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Release-Day Review: The Guardian of Bastet by Jacqueline M. Battisti

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Guardian of Bastet by Jacqueline M. BattistiThe Guardian of Bastet
Jacqueline M. Battisti
Published: August 20, 2012 (Carina Press)
Purchase: Amazon

Reviewed by: Jo

Rating (out of 5): 3 stars

Welcome to Rochester, N.Y., the home of Trinity Morrigan-Caine: half witch, half shifter, local vet and, other than turning in to a house cat every so often, a normal twenty-something.

But when a demon starts killing supernaturals in her small community, Trinity finds herself at the center of the battle. When her vampire friend gives her an ancient amulet, it sparks a transformation that takes her from reluctant team member to sudden leader. With the help of her family and local werewolf pack, Trinity must embrace her destiny to be able find those controlling the demon and defeat it before it can destroys them all.

There is a sense of believability to the world Battisti has created that makes it very easy to slip into. If supernatural communities existed I could imagine this would be what it was like in the suburbs. There’s a fun mix of more traditional urban fantasy types mixed with an interesting use of Egyptian mythology.

I didn’t bond with Trinity right away, but she grew on me, especially through her friendship with Vincent, the vampire who gives her the amulet. With the death of the one person who pushes her and those close to her threatened, Trinity is forced take charge of the situation. Accepting her role as the Guardian helped her find place in this supernatural world, using the power it afforded her to realize her full potential.

The dynamic between Trinity and her family was interesting. On one hand, it was a nice change of pace to see a large, loving family around an urban fantasy heroine. On the other hand, they had major issues, none helped by her overbearing grandmother showing up. While her grandmother clearly disapproves of Trinity, I preferred this openness compared to her mother’s patronizing underestimation of her abilities. There’s a great moment where she really gets to show her mother just how wrong she was.

The romance between Trinity and Gordon, the pack alpha, felt rushed though. While there was certainly chemistry, I would have liked to see more page time with these two in order for the tension to grow. The ending felt quite abrupt as well, the main story was resolved and it wasn’t a cliffhanger by any means, but I was left with questions about what happened to some of the other players. I’m not sure if this is the first in a series, if it is this may explain some of the lose threads.

Though I had some issue with it, The Guardian of Bastet is a fun mystery with a good cast of characters. It does take some time to get going but when the action kicks in it really picks up. The stand-out element for me though was Trinity’s journey. I enjoyed having my mind changed about this character, owning up to her mistakes and her growing confidence turning her into a girl you’d want on your side!

Sexual content: Graphic sex

One Response to “Release-Day Review: The Guardian of Bastet by Jacqueline M. Battisti”

  1. This sounds like a really interesting book. I really want to read this one. I love Egyptian mythology.

    Great review.

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