Elizabeth Loraine
The Protectors
Royal Blood Chronicles, Book #2
Note: There are spoilers about what happens within the book.
Synopsis:
Katrina along with Eleanor, Rosalinda, Areletta, and Kate or otherwise known as the Five, have set out to the new land called the Americas. An evil vampire coven is attempting to destroy the peaceful vampire covens which have migrated there. Luena, Damien’s evil sister, is still determined to destroy Katrina and all that she stands for. Katrina, along with the four other girls, Damien, Eric (who turns out to be the Prince of Denmark), and Gerhardt set out for Americas under the shadow of the night and without informing their families. They have to keep their mission a secret since Luena has sent spies. Katrina and the others have already been attacked and cannot risk Luena attacking their families when they are gone. With help from the Lord of Wizards, Allwain, they are able to keep Luena from finding out their plan. Allwain creates a powerful storm that lasts for two weeks while the Five are gone as to keep Luena and her minions at bay.
Upon arriving in America, the Five find many enemies and challenges to overcome. They are able to save the covens but more trouble and greater danger is not far behind. The Five achieve great triumph but also have to endure great tragedy.
Review:
The Protectors, in my humble opinion, was better than the first installment in the Royal Blood Chronicles. There was more twists and a little bit more depth in the plot.
The five girls–Katrina, Kate, Eleanor, Rosalinda, and Areltta– are far stronger female characters this time around. They aren’t worrying or fretting constantly about dresses or men or the luxuries of the rich as they did in the first novel. It was good to read them as bold, confidant, kicking butt women. They are passionate about protecting their families and the peace between the different races. They are more determined and fierce-some.
The amulets, treated water tablets that help make them invisible, and new crimson blood are great parts to the story. The way the treated water can be used to protect humans from vampires is very different and imaginative. I like the scene where Katrina and the others are reading the map, sensing it to see what is happening in America. It’s a great scene to show the strength of the powers of the girls when together. But I would have appreciated more explanation on how the girls powers can be combined and why only through touching. Also, how they can sense what is happening in a whole other continent through a map. The powers are pretty cool but needed better explanation.
I like the fact that the author attempted to spice things up in this book by switching the point of views in which the story is told. But it didn’t work out very well. The story is told through Katrina’s point of view. Then switches in the middle of Chapter 8 to Damien’s which just made things confusing since Damien sounded just like Katrina. If the author didn’t specifically say who was narrating I really wouldn’t have known it was someone else. It would have been better if the author started a new chapter then wrote from a new character’s point of view. The dialogue throughout the entire novel is still to forced making it that much harder to appreciate anything else that was happening within the story. Luena’s point of view was decent, the dialogue is better than with the rest of the characters. The descriptions are too bland and rough: “We were still around a hundred miles away. We had entered a forest, but not just any forest. The trees were taller than some mountains and wider than most houses. I felt small and insignificant.” This is more telling than showing. A reader can barely imagine the scene in order to connect with what Katrina is seeing. It’s also annoying to constantly have the characters each describe what happened in the scene before they talk about it! Every chapter mostly consist of the characters retelling what the readers have already read with a bit lesser detail.
Katrina and Damien finally sleeping together was only good because the author didn’t describe the scene which thankfully, I am grateful for. But the fact that Katrina and Damien woke up the next day and never discussed what happened seemed wrong. It was Katrina’s first time with a man, she would want to talk about it before anything else happened. Also, the scene where Damien proposes to Katrina was just boring. For one, he asked out of no where and two, they just got back from a long journey into America where they had to face many battles. Shouldn’t there have been more romance? Shouldn’t Damien have asked Katrina’s father first? Again, the plot was too rushed. The pacing and fluidity of the story was just off. I didn’t really care about his proposal because there isn’t any time to really appreciate anything that happens in the novel.
Honestly, now, I have a hard time having respect for Katrina. In the first book, she falls for Quinn and has a relationship with him then gives him up for Damien. Then in this book she kisses some dude named Raven who is working for Luena. Then she goes after Tao. Whatever respect I had for Katrina I lost.
The constant use of the line “with his mind” or “with my mind” or “with her mind” was annoying! I don’t have to be constantly reminded that Damien can talk with his mind or the other characters. The reader will get the difference between when any of the characters are talking with their mind and speaking out loud. It’s not that hard.
Even though, there where many actions scenes to propel the plot forward, The build up of suspense and tension didn’t work because once again the plot was too rushed. The author tried too hard to make the action scenes have depth. I found myself even yawning when the characters were in battles because the action scenes just didn’t work. Readers barely have time to focus on the action at hand and it’s already over.
I will admit, I didn’t read the entire book, I just couldn’t do it. I jumped to the last chapter (there are fourteen chapters) but since I didn’t understand everything that happened I went back up to Chapter 13 and only read the beginning half then stopped. I just couldn’t connect to the characters or the story. I fell asleep at one point because of how bored I was. The ending was disappointing as well.
Even though The Protectors was better than the first installment, it’s still disappointing. I tried really hard to get into this book but had to force myself to read it and I still only got up to page 176 before I just didn’t want to waste my time anymore. I’m sorry to say but The Royal Blood Chronicles could use some much needed revision, especially, with the dialogue. The various concepts behind the plot are good but the execution needs some work. I wish the author the best of luck.
