Immortal Warriors and Magicians and Mermaids, Oh, My!

    It may come as a shock to some of you (though maybe not) that I am a Nora Roberts fan.  I mean, after all, she is like the Godfather of romance.  She can write a fantastic thriller threaded through with a complex love story (none of that fluffy crap).  Some of the things that really draw me to Robert's work are her ability to write strong characters, and the way she can build a multi-layered narrative.  These two things are very hard to do, and she excels at them.  Roberts' characters are always individual, different, and have unique personalities.  Additionally, she writes men very well, which is something, I have found, a lot of women authors struggle with.  Roberts also has the ability to seamlessly carry out multiple story lines, which keeps the reader engaged, and wanting to know more.

    I recently finished Stars of Fortune, the first book in Robert's new "Guardians" trilogy.  I quite like it when Roberts writes trilogies, because it allows me to hang out with her characters for longer than just one book.  Some of her trilogies I like better than others (love: The Gallaghers of Ardmore, The Key Trilogy, The Circle Trilogy; not crazy about: The Sign of Seven Trilogy, Cousins O'Dwyre Trilogy, Three Sisters Island Trilogy), whether it be because I liked the premise of the books better, the setting, or the characters, but none of them have ever been a waste of time.  Based on my reading of Stars, I believe the Guardians are going to be on my "love" list.

    First of all, look at this cover.  So. Much. Sparkly.  How could anyone not want to read a book with such a great cover?  (What's that, you say?  Don't judge a book by its cover?  Nonsense.  Publishers know that covers sell books.  They don't give crappy covers to books they hope become best sellers.)  Second, six characters, each with a secret and a dodgy past, working together to solve an ages-old mystery?  Love it!
 
    So, the plot...  (Blurb taken from GoodReads)
To celebrate the rise of their new queen, three goddesses of the moon created three stars, one of fire, one of ice, one of water. But then they fell from the sky, putting the fate of all worlds in danger. And now three women and three men join forces to pick up the pieces…

Sasha Riggs is a reclusive artist, haunted by dreams and nightmares that she turns into extraordinary paintings. Her visions lead her to the Greek island of Corfu, where five others have been lured to seek the fire star. Sasha recognizes them, because she has drawn them: a magician, an archaeologist, a wanderer, a fighter, a loner. All on a quest. All with secrets.

Sasha is the one who holds them together—the seer. And in the magician, Bran Killian, she sees a man of immense power and compassion. As Sasha struggles with her rare ability, Bran is there to support her, challenge her, and believe in her.

But Sasha and Bran are just two of the six. And they all must all work together as a team to find the fire star in a cradle of land beneath the sea. Over their every attempt at trust, unity, and love, a dark threat looms. And it seeks to corrupt everything that stands in its way of possessing the stars…

    For someone like me, who, at heart, is an adventurer who loves fantasy and the impossible, this book was like candy.  It has everything that I look for in a book: a gorgeous setting, a quest, irresistible characters, and a dash (perhaps even a shake?) of magic.  

    What I liked:  
     The Characters:  Roberts does an admirable job of fleshing out the characters.  Each is so unique with his/her own back story and talents, that it would have been an injustice to dive into telling about them willy-nilly.  She does not succumb to this temptation.  She takes her time, revealing truths about the characters bit by bit.  In fact, it isn't until the last 1/127th of the book that readers actually learn the truth about the last character and where he comes from.  There are six main characters in all (and each couple will be the "star" of their respective book.  This book was Bran, the magician, and Sasha, the seer's book), and Roberts balances the story nicely, giving each character its due time and introduction.  
    The Dialogue: Is great - witty and sharp for the appropriate characters, sweet and patient for the others - and is markedly different for each character based on personality.  It's also individual to each character, so even without dialogue tags, it's easy to tell which of them is speaking.
    The Mystery: Not only are readers along for the ride in the quest to find the fire star, but they are also trying to figure out the truths about all of the characters.  And some of the reveals are doozies!
    The Bond:  One of the things I always love about Roberts' trilogies especially, is the relationship that develops between her cast of characters.  They become each others' family, and have to rely on each other for their very survival.  But they know how to kick back and have fun with one another, too.  And they scrap, which I love.  Because it wouldn't be authentic if everyone got along all of the time.  I love the fights, when the women get all feisty, and the men curse and call each other names.  And then, when they've all made up, their relationship is even stronger for it. 

   What I didn't like:
    The Villain:  I'm not convinced, yet.  Right now, she's just a shadowy, vague presence who has the power to command the darkness and evil vampire bat-type creatures.  Scary, yes, but not to the point where I'm really fearing for my heroes' lives.  I want to see a legitimate threat, a corporeal one with a body and Force-lightning shooting from her fingers.  ;)

    Overall, I very much enjoyed this book, and am looking forward to the next one.  After all, Annika and Sawyer's story is up next, and how could I possibly NOT want to read a story about a mermaid who falls in love with a time-traveler while on a quest with their bestest mates to a mythical island to find the water star???

    Next post:  my Mystery selection for my Reading Resolution, none other than the classic Agatha Christie novel Murder on the Orient Express.  All Aboard!