Review by Mollylovesliteracy -- Guardian of Deceit

Mollylovesliteracy · Post by **Mollylovesliteracy** » 05 Aug 2020, 18:03

[Following is a volunteer review of "Guardian of Deceit" by William H. Coles.]

1 out of 4 stars

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Guardian of Deceit by William H. Coles is a fiction novel that follows multiple characters and their stories but mainly focuses on Darwin Hastings. Darwin, an orphaned seventeen-year-old, is sent to live with his cousin, a famous professional football player until Darwin comes of age. Darwin's time at his cousin's is spent prepping for medical school and building relationships with those around him. These relationships change and shape the course of Darwin's future, and Darwin has quite an influence on those lives around him too. Different chapters sport different themes including, but not limited to, romance, suspense, mystery, friendship, crime, and tragedy.

What I disliked most about Guardian of Deceit was that it didn’t feel like I was reading a cohesive or engaging story. The chapters are all very short and each one stands on its own with little connection to any overall plot. Each chapter discloses events that are seemingly unconnected to the overall story. I also found myself detached from all of the characters. There wasn’t enough characterization or character development to become attached to any of the characters. The novel reads more like an outline for a story rather than a full story itself. This is because it felt like I was reading recorded events rather than exploring the details, feelings, and intricacies of multiple characters' lives. I can't say that I knew that much more about Darwin Hastings at the end of the book than when I began following his character.

So much energy and time went into the action of the novel and making it unpredictable, that the characters were put on the backburner. However, the unpredictability of the novel was the only part of the read that I enjoyed and liked. Therefore, what I liked the most about the book was that I never knew what the next chapter held and was always surprised by the events that ensued. I couldn't have guessed at the beginning of the novel that a mystery would come up two-thirds of the way through the read. Too many books stick to cliches and predictable story patterns, so at the very least Guardian of Deceit had that going for it.

It is very difficult to think of an audience that would enjoy this read. The only people I could potentially recommend this book to are those who would relate to the main character, who sees himself as the only redeeming person amidst terrible people. I would advise those sensitive to sexist remarks or sexist characterization, specifically toward women, to avoid reading this book. Both erotic scenes and violent scenes are woven deeply into the story with some overlap. Because of these scenes, I'd also advise younger audiences and people with abuse in their history to also avoid reading this.

The rating I give this novel is 1 out of 4 stars. I gave the novel one star instead of two stars because of how disjointed the novel feels. The saying "Jack of all trades but master of none" comes to mind when I look at the overall story. This novel tried to incorporate too many different ideas and plots to have any solid grounding. I also rated the way that I did because I couldn't think of anyone I'd recommend the story to, nor did I think any of the characters earned the reader's following.

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Guardian of Deceit
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Ashley-Osuna · Post by **Ashley-Osuna** » 11 Aug 2020, 19:50

I think that it is quite common for authors to want to include many topics in their books, but it doesn't always help the story. It is a shame that this happened in this book. Thank you so much for the honest review!