3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Ghost Warrior by Denna Holm is one of the most enjoyable books I have read in a long time. I was captivated the moment I began reading, right to the last word. Many times I found myself rereading a passage, simply because I enjoyed it so much the first time.
Ghost Warrior is second in the Immortal Warriors series by Denna Holm. Don't let that put you off from reading this book first. She does an amazing job of weaving the essential parts of the first book into this one. Ghost Warrior can easily stand on it's own. Even the ending is such that you're left with wanting more, yet content at the final scene. Your imagination continues with the story even after you turn the last page.
This is a masterful tale of political intrigue, romance and fantasy. There are fantastical creatures that can pass as human. Werewolves and Vampires who work together to protect the Earth from rogues who would abduct humans and take them to other worlds. The shapeshifting Werewolf Trackers and Vampire Hunters are alien to Earth. They live on a world called Laizahlia. A place Amanda feels is like Oregon, "...rugged mountains and wild rivers winding through rainforests of fire and pines." (Location 31)
In the previous book in the series, Amanda, her best friend Kim, and a bartender friend Keith (who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time) were abducted by a rogue, and taken to a hostile planet called Lavina. They endured horrible torture until they were rescued. Among the rescuers was Tallyn, a Laizahlian Werewolf Prince, who claimed Amanda as his lifemate. A bond which only death can break. A bond that his father Mathias vows to never acknowledge. As King of the Laizahlia, he feels it is his obligations to prohibit his son from joining with a mere human.
Amanda now finds herself on Laizahlia, where she has to make some tough, life altering choices. She loves Tallyn. A part of her yearns to stay with him, to make a life together. Just as her friend Kim did with Neyvarre, a Laizahlian Vampire Hunter. Only she's afraid. She can't get past what was done to her. She can't be what they want her to be.
To do that she must first dig deep, overcome her fears, and acknowledge her inner beast. At least that's what Calem repeatedly says. Calem is an elder Werewolf Tracker and friend to Tallyn. Calem insists that the beast is there. Amanda is positive it's not. Tallyn hopes that it is, but will join with her regardless. Mathias has determined that she has no beast. She is only a mortal human and has nothing to offer the kingdom, or his son. He will prove this, no matter the cost. Kim tells her to follow her heart. It will lead her to the truth.
Her greatest obstacle to living a life of wondrous joy is to become what she is destined to be. If only she could figure out what that is, before it's too late.
Denna Holm has an expansive imagination. Her characters have depth and charisma. After a few short moments into the narrative, you begin to feel as if you are one with the words. I caught myself actually growling right along with Amanda at something one of the characters said. Trust me, you won't like this "person" either. Occasionally, you will come across something that terrifies Amanda. The author describes these moments so vividly that you may just feel the panic deep in your own stomach. She is also extremely talented at describing moments of ecstacy. Which is the main reason I would recommend this book for mature readers only.
As I was reading, I found what I believe is an inconsistency in the storyline. I will be using *** to represent the specific "thing." It would create a spoiler if I gave you that detail. Locations in the book are in parentheses.
The inconsistency seems to be that first Tallyn does not know *** (4194); then he does know (4658); then it seems he does not know (5295-5301 & 5308); then he does know (5829-5836).
Even though the *** is an important part of the story, the inconsistency really doesn't disrupt the enjoyment, or the flow, of the narrative. It's possible that most people wouldn't even notice, as the *** doesn't actually involve Tallyn. Him knowing about it, or not knowing about it, is not integral to the plot. Although, the actual *** is. But, the inconsistency is there. You'll probably laugh when you read the book and see what it is.
There were some punctuation errors, mostly involving missing commas. Such as: "This fragile creature belonged to him and he would know everything about her!" (Location 973) Since there are two independent clauses, there should be a comma after "him". Those slippery little things are difficult to catch.
One error looked to be a simple misprint. In one sentence it said, "...don't' don't...", when it should have said, "...don't know..." (Location 425). There was also a place were the word weak was used, and it should have been weakness. "It wouldn't be the first time someone mistook her petite stature for weak." (Location 650)
The storyline inconsistency, missing commas, and the occasional flounder with the words did not disrupt the enjoyment of the story. There was always so much going on, so much excitement and interaction between characters that, normally, I would have only made a passing notice and kept on reading. Yet, lingering in the back of my mind was the thought, "You have to write a review." Besides, once I knew, I couldn't unknow. That would be like one can in the pantry turned backwards, when all the rest had labels forward. It doesn't really hurt anything, but the offending can would haunt me until I turned it.
I want so much to be able to give Ghost Warrior a four star rating. With a thorough proofreading and editing, it would definitely deserve it. Unfortunately, I must give it a 3 out of 4 stars rating, along with the reminder that this book is intended for mature readers. Amanda has what could be termed a "potty mouth" when she is stressed. She actually addresses the need to control it, so even though the language is there, it's not continuous.
The "adult" content is written artistically and tastefully. Please don't let the presence of passionate scenes dissuade you from reading this excellent tale. These passages are few overall and are integral to the plot. Without them, the story would lose a level of believability. For such is the nature of the beast.
I will read this book again, as I intend to begin the series at the beginning. Yet, as I mentioned before, Ghost Warrior was written in such a way that it can stand gloriously on it's own. You won't feel slighted in the least. Other than in the knowledge that there are more of her books out there, and you don't possess them yet. This is one I want in hardcopy, errors and all.
******
Ghost Warrior
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like Tiny_Turtle's review? Post a comment saying so!
Thank you for the detailed and enthusiastic review! Unfortunately, it's not a Kindle Unlimited book, so I don't think I'll be able to read it.
