Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Series Review: The Final Prophecy

The Final Prophecy Series
Author: Jessica Andersen
Publisher: Signet
Books Available on Amazon

Books in the Series:
1. Nightkeepers(2008)
2. Dawnkeepers(2009)
3. Skykeepers(2009)
4. Demonkeepers(2010)
5. Blood Spells(November 2010)

Summary: The final four-year countdown to the end of days has begun. According to ancient Maya prophecy, demons from the underworld will arise on December 21, 2012. Only the Nightkeepers, mortal descendants of an ancient race of magic-wielding warrior-priests, can prevent the apocalypse by stopping the demons from bringing the old legends to life.

Jessica Anderson is a very smart woman. She has a PhD in molecular genetics, and a love of research. So when I say that The Final Prophecy series is a action-packed, sexy and SMART read, I mean it in the fullest sense. Her characters are complex, moody, sexy and driven. Her writing is detailed, but not so much that it bogs the reader down. She gives us bits and pieces of the Mayan culture, history and magic as the books move along, but she mixes it with fast paced action, steamy sex and characters that keep you guessing.

I will say that The Final Prophecy books needed a little more of my attention. I tend to pick up my books and read them throughout the day, as well as before sleeping. I may be sitting in the living room with my kids, chatting, watching television and pick up a book, reading in the midst of it all. Demonkeepers,the fourth book in the series, took more of my attention than usual to follow along with all that had happened in past books. The other three I had read fairly close together, so they had all flowed together as I finished one, and jumped into the next one. Since it had been awhile this time, I had to let the book jog my memory as I read of something that was coming to a conclusion. So, what am I saying? The books CAN be fast reads, but to really appreciate the plot revolving around Mayan prophecy, the reader should pay attention and digest the information as they move through the books. It's tempting to just get to the sexy parts as quickly as possible, but that is really doing an injustice to Doc Jessica's research and plot.

I recommend reading the books in order to really appreciate the characters and the ongoing plot. Each book revolves around a couple BUT has details on all the Nightkeepers and their fight against evil. I appreciated the struggles of each couple more by knowing their background and how they came into the group.

The books in the series are:

1. Nightkeepers: the first book that introduces the characters and revolves around Strike and Leah.

2. Dawnkeepers: Nate and Alexis are ex-lovers and are forced to work together while recovering seven artifacts before the demons discover them first.

3. Skykeepers: Sasha and Michael's story is riveting. A Nightkeeper with a dark past, and a woman who thought the tales of the Final Prophecy were ravings of an obsessed father.

4. Demonkeepers: The fourth and most recently released of the books. There is SO much going on in this book. Lucius has been in all the books as he gets sucked into the Nightkeeper's world. At first he seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but was it more than that? Jade is a therapist, and a researcher within the Nightkeepers. She wants to be more and is tired of sitting back while everyone else has an active role. For me, Demonkeepers had a theme of understanding sacrifice and duty, which I loved. Do you ignore love for duty?

You can learn more about The Final Prophecy series on the authors website here: http://www.jessicaandersen.com/

~Moonsanity

CymLowell