Review: The Guardian by Sherrilyn Kenyon

The Guardian (Dark-Hunter #20, Dream-Hunter #5, Were-Hunter #6, Hellchaser #3) by Sherrilyn Kenyon
Format: paperback
Source: purchased
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Dark-Hunter
0.5. Fantasy Lover
1. Night Pleasures
2. Night Embrace
3. Dance with the Devil
4. Kiss of the Night
5. Night Play
6. Seize the Night
7. Sins of the Night
8. Unleash the Night
9. Dark Side of the Moon
10. The Dream-Hunter
11. Devil May Cry
12. Upon the Midnight Clear
13. Dream Chaser
14. Acheron
15. One Silent Night
16. Dream Warrior 
17. Bad Moon Rising
18. No Mercy
19. Retribution
20. The Guardian - Paperback | Kindle
21. Time-Untime
22. Styxx
23. Son of No One
24. Dragonbane
25. Dragonmark
26. Dragonsworn
27. Stygian

Dream-Hunter
1. The Dream-Hunter
2. Upon the Midnight Clear
3. Dream Chaser
4. Dream Warrior 
5. The Guardian
6. Shadow Fallen

Were-Hunter
1. Night Play
2. Unleash the Night
3. Dark Side of the Moon
4. Bad Moon Rising
5. No Mercy
6. The Guardian
7. Time Untime
8. Son of No One
9. Dragonbane
10. Dragonmark
11. Dragonsworn
12. Stygian

Hellchaser
1. Bad Moon Rising
2. Dark-Hunter: An Insider's Guide
3. The Guardian
4. Time Untime
5. Son of No One
6. Dragonbane

Sherrilyn Kenyon
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Synopsis (Goodreads):

Dream-Hunter Lydia has been charged with the most sacred and dangerous of missions: To descend into the Nether Realm and find the missing god of dreams before he betrays the secrets that could kill her and her kind. What she never expects is to be taken prisoner by the Realm’s most vicious guardian…

Seth’s time is running out. If he can’t hand over the entrance to Olympus, his own life and those of his people will be forfeit. No matter the torture, Seth hasn’t been able to break the god in his custody. Then there’s the beautiful Dream-Hunter Lydia: She isn’t just guarding the gates of Olympus—she’s holding back one of the world’s darkest powers. If she fails, an ancient curse will haunt the earth once more and no one will be safe. But evil is always seductive...

My Thoughts: Holy Toledo! Where did this book come from? I'm a long time fan of this whole series but the last few haven't quite hit the stride that the earlier books did. This one, though? It came out of the gate swinging and smacked me between the eyes until I couldn't see which way was up. I mean... whoa!

Really, does Sherrilyn Kenyon know how to torture her characters or what? I'm talking literally here. Seth is tortured and then he's tortured some more and then his torturers throw in a few free jabs at the end just because they can. He's a wreck. He doesn't trust anyone because the few times he has they've betrayed him in some fundamentally big ways. He expects pain. He expects those around him to lie and cheat and treat him like garbage. In short, he's the character that you can't help but love because, as damaged as he is, he still has a core of decency.

Lydia's story was interesting and I liked her as a foil for Seth but ultimately this was Seth's book. He was the one who made me read it in one sitting. He's the one who made me cringe when every new atrocity against him was revealed. Yes, damaged heroes are my weakness. Thank you for noticing.

I like the direction the overall series arc is going because it feels huge and when it breaks open it'll be game changing. However, one of the main reasons I loved this book is that it felt like we were back in the brutal, bloody days of the earlier books. It was dark and haunting and ultimately satisfying.