Review - Ward Against Death by Melanie Card

TITLE:    Ward Against Death
AUTHOR:    Melanie Card
INFO:    E-book, Fiction, 264 pages
PUBLISHED:   Entangled Publishing, 2011
SOURCE:   Received from Publisher for Review and Blog Tour

FROM GOODREADS:    Twenty-year-old Ward de’Ath expected this to be a simple job—bring a nobleman’s daughter back from the dead for fifteen minutes, let her family say good-bye, and launch his fledgling career as a necromancer. Goddess knows he can’t be a surgeon—the Quayestri already branded him a criminal for trying—so bringing people back from the dead it is.


But when Ward wakes the beautiful Celia Carlyle, he gets more than he bargained for. Insistent that she’s been murdered, Celia begs Ward to keep her alive and help her find justice. By the time she drags him out her bedroom window and into the sewers, Ward can’t bring himself to break his damned physician’s Oath and desert her.

However, nothing is as it seems—including Celia. One second, she’s treating Ward like sewage, the next she’s kissing him. And for a nobleman’s daughter, she sure has a lot of enemies. If he could just convince his heart to give up on the infuriating beauty, he might get out of this alive.

MY TAKE:    What a fun story!  This was a quick read that I really enjoyed.  It's one of those books with a world that you become immersed in and don't want to surface from.  

Debut author Melanie Card has created an intriguing tale that draws the reader in immediately and doesn't let go.  Her characters are rich and engaging.  Ward is what most of us would want in our hero:  he's smart, sensitive, loyal and hard-working.  His values and sense of fairness really add to his appeal.  His interaction with Celia is priceless.

Celia is a real gem.  She is good and bad as well as hard and soft.  She is such a delightful mix that poor Ward doesn't know if he's coming or going.  I loved it!  Their chemistry is quite apparent from the start and just builds as the adventure progresses.  The author has done a lovely job of giving the reader glimpses of their sexual tension and attraction without delving too much into that aspect.  I do want to mention that I think this book is definitely more appropriate for older YA readers and adults as the characters are no longer kids themselves.  Some of the situations might be a little mature for the very youngest readers of the YA genre.

I had a hard time trying to classify this tale.  It's adventure, fantasy, paranormal, romance, thriller and so much more.  Most readers will find some element that appeals to them ~ no matter what genre they choose to label it as.

Out of 5 JEWELS, I give it:

Be sure to check back later today as the fantastic Melanie Card will be stopping by One Book Shy to share some thoughts on her book and her hero Ward.

There is also some talk in the air about a Giveaway....

 

~~~~~ Disclaimer:  All opinions expressed on this blog are 100% my own.  I do not receive monetary compensation for my reviews but do utilize affiliate links.  I may receive books in  order to facilitate a review, but this does not guarantee a good review - only a completely honest one.  Each review post denotes how I obtained the book.