A Dream Within A Dream: Guardian of Secrets Blog Tour: Review + Giveaway

http://www.chapter-by-chapter.com/tour-schedule-guardian-of-secrets-library-jumpers-2-by-brenda-drake-presented-by-entangled-teen/

Guardian of Secrets (Library Jumpers #2)
Author: Brenda Drake
Publication Date: February 7, 2017
Publisher: Entangled Teen

Description:

Being a Sentinel isn’t all fairytales and secret gardens.

Sure, jumping through books into the world’s most beautiful libraries to protect humans from mystical creatures is awesome. No one knows that better than Gia Kearns, but she could do without the part where people are always trying to kill her. Oh, and the fact that Pop and her had to move away from her friends and life as she knew it.

And if that isn’t enough, her boyfriend, Arik, is acting strangely. Like, maybe she should be calling him “ex,” since he’s so into another girl. But she doesn’t have time to be mad or even jealous, because someone has to save the world from the upcoming apocalypse, and it looks like that’s going to be Gia.

Maybe. If she survives.

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES:

Gia Kearns would rather fight with boys than kiss them. That is, until Arik, a leather clad hottie in the Boston Athenaeum, suddenly disappears. While examining the book of world libraries he abandoned, Gia unwittingly speaks the key that sucks her and her friends into a photograph and transports them into a Paris library, where Arik and his Sentinels—magical knights charged with protecting humans from the creatures traveling across the gateway books—rescue them from a demonic hound.

Jumping into some of the world's most beautiful libraries would be a dream come true for Gia, if she weren’t busy resisting her heart or dodging an exiled wizard seeking revenge on both the Mystik and human worlds. Add a French flirt obsessed with Arik and a fling with a young wizard, and Gia must choose between her heart and her head, between Arik's world and her own, before both are destroyed.

Guardian of Secrets is the exhilarating second installment in an absolutely wonderful young adult fantasy series that will leave readers begging for more. Since it's the second book in the series, I highly recommend reading the first book before this one. It's not completely necessary, but there are references to things that happen in the first book - and you might get a bit lost if you haven't read it. That being said, I'm so incredibly happy that this novel lived up to any hopes I had for it. There are so many series that start out really strong only to tank when it comes to the following installments. This book is just as good - if not a bit better - than the first, which was a very happy surprise.

A ton of stuff happens throughout the story - to the point where I can't elaborate much on the plot because of potential spoilers. There's a serious love triangle between Gia, Arik, and a new character named Bastien. I'm not usually a fan of love triangles, but this one didn't bother me at all. I loved the romance and watching Gia's relationships with both guys develop throughout the story. Gia herself evolves a lot in the book. She's more mature, confident, and determined to do what's right. She's a realistic character with both positive traits and faults, and I was able to easy connect with her right away. The rest of the characters were all rounded with their own personalities to make them unique. I really loved getting to know each of them and I can't wait to see where the next book will take each of them.

Another big plus for me was the author's choice of writing style. She uses the first person point of view - which I'm a huge fan of for several reasons. The story is told from Gia's perspective, so we really get to know her on a deeply personal level. I think it's a perfect fit for the series and captures the inner workings of Gia's heart and mind, allowing the reader to really identify with her character. The author used vivid imagery and lots of detailed descriptions that brought each aspect of the story to life before my eyes. I easily slipped back into Gia's world from the beginning pages of the book, and I didn't come back out until I had finished the novel (which I ended up doing in a matter of a few hours). I can't wait for the next installment so I can see where the author will take the plot and the characters next. Very highly recommended for fans of fantasy, along with fans of young adult fiction, paranormal, contemporary, and even romance!