Guardian of the Gate by Michelle Zink

Guardian of the Gate
Author: Michelle Zink
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: August 1, 2010
Edition: Hardcover
* Purchased on my own.

Summary from GoodReads: The ultimate battle between sisters is nearing, and its outcome could have catastrophic consequences. As sixteen year-old Lia Milthorpe searches for a way to end the prophecy, her twin sister Alice hones the skills she'll need to defeat Lia. Alice will stop at nothing to reclaim her sister's role in the prophecy, and that's not the only thing she wants: There's also Lia's boyfriend James.

Lia and Alice always knew the Prophecy would turn those closest to them against them. But they didn't know what betrayal could lead them to do. In the end, only one sister will be left standing.

My Thoughts:  


So, immediately after re-reading Prophecy of the Sisters, I jumped into Guardian of the Gate. Admittedly, I don't know why the summary has James marked as Lia's boyfriend. Sure, they've said that they loved one another in Prophecy of the Sisters, but it was, to the best of my knowledge, nothing official. And yeah, I liked him well enough, but I have a new favorite in Guardian of the Gate. Dimitri Markov. He's known of Lia for quite some time and she feels at ease with him. More importantly, he knows about the prophecy and thus, she doesn't need to keep secrets from him. Though, I'll have to admit that his first introduction to Lia is very, very short. However, she runs into him again and he stays with her for the rest of the book, so I really can't complain. 


Lia has traveled to England to search for the two remaining Keys and to track down the missing pages from the book--that her father left her (containing the prophecy)--that will hopefully help her hone her skills and aid her in defeating Samael and the Souls (that sounds like it'd be a good band name). As per usual, Alice is keeping an eye on Lia and although she isn't physically in England, they do run into one another often enough. 


So, I'm not going to lie, I read this in one sitting. I tried to put it down, but I really wanted to know what happened next and before I knew it, I had finished. There's more adventure in Guardian of the Gate and more Souls coming after Lia. If you liked the plot so far but there wasn't enough action for you in Prophecy of the Sisters, you may want to push through and read Guardian of the Gate. Seriously, there's a lot more action and things get interesting. Along the lines of being chased through the woods by Hellhounds, the medallion seeking out her mark, and another key being located. I'm really curious as to what will happen in the third book--since it will be called Circle of Fire (or at least, that's the name that's been given thus far). Currently Circle of Fire is set to be released on August 1, 2011. 

Overall Rating:  ★★★★