Dark Guardian #1: Moonlight Review

Title: Dark Guardian #1: Moonlight Review

Author: Rachel Hawhtorne

Date of Publication: March 3, 2009

Formats Available: Paperback, E-Book

Synopsis: After the terrifying death of her parents seventeen year old Kayla gets a job working at the forest where they were killed. As rumors of werewolves abound Kayla begins to question what really happened the night of her parents death. When she meets Lucas, who she has an instant connection to; she knows that he's the only one who can answer her questions. As someone tries to get revenge on Lucas and humans become dangerously close to discovering the secrets the forest holds, Kayla learns the truth about Lucas and her parents, and becomes something she never thought possible.

My Review:

This book has been sitting on the to-read shelf of my bookcase for ages; I wish I had gotten to it sooner because I know that I would have loved it a couple years ago. A shallow but fun read this book would definitely appeal to middle schoolers looking for a quick and cute read. A little unoriginal with a slightly creepy love interest, this novel is a bit like a werewolf version of Twilight.

Kayla was a ditzy, shallow character; more interested in guys than doing her job. While I didn't really mind her I didn't exactly like her either. Her friends Lindsey and Brittney were both completely flat and two-dimensional characters, neither of them possessing brains or even a personality. Most of the characters were easily forgotten and all started to blend together, the only two characters that had any form of a personality were Kayla and Lucas.

Kayla's obsession with the stunningly gorgeous, but unattainable, Lucas was expected and their relationship was fast and a bit of an "insta-love" but what really got me was Lucas's creepiness. Having only met her once the summer before he already has a tattoo of her name declaring his intent to "mate" with her when she becomes part of the pack, he then tells her of his intentions to follow her back to her home several states away if she hadn't worked at the forest that summer. I couldn't help but be just plain creeped out by him.

The plot was a bit dull and cliché  and I couldn't believe the stupidity of some of the characters. However it was entertaining enough and the shortness of the novel didn't give me much of a chance to get bored. Definitely a novel that would appeal to younger readers who haven't read the whole "girl finds out she's a werewolf and cute guy helps her through the shock" story line.

All in all while Moonlight wasn't necessarily an awful novel it was unoriginal and very reminiscent of Twilight. Middle school fans of paranormal romance and supporters of Jacob Black will undoubtedly devour this novel; older fans may want to skip this one in favor of a novel with a bit more substance. 

3/5