*****BIG SPOILER ALERT!!!!*****I wish with all my heart that I could give this a 5 but I just can't. If this didn't have one of the most abrupt endings in all of the books I've ever read in my life, than this would definitely be 5 stars.This third and final installment had the fast-paced action from the second book along with the romance from the second book, but after I finished the last sentence, I literally said outloud "what the f---?!" There was definitely a last chapter missing somehow... there had to be because you can't just end a thrilling and exciting series that way! Here's what I would have put in the last chapter:-The funeral: The whole chapter would have taken place in Athens where they bury the immortals (and Rochelle). Dartemis, the third of the immortal twins, would finally come out of hiding for this.-Matt and Neriah: not much to complain about here. Just that maybe there would be more instances being together and their cuteness.-Isabel and Arakarian AND Matt: This whole thing between them would be resolved. Matt would apologize for being an overprotective jerk and tell Arkarian that he trusts his sister with him, meaning they make up and can move on blah blah blah.-Matt: He is promised to have a seat among the Tribunal after he has perfected the full potential of his powers, likely with more training with his real father, Dartemis.-Ethan: There's really not much you can do with Ethan in this last chapter. Maybe a conversation between him and Isabel or him and Matt and what he's feeling.-Everyone is gathered together at a grand feast at the very end, finally able to laugh a little and rest.Is this so much to ask for? I guess so because Curley completely leaves you hanging without the promise of another book. Everything just felt completely unfinished. If the whole book had been about Ethan's revenge, then I can understand why it would have been that ending, but it was nothing like and that's why I was disappointed how this series ended. When I first started reading this last book, I had my reserves because I flipped through it and saw that every chapter was through the POV of Rochelle or Matt and I didn't really care about either one at first. I wanted to know more about Arkarian and Isabel, but about halfway through I realized that it had to be through new people because more things needed to be settled and we as the readers needed to witness their maturity in the first person. But like I said it was hard to accept right away.Dillon was the most annoying character of the whole book. Even though I somehow knew he wasn't the traitor, there were many times where I wanted him to be. His attraction to Neriah was so unnatural that I couldn't really understand why he was infatuated with her... in fact I still don't get it but I suppose it's not really important in the long-run. I can't believe Mr. Carter was the traitor! I mean I expected it because Ethan always had a weird feeling about him and I knew it couldn't be Lady Arabella, but it was still a shock. Speaking of Lady Arabella, I was so sad when her and Lorian were unable to be together and never got the chance after he was killed by his power-hungry sister. Thank god her and Marduke died; both of them got what they deserved. It's just too bad Lorian had to die along with them.I really loved this book all the way up until the end where there has to be a missing chapter. If anyone finds said chapter, please inform me because it has to be out there somewhere...
The span between the time I read the second book and the last book is years because I wasn't able to find a copy of The Key in any of the bookstores I went to. Alas I finally found a copy and when I started reading it, I was taken again to a whole new world created by Marianne Curley. I didn't mind that the writing suited an eight-year-old reader, this is a book for children anyway. I didn't mind that the different love stories weren't dwelled much into because this isn't a romance novel in the first place. What some goodreads reviewers call as 'instalove', I didn't mind because Curley brought up the concept of 'soulmates' which backed up the seemingly forced romances. There are a lot of things that did bother me:- The different narrators spoke in THE SAME voice. Unless the narrator was describing something about his/her superpowers or his/her life, I couldn't tell who was narrating at that moment. There were times when I had to go back to the first page of the chapter just to know who was telling the story.-I wasn't attached to any of the new characters. I remember reading the first two books and I really liked Ethan and Isabel. I felt like the author did not effectively make an in depth characterization of Dillon, Neriah, Rochelle and Matt. I didn't Identify with Matt and Rochelle even though they were the main narrators of the book. - This third complaint is connected to the second. One of the main goals of authors is to provoke feelings from readers. As I didn't get attached to the characters, their deaths didn't provoke any emotion from me.-This is what I don't get: if the immortals are powerful why are they letting a bunch of teenagers join the war? I know they're "named" and all but since the immortals are the ones giving "gifts" shouldn't they have unlimited power? And with such, why couldn't they beat the dark side themselves?- Why is Matt more powerful than Arkarian? The Prophecy isn't enough of an explanation. They are both sons of immortals. Are their dads not of equal level? (Dartemis and Lorian respectively)- Why was Matt speaking like one of the immortals when he became the leader? Was part of his training with Dartemis to learn how to speak like a person from centuries ago? I understand that he had to gain respect and show his authority but it felt like he became someone from the tribunal who inhabited a teenage boy's body. I didn't see Matt anymore. - I was really unsatisfied with the ending. It felt like there is a chapter or two missing. The story felt unresolved. Did the publisher give a deadline to the author and the author's only goal was to meet it without finishing the story? We will never know. -I feel really bad for Ethan. He doesn't deserve his ending. The author may have felt that she needed to make someone's ending unhappy so that the end doesn't sound too happy and cheesy. Ethan's ending was too forced and unfair. I read the first two books years ago so I may have had overlooked the same issues. But I'm older now and I choose not to turn my blind side. I am giving this book the lowest rating out of the three because it wasn't as fast paced and exciting as I remember the first two books to be.
What do You think about The Key (2006)?
I enjoyed reading the series. Although I felt there was some sadness assosiated in the end and even though in every book there was a different POV (and it might be confusing sometimes because u need to remind yourself who is talking and thinking right now) you got to know every character (well at least 5) pretty close.I had a bitter taste regarding Ethan after finishing the books. He was this sweet boy, who was suffering his hole life from the effects of what happened to his family, especially t
—LeNa
This is the third book in the Guardians of Time Trilogy.This trilogy is a classic good versus bad + plenty of superpowers + lots of budding new love/relationships. Oh yeah, and of course...time travel. A-ma-zing! Loved it. Funny, in I Am Number Four, I complained that I didn't like love stories in books. Well, the Guardians of Time Trilogy has LOTS of love going on. It seemed like every character! But, it didn't bug me at all. I'm not going to say too much about the story. One thing I liked was that it wasn't totally predictable. It isn't easy to pick out the traitor either. I had 5 or 6 people who I had suspected it to be, but none of those were correct lol. The ending was pretty sudden. Usually I'm the type that likes things all neatly tied up, happy endings for the good...but, Curley didn't give me that. It ended on an adrenaline high. Weirdly enough, I was satisfied with how it ended. I didn't need further closure, '1 month/year later', or an epilogue.Besides everything, there's a lot of excitement/action in this final book...and...actually tear jerkers. Yes, I was teary eyed in this one too. Wow. I don't know how Curley did it.I really liked The Named, it sputtered a little for me in The Dark, but The Key really brought it all together and made this a WOW trilogy for me. IN MY OPINION, this trilogy was WAY BETTER than I Am Number Four. But then again, maybe the books after I Am Number Four will be better?
—Karen
Ernsthaft, ich fand Band 1 klasse und Band 2 auch, aber der dritte hat ungefähr 2/3 gebraucht bis ich drin war und die Figuren mochte. Wieder haben die Erzähler gewechselt, jetzt zu Matt und Rochelle, die ich eigentlich nie so richtig mochte. Die Geschichte läuft natürlich auf den Endkampf hinaus, wie es zu erwarten war. Anders als in vielen Büchern muss ich sagen, dass es sich nicht ewig hinzieht und dann plötzlich auf gefühlten 10 Seiten wird die Geschichte beendet. Klar, der Endkampf ist wie
—Becks
