Protector by Joanne Wadsworth

By: Anonymous on Monday, March 04, 2013

Title:  Protector

Author:  Joanne Wadsworth

Published:  January 7th 2013 by Lyrical Press, Inc

Page Count  210

Genre:  Young Adult Paranormal Romance

Shelf:  Review Copy

Rating:  ★★★★

Synopsis from Goodreads:



To love and protect…across worlds.

Eighteen-year-old Faith Stryker is prepared to leap out into the unknown world beyond her home shores of New Zealand to experience life. Only she never expected to encounter Magio, a planet with two warring countries, where its people reach adulthood at eighteen by coming into their strength and prophetic abilities. Only after Faith discovers she’s a Halfling--thanks to her warrior father she’s never met--does her own skill of forethought develop.

Peacio’s Prince Davio Loveria is sent to the young Faith Stryker by his grandfather, but not all goes as planned. Davio discovers Faith isn’t just a Halfling, she’s also his soul-bound mate--an intense relationship he cannot, nor will not, give up.

With two wars now waging…one of land and the other of the heart…can the young lovers find their place in the world?

My Review:
This was a very well written novel. Wadsworth writes the way that individuals in high school tend to speak. Being that the novel is written in the first person, the descriptions and narratives follow the same format. The novel is full of slang and short forms, but it flows naturally. Nothing is ever forces, nor is it shortened to the point that it is no longer comprehensible. That said, the adults in the novel also spoke like adults. They weren’t bound to the slang used by the rest of the characters. It was very refreshing.

The characters themselves also exhibit many traits common to high school students. They have the same concerns and difficulties that many teens do when preparing for university or college. There are added difficulties for these individuals being that they are placed in the middle of a situation where 3 very different cultures merge. They need to learn to (or at least attempt to learn to) accept and embrace these differences. These cultural clashes lead to some quite interesting and very comical moments throughout the story. This all makes the characters seem very real, at least until the supernatural aspects come into play.

Wadsworth also combines the concept of bonded mate pairs with the concept for soul mates for a matching that is very intense. This is played against a very Romeo & Juliet type romance between the young royals of two warring supernatural nations. The best part of this relationship? They fight for their relationship. They do not allow their nations to dictate whether or not they can be together. The main female stands by her family while the main male wants to protect his nation. They attempt to compromise day by day in order to stay together.

I was very impressed throughout the story as to the number of twists and turns in the story and how they always did flow together. No matter what happened, or how unexpected it was, the reader never ends up being confused. There is a natural progression throughout allowing for an enjoyable read that you do not have to over-analyze at every turn. By the end of the novel I was left wanting more but also with a feeling of completion.

Buy your copy online here today.