer to get into than normal.

Well, I certainly enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. Going into this I knew next to nothing about Maori culture or mythology, so I was learning throughout the entire book. I really enjoyed that, everything was fresh and new and I didn't feel like I was reading the same plot line that I've read five times before.I thought that Ellie was a very different narrator. I'm not really sure why, she just stands out to me. I loved the other characters, they all had their own personalities and I could relate to all of them. I even shed a tear or two near the end where something rather upsetting happened to one of my favorite characters. I thought that this book moved along at a steady pace, and I didn't feel like it dragged too much. There were a few parts where I was very confused as to what exactly was happening, especially at the end, but I understood enough that it wasn't much of a problem. The fantastical elements of the book are pretty straightforward, but they are very different and I had to get used to a few things during it.I thought that this novel was very original, and I enjoyed learning about a new culture while being swept along in a fast paced story full of twists and turns.

My thoughts...Guardian Of The Dead is a fast paced, edge of your seat YA thriller. It is packed with suspense, folklore, and mythological creatures. The story, which takes place in New Zealand, begins with the heroine Ellie, attending boarding school. She is a strong character with imperfections. Ellie is not your typical drop dead ggorgeous, rail thin heroine. She is a bit conscious of her weight, but she is very talented in the martial arts. The other characters served their purpose in building the story, but they did not make a big impression on me. The plot moved at a steady pace. The action is built around the Maori legends of New Zealand. It was very interesting, but it seemed to be explained in large chunks and I got a bit confused at times. The good thing is you do not have to completely understand the stories to keep up with the plot. Enough information was presented for me to figure out who was good and evil. I did not realize, until I finished the book, that there was a glossary in the back. This would have been helpful in understanding the legends of the Maori. This book did a great job of setting up for future installments. The world is complex, imaginative, and a bit creepy. Overall, I enjoyed Guardian Of The Dead and I will be watching for more from this author.

I was so terribly excited to read this book. Guardian of the Dead was near the top of my wishlist for tenner books, sadly it did not live up to my expectations.Karen Healey takes us where few authors published in America have gone, to New Zealand. Going in I had absolutely no idea what to expect of how she was going to incorporate such a new environment in an interesting fashion without being overbearing. Healey crafts together a realm of fantasy amidst the beauty of the island that, surprisingly, works.I had just finished the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan and was elated to find similar tales between the two. While Riordan applied the Greek and Roman treatment to the mythology, Healey twists the myths with a New Zealand flare! Again she weaves the myths to the story beautifully while still managing to create this ethereal allusion.While the novel is intricate by its very nature and design I found the novel as a whole tedious. Be it a contradiction but Guardian of the Dead dissected into elements was as wonderful as I had imagined it to be though as a whole it lacked. It lacked a finesse that made me want to read more. Even so Guardian of the Dead had an unconventional ending. Rabid fans of ‘happily ever after’s will face a reality check that will still leave them pleased.As discombobulated as this review is it is a reflection of my opinion of the book. I wanted to love this book since I first heard of it last year, but I am just disappointed at the final product.

I'm not quite sure where to start my review for this one. My feelings for this book were continuously changing, so much so that I'm not sure what my final opinion was or if I even have a definitive opinion. What I can say is that Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey was intiguing, the whole way through. This being Healey's YA Debut novel I tried not to set my hopes too high, I feel like it's unfair to the book because sometimes a reader can come into the reading with too many high expectations and fail to give it a chance because it's not part of a series they already love or an author they're already familiar with. If I did come into this with high expectations it was unintentional, but regardless Healey met or surpassed them, that much I can say for sure. For me it's usually all about the characters, or at least mostly. If I can't relate to a character or find myself desperate to stay with them along their journey through the story than already the book has failed to live up to my normal expectations. This was not the case with Guardian of the Dead. The main character Ellie Spencer was wonderful. She was different from a lot of the typical female protagonists I've read lately and I found that refreshing. She had a sharp-wit and so much going for her, but at the same time readers will see immediately that she was struggling in her life. She was constanly comparing herself to others and always found herself lacking, self esteem was a major issue for Ellie throughout the book, but at the same time it became an integral part of the story.As side characters went, Kevin (the best friend) and Iris (the girl who loves the best friend) were great. They were simple and yet perfect for their roles, they didn't overly complicate the plot and definitely didn't slow down the writing. But let's face it...I'm a sucker for the male leads/prospective love interests for my main characters, and in Guardian of the Dead, Healey threw me a curveball with Mark Nolan. I don't want to spoil anything for those who haven't read the book yet, but I'll say this...Mark was mysterious, frustrating at times, adorable at other times, and I loved him and hated him at multiple points in the book, lol. What's not to love about a guy like that right? All I know is that he wasn't your typical love interest, enough said!Healey brought a lot of Māori mythology & legends into this novel. I was not familiar with it prior to reading the book and will admit to being confused and slightly overwhelmed at certain points, but overall I enjoyed the lessons. I've always been interested in mythology and other faiths/beliefs that I may not have been knowledgable in before hand. Along with my confusion there was a matching fascination.If you haven't read this novel yet, I'm not sure why...go out and see for yourself the truly creative and beautifully written work that Healey presents.I gave Guardian of the Dead 4 stars and truly look forward to more of Healey's work, which includes me crossing my fingers for a sequel!

I must admit a bias: I am very fond of Karen Healey's non-fiction and critical writing, via her blog, and so was predisposed in many ways to her writing style. I can see shades of Dean's Tam Lin, and a nice twisting of more mainstream young-adult fiction's stereotypes in the character cast and interactions here. And I appreciated the varied shades of gray between our heroine and the villains, and the role that ruthlessness plays in both sides of the battle. Nothing is strict binary in this story, and there are actual consequences to a seventeen-year-old haring off to save the world. Swinging between the mundane and the supernatural, Guardian of the Dead very much deconstructs the separation of the two, and manages to not be an "alternate version of our own world" while doing so. The world of this book could very much be our own, and we just wouldn't know it .